November-December, 2007
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” Luke 2:10
Dear Pastors and Friends,
As we approach this special time of year during which we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas we truly have much to thank God for. The Lord has graciously given us another year of wonderful opportunities in ministry and has blessed us with the fruit of souls being saved and progress in our church planting efforts for the glory of God. We value highly your part in this service for Christ since we cannot do missionary work apart from God’s enablement and provision. Therefore, we are grateful for another year in which God has met our needs through the prayers and giving of His people.
This has been a very eventful year for the Slobodian family since we had the double blessing of having two weddings this year. Susan became Mrs. Mat Harvey in May and Sarah became Mrs. Nate Crouch in November. We are thankful for these blessed events and for the addition of a couple of outstanding sons-in-law to our family. Now as far as those still at home, Stephanie, our youngest is a freshman at Maranatha Baptist Bible College were she really enjoyed playing on the volleyball team. Sharon completed her medical office training and is now working for a Christian doctor very close to our home. Steven also completed his degree in Business and Human Resources and has advanced in his career at Federal Express.
We are glad to report that the missions conference the youth from Kiev held on their own following our Muslim Missions Conference was well -received and well attended by youth from the Kiev area. They were greatly challenged by one of our conference speakers from Central Asia. It is exciting to see an awareness and concern for Muslim souls build among Ukrainians and Russians. In meeting with Ukrainian and Russian church leaders we were thrilled to hear that they feel that Ukrainian and Russian churches will take part in supporting Russian and Ukrainian missionaries to Muslim lands. What an exciting prospect it is to think that sending missionaries to Muslim lands will involve American churches partnering with churches in Russia and Ukraine to reach these needy areas.
On December 15 there will be a meeting in Kiev, Ukraine for those who have indicated that they feel called to Muslim ministry. We also praise God that two of the 18 who made decisions at the conference for Muslim ministry have gone on survey trips to Muslim countries. It is evident that God is working on the hearts of other conference attendees who may eventually be added to the number of those considering Muslim outreach. For example there were 54 that expressed an interest to participate in short-term missionary trips to Muslim lands. One couple called from Eastern Ukraine to say that though they did not make a decision in the conference, God continued to do a work in their hearts that led them to call in and ask to be added to the list of those who want to be missionaries to Muslim areas.
Along with all of these outstanding opportunities and prospects we have some needs and projects that will require funds that we do not presently have. Following up these missionary prospects is a costly endeavor since they are spread across two countries. There will be considerable costs in training and preparing these folks for their specialized missionary work. We must add a missionary track along with Islamic studies to our Bible School program. Therefore, as you plan your Christmas or year-end giving and again as you contemplate next year’s budget, please consider including our Muslim Outreach. May God bless you with a wonderful Christmas and great New Year! The Slobodians