November 2022

Dear Friends,

What an amazing journey it has been since leaving Houston on October 7. We flew to Krakow, Poland. I spoke six days in a row, two hours each day, and in five different cities. The churches were all in the Brethren camp, having a grace gospel and a literal hermeneutic. The church leaders have a good doctrinal foundation, and I really enjoyed the fellowship. The response of the people was very enthusiastic, and I have been invited to come back to teach some courses in the not-too-distant future. The home which was our base in Poland was literally in the back yard of Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp. Since we were traveling to different cities each day to teach we didn’t visit there. I have been there some years ago and would like to see it again, but that will have to wait.

Another treat for us was to see our college student, Denis, along with his wife and son, who are now living in Poland. He drove to each of the places where I taught that week. He is a Belarusian citizen, but he does not want to return there for fear that he would be drafted and be required to fight against Ukraine. Because he is not Ukrainian, he was permitted to leave Ukraine after the war started. He has now obtained legal documents from the Polish government which allow him to live and to work in Poland. Denis was just a few months short of finishing his course requirements to graduate from Word of God College. He disciplined himself to take the remaining courses through videos and online correspondence. We are very proud of him; he is going to make a fine pastor-teacher. He and his wife are currently working among Ukrainian refugees who are attending a Polish church.

Following our week in Poland we had a truly wonderful time returning to Ukraine for a few days. We went to the western city of Lviv. This is a delightful old European city with cobblestone streets and many promenades. The leaves were turning gold, red, yellow, and brown, combining with those still green to paint a delightful landscape. But the greatest treat was reunion with many loved ones.

Vasya Munko is pastor of Word of God Church in Lviv, where he has ministered for more than 15 years. He was one of my earliest students in Ukraine, going back to the late 90s when I taught at Ukraine Bible Institute, and he was one of the first graduates of Word of God Bible College. After studying with us in Kyiv, he went to Mogilev, Belarus, where he worked with the church we had planted there. After a couple of years there he went to Lviv and started a church. He has done an outstanding job of verse-by-verse and categorical theological teaching to prepare his people to face the war and to minister to the thousands of refugees who have come into Lviv.

The facility where the church had been meeting is now being used as a shelter for refugees, mostly women with children, or some old folks who had to flee their homes. Mattresses line the floor in what had been the auditorium, and it is crowded. But at this point it is safe, warm, and dry. Another room is stacked with boxes of donated clothing and dry food stuffs. The church bought a washing machine and a dryer to take care of laundry. They have no kitchen in this place, but they have arranged for a nearby restaurant to cook the food for these refugees. We are so thankful for you have contributed to help supply these material needs. But the most important aspect of the ministry there is that the people are being provided with spiritual food on a daily basis as Vasya and others meet with them for prayer and Bible study.

On Sunday I had the joy of preaching at the church. Not only did we have a good turnout for face-to-face teaching, but there were even more who joined us online. Then we were overjoyed when a contingent of our loved ones from Kyiv drove to Lviv just to spend some time with us. Oleg Lozinsky, pastor of Word of God Church in Kyiv, came with his wife. Two other couples came as well, along with some of our young adults. It was a such a blessing for us to have a day with them. They are all doing well and standing firm in their faith.

Also, a young man currently serving on the front lines in the Ukrainian artillery had a few rest days and was able to join us. He left us spellbound with so many war stories, some of them were amazing testimonies of God’s grace in delivering him and his unit from immediate dangers, including being shot at by the enemy and having the bullets hit the dirt right in front of his feet. In other cases, his vehicle was actually strafed by hostile fire, but he and his team escaped with only minor injuries. One of the interesting points he made was that most of the Russian soldiers were continually drunk or getting high on drugs. Obviously, this is not a good strategy for effective warfare. Our man enlisted right after the war began in later February. He had no prior military experience and has received little training. However, he is a natural leader/administrator. He knows how to motivate people and how to get things done. Since he has proven to be conscientious, resourceful, and reliable, he has been appointed acting company commander. This is not something he wanted, but his superiors told him that they would tell him what to do, and that he needed to get it done. He has been a good testimony to his squad and platoon, witnessing to them, praying with them and for them. I believe God has plans to use him. For a couple of reasons I cannot give you his name at this time, but please do pray for him. He will also take with him “Bible Sticks” produced by the ministry, “Faith Comes by Hearing” located in Albuquerque, NM. These Bible Sticks, which are small MP3 players, have an audio Bible in the Ukrainian language. Along with each stick is a pair of earphones. This enables the soldiers to be able to listen to a reading of the Bible whenever they have opportunity. They also come with instructions on how they can download the Bible to their cell phones in virtually any language they want. We pray that these will be used by the Lord to comfort the Christian warriors in Ukraine and also to bring unsaved soldiers to faith in Christ.

Through the contacts we made in Poland we have been able to ship some sorely needed supplies into Ukraine. We have purchased some power generators for churches in areas where they have been without electricity for a long time. In addition we have been able to purchase food, which is being given to pastors to distribute among their congregations. In this way we know that the food is going to people who are truly in need.

After our brief visit to Ukraine we returned to Poland to get a flight to Zambia. The temperature was freezing in Krakow and it was necessary to de-ice the plane. When we arrived in Africa it was close to triple digits! It took us almost two days to get to Zambia because of layovers and changing airlines. But we arrived in Lusaka, the capital city, and drove out to the village of Chipembi. This was the first place I taught in Zambia back in the year 2001. I have gone back there every year since then, except for the time when Covid restrictions prevented me from doing so. The village is still without electricity, although they have been promised power for several years. They still lack running water as well. A number of years ago we raised money to drill a couple of wells in the area, but they have since gotten plugged up. So we funded a renovation of the wells in the village, and now they are enjoying fresh water again. The church there is strong, being pastored by Benjamin who has studied with us for the past 20 years. We had a great time in Chipembi, preaching to a church that was packed wall-to-wall and overflowing out the doors. Exciting!

On Monday we made a drive three hours north to Kabwe, the capital of the Central Province. This was our first time to hold a conference in that city. The response was very enthusiastic and they are eager to have us come back to teach them again. Our schedule started at 9:00 in the morning and went until 4:00 in the afternoon. Our venue was in a church building whose electricity came from a small generator outside. This did provide for lights and a sound system, but there was no air conditioning, and the temperature was close to 100 four days in a row. I was grateful to have help in teaching from Benjamin and from Charles, two Zambian pastors with whom I have worked for many years now, but I did the bulk of the teaching.

On Saturday we drove back to Lusaka and got on the bus to go to Livingstone. It should be a pleasant seven-hour drive, but because of some things that came up it turned out to be a ten-hour journey and we didn’t get in until late at night. We got up the next morning and went to Charles’ church where I had the privilege of teaching for an hour and a half. One of the unique features of this church is that people bring hard copies of the Bible, and when you tell them to turn to a passage, the auditorium comes alive with the crepitations of turning pages. In addition to that, almost everyone in that congregation has a notebook and takes notes during the message.

From there we went to another city, new to me, named Kalomo, about 2 hours north of Livingstone. We had people from about a dozen different congregations in this city, representing several denominations. These people, although they have been saved for some time and are active in church, have never been exposed to sound doctrinal Bible teaching. Our schedule was as the previous week, starting at 9:00 in the morning and going until 4:00 in the afternoon, with an hour break for lunch. The temperature here was also in the mid to upper 90s with no A/C. It was demanding, but oh so rewarding. The people were super attentive and wanted more and more. At the end of each day they had lots and lots of questions. They begged us to come back soon to teach them more. So, already we have made tentative plans to return next April to do conferences in those two cities. It is also gratifying that they have invited the Zambian pastors Benjamin and Charles to come back to teach in their churches as well.

After all of that we flew to South Africa. We had the great joy of meeting Tom and Cheryl Molinar, missionaries in South Africa. We have known about them for years and have had some correspondence with them, but we had never met them. So this year we tacked a few days onto our itinerary so that we could finally meet them. They hosted us at Kruger National Park, which is a huge game preserve. We spent two fabulous days driving through a tiny fraction of the park, seeing so many animals that it was overwhelming. We saw large herds of elephants, all kinds of deer and antelope, leopards, cape buffalo, rhinos, crocodiles, warthogs, and many amazing birds that ranged from big vultures to tiny oxpeckers that piggy back on rhinos and giraffes. It was wonderful way to unwind after the vigorous schedule of the previous month. Thanks, Tom and Cheryl, for your most gracious hospitality.

Now we are headed back to Houston. I don’t know what we will be doing in the near future or in what place(s) we may being doing it, but “have Bible, will travel.”

We thank all of you who have been praying for us. The Father has certainly been faithful in answering your prayers.

All by grace,

Jim

October 10, 2022

Dear Friends,

We are in Poland, just a stone's throw away from Auschwitz. We began our 6 days of teaching here on Sunday in a Brethren Church. Wonderful service. We continued tonight and had a great response.

We have been without internet for 3 days and so we did not get the news about today's missile strikes against Ukraine until after the night's lessons. I called to talk with Oleg in Kyiv. He was very grim faced as he spoke about the bombing in Kyiv. A dozen people were reported to have been killed and several dozen wounded in the missile attacks that took place on civilian targets during rush hour. From our standpoint the good news is that all of our people are alive. Praise the Lord for His mercy and His wonderful works to the children of men.

Vasya Munko, pastor in Lviv, reportedly spent four hours in the basement of their home until the bombing was ended there. The power in the city has been knocked out, as well as the heating for homes. We are planning to go there on Saturday. Pray that we will be able to go there to see our loved ones, to take in some supplies, and to encourage the believers there.

Several other cities were also targets of the Russian missiles. These targets have absolutely no military value, but were just intended to create panic among the civilian population and demonstrate that Putin can throw a big tantrum. According to several sources the majority of the Russian missiles were shot down by Ukrainian air defense, although those that landed caused death and damage in several cities.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

Jim

7 October 2022

Dear Friends,

We are heartened by recent news of victories in Ukraine. They have retaken much territory that had been under Russian control. But the war continues and many people are being killed. The Russians continue to send missiles and artillery into many cities and villages. People are suffering.

Many Ukrainians struggle to get by each day after having fled their homes. There is high unemployment, which according to the National Bank reached more than 35%. Ukrainians who have gotten away from war zones – mostly women and children -- are often desperate to find work to support themselves.

Finding a job is not easy and the monthly social welfare for evacuees barely covers their expenses, The government is trying to help their people with financial support, but the monthly social welfare for refugees amounts to only $55 per month for an adult and $82 per child or person with disabilities. Prices have increased dramatically since the war began, making the problem more acute.

Added to this, there are still millions of people living in the war zones, and the infrastructure has almost been totally destroyed so that people do not have electricity, no running water, no natural gas for heating and cooking. For people living in high-rise apartments, they must climb many flights of stairs to get to their apartments. In many places access to the Internet is impossible, either because the capabilities of the providers have been destroyed or because the Russians are jamming the Internet.

With winter coming on, things will become more and more severe. Overnight low temperatures at this time of year are around 40. Without heat in the home, this becomes very uncomfortable. In another month the temperature will drop below freezing. Please continue to pray for victory in Ukraine and a quick end to this senseless war.

Reports from our loved ones in Ukraine continue to show the mercies of God day after day. Our men in the military have all been spared, even though they face constant danger. Our church members, most of whom have been displaced, continue to minister where they are. Pray that many will be brought to faith in Christ through the clear presentation of the gospel. Our heart is still in Ukraine, and we hope and pray that we will soon be able to return.

In the time that we have been out of Ukraine we have had many opportunities, traveling through 20 states and speaking in more than 30 churches. We have been very encouraged to see enthusiasm for sound Bible teaching and more emphasis on evangelism. Several churches we visited are seeing significant growth. We also had the joy of visiting many old friends and making lots of new ones.

Phyllis has written a short booklet about survivors of tragedy, titled “Why Me?” It gives reasons why God would keep a person alive while others have died. The intent is to orient believers to the fact that God has a plan for them and to get unbelievers to consider that God has kept them alive so that they have opportunity to receive eternal life through faith in Christ. The hope is that this will be an evangelistic tool as well as an encouragement for believers to get into a Bible-teaching church. If you would like to read this book, please click here to download it.

We are very excited about the journey we are beginning on October 7th. We will fly to Poland where I will be teaching for six nights. After that we will go to Ukraine for a week where we will be able to see many of our loved ones and to teach the Word of God. After that we will fly to Zambia for two weeks of teaching in three different cities. When we finish there we are going to South Africa to spend a few days of relaxation with Tom and Cheryl Molinar who have been long-time missionaries there.

We are so blessed to be able to continue ministry in spite of the interruption of war. We give thanks to our heavenly Father for His grace in giving us health and strength and the resources to carry on. We thank you also for your effective fervent prayers, your encouragement, and your support.

By grace alone,

Jim

P.S. I thought you might like to see a list of churches we have visited since March of this year.

1. Berachah Church – R.B. Thieme, III
2. West Houston Bible Church – Robby Dean
3. Chafer Seminary Conference
4. Sugar Land Bible Church – Andy Woods
5. Bethel Independent Presbyterian Church, Houston – Frank Jones
6. Yerevan -- conference
7. Grace Bible Church, Houston – David Dunn
8. Pine Valley Bible Church, Houston – Bruce Bumgardner
9. Red River Cowboy Church –Novice Northington
10. Free Grace Church – John Brummet
11. Fredericksburg Bible Church – Alex Garcia
12. Cornerstone Bible Church – Steve Spurlin
13. Spokane Bible Church – Jeremy Thomas
14. Deary Bible Church – Jared Donigian
15. Columbia Bible Church – Jonathan Smith
16. Grace Bible Church – Brookings, OR – Virgil Frazier
17. Manning Bible Church – Brad Congdon
18. Portland Bible Church – Gary Glenney
19. Bible Doctrine Church of Portland – video church – Bobby Thieme
20. Life Bible Church – Paul Breckel
21. Rome Bible Church – Jonathan Lee
22. Meeting with pastors: John Eichman, Tanny Sisson, Jesse Acosta, Brad Congdon, Gary Glenney
23. Grace Redeemer Bible Church – Andy Stacey
24. Tacoma Grace Bible Church – E Dane Rogers
25. Evergreen Baptist – Darren Kraus
26. Country Bible Church – Mike Smith
27. Tullahoma Bible Church – Clay Ward
28. National Capital Bible Church – Dan Inghram
29. Ed Mushka -- NJ
30. Preston City Bible Church – David Roseland
31. Russian Church – Greg Allen, University Park, PA
32. Emmanuel Baptist Church, Starkville, MS -- Everett McKibben
33. Yerevan, Armenia

12 September 2022

Dear Friends,

There is good news about the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian armed forces have taken back a very large territory that had been under Russian control in eastern Ukraine. This has also resulted in thousands of Russian troops being taken prisoner – so many that the Ukrainian government has said that the number is so great that they don’t know where to put them all. In addition, it is reported that a large amount of Russian ammunition and a great number of military vehicles have been captured. The sad news is that a multitude of atrocities committed by Russian troops is also being uncovered in these liberated areas. Evidence of rape, torture and extreme brutality is undeniable.

While the victories of the past several days are significant, the fighting still continues, especially in the south. Missile and artillery barrages are constant and the senseless destruction of civilian targets continues. Many of the cities in that area are without water and power. There is much suffering. One of our soldiers reported that his unit has been able to go to a house at night to sleep. The house has no power and is very cold. He said that he awoke last night by something around his feet. When he turned on his flashlight he saw a rat nibbling on his socks. He said that with so few people in the area that the rodents are proliferating. He requested a dozen rat traps! That’s the first time I have heard of that in a soldier’s kit.

The Ukrainian soldiers that we know personally are all conducting themselves with great courage and honor. One man is piloting drones not far from the front. Another is an artillery commander. One man has been put in charge of a HIMARS unit. Their faith in God and in His plan for their lives gives them boldness and the determination to carry on in spite of extreme weariness, danger, and deprivations. They fight to protect their homeland, their wives and children. Please do not fail to pray for these brave warriors every day. There is no end in sight, but we have hope. Pray for victory in Ukraine, that peace might be found throughout that wonderful land.

In spite of the horrors of war, God’s grace is still to be seen. Believers are continuing to grow in their faith and there are many evangelistic efforts that are being launched among the soldiers and the refugees. Word of God Church continues to meet on Sundays, and this is also live-streamed to our displaced people throughout Ukraine and in several foreign countries. The church also meets online twice a day for prayer. It is wonderful that in spite of being widely dispersed we can still see one another and talk with one another, and pray together. I received a message today which said, “thank you for preparing us for this time. You didn’t know what we would face, but your Bible teaching makes it possible for us to understand what is happening and what we need to do in these circumstances.”

More good news: I am scheduled to teach a Bible conference for several churches in a small city close to Auschwitz in Poland next month. This will also be a wonderful opportunity to see some of our people who are now living in Poland. We also are planning to go into western Ukraine for a few days to encourage the church there. If it is possible, we also hope to make a trip to Zambia in November. We haven’t been able to go there for a couple of years, so we are really looking forward to returning.

We have been very busy here in the US. We have traveled to or through 20 different states, speaking in 30 different places. I also have 8 more dates on my calendar in September. We praise the Lord for His sustaining grace in giving us the health and strength to be able to do this. We know also that this is surely because you have prayed for us. Our Father has been pleased to hear and answer your prayers. Thank you for your encouragement and support. May the Lord be glorified in all of it.

By grace alone,

Jim