Dearest Partners,

Tanya and I just wanted to drop you a short note to give you an update on the situation with the car. Throughout the months, many of you have asked us to keep you in the loop, and so we wanted to share with you the latest news.

First of all - some background information for those who might not remember. In October 2012 we received papers from a local court in Moscow that basically informed us that we were being sued as co-defendant in a lawsuit against the previous owner of the car, who had never paid pack the loan she took to purchase the car. The car had been purchased in November 2009 at a dealership, and we had been assured in writing that the title of the car was clear.

In December 2012 the court in Moscow decided in favor of the plaintiff.
In March we filed a lawsuit against the dealership. We were hoping to get this situation sorted out before the summer, because we were going to need a vehicle to handle the summer classes. Unfortunately nothing happened and, upon returning to Moscow from General Assembly, in July, we proceeded to purchase another vehicle with the hope that at least part of the cost would be covered by the dealership's court-ordered refund.

Things dragged along for another four months, and finally, at the end of November, we did get a refund from the dealership that covered about half of the cost of the new vehicle we purchased in July. Although we did not get all that we asked for, we are grateful things ended this way, as this could have turned out much less favorably for us.

So we are grateful for God's protection and provision, and we are also grateful for all of you, your interest, and your prayers throughout this long, and not-at-all-enjoyable process.

Please, keep us in your prayers as our Christmas activities unfold. We are planning some outreach events this month to reach out to the community around Moscow 1st. We'd love to give you a good report when we are together in January.
May this Advent and Christmas season whet your appetite for the great things the Lord continues to have in store and in mind for His people.

Much love from Moscow,
Davide and Tanya

Click the link below to read about how the Church of the Nazarene is doing its part to teach about HIV/AIDS prevention in local schools and prisons to children and adults. You can also read testimonies about what these ministries are doing in their lives.

Here is another reminder to sign up for the CIS Partnership Meeting!

We are excited to have two brothers in Christ from Ukraine, Andrii Mekhed and Vitalii Nagornyi join us this year to talk about rehabilitation ministry. Sean Johnson, president of the House of James ministries, will also be attending. We will also be accompanied by Davide Cantarella, Scott Rainey, Joseph Sumi and our newest team members, Kyle and Becky Sukanen (with their two sons), who plan to join us on the Field by August 2014.

Dates: Friday, 24 January - Saturday, 25 January 2014

Location: Orlando, Florida - STAYBRIDGE SUITES ORLANDO AIRPORT
(Approximately one mile from the airport with shuttle service. This is a hotel we use about 4 years ago and has been very accommodating for our group.)

Schedule:
FRIDAY
      6:00 pm | Dinner and Session 1 - Updates from the Field
SATURDAY
      9:00 am | Session 2 - Priorities and Challenges from the Field
    12:00 pm | Lunch
      1:00 pm | Session 3 - Closing Session - "How Can We Partner with the Field"
                         Prayer Time
      4:00 pm | Departures

(Please plan to make departure flights at 4pm or later on Saturday to maximize your participation.)

Hotel Information:
Staybridge Suites Orlando Airport
750 Augusta National Drive
Orlando, FL 32822
407-438-2121

Please state that you are with the CIS Partnership to get the rate and so we fulfill our contract for room guarantees. Our rate is $91/night plus tax. Also, reservations must be made by Jan. 10th or our block of rooms will be gone. Please call/email Phil Newlin if there is any problems with the room availability or any other issues.

Registration: Please RSVP to Phil Newlin by email to newlinhome@sbcglobal.net. Registration will be $60 per person. This covers Friday dinner and Saturday lunch. If you can only attend part of the event, contact Phil to adjust the registration cost. Checks made payable to General Treasurer, Church of the Nazarene should be sent in advance to:
Phil Newlin
3605 Whispering Brook Ct.
Wichita, KS 67220

For more information: Please feel free to contact Phil Newlin at 316-682-6781 or at newlinhome@sbcglobal.net

At first, Iryna Galisevich didn’t pay much attention to the meetings her children were attending. The Soviet Union  had just fallen, and in the Ukraine of Iryna’s upbringing, it was normal for children to entertain themselves without much parental oversight, as long as it was not threatening their safety. 

But she began to notice some changes in her 11-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son. 

“They quit fighting and arguing so much. They became closer as brother and sister,” she said. “They were even treating us parents better.” 

But when they brought a Bible into the house, her husband became concerned. Talk of faith had not featured much in Iryna’s world. Her parents had been atheists, and she remembers only one 
family member ever speaking about God, a relative who baptized Iryna in the Orthodox Church when she was 3 years old. 

When Iryna began teaching under Soviet Communism, speaking about faith was forbidden. 

“It was a time when, if you said anything about God it would be persecuted on all levels, especially as a teacher,” Iryna said. “It might be a threat to your career or freedom.” 

She and her husband discussed what to do with their children, reluctant to forbid them from attending the meetings. 

“We decided that I would go to the meetings with them to see what they were doing,” she said. 

A Surprising Community
To Iryna’s surprise, her children were thrilled when she said she would go to the meetings with them. Her surprise grew when they arrived at a church.

“This was something new, but at the same time, something that for most of my life I was secretly thinking and dreaming about,” she said.

The meetings turned out to be Sunday School at the Wesleyan Church of Holiness. There, Iryna was amazed by the young volunteers who led the sessions.

“Their love towards the children was superior,” she said.

Iryna began to attend the children’s Sunday School meetings regularly, then ventured into Sunday worship services. At home, she and her husband talked with their children at length, discussing how they felt about the church and how it was changing their lives.

“For me, my children were the first evangelists I met,” she said.

She was impressed by the relationships she witnessed between people at the church and felt her own heart responding to the worship services and children’s meetings. The Sunday School leaders made a lasting impression.

“The way they spoke about everything, you could feel that they lived through it,” Iryna said. “I felt the spirit of God through them. They were like a window showing the way into Heaven.”

Eventually, Iryna realized she had a choice to make: Was she just there to observe the children,
or would she join Christ on a journey of faith?

“It was a tough time,” she said. “But I choose to be with Jesus.”

New Lessons
When Iryna’s daughter was about 13, she was invited to be a co-leader at Sunday School, and Iryna began helping her to prepare her lessons.

Iryna remembers slicing apples and peaches for a lesson about creation, feeling this hands-on approach turning her training as a teacher upside down. The way she interacted with her own students during the week began to change.

“In Soviet school, you teach by power. You apply your authority,” Iryna said. “But I started to see individual people, not just a class. God was revealing to me the value and the needs of each child.”

A Future of Freedom
Iryna’s involvement with children at church grew over the years. Eventually, she and her children started attending the Kiev First Church of the Nazarene, where Iryna became the Sunday School director, then the coordinator for children’s ministries in Ukraine. She is now the Nazarene ompassionate Ministries child development coordinator for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Field.

When she was offered this role, Iryna didn’t hesitate. It seemed like everything in her life had brought her to this place. “I understood that this was how God was slowly making His work in my life,” she said. “He provided the desire, the training, and the education I needed, and He provided an opportunity. It seemed like it was His desire that was working in me.”

About 800 children now attend one of 26 Kids’ Clubs on the CIS Field. Half are supported through
the NCM Child Sponsorship program.

They meet at church buildings during the week for activities and teaching designed to help the children develop spiritually, physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially.

“Even though the Soviet Union is long gone, not much has changed on the government or society level when it comes to education and raising of children,” Iryna said. “They are always the last priority.”

The education children receive has a spiritual foundation, and much like Iryna, a number of parents and grandparents are now attending church because of their children’s involvement in the Kids’ Clubs. Once they start, the adults don’t want to leave.

“Many of the parents who come to Kids’ Clubs behave as if they didn’t have their own childhood,
or as if their own was not as interesting or exciting,” Iryna said. “These are the same feelings I was going through when I came.”

The vision Iryna has for children’s ministry on the CIS Field is ambitious. She wants local congregations to prioritize their own ministries for children, becoming more involved as child sponsors and establishing children’s ministries as a launch pad for more child-focused social services in the wider society. And she wants to see children grow into local community
leaders when they graduate from Kids’ Clubs.

When she looks at the next generation, Iryna knows a greater sense of freedom than what she experienced is possible.

“They can become fully developed members of society,” she said, “because they will have skills and a sense of dignity.”