Oct 08 2007

October 2007 Update

Category: E-Updates — Dawn @ 12:29 pm

This month I have some exciting personal news to share with you.  On September 19, I got engaged to a wonderful man named Steve Sparks!  Steve is from Austin, Texas, and we met here in Kiev when he came with his church on a short term trip to work with our team.  I know many of you have been praying for me in this area (maybe especially so since my update in May!) and I want to praise the Lord for this incredible answer to prayer.  We are planning to get married in April 2008 at my home church in Tyler.

Obviously, this exciting and happy news will bring some changes to my life and ministry.  The plan at this point is that I will leave Kiev at the end of February.  While back in the U.S., I will be on HMA (Home Ministry Assignment) which is the time when I try to visit all of you to report back to you on how God has been using your donations and answering your prayers for Ukraine, particularly in Kiev.  I’ll visit some of you before the wedding and some after.  I will be on HMA through the end of the summer for sure.  After that, I don’t yet know what options will be available.  As we discuss the options and decide, I will be sure to keep you all informed.  In the meantime, please feel free to let me know if you have questions or concerns.

One exciting possibility for the future is that Steve and I may return to Ukraine as a couple.  We will live in Austin for at least one year (this is an MTW policy) and during that time we’ll be considering where God is calling us together.  As this becomes clearer, I’ll be sure to let all of you know!

Thank you for your faithful prayers for me and for the church here in Ukraine.  Some specific items for prayer this month are:

  • Pray for Max, Nina, and Marta (our national pastor and his family) and Jon (the MTW Kiev team leader) as they are in the U.S. until October 14 seeking funding for a church building.
  • Continue to praise God with me for the gift of Steve and pray for us as we prepare for our wedding and our marriage over the next few months – especially since we’ll be far apart most of that time.
  • Pray that God would provide someone for the Kiev team who could take over the things that I currently do.
  • Continue to pray for the students we met during our summer project.  Pray that God would touch their hearts and that they would believe His Word.