Bringing Help and the Gospel to the People in Eastern Europe.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2013

Help for Eternal HopeIn this issue you will find statistics for Mission Possible’s ministry in 2012.

“Is the Soviet Union returning?” “Is the door closing?”

“What will happen next?”

I am frequently asked these questions, and I usually respond by saying, “We don’t have time to worry be-cause we have so much work to do!” This reply does not mean that we are uninformed about the changing world in which we live.

In spite of the concerns, ever-changing political con-ditions, and the fact that our ministry has been affected by a suffering economy, 2012 was our most prosperous year! This newsletter outlines the statistics. Please re-joice with us about everything that has been accom-plished!

Reaching out, helping, and rescuing thousands of children, teens, and adults and introducing them to the Gospel message was made possible because you believed that there is hope for these people, and you gave so generously. I want to heartily thank you for this!

What about this new year? We continue to reach out to those who are suffering by offering practical help and the Gospel. We partner with terrific local teams. The needs, however, are enormous and require many resources.

But nothing is impossible with God, so let’s rejoice in what has been done, and continue in the work He has made possible.

WORD FROMTHE PRESIDENTIgnat Ivanov

Results from our work in 2012

children and teens received regular help from our street patrols in MP’s Siberian locations.

children and teens were helped off the street

or out of homes where drugs were abused.

Most of these children had run away from their homes because of their parents’ alcoholism, domestic violence, and lack of food and care. They tell us things like this:

“I am not wanted.”“I am a burden.”“Don’t talk to me about Mom.”“There’s nothing to eat at home.”“My stepfather is drunk all the time and beats me.”

Help and the Gospel reached thousands of children, teens, and adults in 2012!

225 children and teens lived in our shelter homes and rehabilitation centers.Three-year-old Vanya was one of them. His mother was in prison and nobody took care of him. Most of his vocabulary consisted of profanities. After coming to our shelter home, Vanya began to recover from illness and neglect and became a joyful child.

locals worked in our ministry locations.

locals volunteered on a regular basis.

Roma children were fed regularly at the soup kitchens

in Bulgarian slums and villages.

mothers and their chil-dren lived at our re-habilitation cent-ers. Most of them be-

came Christians.

rehabilitants lived on the Yaroslavl farm. Oksana was one of many who became free from drug addiction.

children and teens attended MP Bible clubs and camps.

MORE TO REJOICE ABOUT:• 680 people were tested for HIV in Yekaterinburg•80 abused women participated in our healing program in Bulgaria•1050 students studied using our three-year Bible curriculum

(International Education Fellowship, a financially self-supporting program)

•950participatedinvariousMPcourses•20,000 read our women’s and children’s magazines in

Bulgaria and Albania (financially self-supporting magazines)•Thousands received humanitarian aid and Christmas gifts.

children from 160 families in crisis re-ceived regular help. Andrey, Sasha, and Anya were among them.

Zlatka and her siblings don’t look like slum children anymore!Rumen Ivanov praying for Hristo and Andriana’s new babyA big turnout at the small prayer house in Slatina

BULGARIARumen Ivanov

care of their children by bathing them, sending them to school, and working to provide for them.

A family is transformed

We visited a home where thirteen-year-old Zlatka lives. One year ago her entire family began attending church meetings. Their little shack along the muddy village road resembles all the others from the outside, but inside it is warm and clean. “See how good we have it here!” Zlatka beams. She sees the great change in her family. The family’s old bookshelf holds just one book: the Children’s Bible from which Zlatka reads to her siblings.

Slatina is a poor Roma mountain village. Years ago a couple of new local believers desired to establish a church there, but they had noth-ing. We offered to help them by paying for the roof, and they made the building’s bricks by hand. To-day, a soup kitchen, a literacy pro-gram, and children’s Sunday school operate out of this small structure.

This was the beginning of great change. Children living in squal-or received food, warmth, and care. Their mothers started accompa-nying them to the programs, and eventually some of the fathers came too. Parents who received Christ as their Savior began to take better

Neighbors are changing, too

In the one-room shack next door to Zlatka’s family live Hristo, Andriana, their two small children, and Hris-to’s mother. None of the adults can read. They live on the meager income the children bring in. They are very grateful, however, to have a roof over their heads.

These neighbors saw the change in Zlatka’s family. Hristo began tak-ing his two-year-old son to the soup kitchen daily and attending church services. He listens to the sermons with interest and has begun to pray. He and Andriana even asked us to pray with them for their newborn baby.

This is how the Gospel is chang-ing lives in Roma villages!

The possibilities to minister to the Roma population are unlimited. We would like to do more than we are doing now. If you would like to help us expand this work specifically, you can send a designated gift for “Bul-garian Roma ministry.” Thank you for your help!

First children came to the church…then mothers, fathers, and neighbors

SOUP THAT HAS AN ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE

Our Mission:To equip the local Christians and Churches in Eastern Europe for works of service (Eph 4:12) in order for them to more effectively reach suffering and search-ing people. Bringing them the Gospel message, Bibli-cal teaching and physical and social help.

We want to see- suffering children, youth and families receive physi-

cal aid and through this ministry come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

- our ministries in Eastern Europe become gradually self-supporting, allowing us to reach new territories.

- people finding their calling to God’s service through our ministries in the West and in Eastern Europe.

- God using Mission Possible to grow the local church in knowledge and number.

Mission PossiblePO Box 248

Mt. Prospect IL 60056-2573

NON PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

Mt. Prospect, ILPermit #65

Mission Possible Foundation, PO Box 248, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056 , 1.800.729.2425mpusa@mp.org www.mp.org

Help for Eternal Hope: Thank you for joining us to reach more people!

Target countries:Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Albania