MISSION EURASIA

Dear Friends & Family,

Thank you for your faithful prayers. I read a quote last week from missionary trailblazer to China, J. Hudson Taylor that got me thinking. He said, “God wants men on the field who can pray. There are too many preachers now and too few prayers.” This struck a cord with me. I can do a lot things in life and missions, a lot of good things, but prayer is the foundation and power of all our work. May that challenge each of us to pray even more. And may I ask you to pray for Esther and I, that we would not only go and serve, but that we would be faithful prayer warriors ourselves who “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17).

So, with that in mind, here are a number of things that we need prayer regarding:

Trip to Moldova, Ukraine and Poland - Since my last full Parsons Prayer Team update it was confirmed that I (Don) will be traveling to these three countries, leaving on Sunday the 28th of April. This will be a full trip and I would greatly appreciate your prayers throughout the journey. Yes, please pray for traveling mercies and safety along the way, but especially pray for the many opportunities to connect with brothers and sisters in Christ. In a war zone and in countries dealing with the repercussions of war many are in need of encouragement and prayer. Pray that God would use me to touch them with His love and grace. Pray that God would consistently give me His words (and in Russian!).

Ukraine - The reason for taking this trip now is to be able to attend a youth leaders conference in Ukraine on May 3 and 4. Some 300 youth leaders in the Baptist Union of Ukraine from all over the country will be at this event. Pray that eveyone looking to come will be able to make it there. I have been asked to provide pastoral care for those who would like to talk, who need counsel, and who need prayer. Pray for many “God conversations.”

I have also been asked to do a seminar on struggles in ministry. The Lord led me to the life of Elijah when he sank into depression and fear after great ministry victories (1 Kings 19). Please pray that I would speak/facilitate clearly, especially in my second language, and pray that the participants would understand and be challenged by the Truth. (He’s been speaking to my heart in this passage already!)

Lord willing, I will also be visiting one of our Mission Eurasia ministry hubs on Sunday, May 5th. I expect that I will be asked to preach, so please pray for God’s Spirit to work in power. I will visit with the team there and will see one of our primary warehouses for Ukraine aid and literature.

May the Lord encourage and strengthen His Church in Ukraine and bring peace!

• Moldova - I will travel to Ukraine by car from Moldova with our field ministry director. But before we travel, I will be working with our team in Moldova with a special focus on finalizing the Unreached People Groups Initiative (UPGI) training materials that Esther and I have been working on. Please pray that Esther and I would finish with the final draft this week before I leave. And please pray that this resource would be a powerful tool to mobilize and equip the church to engage the unreached in Eurasia and beyond.
• Poland - In Poland I will spend a lot of time with our team in Warsaw. I hope to encourage them each personally and work with them on ministry plans for the months ahead. Specifically, please pray for our summer ministries and camps planning and for our preparations for receiving summer teams from the west. Overall, please pray for unity, wisdom, and clarity on the visit, especially as significant ministry changes are going to continue.
  I will also be able to attend the ordination service for Yuri Davidyuk, a good friend and our facilitator and mentor for church planting in Poland. I plan to speak at this special service. Please pray.
• Ministry Provision - I asked you to pray for God’s provision for Mission Eurasia. There is still a long way to go, but since asking you to pray God has provided for some significant needs. One of which is a major matching challenge so that we can send thousands of kids and teens to camps this summer. You will hear more details about that soon. Praise the Lord for His provision and keep praying!
• Esther and the Family - Esther will be staying home, continuing her work from here and caring for our family. Pray for her here! Pray as she continues work on a new children’s ministry project for the mission.
• The need to pray for our adult kids has not diminished, even as God has shown Himself faithful time and again. Please keep praying for more of God’s mercy and miracles. I may list this prayer last, but it is at the top of minds and hearts.

Please continue to be in prayer for our mission partners world-wide.
Here is a list of our mission partners.

GRACE CITY BOSTON

News for our church:

As we enter into the summer, there’s some news that is coming that will greatly change how our church will operate and work. First, beginning in the summer, we will have 2 new staff members! Our Prayer Lead (Yasmin) will transition from part-time to full-time, and we will have a new part-time worker to join us after he graduates and has his wedding (Max). Max and Yasmin have already done wonderful work for our church, and having them work with us will be a huge addition to our current setup.

Finally, we are in the ending stages of negotiations for a long-term lease for a church building! Nothing is confirmed yet due to coding restrictions, but if all coding goes well we may have a signed lease by the summer! This is incredible news for our church, but nothing is official yet. If something official does happen, you will hear an incredible update from me! In the meantime, pray in gratitude for both Yasmin and Max’s heart for the Kingdom of Heaven and for the coding and negotiations with our potential landlords!