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Ray Trantham - Partners in Missions

ECONOMIC STRESSES:

Tuesday, 31 March 2009 13:23

The faculty and staff of the Bible college meet together each morning for prayer and a short devotion. Two days ago, the text was taken from Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." The main point of the devotion was that we should “seek God” before we seek solutions to our problems. The early church had no building, no Bible colleges, no professionally trained leaders, and no money. They lived in a difficult time and place and were persecuted by both the Jews and Romans, but they had the “God of hope” who is able to make us “overflow with hope.”

Today we face many difficult issues. The economic difficulties are being felt by each of us. Last month I noted that some of our Ukrainian workers at the college had to be laid off. This has certainly been difficult, but at the same time I suspect that some of you who are reading this newsletter have also recently suffered economic difficulties. This school year has seen other changes at our college to try to cope with the changing times. In the past our non-resident students came to our campus ten times and stayed three days each time they came, now they come five times and stay a whole week. This cuts down on travel expenses for the students. We have also seen a decrease in enrolment because part-time students cannot get off from work to attend classes and fear losing their jobs. Full-time students are facing similar difficulties. The fact is that in Ukraine, married students make better students, but married students cannot afford to move their families to Odessa and go to school full-time. I don’t have an answer. I think the point of our devotion, “Seek God before we seek solutions to our problems,” is our only hope.

For the past three years all Bible colleges in Ukraine and Russia have been experiencing a similar problem. The problem is complex but centers around two areas: first, there is a decline in the number of potential students available to each college, and second, the cost of operating a Bible college has dramatically increased. During the Soviet period the government set the price of everything and subsidized everything from utilities, health care, to transportation. The government of Ukraine continues this policy today, but to a lesser and lesser degree. There is another twist to this problem. Businesses, churches, and Bible colleges are billed for goods and services at an “above market rate” as a way of making it possible to subsidize the same services for individuals. As an example, our college pays five times the price for internet access as a private citizen would pay, and several times the price for gas and water as the home owners next door to the college. The concept of “non-profit organization” does not exist in Ukraine, so our college is treated by the government as a business. One of the ways the government has chosen to assist individuals during this difficult time is to ‘double” the burden upon organizations, so they can be more lax with individuals. To summarize, this means that our non-employee costs have skyrocketed. Again, I don’t have an answer. I think the point of our devotion, “Seek God before we seek solutions to our problems,” is our only hope.

As Americans living in Ukraine, we are completely dependent upon your financial contributions; the Bible college is relieved not to have to worry about our salary as missionaries. We have seen a slight decrease in monthly support over the past year. In 2 Corinthians 8:13, Paul is talking about money and says, “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.” Paul is not talking about every Christian giving the same amount, but an “equal” commitment. We would never think of asking you to sacrifice so that we don’t have to. We are in this together, and each time we receive a check for monthly support we are reminded of your commitment to God’s work in Ukraine. We want to say “thank-you” for the fact that you stand with us in this effort. We must continue to “seek God” together and he will provide the solutions to the problems that we face together.

Prayer request from Johnny Bruno

Please pray for daughter Anyssa who suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns on her face on Sunday. Ask that the Lord might grant her peace and healing.

Pam Tranthem - Partners in Missions - Ukraine

Monday, 20 April 2009 11:35

NEVER TOO OLD

In Ukraine, as in America, Easter is a special time for children. There are special programs at church and special activities for children. Many of these childhood activities that remind us of our Lord’s resurrection, we remember and maybe even continue as adults. I have never been too old to color Easter eggs, just ask my Aunt Peggy about coloring and hiding Easter eggs with me when I was in my 20s and she was older than that! I could not wait for my children to get old enough to enjoy the art of Easter egg dying and - oh boy, when Sasha came into the family he had never colored eggs. Imagine that! He got a lesson that first year. This year I have learned a whole new way to color Easter eggs. I was invited to learn the art of “Pysanky”, which is the traditional Ukrainian way to decorate Easter eggs. That got me interested in researching more about the Ukrainian traditions of Easter.Pysanky is a Ukrainian Easter egg decorated using a wax-resist method. The designs are not painted on, but written with hot beeswax with a stylus pen. There are many different types of decorated eggs depending on where you live. The art of pysanky dates back to ancient times when Ukrainians worshipped a sun god called Dazhboh. Eggs were honored as representing the rebirth of the earth and a source of magical life. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The purpose of the egg designs was to bring goodness on the household and protect the family from dangers and evils. When Christianity came to Ukraine in 988, the symbolism of the egg changed to represent the rebirth of man. Pysanky eggs were made by the women of the family during Lent. The woman of the house would set aside the most perfect eggs for dying. When the children were asleep the women in the family would gather, say their prayers, and go to work. It was all done in secret. The secret patterns and color dyes were preserved and passed down from mother to daughter.Beeswax is scooped into the stylus and heated over a candle flame. When it is liquefied you apply the wax to the egg with writing, drawing motion. The area where the wax is applied will stay white. Then the egg is dipped in the yellow dye and more wax is applied. This continued until you finished your design and the egg is completely dyed going from lightest to darkest ending in your base color usually black. After the egg dying is dry the wax is removed by holding the egg next to the flame and gently melting the wax and polishing the decorated egg. (In my case, we put ours in the oven to melt the wax.) For Russian Orthodox believers, by the Thursday before Easter, 60 eggs would be completed and taken to the Orthodox priest to be blessed and then given away. (It took me more than 6 hours to make 4 eggs)

Here is the traditional way in which all of the eggs were to be given away:

* One or two would be given to the priest.

* Three or four were taken to the cemetery and placed on graves of the family.

* Ten or fifteen were given to children.

* Ten or twelve were exchanged by the unmarried girls with the eligible men in the community.

* Several were saved to place in the coffin of loved ones who might die during the year.

* Several were saved to keep in the home for protection from fire, lightning and storms.

* Two or three were placed in the mangers of cows and horses to ensure safe calving and colting and a good milk supply for the young.

* At least one egg was placed beneath the bee hive to insure a good harvest of honey.

* One was saved for each grazing animal to be taken out to the fields with the shepherds.

* Several pysanky were placed in the nests of hens to encourage the laying of eggs.

Everyone from the youngest to the oldest received a pysanky eggs for Easter. Young people were given pysanky with bright designs; dark pysanky were given to older people.Even though I enjoyed learning the art of pysanky and the traditions of Easter and spring, I am so glad that today we do not have to worry about traditions or superstitions. Jesus Christ died on the cross and was resurrected on the third day to take away all of my sins and doubts about eternal life. That is what Easter is really all about. I want to close with the greeting that all Ukrianian Christians greet each other on Easter morning:

Christ is Risen! … He is risen indeed!

Hope Prison Ministry in South Africa

Prayer Partners and Supporters of Hope Prison Ministry in South Africa,

You can read below an exciting and informative update from the Director of Hope Prison Ministry in Capetown, Jonathan Clayton, as he travelled to the Eastern Cape region to visit and evaluate the work being led by Brother Richard, Maxwell, Nethi and others. It is exciting to see how God continues to open new doors for the ministry to grow and transform more lives in Christ. Thank you for your commitment and steadfast to support the ministry until 2011.

I am still scheduled to visit South Africa to visit the prison ministry, churches, and youth conference for 3 weeks in November and December this year. Thank you for your continual prayers!

Phil Smith
Missions Pastor
Countryside Christian Church

From: Reverend Jonathan Peter Clayton
Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 1:38 PM
To: 'Philip Smith'; Richard Gallant; Carolyn Butler
Subject: RE: Update about HPM in Eastern Cape

Thank you for your financial support, love and care. You are a great blessing to us.

A report of my trip to the Eastern and South Cape. I did 3500 km and God protected me on the road.

I met Richard in Port Elizabeth the Saturday morning 04 April 2009. We met with Christopher Baadjies and Eustice Wabanie. They are very excited to start with the TEE in St Albans Afrikaans and English. The Saturday afternoon myself , Richard and Eustice went to a home of a lady who is doing the Bible Way Correspondence course in ten prisons. She is Carol Du Toit. She were so excited to know that we have the TEE Programme, because the prisoners do ask her for more Bible studies. She and her husband goes to Kirkwood prison twice a month. She also introduced us to a ex prisoner, Antoinette Simons,who is doing spiritual care in North End Prison Port Elizabeth.She will come to Cape Town next month for training and how to coordinate the TEE Programme in Port Elizabeth and being accountable to Richard.She also does Bible studies in the Patensie Prison.An American missionary couple supports her in terms of travel expenses to the prison.I told her if she want to become involved, she had to generate her own financial support. She is more than willing to do that.Another believer Pat Jenniker will also assist in the TEE Programme at St Albans. Then I met with a pastoral couple from Utenhage, Mongezi and Nwabisa Makhanya, the Sunday afternoon. They will also work in St Albans doing the TEE Programme in Xhosa. I gave them all application forms to complete. Hope that their applications get processed soon. So brother Phil, it seems to me that Port Elizabeth will run smooth soon. Richard don`t have to travel that much to Port Elizabeth.

Just to mention, Richard spent too much time on a taxi in terms of travelling. It is very time consuming for him. My personal suggest is that Richard needs to concentrate on the King Williams Town, East London, Mdantsane and Stutterheim Prisons.I want to make contact with a local church in terms of office space for the TEE Coordination or set him up at his home with a computer and land line. I am trusting the Lord for a computer for him soon.Just got one for our TEE Office at Pollsmoor with no cost. God is good.Richard travels everywhere with the taxi and he has to use his personal cell phone (mobile phone) to contact people which is very costly.A landline will be much helpful.

As you are aware that the Word of God is not so welcome in government places, like in other countries, but I personally experience in our country that we are well excepted because the TEE Programme/Studies is relevant and helpful but further more of eternal value. The TEE Programme is a method being used in our Correctional Facilities to reach more people for Christ.I need to look at the way forward in terms of the TEE Programme in all Correctional Facilities in our country. The question came to my mind: Do we only maintain a ministry with a few prisoners involved or do we make use of the opportunities to take the TEE Programme into more prisons? I read one the reports of our beloved the Dr. Butler, in which he mentioned that his dream was to reach at that stage all 150.000 prisoners in our country with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the TEE Programme.The one sad challenge is that the churches in our country did not learn how to give so that remain a challenge but we do believe that God will supply even locally in HIS time. So my brothers and sister who supports this ministry, we are excited to continue to let the Word of God being spread in our prisons with the TEE Programme. It took myself and my wife seventeen years before the local churches supported us. Almost like, seeing is believing,they first wanted to see if you are capable of sustaining a ministry. We are positive, therefore I want to give my support to the Eastern Cape region in terms of recruiting people for prison ministry and become self supported.

Richard mentioned to me about the Church of Christ in New Brighten - Port Elizabeth, who consider to call him as the fulltime pastor. I spoke to him today and he said that the call were put on hold until 2010. He experience a great challenges at his local church at the moment in terms of church politics and a split. They need to work through that challenge, therefore he needs allot of prayer. There is a court case in terms of both groups claim the building.

On our way to East London, we drove via Port Alfred to meet with brother Nethi. Wow what a positive brother in Christ. An ex offender who are willing to travel every Saturday to Grahams Town to be part of the TEE Programme. He is so excited that he phone me twice since I`am back in Cape Town.

In East London, Phil, you won`t believe, Correctional Services got 67 Correctional Officials from all over the Eastern Cape Region together for a Restorative Justice Seminar.Our 2007 arrangements and your hard work did not work out but God blessed us with a wonderful team of Correctional Officials, who were very excited. Richard also made good friends and contact with most of them in terms of the TEE Programme at their respective prisons. I also met with the Regional Head of Development and Care Mrs. Claudette van Zyl. She received me in a high spirit and will let me inform me soon regarding the accreditation of the TEE Programme for 2009, but we can continue as in the past. Praise the Lord.

We do have John Tom at the Middledrift Prison. I also had the privilege to meet Maxwell in Port Elizabeth. He is also very excited for the Tee Programme in Graaf Reinette and Kirkwood Prisons.

There are 40 prisons in the Easter Cape. This is not impossible for God to open doors for us with the Gospel through the TEE Programme. We need your prayers all the time.

I also did a Restorative Justice Seminar with the Southern Cape Region (7 prisons) Praise the Lord 62 Correctional Officials attended. They also want the TEE Programme in their prisons. So I need to go there soon to recruit people through our churches. My trip were very exciting and bless. I am positive regarding the future with reference to the TEE Programme.

The Dr Butler Seminary will grow from strength to strength.

Pollsmor`s news soon. Just to mentioned that we had our first Certificate Ceremony last week. Waiting for the photo`s. I will send the report with the photos soon. We do have seven TEE teachers at the Medium B prison and Jenny do have four teachers at the female prison.

Thank you for your financial support, love and care. You are the reason why our prison doors is open for the Gospel. Also thank you to the Butler Family for their love and care. My commitment to Dr. Butler will be honoured at all times.

Praise the Lord.
Reverend Jonathan Clayton

Thankful to support missions here in my hometown of Deltona, in Deland and globally also!

Check out the links to the right for the missions we are currently supporting.