January 2001 Kyiv Prayerletter
22 January 2001 Dear friends, Finally, after a visa delay and two illnesses, I have returned to Ukraine with all my luggage intact. I enjoyed my time in the US even thought I was sick more than half of the time I was there and was not able to visit and call everyone I had hoped too. So if our paths did not cross this time, I regret it and look forward to hearing from each of you via e-mail. Thank you to all that extended such generous hospitality while I was in the US especially my parents, Paul and Valery Prill, Ken and Vika Kirby, and Mike Buckley. RETURN TO KYIV Upon my arrival, I was delighted to learn that on Wednesday, three people had been baptized into Christ at the Nivki building. All three were older people who had been coming to church for several months. We truly praise the Lord for these additions especially since Ukrainians were the ones who led them to Christ. Pray for Oleg, Tamara, and Natasha as they grow up in Jesus. Since I was delayed a week in returning to Ukraine, I had to hit the ground running and after dropping my luggage off at my apartment, Bogdan Andriychenko and I headed out for the institute (located in Pechersk) that is drawing the blueprints for the Ukrainian Education Center. Located in a typical Soviet-style concrete-glass-and-steel office building with a stoic guard at the entrance, we took an elevator that went to only one floor--the 8th. I guess it was the express lift. After an hour or so of debating the finer details of the placement of walls, pipes, and ventilation ducts, my day was finally able to come to a close after the long trip across the ocean. OUTREACH TO UNIVERSITIES The next day, Friday, I met with one of my classes I am teaching at ICU-Kyiv, English Composition I. A lively group of about 25 greeted me with unexpected enthusiasm. Though this is the only class I will teach at ICU, many in this class are people I got to know last semester and several of them have been coming to church since late last semester. I am delighted to have this opportunity to minister to them by helping to provide an education they very much want and that I am also able to minister to their spiritual needs. Pray for this group of 25. I will also be teaching two classes at WIUU. One is a short course that meets only this week, and the other is a small group of composition students. Pray for the outreach to the university community we will have on Saturdays at Nivki's building (about 35 students came last Saturday) and for the discipling of those students who became Christians recently. UKRAINIAN EDUCATION CENTER UPDATE On that same day, Bogdan and I met with the contractor of the UEC renovation project; we looked over the site and discussed some problems. A couple of wooden beams have been discovered to be completely rotten and we are exploring ways to reinforce them. The two apartments have been entirely gutted and on the second floor, plastering has begun on some of the walls. We are now waiting for the final blueprints to be drawn and then approved by the city government. This matter will take about three weeks. We've raised about $29,000 of the $50,000 needed to pay for the renovation and we still need about $25,000 for furnishings once the center is opened. Visit our website for photos and more information www.uecenter.org. SUMMER OUTREACH Please be in prayer for our summer outreach. Hopefully, the Laurel Church of Christ in Knoxville, TN, will send two LST teams to work with Nivki church this summer and Katie Boyer, our first UEC intern, will help with follow-up to these projects. Paul and Valery Prill from Acklen Avenue church will also be with us for a few days in May. Pray for these teams, their leaders, and Katie as she prepares to move to Ukraine for a year. TAX QUESTIONS In June 2000, Ukraine signed a new tax treaty with the US that may mean expatriates who live in Ukraine for more than 183 days in one calendar year are subject to Ukrainian income taxes. Only recently did we find out about this possibility and I am a little concerned. It's difficult to find information and to know how best to follow the sometimes confusing, arbitrary, and even contradictory laws in Ukraine. It's also problematic financially since many of us did not plan to pay Ukrainian taxes for last year. Pray about this matter for me--that we will be able to get accurate information and will have the funds to pay whatever taxes are applicable. THANK YOU Thank you, partners, for your prayers and gifts in 2001. Without you, this ministry would not be possible. As soon as all the information is available to me, I will give you a financial statement for last year and projections for 2001. But I thank you for your gifts and hope this partnership can continue in the new millenium.
Return to Kyiv after Visit to USA