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Direct Impressions

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I want to give you some impressions of the days I spent in Cherkassy in October with Brian Livesey and Jon and Ali Budgell. One of the main objectives of our visit was to have discussions with the Boards of Hope Now (Ukraine) and Kompas Park as well as with Misha and Alla. In all respects these meetings were wonderfully positive, with many new initiatives for the future work being expressed, all of them within the existing framework of our ministry in Ukraine. It was really exciting for us to see the amazing commitment of all the staff and Board members for the continuation and growth of Hope Now. 

I want to talk a little about the Medical Ministry. As Jon and I were chatting with Lyudmila about the accounts, she told us of the real need there is for funds in what we call the General Medical Fund. This is used for people who need assistance with paying for treatments. She told us of one pastor whose wife was in need of an urgent operation costing several thousands of pounds but they had insufficient money and recently came to Hope Now for help. It was sad that there was not enough cash in our medical fund to cover the whole cost of the operation. We must try to increase the amount in this fund.

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We were really pleased to meet Dr. Alexander Doroshenko who came to Alpha House with his wife Svieta specially to see us. At the time he started the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine in 1991 there were only three Christian doctors in the country. Through his efforts by running conferences for medical staff there are now 30 Christian doctors. Dr Doroshenko runs the mobile medical unit visiting about 50 villages a year carrying out minor operations and other treatments. He described how he and his team, when visiting a village, would not only use the mobile unit but also take a room in the local church and section it off for treatments. All this treatment is done free of charge and is a lifeline to many poor people, especially the elderly who have to exist on pensions of about £30/month. (Here he quoted Matthew 25 verse 40.) People coming to the clinic may have to wait for hours to see a doctor or dentist. This would give an opportunity for others in the team to talk to the waiting patients about their faith and as a result, during the last few years this ministry has planted 17 churches!

As I have said, Dr Doroshenko and his team visit about 50 villages a year. He has such a desire to evangelise that he would love to do more. All that stops him is lack of funds. Each village visit costs about £300. Can I put an idea to you? Maybe your church or home group would consider sponsoring a village visit or alternately consider helping us to enhance our giving to the General Medical Fund.

Finally, I want to thank you for praying for us as we visited Ukraine. We received such a wonderful blessing while we were there and came home full of enthusiasm for the future of Hope Now!

Philip Mutton
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PRAYER DIARY
01.05.2012    Pray for the music group Zozulenka, and their teacher Natalya, as they busily practice for their return tour here in November

02.05.2012    Pray for preparations that are being made for the cycle tour this summer, and for opportunities for the participants to share their faith as they cycle around the villages

03.05.2012    Pray for Brenda and Ksenya as they speak today at the meeting of the Oasis Group at Locks Heath Church

04.05.2012    Pray for Jon and Ali as they attend the Baptist Assembly annual meeting in London until 7th

05.05.2012    Pray for our students at Universities and Colleges as they complete their studies for this semester and take their end of year exams

06.05.2012    Pray for all those who receive food packages through the feeding programme, that no needy person/family is overlooked

07.05.2012    Pray for David John as he completes his preparations for the teaching sessions at the Pastor’s Conference next week

08.05.2012    Pray that we will have full teams of volunteers for all the camps that will take place this summer at Kompas Park

09.05.2012    Pray for the young people from Rainbow House in South Africa, and for Margaret Ferguson as she supports them in their studies

10.05.2012    Pray for the work of the mobile medical unit, and for Dr Doreshenko to fully recover following his recent illnesses

11.05.2012    Pray for the ongoing support of the Mission Fund, which undergirds all the various projects that we have, that adequate funds will be received each month

12.05.2012    Pray for Larisa and the work she does with the family support group, which encourages mutual sharing and prayer

13.05.2012    Pray that the Humanitarian Aid system that we use to send money to Ukraine becomes quicker and more efficient

14.05.2012    Pray for Anastasia Vovk as she plans camps in various villages around Cherkassy, and pray she finds a team of helpers to assist her

15.05.2012    Pray for safety in travel for Jon, David Reddaway and David John as they travel to Ukraine for the Bible School Graduation and for Ksenya as she returns to Ukraine to help Alla at Kompas Park

16.05.2012     Pray for the ongoing work of Cherkassy’s first sheltered accommodation, especially now plans to renovate the house have been drawn up and the costing received

17.05.2012    Pray for the Church twinning programme, that more UK Churches will offer to twin with a Ukrainian Church for mutual support and encouragement

18.05.2012    Remember before God all our children in cottage homes, thanking God for the security and love they receive from their foster parents as they grow up in these Christian families

19.05.2012    Pray for the work party travelling to Ukraine today, to prepare Kompas Park for the summer season

20.05.2012    As Jon, David and David return to the UK, pray for the newly graduated students as they take up their responsibilities back in their churches

21.05.2012    Pray for the children in the orphanages we support, and for Larisa and Misha as they oversee our work in them

22.05.2012    Give thanks for all our volunteers who come in and help with the monthly mail out, and do other jobs so willingly, often without being asked

23.05.2012    Pray for Jon and Ali to be refreshed as they take some time off together and have a break

24.05.2012    Pray for ex-prisoners who are now leading churches and serving in their communities that they will be faithful to what God has called them to do

25.05.2012    Pray for the young people in our pre-independence homes, that they grow in confidence as they study and plan for their future

26.05.2012    Pray for Vika Lavrenko and Stanislav Dyachenko, sponsored children who celebrate their birthdays today, also for the quiz at Ashley BC this evening in support of our work

27.05.2012    Thank God for our Board of Directors, whose support of the work of Hope is so encouraging; pray especially for the two new Directors to become more familiar with Board matters.

28.05.2012    Pray for Alla Kostyunina and her team as they prepare in detail for the planned camp activities at Kompas Park during the summer

29.05.2012    Pray for Misha in all the work he does at Alpha House and in the Ukrainian Office of Hope Now; pray also for the plans he and Lena have in using Alpha House as a summer day camp in August

30.05.2012    Pray for Vlad Serdyuk, one of our sponsored children, as he celebrates his birthday today

31.05.2012    Pray for Cyndee and Darrel Knight and the Hope Now supporters in America, especially in their plans to visit Kompas Park this summer