Dear Pastors and Friends,
Warm Christmas greetings from the Slobodians! As we celebrate this special time of year in commemoration of God’s great gift of His son, we wish each of you a joyous Christmas and blessed New Year.
As a family we have much to be thankful for. Looking over the past year we see that God has answered the prayers you have directed towards our family needs. Amy has fully recovered from her heart surgery one year ago and our grandson Shane Harvey has recovered from the serious concerns connected with the liquid build up around his brain we had mentioned a year ago without needing brain surgery.
Shane’s older brother Noah who had the heart transplant still needs your prayers. Though he seems to be fine his doctors at the Children’s hospital have grown increasingly concerned about some of his lab tests that are a regular part of his life. Though they continue to run tests, as of yet they have not found out why the test results are so troubling. Please pray that they can find the cause of all this and that it is something that can be treated. Meanwhile he is not in pain or discomfort and is in fact a happy little boy even though his life is not normal with all the trips to the hospital and the feeding tube he is connected to most of the time.
We are also rejoicing in the recent announcement our daughter Sharon and husband Ashton Brandyberry made that they are expecting their first child the end of March. This will be our 9th grandchild!
This past year also brought some special ministry blessings. The 2500 children and youth attending our camps this summer was a record and the nearly 500 salvation decisions was rewarding for all those who labored and gave for this ministry. It was also a blessing to see the return of students this year from the war zone in the East at our training sessions in Kiev. The seven building projects started last year made significant progress over the past year and each one is complete or close to completion.
As this year draws to a close there are some needs which need prayer. Please pray for our brethren in Russia who need wisdom and strength as they deal with the new anti-missionary legislation that has been passed. Authorities in Eastern Ukraine have also recently made statements against “non-traditional religious organizations“ which generally means anything other than Russian or Ukrainian Orthodox religions. Pray as well for brother Peter Rumachik as he continues trying to resolve the delay to getting gas to the new church building in Shahovskaya, Russia. Please pray that they may soon be able to switch from the expensive electric they are now using to the more economical gas.
Thank-you for the prayers and support you send our way. We thank the Lord for your heart for His missionary work. May God bless you all!
The Slobodians