Meanwhile, in Odesa...

While in these last two weeks I've been packing, praying, and preparing to leave, a million people in Odesa have been driving to work, walking to the grocery store, listening to sirens, perhaps feeling the vibrations of explosions, eating with their families, going to church, and doing a dozen other things ranging from mundane to gripping.

I know very little about most people in Odesa right now, but I do know Mark Priem and Lighthouse Baptist Church which has been steadily growing throughout the two and a half years of this war. This past Sunday, Bro. Priem loaded up his big van bringing people to church. The auditorium was full, and the service included singing, sharing Christian poems and then Bro. Priem's preaching. Of course, the people fellowshipped after the service. Christians always need fellowship with other Christians, but I think you realize that more in wartime.

Because the church auditorium has been completely full each Sunday for quite a while, Bro. Priem would like to convert the larger garage area into the main meeting place. To that end, men from the church have been working all of last week to complete a new roof. On Friday, there was a pause from the work for a Bible study and prayer. And nearly every day, there are people working at the church or helping other people in the church. Most weeks, there is work in order to print and distribute gospel tracts both in Odesa and to cities around Ukraine.

Each night of the week, Bro. Priem or another group from the church will go out to meet one of the groups that are needing food. They present the gospel, take questions, and then distribute the food. Bro. Priem said that in this last week people have been so attentive, searching. God is working. At the end of one of last week's food distributions, the sirens started again and a missile hit down near Odesa's port. One person was killed and five injured. A similar incident happened last Thursday night near the port. The church continues to pray for protection and trust God. They pray especially for the men from the church who are on the frontlines now.

Bro. Priem describes all of this with requests for prayer, a clear concern for people, a love for the gospel, and (most clearly) a joy in serving God by sharing Christ to the lost and worshipping with fellow Christians.

This evening, I fly out of the States to find my part in that ministry. I could tell you about what my last week's preparations look like or how generous people have been to me as I leave. I could explain my difficulty in leaving my family and church or ask for more prayer for my specific situations. But what I really want you to know is that God is working in Odesa, and by His grace, He is allowing me to be part of that. What I really want you to pray for is the city of Odesa - that the gospel of Christ may be unhindered in the city. Today, I'll be flying out and won't be back in the States for a while. And I know that where God leads a person to is ultimately better than where He leads that person from. When I renounce my right to everything that is mine, I get to take part of everything that is God's. What a privilege to be serving God where He leads!

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If you'd like to see a newly-finished video explaining how God led me to Ukraine, what God is doing there, and what part I plan to have in that ministry, check out this video: https://youtu.be/QGO4w2vaSqc.