Rick is in Ukraine
When Rick first arrived in Kiev, Ukraine on March 29th, he had a couple of days with Sergei Golovin before he was to start teaching at YWAM, so Sergei Golovin took him on a special outing.
Sergei sent me this picture and wrote:
“We spent a great day with Rick at the ethnic village. He took a lesson learning to play Ukrainian folk instruments like trembita.”
“The trembita (from the old Germanic trumba, “to trumpet”) is an alpine horn made of wood. It is common among Ukrainian highlanders, Hutsuls, who used to live in western Ukraine, eastern Poland, Slovakia and northern Romania. In southern Poland it`s called trombita, bazuna in the North and ligawka in central Poland.
Used primarily by mountain dwellers known as Hutsuls and Gorals in the Carpathians, it was used as a signaling device to announce deaths, funerals, weddings.
The tube is made from a long straight piece of pine or spruce (preferably one that has been struck by lightning), which is split in two in order to carve out the core. The halves are once again joined together and then wrapped in birch bark or osier rings. It is also used by shepherds for signaling and communication in the forested mountains and for guiding sheep and dogs. The trembita has a timbre that is much brighter than that of the alpenhorn, due to its narrow bore and very minor flare.
The trembita has no lateral openings and therefore gives the pure natural harmonic series of the open pipe. The upper harmonics are the more readily obtained by reason of the small diameter of the bore in relation to the length.
In the hands of a skilled composer or arranger, the natural harmonics can be used to haunting melancholy effect or, by contrast, to create a charming pastoral flavor. “ (From Wikipedia)
On March 31st, Rick spoke at the church where Sergei and Olga Golovin attend, and he appreciated having Sergei as his interpreter. He was pleased that several of his invited friends came to that service.
On April 1st, Rick wrote: “I completed my first full day of teaching at YWAM – and I’m loving it! The students are attentive and interested in learning.” Today (April 8), I received pages of “thank you” notes from those students.
From Kiev, Rick went to Kharkov to have some time with Zhenya and Natasha Molodchy and their children, as well as with Volodya and Maryana Vakula. On April 7th, Rick’s message said: “I had a wonderful time teaching at YWAM and a good overnight train to Kharkiv, except not enough sleep (about 4 hours). Yesterday we were busy all day. Zhenya brought me to his home for breakfast and a visit – and we had a great fellowship and prayer time. Then he took me to the Messianic Church. I got very sleepy during the 2 ½ hour service. Sergey Nikonorov met us there. Then we went to lunch at McDonald’s and Katya Nikonorov met us there. We also had a great time of fellowship there – but there is a need for serious prayer for Sergey.” (See “Prayer Requests” for details).
Volodya had wanted Rick to teach their Bible Study group at the minimum security prison, but they wouldn’t allow him to get in, because they don’t allow foreigners.
As I write this, Rick is on a train headed to Mala Vyska, where he will spend a few days working with the orphan ministry of Love Cradle International before going to Odessa, where he will spend the rest of the time before returning home.
Overseas Outreach also has a ministry right here at home!
“Thank you for asking about the books. I have a copy of each on my desk and as I was reading them, I was thinking the books would be wonderful for our New Life Program members. We are going to divide them up amongst the 4 facilities and put them in their libraries…..
– Sarah Zimik Chief Development Officer
Boise Rescue Mission Ministries”
Note: The books we donated to Boise Rescue Mission and the ones Sarah is referring to are: “Millions of Miracles” and “Is the Bible Without Any Errors?” (You, our donors, have helped to provide these books.)
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“Thank you so much for your faithful work for the Lord as well as for your letters sent to me and my husband! ….. My husband James and I are planning to go to the Ukraine this year with our Pastor Tony VanManen in October. Our work area will be Chernivtsi, where we will coordinate with the E-Way Evangelism Ministry. Thank you for inviting him (Tony) to go with you 2 years ago so that we will now have a chance to experience it…..”
Linda Fogle”, (Caldwell, Idaho)
Important Note to Occasional Donors:
If you send a donation to Overseas Outreach in response to an offer Rick has made for certain books or DVDs, please let us know specifically what you are donating for. We have no way of knowing unless you tell us if you are sending a donation to help with the ministry of Overseas Outreach or if you are requesting a resource. Also, if requesting a resource, please include the mailing address to which we are to send it. If you have already sent a donation for a resource, but did not receive what you wanted, please contact us again, and clarify what you intended and include the information mentioned above. Thank you! This information will be very helpful to us in fulfilling your requests. – Rick & Della
The Morning of Mornings – a Resurrection Tribute
To the One Who did it all for me
In the fullness of time, God’s Answer
draped in flesh moved among us on this sphere of dirt,
to bridge the bottomless chasm carved out by the flood of sin,
between earth and heaven, of God and man…
Jesus was fully both.
For thirty-three short years He breathed our air,
always knowing and never forgetting the reason He was here.
That fateful night in Gethsemane’s Garden,
despairing blackness taking substance and form,
wrapped its accursed tentacles around
Purity’s heart, extracting bloody sweat from out
His human pores.
“Father if there be any other way, then let this bitter cup
of agony pass from me, I pray. Nevertheless, not my will
but Thine be done.”
The course of eternal destiny hung in the balance,
and was determined on that night.
Beaten and nailed to a cross of wood,
He paid the debt He did not owe,
Evil seeming to have won
as Death delivered the final blow,
“Father, forgive them…what they do,
they don’t know.”
The sky grew dark and earth heaved a great shudder,
in anguish unmeasured, God turned away.
“It is finished”, He cried, as He hung there and died.
Roman soldiers approached…no need to break bones,
He was already dead, as out of His side there flowed
blood and water.
A stone sealed cave held what was left.
For three days in the grip of Adam’s curse,
but the claws of Death could not hold on.
On the Morning of Mornings, a Sunday morn,
the Holy Spirit of Life breathed full upon Him,
He stepped forth from darkness into dawn’s holy light,
the enemy, Death, forever defeated,
and the sun never witnessed a more glorious sight!
Friends of Jesus arrive and see the tomb empty,
the Angel’s question ringing in their ears,
“Why seek you the living among the dead?”
Jesus is not here, He has risen, just as He said.”
Oh joy unspeakable! Could it be true?
In the truth of their hope fulfilling, Jesus appeared to
His followers many times before His return to Heaven.
Disciples no longer now huddled in fear, but
touching, feeling, at last understanding,
go forth in boldness proclaiming Good News,
no longer doubting nor afraid to die,
Because of His sacrifice, neither do I.”
by Jonnie Randall Bartlett
A thumbnail sketch of the most glorious event ever to take place, never to be equaled until He returns. See Matthew, Mark, Luke and John for full details.
Prayer Requests
- Sergey Nikonorov is a long-time friend of Rick’s in Ukraine. When he met with him on this trip, he learned of a very serious situation. In February, Sergey opposed a drunk neighbor man, who was cursing and verbally abusing some women and children. The man attacked Sergey, scratched his face with long fingernails and stabbed him in the chest with a dirty pair of scissors, which penetrated all the way into his lung. He had to have surgery and spent a week in the hospital. After the man attacked him, Sergey called the police and showed them the evidence that he could before being taken to the hospital. However, the man must have friends in high places, because he is suing Sergei with a distorted story of what happened. He is claiming that Sergey attacked him and that what he did was self-defense. Please pray!
- Please continue to pray for Rick, that all his teaching will be effective, that he’ll be an encouragement to many, and that God will protect him in all his travels.
