April/May 2009 Prayer letter

June 10, 2009 | Posted by: Yura

Dear Friends and Family in Christ Jesus,

Greetings in our Lord’s precious Name from Florida! What a whirlwind of travel these past several weeks have been! For the past two months we have had opportunities to speak not only in American and Ukrainian churches but also in Slavic churches, which are Russian speaking churches that consist of Ukrainians, Russians and other nationalities.

In early April I had the privilege of meeting with the leaders of the Fellowship of Ukrainian Baptist Churches of America. They were very interested in my project and invited me to present it at a Ukrainian pastor’s conference in Florida later in the month. Even though I already had speaking plans in Massachusetts and New Hampshire at that time, I was able to squeeze in two days of the conference between my other meetings. There I had an opportunity to speak two times about my work. It was encouraging to see the enthusiastic response as people learned of the translation project. At the conference I met new several pastors for the first time and was able to schedule some meetings in Ukrainian churches. The leaders of the Fellowship also invited me to their annual conference in September in Cleveland, Ohio, where I will be allowed to present my translation work to an even larger audience.

Sharing the ministry at the conference

Attendees

On Easter weekend, I preached in three Ukrainian churches near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the unique things about visiting Ukrainian churches is that every single time I go to one, I either meet old friends or family from Ukraine, or relatives of my friends or family. In one church in Pennsylvania a man got up to give his testimony and I could hardly believe my eyes: it was my second cousin. He used to live in Ukraine pretty far from Kyiv and we did not stay in touch so I had no idea he immigrated. What a surprise it was to see him there! At the Ukrainian pastors’ conference in Florida, I met my old friend whom I had not seen for about 15 years. He is now the pastor of the Ukrainian church in Cleveland, Ohio, which will host the annual conference in September. I also met the parents of my old friend whom I have not seen for over 20 years. I could go on and on. In most of these cases, the meetings were a total surprise. What a wonderful family we have in Christ!

Preaching at a Ukrainian church in Levittown, PA

With the head of the Fellowship of Ukrainian Baptist Churches of America and his wife

Preaching in a Ukrainian church in Philadelphia, PA

While in Pennsylvania, we used the opportunity to visit some historic places in Philadelphia, such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It was an educational experience on the beginnings of the American nation for the boys.

At the Liberty Bell

Three happy boys

The following week I had an opportunity to preach in American churches in Walpole, New Hampshire; Norwood, Massachusetts; and Raymond, New Hampshire, as well as attend the Ukrainian pastor’s conference in-between. In Walpole, we met a Christian doctor who offered to order supplements for our boys at his cost, which is almost ten times cheaper than what we paid for them in Ukraine. On top of that, it is a much better quality brand than the one we bought in Ukraine. We saw our good Lord’s provision in this as He chose not to give us more money for the supplements but rather to significantly reduce their cost.

Playing at a rest stop in Vermont

At a dairy farm in New Hampshire

The first half of May was spent in the beautiful mountains of Vermont with our dear friends. I had the privilege of preaching several times in their home where believers gathered, not only on the subject of Ukrainian Bible translation but also on the subject of persecution in the former Soviet Union and textual issues and Bible versions. Our boys had a great time playing with their Christian peers. In spite of the fact that I got sick during our time in Vermont, we had a good time of relaxation. The first weekend of May, I had an opportunity to preach in Ukrainian and Slavic churches in Manchester, New Hampshire, and in an American church in Nashua, New Hampshire. In Manchester, we were able to get together with my good friend from the church back in Kyiv where I grew up. Our time in Vermont ended with me preaching in an American church in Fair Haven, Vermont.

The Moore family (plus Andriy) with whom we stayed in Vermont

Andriy is eager to learn how to write

The first time in a motor boat

At a Ukrainian church in Manchester, NH

We headed on to New York, where I preached in Hamlin. While in New York, we went with our friends and a missionary family that we met there to see one of the most majestic of God’s creations – Niagara Falls. After New York, we went to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the following Sunday I preached in one American and two Slavic churches. In Harrisburg, we stayed with a dear Ukrainian family whom I knew from a church in Kyiv. Besides speaking in the church this family attends, I was invited by my friend to both the youth Bible study and the young families’ Bible study. The subject of Bible translation inevitably led to the subject of textual issues and Bible versions and I had a great opportunity to explain these matters to the young people.

Niagra Falls

At Berean Bible Church in Greencastle, PA

At Hersheypark in Harrisburg, PA

The following Sunday I presented my work in two Slavic churches in Charlotte, North Carolina. At one of the churches in this city, I met a Ukrainian radio preacher who has been in this ministry for over thirty years. He invited us over and we had a wonderful evening together, talking about ministering to our people. What a surprise it was for me to discover that this was one of the preachers I had listened to on the radio as a boy during Soviet times. His faithfulness and persistence in serving the Lord was a great encouragement and example to me.

At a Slavic Church in Charlotte, NC

With the radio preacher and his wife

The last Sunday of May we were in two Slavic churches in Atlanta, Georgia. Then in early June, we came to Jacksonville, Florida, where we were happy to see my aunt, uncle and my two cousins with their families. We had not seen them for quite a few years, so it was a good time of family reunion. In Jacksonville I also had the opportunity to present my ministry in two Slavic churches.

With my aunt and uncle

First time ever at the ocean

Praise the Lord, the family’s health has been better these past two months. Even though I got sick once, it was not for as long or as bad as the previous time. So far we have not been in any accidents and the car runs well. We did have to have some minor repairs done to the car, but our good Ukrainian friend fixed it for us for free. God had mercy on us and the things that had to be repaired were discovered before our long trips, not on the road. The same brother fixed Sashko’s orthodontic appliance for free, otherwise we would have to wait for it to be repaired until we got back to Ukraine. With such an extensive speaking and traveling schedule, plus trying to arrange more meetings, I have not been able to do any work on Bible translation. I wish I could finally settle in one place for a while and start translating the gospel of Mark – something I have been missing these past two months. On a positive note, Sashko and Yurko have been able to get some school work done, which is a praise.

Our prayer requests remain for the most part the same:
1. Health for the whole family.
2. Safety in our travels, car reliability, etc.
3. God’s leading in scheduling meetings.
4. Bible translation on the road.
5. Sashko and Yurko’s school work.

Thank you for you faithful prayers and support. We are looking forward to seeing many of you soon!

Your fellow-servants for Jesus’ sake,
Yura, Wendy, Sashko, Yurko and Andriy Popchenko

January-March 2009 Prayer Letter

April 10, 2009 | Posted by: Yura

Dear Friends and Family in Christ Jesus,

Greetings to all from… New England! Praise the Lord, we have safely arrived in America and it is a blessing that we are able to spend a few weeks with my widowed sister and her children in New Jersey holding local meetings before heading north. We are planning to spend the next two months on the east coast.

Sashko and Yurko in the cockpit

Our family and my sister's family in NY city

At the Empire State Building

Teaching my nephew to play guitar

Andriyko wants to try, too.

We have already been in a few churches in New Jersey and New York, both American and Ukrainian. The response to the ministry has been very encouraging and people are catching the vision for the Ukrainian Bible. It was particularly exciting to be in Ukrainian churches for the first time here in America since Ukrainians can more readily relate to my explanation of the need for this work. This past Sunday we were in three different churches in Vineland, New Jersey, and one of these pastors invited me over to his home for fellowship where we spent several hours discussing my work. It was a blessing to see how supportive he is of the ministry. The following day I was invited to a young families’ Bible study where I explained the textual problems of the current Ukrainian translation and people became even more anxious to have a faithful Ukrainian Bible.

Preaching in a Ukrainian church in NJ

At another Ukrainian church the same day

Speaking at a Bible study

It is a great encouragement to see that my translation work is becoming more widely known and recognized. Back in February, the leaders of some evangelical denominations in Ukraine asked me to meet with them, having learned of my work. They were excited to finally read a translation in standard Ukrainian. I also had an opportunity to speak about the textual corruptions of the current Ukrainian translations. This was quite an eye-opener for all who were assembled. In recognition of the value of this project, the president of one of the Baptist fellowships gave me a letter of recommendation to show in Ukrainian churches in America.

Before leaving Ukraine, we decided to move out of our apartment and store our belongings at my other sister’s house so that we would not have to pay rent while in the states. Packing was a huge job, as usual, especially my library. As is typical in Ukraine, our landlord gave us a hard time before we moved out. He got so threatening that we were forced to call the police. Thankfully, that really calmed him down and we were not only able to stay as long as we needed but we also got our deposit back and peacefully left. This may sound strange but in Ukraine landlords often “pick on” their tenants right before they move out to justify not returning their deposits.

Yurko is helping to pack my books

Andriyko wants to get in on the action.

On our way to America we arranged for a several-day layover in England to visit some dear friends of ours. It was a pleasant time of refreshment after all the stress of moving and preparing for our extended trip. Not only was the peaceful, lovely countryside a delightful change for us, but the warm Christian fellowship was particularly encouraging to our entire family. It was also quite interesting to be in their Baptist church service which was so unique in contrast to Ukrainian or American Baptist church services we have been in.

The Popchenkos in England

With our friends

The biggest challenge of this journey so far has been sickness. I got sick back in Kyiv before we moved and it took three weeks for me to completely recover. Among other things, I had laryngitis which made preaching very difficult. While in England, Sashko had some stomach problems that made him pretty miserable for a couple of days. Then here in New Jersey, Baby Andriy caught his first cold. And finally, Yurko and Wendy got sick a few days ago with some kind of a stomach virus. Regretfully, not everybody is back to normal. Sashko and Yurko cannot get over their nighttime coughing.

Prayer requests:
1. Health for the whole family.
2. Safety in our travels, car reliability, etc.
3. God’s leading in scheduling meetings. If you or someone you know would like us to present the ministry at your church, please let us know and we will try to work it into our schedule.
4. Bible translation on the road (to be able to find time and a quiet corner to work). The next book of the Bible I am planning to translate is Mark.
5. Sashko and Yurko’s school work (this is a challenge with our constant travel).
6. Protection from opposition. As usual, when God starts to work, the devil is right on hand to oppose, using his evildoers. “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:9).

Thank you so much for your prayers and faithful support.

Your missionaries for Jesus’ sake,
Yura, Wendy, Sashko, Yurko and Andriy Popchenko

November/December 2008 Prayer Letter

January 10, 2009 | Posted by: Yura

Dear Friends and Family in Christ Jesus,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Popchenko Family! May the season in which even unbelievers think about our Savior's birth be a time of peace and joy in your life and the lives of those you love.

The end of the year 2008 was marked in our home by the completion of the first draft of 1 Samuel. While many events in the life of David can be an example for us, one phrase from 1 Samuel 30:6 stands out for its appeal, “but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God”. In that particular instance, David had lost everything he had – his wife, children and all of his property. On top of that, his own troops wanted to stone him and he had no one to turn to. In that situation he turned to God and this is where he found encouragement. An interesting part of this verse is that David seems to have a conversation within himself in which he encourages himself. This is not the only place where he speaks to his own soul. In Psalm 42:5 he cries out, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” In times of hardship we do not have to wait for others to encourage us; we can encourage ourselves in the Lord.

I have had a variety of preaching and teaching opportunities lately. Besides finishing up the Bible study on the book of Ruth and preaching in the regular services, I was asked to speak to the boys at a youth meeting in December. At this meeting the problem areas of modern youth were addressed such as drug and alcohol abuse and premarital relationships, with an emphasis on purity. Wendy was invited to speak to the girls. She gave, what was to the girls, a shocking personal testimony about how neither she nor I ever dated anyone. They could hardly believe that this is possible today. Later our pastor received good reports from both the youth and their parents and decided to have these meetings on a regular basis. Praise God for the opportunity to have an impact on young people’s lives.

For this Christmas I was asked to direct our church’s orchestra. So, I dusted off my violin, wrote the parts for various instruments and practices began. In addition to directing the orchestra, I was called upon to lead the adult choir. Our church people seemed to really enjoy the extra music this year. Sashko and Yurko participated in the children’s Christmas program by reciting their poems and singing songs with their Sunday school class.

The geneticist tests came back and we were encouraged to see some minor improvements in Sashko and Yurko’s conditions. As the doctor told us in the beginning, the treatment will be a several-year process so we are moving on to another three-month course of supplements. We took Andriy with us and were thrilled that the doctor could not find any visible symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. We submitted his tests and trust that they will confirm the doctor’s examination. However, there is an area of concern with Andriy’s bacteria imbalance. Tests showed that he has pathogenic bacteria, resulting in, among other things, an itchy scalp condition. We will be going back to the gastroenterologist to get her recommendations for treatment. Sashko and Yurko’s stool samples did not show the desired improvement of their bacteria imbalance nor of Sashko’s pancreatitis, so we are doing another two-month treatment for them. Thank you for faithfully praying for our children’s health.

It has been a full year with our parents’ visit in the spring, Andriy’s birth this summer, God supplying us a car and His provision in allowing us to stay in our apartment, plus a host of other blessings and trials, each one teaching its own lesson. We praise the Lord for all He has done in our lives this past year.

Thank you for you faithful prayers and support.

Your fellow-servants for Jesus’ sake,
Yura, Wendy, Sashko, Yurko and Andriy Popchenko