ЛБК 2010: Доклад об открытии центра на Подоле (Джон Пис)

Podil Pioneering Report

Matthew 9:37,38 : "Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’"

I. How my family came to Kyiv as missionaries

In 1985 Dr. Samuel Lee gave us the prayer topic to pioneer CIS countries. In 2002 I was invited to deliver a message at a conference in Kyiv, Ukraine based on Genesis 12, "God Calls Abram." While writing the message God moved my heart based on his word in Genesis 12:1, "The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country and your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’" However, I had no idea to go out as a missionary and was waiting for someone else to go. But nobody went. Then I heard God’s calling, "You go to Ukraine as your mission land." Then in 2003 Chicago UBF sent my family as the first permanent American missionary family to a CIS country. God provided good jobs for us as teachers, our two daughters became missionaries to a Moslem country Turkey and are studying at the university there. God blessed us in every way live as missionaries in Kyiv. I thought I had done my duty and gone out as a missionary. But after seven years in Kyiv UBF my wife and I had a sense of problem of falling into a comfort zone in an already established ministry. I really didn’t want to go to pioneer a new chapter which entailed a lot of hard work and independent faith. But Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to sent out workers into his harvest field." So this year my wife and I decided not to wait any longer and go out to pioneer a new chapter. I repented of my spiritual procrastinating. There is God’s harvest field in Podil. So on September 5, my family will start a new chapter in Podil UBF near downtown Kyiv at KMA (Kyiv Mohyla Academy), which is considered by some as the Princeton of Ukraine. May God bless our prayer for Podil pioneering not only to make a spiritual impact in Ukraine but the whole world by raising up disciples of Jesus.

1. Prayer topics for Podil

Raise up 12 disciples of Jesus
Find an apartment in Podil
M. Gemma and Minda to master Ukrainian
Mark’s gospel weekly messages in English and Ukrainian
Ukraine to be a shepherd nation and missionary-sending nation

One word: sent out by the Lord to his harvest field of Podil