FROM: Roger H. Schwartz, 74447,233TO: Joe Parker, INTERNET:joepark@aol.com

Sherman Pemberton, INTERNET:sspem@aol.comMark Phipps, INTERNET:PQA/F/Mphipps%PQ@mcimail.comBonnie Rennie, INTERNET:tworennles@aol.comJ Rosenback, INTERNET:jrossenbac@aol.comChuck Rosenback, INTERNET:crossenb@extremezone.comNorm Weaver Mis. Serv., 102774,1772Jim Smelser, INTERNET:jmsmelser@juno.comChris Smyth, 76161,245Cheryl Trueblood, 76165,3246Terry Wuske, INTERNET:Terry_^Wuske@WOW.Com

DATE: 1/2/97 10:22 PM

Re: Glen's Weekly Report #40

Fgrwarde^essage

Fp6n: Glen Elliott, lt^RNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.uaKh^on Gtrategic^ar^ershipGlen's Weekly Report #40 Dec. 27 - Jan. 1,1997

HAPPY NEW YEAR

W Wish you all a wonderful New Year in the Lord. May we ail rejoice always- no matter what befalls us in 1997. May we all pray without ceasing - inorder to see our God at work in every moment of this New Year. May we at!give thanks in everything - for this is God's will.

Did anybody tape the New Years day bowl games? We (that is Brad and I) wouldlove to see the Arizona State - Ohio State Rose bowl!

VISIT TO MELITOPOL

Jolene and Wendy went to a city that is usually about 3 hours away by car.Melitopol is the city where CMF missionaries Steve and Jolaine Wright live andthey went for a few days to visit. Sasha, a brother here, drove them there,but it took over 5 hours due to icy roads. There were many accidents and theystopped several times to help people. They returned by train, because freshsnow had fallen making the trip by car impossible. They arrived home, Jolenewith a cold and Wendy smelling like smoke f rom the train. Travel is nevereasy it seems. But they had a nice visit.

LAZARUS UPDATE #432

Lazarus, the van, was promised to be resurrected and running by New Years.Well, I haven't seen evidence of it's resurrected body. I guess I'll need togo to some faith healers as I'm losing confidence in traditional medicine(OOPS, I mean auto repair).

Actually, the delay Is partly due to the fact that they are turningelectricity off in the village where the van is (supposedly) being repaired.

1 guess the wait doesn't' matter right now. in this weather (cold, snow, ice)no one will be out buying a van anyway. Is this getting old or what? Keeppraying, please. Thanks for laughing with (at?) us and praying with (for?)us.

COLD AND STILL FALLING

Last Sunday in the Sputnik theater where the KCC meets it was so cold that Iwore 5 layers, kept my gloves on and still froze. It was almost unbearable.By the time Brad and I got home (Jolene and Wendy were in Melitopol) our feetwere so frozen we could hardly walk. I told Brad he had to take the dog outand he just pleaded. "Please, let me warm my feet up first."

Our apartments were very cold until just the last few days. They finallyturned up the heat so I don't have to wear 4 layers (one less layer than Inthe church - my heavy coat) in our apartment. But we are on a water schedule-fun.

Weil, for two Sunday's in a row I have perfected my falling on icetechniques. This Sunday, I got out of the car after arriving at the SputnikTheater, and hit my knee on the door. The pain was exaggerated by the coldand I could hardly walk. As I limped across the street -1 fell, with carscoming. I probably should enroll in the Tanya Harding school of grace.

OUR CURRENT CHALLENGEThere are many challenges here, but our biggest one we face now is withWendy. Wendy is in many ways extremely mature (in other ways she isn't - youunderstand how 12 year old girls can be). Wendy doesn't complain to us aboutbeing here. She doesn't throw fits or tantrums. But she's not happy here.She's able to speak in very clear and concrete terms her frustrations, whichin most cases appear legitimate. Of course, the intensity of the emotionscome and go, but she deals with it in a fairly mature way. I think she can"endure" the time here, but in her words, "I'm never really happy here." Sodo we respond to the fact that she perceives that this isn't really "herworld" but daddy's and mommy's world? Do we prepare to return home, or do wetry some new approaches to helping her adjust and "endure?" I'm sure we arenot the first or last expatriates to deal with these issues, but that doesn'tlessen the reality of the circumstance.

She has friends, but she hasn't really found Ukrainian friends (esp. female)that she has really connected with and there are no American or Englishspeaking children her age here. She is a very sociable girl entering herteens and that means special needs that mom, dad, and brother just don'tprovide. She says she wishes she could be like Brad who is a more introvertedtype and finds his energy recharged by engaging in private play. It's hard toput all this into words in a few short paragraphs. On one hand we are not ata crisis level, yet on the other hand, we need wisdom in discerning how bestto respond to her.

We willing to return back to the States earlier than we had planned if it isbest for her and if we have a sense of God's guidance to that end. We alsodesire to know how God might use this to develop some part of her character

and how we can best respond. Please pray for God's guidance and wisdom in ourfamily. We want to be both sensitive to each other and to the Lord's leading.

Gien

FROM: Roger H. Schwartz, 74447,233TO: Joe Parker. INTERNET:joepark@aol.com

Sherman Pemberton, INTERNET:sspem@aol.comMark Phipps, INTERNET:PQA/F/Mphipps%PQ@mcimaiLcomBonnie Rennie, INTERNET:tworennies@aol.comJ Rosenback, iNTERNET:jrossenbac@aol.comChuck Rosenback, INTERNET:crossenb@extremezone.comNorm Weaver Mis. Serv., 102774,1772Jim Smelser, INTERNET:jmsme!ser@juno.comChris Smyth, INTERNET:gsmyth@one.netCheryl Trueblood, 76165,3246Terry Wuske, INTERNET:Terry_Wuske@WOW.Com

DATE: 2/1/97 5:28 PM

Re: Glen's weekly report #43

Forwarded Message

From: ̂ Gien Elliott, INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua

Kherson Strategic PartnershipGlen's Weekly Report #43 Jan. 25-31, 1997

KHERSON CHRISTIAN COLLEGE or INSTITUTE or WHATEVER

The steering committee that is working to develop the Christian college herehas still not decided on a name yet. They have chosen to call it "Christian"rather than "Bible" in order to reflect a long term goal of preparing not only"professional" leaders for the church, but also servant leaders in the churchwho may earn a living by means other than the church. But they are stillundecided about the first part ("Kherson" or a wider region of the Ukraine)and the last part ("Institute," "College," or so mething else). Stayed tunedfor the final decision.

The committee, chaired by Vlad Devakov, is now working on curriculum,academic policies, finances and so on. They will be visiting other existingschools in Ukraine in the coming month to learn from what others have done.They have decided on the skeleton curriculum for the first two years and arenow considering potential faculty and further development of the curriculum.

Please pray for this group as they work toward developing a needed andimportant tool for developing leaders for the church here in Southern Ukraine.There is much work still to do.

TOWARD THE FINISH LINE

Judy Johnson is here and just returned from visiting the missionaries inCrimea with Chris Alexander and Vlad Makarenko. Last week we had several

meetings with the Ukrainian leaders to determine the main tasks that I neededto give attention before we could declare my part of the work here wasfinished. We are still working on the time frame and the specific plans to

accomplish these tasks, but here are the main tasks remaining:

With the Kherson Christian Church:

1. Help get the Kherson Christian Institute operational.2. Help develop and strengthen the small group ministry.3. Help the ministers to grasp the big picture of the church and help them

identify the areas of need and develop a balanced ministry.4. Help the ministers and church council to develop a plan to best utilize

the new building.5. Help train and develop the church council (the future elders).

With the Dom Molitve:

1. Teach 3 courses to the new preacher's group: History of the Church,Apologetics, and Comparative Theology.

2. Develop and teach a systematic series of sermons/lessons for the wholechurch in the areas of false religions/cults, the Holy Spirit, lifestyleevangelism, etc..

3. Develop and strengthen the small group ministry.4. Help the leaders develop a balanced outreach and assimilation ministry to

be operational once they move into the new building.

With the Project:1. Continue mentoring and discipling pastors from 3 of the 4 churches.2. Help develop a Ukrainian liaison who will be the communication link

between the American and Ukrainian partners. This includes work with theupcoming festival and camp.

There are many other details, but I share these with you asking you to prayfor God's wisdom and strength to be upon me as I develop the specifics withthe leaders here over the next few weeks.

REPORT #578 ON LAZARUS

The mechanic promised the van to be repaired and returned by next week. Sowait for the news next week. In the meantime - PLEASE PRAY. I guess we'veall kind of taken this light hearted, but I'm really tired of this and want toput it behind us. Pray that we have a resurrection before Easter (OK Irealize that's a good time - but Ukrainian Easter is April 27!!!).

THE ELLIOTT HOUSEHOLD

We've had a lot of fun this week having Judy here. When we lived inCincinnati Judy was like an aunt to our kids. She stayed with them when wegot to go to Hawaii and other places. So we have had lots of fun playinggames and laughing at our life here.

The kids got their report cards. They are doing well. But Brad got hisfirst "C." It was in handwriting. I told him he needed to talk to histeacher, Laura, and find out what he needed to do to improve. He does well onthe handwriting assignments, but becomes very sloppy with the rest of hiswork. It is really hard for me to be too hard on him though. As a boy hisage most of my grades were "C's" and my penmanship was (OK... is)TERRIBLE. According to my handwriting, I should have been a docto r. Maybe

we have a future doctor in the making

Jolene is getting ready for the big FOUR ZERO on Feb. 4th. Encourage her,she's depressed about the gray hairs and, well you know theother traits of OLD AGE! She blames it on living here - not a bad line.

Judy brought video tapes of the football championships and some basketballgames so Brad and I have been engrossed in sports - to the chagrin of Joleneand Wendy.

Today, the temperature was above freezing and we are starting to see thethaw. Brad today said it gave him hope that summer would return!

Glen

To: Joe Parker, INTERNET:joepark@aol.comTo: Hoppy Patterson, !NTERNET:HoppyNaz@juno,comTo: Sherman Pemberton, INTERNET:sspem@aol.comTo: Mark Phipps, INTERNET:mphipps@prodigy.netTo: Bonnie Rennie, INTERNET:tworennies@aol.comTo: J Rosenback, INTERNET:jrossenbac@aol.comTo: Chuck Rosenback, INTERNET:crossenb@extremezone.comTo: Norm Weaver Mis. Serv., [102774,1772]To: Jim Smelser, INTERNET:jmsmelser@juno.comTo: Chris Smyth, INTERNET:gsmyth@one.netTo: LennieSutton, [74634,2216]To: Cheryl Trueblood, [76165,3246]To: Terry Wuske, [74024,3301]From: Roger H. Schwartz, [74447,233]Date: 5/2/97, 1:44 PMRe: Glen's weekly report #53

Forwarded Message

From: INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.uar"

Kherson Strategic PartnershipGlen's Weekly Report #53 April 24 - May 1,1997

MAY DAY

Today Is May 1st. This used to be one of the main holidays of the former r'Soviet Union. It was a day celebrating the solidarity of the working class of fthe world seeking to develop socialism.

Today, it was holiday for the Kherson Christian Church. They held a baptism ^today with over 30 people baptized. This is always a time of ]oy andcelebration. But there were two almost unnoticeable differences that to me

were significant. First, this was the first baptism where other churchleaders participated. In the past, it was just the pastor and the Americanmissionaries (at the request of the pastor) who did the baptizing. Now, theyallowed other leaders to participate and it was only the Ukra inians who didthe service. Second, most of those baptized came to the Lord through theirsmall groups. This does not surprise me, but it is a significant indicator asto the kind of evangelism that will likely be most effective in the future.This is another reason why I am meeting every other week vi/ith those who areleading in the small group ministry.

EASTER

Last week was Easter (based on the calendar followed by the Russian Orthodoxchurch). The KCC was asked by the city to hold a service In the center of ftown, across from the still standing statue of Lenin. The church held a 4 ^hour service with various ministers preaching and 3 choirs singing. What issignificant is that the city asked the KCC to carry out this service. Thatmeans there was some significant level of trust (that they would do anythingtoo wild, yet address the significance of Easter). M any people heard aboutthe true meaning of Easter.

THE LOCAL ECONOMY

News is reaching us of significant cut backs at the local shipbuilding plant.We personally know of several older people who were laid off. They are not

1

old erK)ugh to be on a pension (and if they were the pension barely pays forthe utility bills), and too old to find work Of It was available). Reportsof suicide are not uncommon. It baffles me to see how things will improve andbe "normal." Please pray.

A NEW APARTMENT FOR LAURA

Today, we moved our teacher, Laura McKillip, to her new apartment. Her oldapartment (which also serves as the school) is being sold by the owners whowant to immigrate to Israel. The Lord blessed us with providing a largerapartment in the same building. But of course, it is never easy to move and"start over" in a new place and the burden of getting settled falls on her.For those who would like to know her new phone number it is:011-380-552-270679.

WARMTH

This week we finally got warm weather. Today it got up to 73 degrees! Yea!I finally put my winter coat and boots away.

Glen

To: Joe Parker, INTERNET:joepark@aol.comTo: Hoppy Patterson, INTERNET:HoppyNaz@juno.comTo: Sherman Pemberton, INTERNET:sspem@aol.comTo: MarkPhipps, INTERNET:mphipps@prodigy.netTo: Bonnie Rennie, INTERNET:tworenntes@aol.comTo: J Rosenback, INTERNET:jrossenbac@aol.comTo: Chuck Rosenback, INTERNET:crossenb@extremezone.comTo: Norm Weaver Mis. Serv., [102774,1772]To: Jim Smelser, INTERNET:jmsmelser@juno.comTo: Chris Smyth, INTERNET:gsmyth@one.netTo: Lennie Sutton, [74634,2216]To: Cheryi Trueblood, [76165,3246]To: Terry Wuske, [74024,3301]From: Roger H. Schwartz, p4447,233]Date: 6/14/97,10:04 AMRe: Glen's Weekly report #57

Forwarded Message

From: Glen Elliott, INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua

Kherson Strategic PartnershipGfen'sWeekfy Report #57, June 1-14,1997

FESTIVAL

The big news right now is the festival. The first evangelistic festival washeld here In Kherson In 1991 by Doug Lucas and Team Expansion, PIckerlngtonChristian Church and Clovernook Christian Church. Tonight we will completeour 7th annual festival. It has become both an evangelistic outreach but alsoa wonderful holiday for the churches here In Kherson. In 1991 there was oneevangelical registered church. Today we are working with 4 registered growingchurches and a 5th one is now being started by Sasha Muravskl.

There are 47 American guests here from Anaheim First Christian Church (CA),Pantano Christian Church (Tucson, AZ), and Indian Creek Christian Church(Indianapolis, IN). Concurrently, there is a festival being held In a nearbycity, where the KCC has sponsored the start of a new church. Twelve membersof the Community Christian Church (Florence, KY) Is assisting In thatfestival.

Attendance has been good, though slightly less than last year. We haverented the theater called the "Jublllnl" which seats about 2000. The firstnight It was near full. The second night I estimated that there were probably1500 In attendance (not counting the children's program). Flowever responsesto the invitation have been very good with around 40 people having respondedthe first two nights and many people filling out response cards (to be used Infollow-up). Please pray for the follow up by our Ukrainian brethren - thisis a key part of the festival.

The large foyer of the theater holds the children's program. I tried a quickcount and realized I'm not a "counter" by trade - but I estimated around175-200 children were in attendance.

The part that Is hard to report is the spiritual atmosphere that is present.I have only heard Incredible reports from the Americans about the remarkable

1

bonds build between the Americans and the Ukrainian hosts (each American isstaying with someone from one of the 4 churches).

One of the Americans, Larry, Is staying with a family where the spouse is nota Christian. The first night of the festival the American's host responded tothe invitation to accept the Lord Jesus. For the Larry, the whole trip wasworth Itjustforthat event alone. What is interesting here is that thisAmerican was placed in the home farthest from Kherson (in a nearby village).At first I thought this was a mistake, but I tried to follow my principle ofnot second guessing the work the Ukrainians lea ders did (they assigned thehousing). I thought It was a mistake based only on practical issues (prettyAmerican huh!) of the difficulty of transportation. But what did I know! Howcould we have predicted God would use this relationship to reach someone andbring spiritual unity to a family. The first group of Americans depart onMonday, and the newly made friendships between Americans and Ukrainians are sostrong that all are dreading the inevitable departure.

Also we are seeing several of the translators coming very close to the Lord.With so many Americans here, we have had to hire non-Christian translators tohelp. These translators are being Introduced to Christlanrty through this"working" relationship. Please pray for the spiritual fruit to born fromthese contacts.

Yes, there have been a few things that have went wrong. The bus we weretaking to meet the first group of 43 Americans, broke down about 3 miles fromthe airport. The driver tired to fix it a couple of times, and finally herealized the problem was serious and he couldn't go any further. We werealready late and by the time he hitch-hiked and walked, we arrived to theairport with the whole American group waiting. We had to scramble to rentadditional vans to get everyone to Kherson. So we got to Khe rson much laterthan anticipated. But the attitude of everyone was GREAT!

Also the city canceled one of our already "approved" main publicity events inthe center of town. Scheduling 47 Americans with 4 churches is a dailychallenge. But all in all, things have gone well.

Thank you to all who helped support and send the participant of thefestival. It may only be In heaven that you can fully appreciate the impactof this time on the lives of so many.

BELLS

One of the highlights of this year's festival has been the Anaheim bellchoir. Pacific Christian College (FCC) donated a set of handbells to the 'Tavriski Chrfstian Institute. The Anaheim bell choir brought these bells andthey have been a hit. Bells are a rare musical venue here. The Anaheim bellchoir will teach Sergey Turkach, assistant pastor of the DM, how to lead a *bell choir and the new institute will have an very unusual musical outreachfor years to come.

Last night several representatives from Pacific Christian College (partnerswith the Tavriski Christian Institute) presented the bells to the TCIadministration. I started to dream about the incredible outreach that the

students could have in the years to come. A TCI bell choir could travel to 'nearby villages and hold performances In the houses of culture (there Is one ^in everyvillage) and ministerto the churches. The very nature of the bells ,would attack a crowd of people. Thanks PCC!

TRAILS AND DEATH

The Dom Molitve is really facing some heavy trials this month. On Saturday,June 7th, Olga Ivanova passed away. This was fairly sudden. There is stilluncertainty of her death (I hope to report more later). She was just 20 yearsold, a faithful and loved Sunday School teacher and youth leader. She isoften described by others as a true angel. The news of her death came minutesbefore we were to start a wedding at the Dom Molitve creating a strange mix ofemotions. Many of you were contacted for pra yer and I thank all of you forupholding her church and family in prayer.

Early reports were that Olga contacted an infection from the river at thesite of the summer Christian camp (June 21-30). However there is someevidence that she had a chest infection. 1 am still waiting to hear officialword on her cause of death and the health departments analysis of the waternear the camp. All this has created great confusion and fear among thechurches here and the leaders of the camp are trying to ascertain the safetyof the water at the camp site and determine where to hold the camp.

Water is not the only consideration regarding the camp, but safety isforemost. If the water is safe, the leaders would like to hold the camp inLVova because the camp leaders have been working with the village church inpreparation for the camp since November. The camp is primarily to help thechurch do evangelism in the village. In fact, the very preparation for thecamp has helped the village church to grow. So both the village church andthe camp leaders very much want to conduct the camp as plann ed. Please prayfor them in understanding how God would lead them, especially for Yuri Mark,the camp dean.

Then, a few days after Olga's death, Lena and her 7 year old daughter werehit by a car. They were pedestrians and it was a hit and run scene. Lena isnot expected to live and Angela (the 7 year old) is in serious condition.Please pray for the Valenchenko family and the DM church as they minister tothem.

KCC BUILDING UPDATE

In Ukraine there is still no law that allows for the private ownership of(and. One can own the apartment they live in, or buy a building, but the landstiff belongs to the State. The KCC bought their building in December andremodeling Is advancing at a very good pace. However, there is now a disputewith the city over the land. The city is contending that the church does notneed all the land that was once a part of the kindergarten and wants to take(re>zone) part of the land, f^lease pray that thi swill be resolved,preserving the territory of the church.

The architects are working on the plans for covering the courtyard which willbecome the main meeting area. There lots of work going on now. There will bea youth camp in July to do remodeling and the Community Christian church willwork several days at the building next week. There's lots to do.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

It seems there has been a change in the city government and the earlyindications are that they are not being particularly favorable to theProtestant churches. Many major questions will soon be going to themregarding registration of TCI, approval of plans to cover the KCC courtyard,and so on. Please pray for a spirit of peace and cooperation.

SALARIES

We are on a process with all the churches here to work toward financialIndependence. This is not an easy process given that the deterioratingeconomic system and reality here. However, the salary support for the KCCministers Is on a diminishing scale and our new Kherson Strategic Partnershipbudget takes effect July 1st. So the KCC church leaders have been wrestlingwith how to support their ministers with less US support. They agree withthe goal of financial independence, but the fact is that they are broke (allextra money has gone to remodeling the building) and giving is not sufficientto pick up extra salaries. They have had to make a difficult decision not toadd a needed staff person (they had planned on adding a minister ofinvolvement this year) and releasing one part-time staff person. Next year'sreduction will be even tougher for them to deal with. Please pray for wisdomand guidance for the KCC church council.

FURLOUGH

Well, In 10 days we depart for a short furlough. We depart on June 24th andarrive in Cincinnati (via Indianapolis) on June 25th. We depart Cincinnati onAugust 7th to spend a little time in Arizona. I'll return to Kherson aroundAug. 13th and Jolene and the kids will return on September 3rd. There areseveral matters relating to our furlough.

Email. Please dont send e-mail to our Ukrainian address(glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua) after, say, June 23rd. Yau can re-start sendingmail to this address on August 10th. Mall will be saved, but I'd prefer notto return and have 250 pieces of mall waiting. Thanks. I will get onCompuServe in the States and will pass the number on to all. You can alsosend e-mail to us via the Clovemook mail address: 73141.3366@compuserve.com t

Contacting us in Cincinnati. We use Clovernook Christian Church as apermanent mailing address in the States for snail mail: 1373 W. GalbraithRd. Cincinnati, OH 45231. We will be living near the church. The phonenumber where we will stay is: 513-521-1679. The church number is513-52-7707.

I plan on sending one more report before we depart, but due to all theactivities going on, I won't promise It. Thank you all again for yourwonderful prayer support. We look forward to seeing many of you In a coupleof weeks or so.

Glen

The Elliott Family

LOOKING BACKWow, a lot has happened since I first set foot in Kherson with

Doug Lucas of Team Expansion back in March of 1991. In 1991there was one church, called the Dom Molitve ("house of prayer"),that was asking for help. There are now four registered churchesthat are growing and have their own leaders. We have been activein training leaders: preachers, elders, small group leaders, andministry leaders. Two new churches are being started right now -one more in Kherson and one in a nearby city. Two Ukrainianfamilies have been sent by the Kherson Christian Church to dowork among an unreached people - the Crimean Tatar.

The Dom Molitve is nearing completion of its new building.The old building was too small and not functional (no classroomspace). The Kherson Christian Church was able to purchase aclosed kindergarten and is in the process of remodeling it. Thesewere only possible through the sacrificial gifts given by many ofyou as partners in this mission.

It is so difficult in such a short space to recount all that hashappened. The churches are now active in reaching out toUkrainian Jews and helping evangelize the rural areas of theKherson region. They have active ministries in the hospitals andorphanages and have begun a camping ministry. They've started aChristian newspaper and a ministry to the deaf community inKherson. A satellite of TCM International (Indianapolis, IN, andVienna, Austria) is now functioning in Kherson to allow studentsto get the equivalent of a master's degree. There's so much goingon that sometimes it's a bit overwhelming. That's how it is whenGod is powerfully at work - it's a bit dizzying.

-f Four "official" churches and

two more being started

■f Leadership training forelders, teachers, deaconsand preachers

4- Two families from theKherson Christian Churchliving in the Crimea,preparing to beginevangelizing among theTatar people

4 Two large church buildingcomplexes underway

Outreach begun toUkrainian Jews andvillagers

Active ministries inhospitals, prisons, andorphanages

Publication of a Christiannewsletter

4 Preparation for "TavhskiInstitute,"a Bible college tobegin this fall in the buildingowned by the KhersonChristian Church

Where We are NowOur family is back in the States. We are on our regular | gK ̂

furlough schedule, but decided to make this a short furlough, sfl ■ -ffc"more like a vacation. The kids really wanted to go to camp, ■■

get involved in some service projects, and be with their ^ . 7 1friends for the summer. We came back the 25th of June. 1 y 1will go back on August 12, and Jolene and the kids will go f Iback on September 2. We needed some rest as the period of j !time since our last furlough has been the most intense and -pSEfc SL mbusy that we've spent in Kherson. -

When I return, I will be busy helping the Ukrainianleaders get ready to open the Tavriski Christian Institute."Traveski" is the old name for the southern part of the Ukraine. It is an "Institute" because in Ukrainianculture, "Institute" equals our "College." If we called it a "College," that is equivalent to a high school levelin Ukraine. This institute will be one of the key building blocks for a long-term plan for church leadershipdevelopment.

By the time we departed Ukraine, 44 students had already applied to the Institute. Two majors will beoffered the first year: Church Ministries and Christian Education. Seven courses will be offered eachsemester. Most of the courses will be taught by Ukrainian professors. However, Pacific Christian College(Fullerton, CA) will provide two professors a semester.

In addition to working with the college, I will also continue to focus on training the small group leaders,future elders and preachers, and ministry leaders of the churches in Kherson.

.3:

Pictured left - two views of the Dom Molitve building;above - the former kindergarten being remodeled tohouse Kherson Christian Church and Tavriski

Institute; Jolene and Brad at summer camp.

Looking AheadOne of the main goals of this mission was to equip and empower Ukrainian leadership to fully assume the

work in the churches, in cross-cultural missions and in on-going leadership training. When the field team (theAlexander and Elliott families) went to the field, the goal was to work effectively and efficiently to prepareleaders and "work" ourselves out of a job. We wanted to complete the work of the American missionaries infive years. We are on target for this goal. The Alexander family will return to the States in early November,1997, and we will return the beginning of April, 1998. The project will not be fully completed in April, 1998,but it will mark the beginning of a new phase of the work.

The Kherson Strategic Partnership can be pictured In the following phases:Phase / Date Activity Life Development

Analogy

1 Mar. 1991 - Mar. 1993 Research, investigation,recruiting field team

Birthing thepartnership

II Mar. 1993-Mar. 1998 Field team in Kherson, focus:

leadership training, missionChildhood &

Adolescence

111 April 1998-Dec. 1999 Interdependence, reducedinvolvement and financial support,on-going consultationKSP concludes on Dec. 31,1999

Young adulthood

IV January 2000- Friendship focus, KSP partnerchurches and groups Involvedas they desire / plan

Adulthood

God has been so good. All the work is not done of course, but the foundation has been established so thework can continue. Praise God for the wonderful supporters like you, who have made this possible, for thosewho have worked in Kherson, and for other advisors who have guided this project.

What's next for theYou might be wondering what we'll do after we return in April, 1998. We will continue to work with the

KSP into the summer. We'll report to the partnering churches, finalize the transition to phase III (see above),take a short vacation, and prepare for the next chapter of our lives. That chapter, of course, hasn't beenwritten, so we are not sure where God will lead us yet. We would appreciate your prayers regarding that. Iwill hopefully be able to continue to visit Kherson several times a year for the next couple of years to consult,guide and encourage the Ukrainian leaders and provide additional training as needed.

After we return to the States, the following fall Wendy will start High School (Jolene and I can't believeit!) and Brad will start sixth grade. Brad wants to be a missionary and professional basketball player. I amexcited about his dreams because if they come true I can retire and live off his millions! Wendy has a widerange of interests including music, law, and sports. She might be a lawyer who specializes in representingmusicians and athletes!

We need your prayersPlease pray

>• for governmental registration to be completed for the Tavriski Christian Institute.

4- for the completion of the new Dom Molitve building. They are still thousands short in cashneeded to finish the project.

■4 for the completion-of the-F^Eiodeling of the Tavriski Christian Institute. Half of the KhersonChristian Church (a closed kindergarten that was purchased in December, 1996) is devoted tothe Institute and it will cost $20,000 to finish the remodeling.

4 for the missionaries working among the Crimean Tatar (a Muslim group). Their work isdemanding and difficult and they are experiencing spiritual warfare and discouragement.

4 for the Alexander family as they finalize their work in Kherson and prepare to return to theUnited States in November.

4 for the Ukrainian leaders, ministers, and missionaries to be fully prepared to effectively leadthe work in the coming absence of American missionaries.

4 for the Elliotts as they make decision regarding their next area of work.

If you'd like to send a note to the Elliotts, you may use the mailing labels below. After August 14you can reach Glen via e-mail at INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua

UKRAINEYKpauHa325021 r. XepcoHyji. naroHa fl . 5 kb. 2083/uimott, rjieH

UKRAINEYKpawHa325021 r. XepcoHyji. naroHa fl . 5 kb. 2083BJ1M0TT, rJieH

UKRAINEXKpaMHa325021 r. XepcoHyji. riaTOHa fl . 5 kb. 2083/inMOTT, rBeH

Clovernook Christian Church1373 W. GALBRAITH ROADCINCINNATI, OHIO 45231

The Elliott FamilyNewsletterAugust 1997

ClVOWfllj Oh DERMS 08/06/91NON-PROFIT ORG.

U. 8. POSTAGE

PAIDCINCINNATI. OHIOPERMIT NO. 8178

l^oinvdn WeaverMission Services Msn.

^ TM 37901

III......ilnl.l,l„l..l,li„.l.,1.11,..1,1,1.1

To: Joe Parker, lNTERNET:joepark@aol.comTo: Sherman Pemberton, INTERNET:sspem@aol.comTo: Mark Phipps, INTERNET:mphipps@prodigy.netTo: Bonnie Rennie,. INTERNETitworennies@aol.comTo: J Rosenback, INTERNET:jrossenbac@aol.comTo: Chuck Rosenback, iNTERNET:crossenb@extremezone.comTo: Craig Schwarting, [75110,1700]To: Norm Weaver Mis. Serv., [^ 02774,1772]To: Jim Smelser, INTERNET:jmsmeiser@Juno.comTo: Chris Smyth, iNTERNET:gsmyth@one.netTo; Lennie Sutton, [74634,2216]To: CheryiTruebiood, [76165,3246]To: Terry Wuske, [74024,3301]From: Roger Schwartz, [74447,233]Date: 10/28/97, 9:39/WlRe: Glen's Weekly Report #67

Forwarded Message

From: INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua, INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua

Kherson Strategic PartnershipGlen's Weekly Report #67 - Oct. 20-27,1997

UPDATE ON THE NEW DM BUILDING

The Dom Molitve (DM) church had hoped to open their new building on September28th, but that didn't happen. Then they hoped to open in December of thisyear, but that will not happen. The earliest it would open would be May,1998, but it looks like there is serious consideration to have it open a weekor two before the summer festival which is June 25-27. The thinking is thatthey could combine the opening of the building with the festivai (which isplanned to be held at the new site) to maximize publi city to the immediatecommunity and allow for more Americans to visit. Stay tuned.

The progress has been slowed mostly due to a shortage of finances. This weekwe calculated that they need about $31,000 to finish the building. So close,yet so far for these people.

TCI - A PRACTICAL INSTITUTE HELPING CHURCHES NOWThe Tavriski Christian institute is somewhat unique in it's emphasis on thepractical application of classroom information. Each class is three weekslong. The first two weeks have classroom lecture and discussion. The thirdweek is devoted to practical ministry and application. Students, as part oftheir final grade, are required to do a minimum of 4 specified practicalprojects that incorporate what they learned in class. They might have toprepare a sermon or lesson and deliver it, interact with s omeone from a cult,do a specific service project, teach someone some skill they've learned, takean opinion poll, and so on. These projects force them "out into the realworld" and help them to personalize and integrate what they've learned. Wealso find this helps raise personal spiritual issues that need to be addressedwhich can easily be avoided while sitting in a classroom.

Yuri Mark, who Just received his MA, is overseeing the practical program.Yuri has recruited mentors from the local and village churches who work withand guide the students and evaluate their practical assignments. This has the

added benefit of bringing service to the church and involving the churchdirectly^irr the preparation of the students. Thus, both the church and thestudent benefit and a stronger bridge is built between the Institute and thechurch. The practical aspect of education is the mos t difficult to overseeand that is why Yuri is giving specific oversight to this aspect.

Yuri is already planning on some short term mission projects involving thestudents for this summer and the following summer (1999 - possibly to Muslimcentral Asia) He's also planning to meet with the various pastors of theKherson region to see how the students can help them in ministry more. Pleasepray for Yuri as he leads In this ministry.

CHANGES IN THE FIELD TEAM

Chris Alexander and his family leave in Just a week. It hardly seemspossible that the time has come so soon. Chris has already closed down theoffice. All the office equipment and furniture have been moved out. Mostwent to help TCI. However, after the Alexander's leave on Nov. 3rd, thecomputer that Chris uses for e-mail will go to the new KSP liaison - YuliaLubenetz. I will give you her new e-mail address once we get that establishedafter Nov. 3rd.

The fax machine is in our bedroom (which is also my office). Jolene isthrilled! Anyway, the church and Institute only have one phone line now butthey have ordered additional lines. So until the additional lines are put in,the fax will stay at my apartment. Therefore If you need to fax information,the number is; 011-380-552-270934 (which is also our voice phone). If youare sending a fax and someone answers the phone, Just let us know that youwant to send a fax and we'll turn it on and we'll enj oy a short chat with youtool

JOLENE'S REPORT

Last week I told you that Jolene would write after she got over her cold.Well the cold is still with her, but she'll write anyway. HeeeeerrrrrrisssJolene

About a year ago, a friend of mine, Olga, asked me if I could be a supportperson to her in a new Job she'd started. She was trained and hired by amission's organization called Co-Mission to work with school teachers. Thegoal of the mission is to teach school teachers curriculum based on biblicalmorals for them to use with their students. I attended Olga's first meetingand it seemed to go well - about 10 teachers attended. However, the secondmeeting, no one came back. She was discouraged, but di dn't give up hope.

During the last year she changed her strategy and began meeting withkindergarten teachers at their work place right after work. She now meetswith groups in different areas of the city, and she invited me to come to oneand speak on Christian parenting. I was delighted to see how these ladieslook forward to the weekly meeting, love Olga and her devotion to them, areeager to have their own Bibles and learn how Biblical principles can benefittheir lives, and some have already begun to attend church. Olga's persistencewas an example to me to be creative with different strategies in ministrybefore giving up. She is one of the many young people in the Kherson churcheswho are active In their commitment to evangelize their city.

God bless you all,

Glen and Jolene

To: Joe Parker, INTERNET:joepark@aol.comTo: Sherman Pemberton, INTERNET:sspem@aol.comTo: Mark Phipps, iNTERNET:mphipps@prodigy.netTo: Bonnie Rennie, INTERNET:tworennies@aol.comTo: J Rosenback, INTERNET:jrossenbac@aol.comTo: Chuck Rosenback, INTERNET:crossenb@extremezone.comTo: Craig Schwarting, [75110,1700]To: Norm Weaver Mis. Serv., [102774,1772]To: Jim Smelser, INTERNET:jmsmelser@juno.comTo: Chris Smyth, iNTERNET:gsmyth@one.netTo: LennieSutton, [74634,2216]To: Cheryl Trueblood, [76165,3246]To: Terry Wuske, [74024,3301]From: Roger Schwartz, [74447,233]Date: 10/20/97, 9:54 PM

Re: Glen's Weekly Report #66

Forwarded Message

From; INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua, INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua

Kherson Strategic PartnershipGlen's Weekly Report #66 - Oct. 7-19,1997

WEEKLY REPORTS?

OK, I haven't exactly been punctual with WEEKLY reports. Life has been a bithectic. I finished 4 straight weeks of teaching here in Kherson - two weeksat the Tavrlski Christian Institute (TCI) and two weeks with the MA studentsof TCM. But things are getting a bit less hectic so I hope to catch up on anumber of things starting this week - starting with this report.

SICKNESS

Well, I guess it's the season for sickness. Ryan Alexander, Brad and Joleneare all sick currently. Maybe its the change of seasons. But always it's abit challenging here to diagnose and treat and find the proper medicines.They would appreciate your prayers.

FIRST PROFESSOR FROM HOPE INTERNATFONAL UNIVERSTTTHERtCharles Boatman is the first professor fi^ Hope International University J)(HIU), formerlv called Pacific Christian C^eae. uhucK is leachinu New"

I estament 1 and he is the first of three professors from HIU who will beteaching here for this school year. HIU is a partner institution with TCI,providing personnel, financial, material (books, etc.), and consultation help.The Ukrainian students have taken a liking to Chuck and he's been a terrificteacher. Oh, Chuck has been able to catch a Ukrainian co Id along with othersin our families. We wanted to feel "right at home" with the rest of us!

Chuck was late to his first day of teaching at TCI. But it wasn't his fault.Just as we were leaving my apartment to drive to the Institute (usually about20 min. drive), and a huge rain storm hit and everything within minutes wasflooded. 1 wasn't sure we were going to make it to the Institute at all. Thecar did make it within a few hundred feet of the Institute before stalling -PTL! Well, things have gotten better since then!

DM LEADERSHIP TRAINING RESUMES

Next Sunday we will start our second year of training for ttie leaders of theDom Molitve. Last year the topics were preaching, principles of Bible studyand church history. This year we will deal with pastoral theology andpractice, comparative religion, and apologetics. Please pray for pastor IvanGerasamovich and myself as we co-teach this two hour weekly course.

AN NEW DAY DAWNING

Tomorrow, the pastors of the Kherson churches will meet for the 2nd time thisyear to plan for next summer's festival. But this will be the first timethat they will meeting without Chris or i being present. Yulia Lubenyetswill be present, functioning as the KSP liaison (she assumes this role fulltime Jan. 1,1998). We see this as one of the steps in preparing for thedeparture of the American missionaries over the next 5 months. Please prayfor the pastors and for Yulia as they begin to make this transition and forthe 1998 festival planning.

By the way, the dates for next years festival are June 25-27. Start planningnow about participating. The festival is a real holiday and effective becauseit is a celebration of our international friendships made possible only inJesus Christ.

REAL PEOPLE - REAL CHANGES

Today at the Dom Molitve, a man came fon/vard at the end of the service torepent. He knelt down and asked God to forgive him and to accept him. Afterhe finished praying, he wept and shed many tears. As I stood near him andwatched, I gave thanks to God that another person has found hope and life.This man is a real person who has been changed by the good news of Jesus. Andhe is just one of many others. Thanks for making a real difference in realpeople's lives. Oh, by the way, you'll get to meet him someday - in heaven!

COLD

I guess that's the summary word for this week. The weather has turned cold(especially accounting for the wind chill). We had hot water for awhile, butnow it cool. They haven't turned on the heat and today i read that naturalgas reserves are critically low. That may mean that we won't have much heat orhot water this winter. The gas pressure on our stove is very low - cold meals.Several here have colds (sickness). And so it begins!

OFF

The second word for the week is off. They are starting to turn off theelectricity on a regular schedule in parts of the city. The Institute is in adistrict where there is no gas, so the kitchen stoves are electric. Howeverthey are turning off the electricity each day in the morning so the cooks arehaving a terrible time preparing lunch on schedule. I'm not sure what we'lldo when the computer class starts - it's a bit challenging to teach computerswithout having electricity! Also today in the DM , the electricity went offduring the worship service. No electric piano or microphones! Flexibility isthe name of the game around here!

REPORT CARDS AND OTHER THINGS OF IMPORTANCE

The kids got their 1 st quarter report cards this week. They got mostly A'swith a few B's. But more important is that they have shown really goodattitudes toward school - PTL! We are proud of our kids. They know they havegiven up some wonderful "things" by being here, but they have managed to keepgood attitudes about it. Please keep our kids in your prayers. In two weeksthe Alexander kids depart for the States. This will be a real "let down" forour kids. They wiil loose their classmates, thei r basketball and playmates.

and some of their closest friends. And this happens just as we head Into thegray and cold (there's that word again) of winter.

We are so thankful for Laura our teacher. She's more than a gem, she's beena wonderful teachers and a good friend. We are blessed to have her here. Andshe doesn't have a cold yet!

JOLENE

Next week Jolene will write about her ministry experiences in teachingteachers here in Kherson. Jolene not only keeps a sense of sanity and warmth(our only source these days) in our home, but she's been a real help to myministry and has a ministry of her own. Actually, she was to write this week,but she need to get over her cold (that word pops up again).

Bye from the "cold" and "off' world and looking forward to the day when weare in heaven that's "warm" from the presence of God and "on" vy^h lifeeverlasting.

Glen

To: Reggie Hurdley Mis.Sen/., [102774,1772]To: Joe Parker, INTERNET:joepark@aol.comTo: Sherman Pemberton, INTERNET:sspem@aol.comTo: Mark Phipps, INTERNET:mphipps@prodlgy.netTo: Bonnie Rennie, INTERNET:tworennies@aol.comTo: J Rosenback, INTERNET:jrossenbac@aol.comTo: Chuck Rosenback, INTERNET:crossenb@extremezone.comTo: Craig Schwarting, [75110,1700]To: Jim Smelser, INTERNET:jmsmelser@juno.comTo: Chris Smyth, INTERNET:gsmyth@on8.netTo: Lennie Sutton, [74634,2216]To: Cheryl Trueblood. [76165,3246]To: Terry Wuske, [74024,3301]From: Roger Schwartz, [74447,233]Date: 11/13/97, 2:01 PMRe: Glen's Weekly Report #68

Kherson Strategic PartnershipGlen's Weekly Report #68 - Oct. 28 - Nov. 8,1997

FESTIVAL

Now is the time to start planning. The 8th Annual Ukrainian-AmericanChristian Festival will be help June 25-27,1998. It will be held at thebuilding site of the new Dom Molitve in order assist them in reaching theirnew community. Lord willing, the opening of the new DM would be shortlybefore the festival so this will be a huge evangelistic blitz in a verypopulous and unchurched part of Kherson..

The brothers and sisters from all 5 churches planning this festival want toinvite anyone who can come to participate in the pre-festival publicity, thefestival and/or the post festival follow-up. Your participation makes this aneffective outreach and a real holiday for the Christians. But in all honesty,you'll gain the most and leave a changed person.

Let us know if you or anyone you know is interested in participating thisyear. It's not too early to start praying and talking about this.

ALEXANDER'S DEPARTURE

Monday (Nov. 3rd) of this week was a difficult day for us in saying our"good-byes" to the Alexander family. They are already missed. The churcheshere gave them a wonderful parting, but I'll let them tell you about that.Please remember them in prayer as they adjust back into American life and dealwith a very busy schedule right now.

NEW EMAIL ADDRESSES

Wrth the departure of the Alexander's the computer that belonged to theproject that was in Chris' office was moved to Yulia Lubenetz - the KSPliaison. She is now set upon email:

Yulia Lubenetz - yulia@yl.clvrn.kherson.ua (for CompuServe users you needto add "INTERNET:" before the address, without spaces).

Yulia has had some trouble with messages from the States being bounced backand we are tying to remedy this. If that happens, you can forward the messageto me and I can forward it to her until we get this "bug" fixed.

1

Zhenia Siney also has his computer up and running and is now on email. Iwould recommend that if you want to send a message to him that you sent it tohim AND copy it to Yulia who will translate it for him. This will speed upthe translation part. Zhenia can read some Engiish, but a full translationwill assure accuracy.

Zhenia Siney (pastor of the KCC) - es@es.clvrn.kherson.ua

And finally, Chris and Donna are on line in the States. Their new emailaddress is;

Chris Alexander - CAIex4Him.aol.com

Be sure to erase Chris' old Kherson email address (chris@ca.clvm.kherson.ua)- this is no longer working.

YURI MARK'S NEW ROLE

Yuri Mark has been coordinating the practical ministry of the students atTavriski Christian Institute (TCI) on a part time basis and serving as youthminister of the KCC part time. It was recently decided that he would workfull time with the Institute as he is working with 37 students and about 15church mentors. Plus he has responsible for short-term mission trips, thestudent exchange program with students from Hope International University(formerly Pacific Christian College), coordinating student* s involvement inthe village churches and teaching 2 courses a year at TCI. This has becomefull time work.

Yuri will continue to serve with the ministers of KCC in leading worshipservices, preaching, etc. And this move also gives him the wonderfulopportunity of working with the mission's committee of KCC in the role of aconsultant and guide.

Yuri and I also just completed a week of co-teaching a course on worldviews.It was a real pleasure to co-teach with him. Next week he teaches Ethics byhimself. This time together was an opportunity to do some modeling of theteaching process and method.

Sasha Gultz will become youth minister and also v\nll direct the studentcampus organization. Please pray for Yuri and Sasha as they both make thistransition.

TCI AND MISSIONS

The faculty and administration of TCI is very committed to world missions.Currently, in it's first year, TCI can only handle two majors: churchleadership and Christian education. However, several students are seriouslyconsidering missions. In the future we hope to add missions and other majorsto the curriculum. But the lack of a major wont hinder preparingmissionaries.

A student group is being organized to focus on missions. Special meetingswill be held with visiting missionaries to better acquaint the ̂ dents withmissions.

The first three classes that have been taught at TCI have all had a strongemphasis on missions. In the Life of Christ class that I co-taught withZhenia (the more correct spelling of Genia - from now on I will type it

correctly) Siney we hit very hard the eternal plan of God to reach the nations- the plan announced to Abraham, made a reality in Christ and given to thechurch in the Great Commission.

Charles Boatman (from Hope International Univ.) in NT 1 hit hard the role theearly church in Acts played in bridging the cultural gaps in order to insurethat Christianity was truly a world faith. He discussed the how prejudicehinders the will of God. One of the practical projects of the students was tomake contact and serve someone from another culture. Many made contacts withVietnamese, Gypsies, and so forth.

The Worldviews class focused on understanding the worldviews of others inorder to be able to communicate cross-culturally. There are three additionalcourses specifically focused on missions in years 2 and 3. But our primaryconcem is to integrate missions into all of our classes and practicums.

Yuri is planning a short-term mission trip for each summer. In 1999, hehopes to take a group to Islamic Central Asia.

Please pray that God will raise up missionaries from among the students whowill go to others who desire to hear good news!

HOT WATER AND A BEARD

What do the two have in common - not much really. "They" (whoever "they" areremain anonymous for good reasons, I'm sure) have again turned off our hotwater - this time indefinitely. There is a shortage of natural gas in Ukraineso they have decided that they need to save gas supplies for heating and haveturned off the hot water. But we still have to pay our utility bill as if wewere getting hot water - don't try and figure this out. So I decided that ifI couldn't change the system or the situata'o n, I'd at least try and find somesolace to my frustration. I decided I needed to find a way to protest (afterall I'm a child of the 60's and 70's) that didnt hurt others or our work andwitness here. So I decided that if we didnt have hot water, I didnt wantto shave with cold water, so a beard would be my form of protest. Actually, Ihave never personally like wearing a beard, so this will be the first time inmy life to wear such a thing. Whether you ever see me in a beard or not willlargely d epend on when we get hot waterl Many here have said that I'll havea beard that will reach my knees or the Lord will return first!

Enjoy your hot bath or shower today - don't take it for granted! Also donttake your electricity for granted. This week I was printing my notes forclass and half way through they turned off the electricity. They turned it onjust minutes before I had to leave for class with my notes for class. Thenon Friday, we were preparing the test for that afternoon - but withoutelectricity, the copier didnt work very well. They finally turned on theelectricity but the test started late and the students didnt get to eat lunchuntil 3pmI Who could ever be bored here!

Glen

To: Reggie Hurdley Mis.Serv., [102774,1772]To: Joe Parker, INTERNET:joepark@aol.comTo: Sherman Pemberton, !NTERNET:sspem@aol.comTo: MarkPhipps, INTERNET:mphipps@prodigy.netTo: Bonnie Rennie, INTERNET:tworennies@aol.comTo: J Rosenback, INTERNET:jrossenbac@aol.comTo: Chuck Rosenback, INTERNET:crossenb@extremezone.comTo: Craig Schwarting, [75110,1700]To: Jim Smelser, INTERNET:jmsmelser@juno.comTo; Chris Smyth, INTERNET:gsmyth@on0.netTo: LennieSutton, [74634,2216]To: Cheryl Trueblood, [76165,3246]To: Terry Wuske, INTERNET:V\/uske@aol.comFrom: Roger Schwartz, [74447,233]Date: 12/3/97,10:03 PM

Re: Glen's Weekly Report #70

Forwarded Message

From: INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua, INTERNET:glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua

Kherson Strategic PartnershipGlen's Weekly Report #70 - Nov. 19 - December 1,1997

TCI BOARD MEETING AND NEW PRESIDENT

Tavriski Christian Institute (TCI) had their first board meeting sincereceiving official "incorporated" status in August. There was lots ofbusiness to catch up on, but probably the most important was the selection ofa president - the only remaining administrative position remaining open.

The board has selected Pavel Smolyakov to be the president elect. Pavel is adeacon at the Dom Molitve church and Bible school superintendent. He retiresfrom a government job in August. His current job will not permit him to workanother job until he retires. The board will meet again in August to confirmhis selection.

The board affirmed my role as interim president until March, 1998. From nowuntil March, they have asked me to work with Pavel to prepare him for his roleas president. Pavel has administrative experience, but lacks experience in aChristian college setting, therefore the board asked me to help him duringthis time of transition.

Praise God for answering this important prayer. Please keep Pavel in yourprayers as he prepares to become president of TCI.

BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY AND THANKSGIVING - WOW!November was "party" time at the Elliott apartment. I turned 42 this month.Ukrainian tradition has the birthday person planning their own party. Well, Iwas too tired to plan one and I was asked to preach at the KCC that day. KCChas 3 services so I was there from 8:30AM to 3:30PM. Afterward I was readyjust to go home and rest-which I did.

Jolene and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Can't believe it was18 years ago we committed our lives together. Well, there's not a lot to dohere so I took her out to one of the few affordable and nice restaurants for

1

lunch and then we just walked for a while together. Nothing fancy, butenjoyable.

We had a fairly traditional Thanksgiving meal. We had 10 people crowdedaround or living room table and had the usual turkey, cranberry sauce,stuffing, yams, and pumpkin pie (thanks to Jim Smelzer who brought some ofthese things to us). After dinner we watched a short video called "TheHan/est," reminding us of the real spiritual harvest that lay before us. Thefields are "white unto harvest."

ONE YEAR OLD!

The new church meeting in a house of culture called "DKS" was one year old onSunday, Nov. 30th. This new church, the 5th church in Kherson, is being ledby Sasha Muravski. Please pray for Sasha and the new work.

KCC PRAYER REQUESTS - NOV. 30TH

Each week, Yulia Lubenetz (our new liaison) prepares an announcement andprayer bulletin for the Kherson Christian Church (KCC). I thought you mightwant to read some of their prayer requests for Nov. 30th.

Please pray for...1. the Lord to bless the construction workers and help them to fulfill theirwork remodeling the kindergarten for use by the church. Also pray for thefinancial need for the building.2. the festival - June 25-27,1998.3. the children's choir and their director Tanya.4. the beginning of churches In two villages and one region of Kherson.Evangelistic work has already begun in these 3 locations.5. the starting of a Christian school and for the group responsible forforming this school and for the Lord to provide a financial sponsor.6. finding new ministers for the church.7. the children's puppet theater.8. the mission's committee.

Please Join your brothers and sisters of the KCC in these prayer concerns.

RUSSIAN LESSONS AGAIN

Weil, I've taken a 6 month break from formal Russian lessons. But actually,I've probably progressed more in the last 3 months than any other period ofthe same time duration. I've been doing most of my meetings without atranslator, which has really forced me to use more of what I have learned inthe past. I still rely on translators for teaching and preaching, so as notto frustrate my listeners and insure accuracy.

However, I decided I wanted to again expand my vocabulary and grammarcompetence, so I'm back to twice a week lessons - at least for December. I'mpreparing another sermon in Russian and this will be the focus of my lessontime.

JOLENE - THE DR. RUTH OF KHERSON

Jolene as asked by the Dom Molitve to talk to the women about communication.I noticed her notes the night before she was to speak and observed that shewas going to talk about , well you know the word that begins with "s"and ends in "x" and has only one vowel in the middle. I cautioned her thatthe Dom Molitve was a bit conservative and she should be careful how she

addresses this subject. Unfortunately, I unintentionally undermined herconfidence with my comment. So much for being a model of communication!

We were both at the DM the day she was to teach. I was teaching the leaderswhile the women's meeting was being held. Before Joiene was to speak, thewomen were watching a video. The topic of the video was , well, youknow the word that begins v^h "s" and ends in "x" and has only one vowel inthe middle. We both just laughed! Needless to say, her topic was very wellreceived and there was lots of discussion. PTLI I'm not sure that Joiene isin danger of becoming the Dr. Ruth of Kherson, bu t God did use her!

KSP NETWORKING MEETING IN CINCINNATI

On Nov. 21 and 22 there was a KSP networking meeting in Cincinnati. Most ofthe KSP churches located in the Midwest were in attendance to Join ChrisAlexander who has recently returned to the States from Kherson. I was askedto send a report for the meeting. If anyone would like to get a copy, pleasecontact Valerie Schwartz (email; 74447.233@compuserve.com).

God bless you,

Glen

The Elliott Family

December 1997

The first Christmas was a time of great rejoicing, for God had come to live among men. And what a profound difference that first Christmas has made in our lives. Today, we continue to see the Lord working in anamazing way here in Kherson. So it seems appropriate to rejoice with you during this Season for the greatthings He has done and is doing. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

INTRODUCING TAVRISKI CHRISTIAN INSTITUTEThis Fall was the opening of the Tavriski Christian

Institute (TCI) here in Kherson. It is a three-year college which focuses on preparing church leaders andministers. In its initial year of operation, it offers twomajors; Church Leadership and Christian Education.

"Tavriski Christian Institute"carefully named

"Tavriski" is an old name for the southern area of

Ukraine. TCI is a regional institute that will reachthe southern Ukraine and includes cities and regionslike Kherson, Nikolayev, Odessa, Melitopol, Kharkov,and the Crimea.

The Institute is called "Christian" because the goalof the Ukrainian leadership is, over years, to add additional church-related majors (Uke missions, churchmusic) and majors that can be supportive to thechurch (like teaching, business, computers, etc.).Currently, the Institute is similar to an AmericanBible college in nature.

TCI is called an "Institute" because this word best

represents the nature of the school in Ukrainian culture. In Ukraine, the word "institute" is parallel tothe world "college" in American culture. In Ukraine,"college" is parallel to a high school level education inAmerica.

One of the greatest needs in Ukraine now is theneed for equipped church leaders who will lead growing churches, start new churches and fulfill the Great

Commission to reach out cross-culturally. TCI is atraining institution that will help prepare leaders forincredible opportunities to expand the Kingdom ofGod in Ukraine and the former Soviet Union.

TCI shares home with KCC

In December, 1996, the Kherson StrategicPartnership (KSP) was able to raise funds to purchasea kindergarten building to house the KhersonChristian Church (KCC) and the TCI. The kinder

garten has six wings. Three wings will be used by thechurch and three wings will be used by the Institute.

Of the six wings that belong to the Institute, twowings have already been remodeled into a dormitoryfor out-of-town students (ten students), two class

rooms, and computer lab. We still need to completethree more dormitory wings and a wing for offices,but we are short on funding to continue with theseprojects. The four wings left will cost about $6000each to remodel. (If you would like to make a gift tohelp finish the remodeling, we would greatly appreciate it.)

The same building space will also serve as themeeting location for TCM International's satellite MAprogram in Kherson. TCM professors and studentswill utilize the living quarters, classrooms, andlibrary. The TCM MA program is vital for us inpreparing professors for TCI.

It was a grand opening!The opening convocation was held on September

20,1997, with classes starting on September 22.Thirty-seven students were accepted for the firstfreshman class. Students are equally divided betweenthe two majors. About 12 additional students hadapplied but were not accepted this year. The firstdass has students from Kherson, Nikolayev, Melitopol,Kharkov, and the villages of the Kherson region.

Practical goals Included In focusTCI places a hi^ priority on preparing leaders to

serve the church as paid professionals, as "bi-vocation-al" or "tentmaking" leaders, and as volunteer servants.Practical ministry in a church context is a focus ofevery course. Each course is three weeks long (4 hoursa day). The third week is devoted to practical applica-^ion-j

Students work with mentors in local churches to fulfill

their practical assignments.

Ilie Institute program is designed to give balancein developing the character, knowledge and ministryskills of the student. TCI will be continually developing ways to help provide its students with wage-earn-irig skills. Most churches are unable to pay their min

isters a full salary due to a very poor economy.Therefore English will be offered each semester for thethree-year program. English skills are necessary foron-going education, as most Christian and En^shbiblical reference books are still only found in En^sh.Also En^sh provides a number of opportunities for astudent to find work Computer skills will also betau^t.

U.S. College offers partnership supportTCI is a partner with Pacific Christian College

(PCC), a school of the newly renamed HopeInternational University (HIU) in FxiUerton, CA. HIUis providing professors for up to four courses a semester. However, the msgoiity of the TCI faculty will beUkrainian. The long-term goal is to develop moreUkrainian professors. HIU has provided some techni-

HIU has formulated a group on its campus to provideprayer and financial support for the Institute. Thecollege is also helping provide resources (books, computers, etc.) for the TCI library.

I am serving as the interim president of TCI. Apermanent president has been selected but he is notable to begin serving until September, 1998.

This year^ C^stmas was gi^eted and cslsbrated b;^ five chmH^es^fiiat we work With hefs Inl^erson^ In ̂1991, we were invited to work here by one of these churches. Since then, four more have been started. Eachchurch h^its oM .minlst^ Wd leaders. Each of the ehi^^ .

in sev-

an unreached Muslim people group 'living in the Crimea.

- PHAStHlf—THE-BRIDGE TO—

UKRAINIAN CHURCH INDEPENDENCECurrently we are still in Phase II of our mission work. Phase II is when American missionaries are present in

Kherson and involyed in training and equipping Ukrainian leaders. (Phase I was the initial birthing of the mis-.^ion.)

We believe we are in a very healthy position to move into Phase III, which will begin April, 1998. In Phase IIIrWe remove all American missionary presence from daily involvement in the work of the churches here. By the enduf Phase HI we will also conclude our on-going funding of salaries, etc. in the churches. At the end of Phase III wepope to find a fully independent and indigenized work within the churches. This will be Phase IV, which begins onDecember 31,1999.

^ During Phase III we will still provide some financial support, guidance and consultation, but at a much-educed level. I believe the Ukrainian churches and leaders are ready for Pheise HI and have a few reservations%bout entering this stage. We believe this is the sign of a healthy and mature mission effort.

P We will still need financial help during 1998 and 1999. I will be reporting on these needs when we returnin April, 1998. We will remain on salary with the Kherson Strategic Partnership (KSP) imtil July 31st, 1998.We'll use the four months after returning to report to churches, go throu^ debriefing, take a vacation, and finalizet^%ahsition. If you have questions, please use a label to send a letter or use our e-mail address.

Up close and personalAN ELLIOTT FAMILY UPDATE ' ^

JOLENE - What can I say! She is an incredible missionarywife and mother. I thank God every day for her. She seldom jcomplains about the hardships here. She loves, serves and'sacjrifices for all of us. She serves many others here in large and jsmall ways. She makes it possible for us all to live here (not ijust survive) and to be effective. |

WENDY - She's a young woman now. It's hard to get used!to. Wendy is in that age of remarkable mood swings of adoles- icence. She is a very sensitive girl (who can sense the needs ofothers), a very creative person who's willing to try new things,and a person who has learned to see past the superficiality oflife at a young age. We see a beautiful woman of God developing. By the way, we've seen some impressive changes since herbaptism this summer. She has mixed feelings about departing.Just today as I write this, she asked if we could stay here longeras she hates to think about leaving her Ukrainian friends.

BRAD - His passion these days is basketball (and sports in general) - normal for an 11 year old. Brad is a caring boy who is sensitive to spiritual matters. I look forward to seeing how he develops into a young man.

GLEN — I think I've already included enough about myself. I'm growing a beard. It started out as a protestagainst not having hot water. Now I think I'll just see if I can get used to it and how it looks. You may or may notsee it next Spring. (Editor's Note: We don't have a picture of "The Beard," so feel free to draw one on the pictureabove.)

I love working here. Every day I thank God for this opportunity. We are not suffering nor are we sacrificingbeing here - even though it may be tempting to have you think that. We have good friends, we love the work andGod has blessed us in every way.

WHAT 1998 WILL LOOK LIKE FOR THE ELLIOTTS

The Elliott clan plans on returning the beginning of April, 1998. Our plan was to finish our work in five yearsor less and we are ahead of schedule. Our goal has been to equip and prepare Ukrainian leaders for the work sothey will no longer be dependent on American Missionaries. God has blessed our efforts.

We are not yet sure of our schedule once we return (where we will be, when, and for how long). I hope to workon that this month. However, we will move to Tucson, AZ, in July, 1998, to begin a ministry with the PantanoChristian Church. I will serve as mission's pastor there. This will allow me to serve in the area to which God hasbeen consistently calling me. It will also allow me time to visit Kherson a few times a year during Phase III.Wendy will start high school next year so this is a good time for our transition.

u/tama a

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year in the Lord!

We want to say again how appreciative we have been for your care, support, prayers, friendship and love. Ihave heard missionaries complain about how they have been ignored and forgotten by their supporting churches.We have NEVER had that sense and are grateful for the wonderful ways in which you've invested yourselves inthe work and in the people here, and in our lives. "Thank you" seems like such a poor way of expressing ourdeepest appreciation, but I hope you can get a sense of how your care has not only made a huge difference in themission here, but in our lives as the missionaries you've sent and supported.

We need your prayersPlease pray for the leadership in the churches as we plan for the time when there will be no direct

involvement of American missionaries except on an occasional basis.

4- Please remember the Chumaks and Shtikhnos (missionaries to Crimea Tatars) and the Missions

Council of the KCC as they also enter a new phase of ministry.

4 Praise God for the progress on the building for the Dom Molitve congregation. They are within$30,000 of finishing in time to hold the Festival there in June, 1998.

4 Praise God for the Institute and all it can mean in the coming years as it prepares men andwomen for leadership roles in churches in Kherson and Russia, and missionaries for worldwideservice.

4 Pray for the young new churches that have been started in villages around Kherson. They face avariety of problems: developing leadership, finding ministers, locating suitable places for worship, etc.

If you would like to write, please use the labels below. If you use e-mail,the address is: glen@glen.clvrn.kherson.ua

UKRAINE

YKpawHa325021 r. XepcoHyji. riaroHa r. 5 kb. 208OnjiMOTT, rJieH

UKRAINE

YKpauHa325021 r. XepcoHyn. DaioHa fl. 5 kb. 208Ojuimott, rJieH

UKRAINE

YnpawHa325021 r. XepcoHyji. naioHa fl. 5 kb. 2083/ijimott, rJieH

Clovernook Christian Church1373 W. GALBRAITH ROAD

CINCINNATI, OHIO 45231

Noiman Weaver

Mission Services Assn

Box 2427

Knoxville, TN 37901The EMiott FamilyNewsletter

December 1997

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U. S. POSTAGE

PAIDCINCINNATI, OHIO

PERMIT NO. 8178