David and Jolene Sloan: March 2008
Hi everyone!
We were happy to have David home last week, after a 10-day trip to Israel. This was his third trip in a 12-month period. Dr. Vineyard called David and asked him to go to Israel in a few weeks' time and be with the missions group from our home church that was scheduled to go. David met and worked alongside them. The leader of the group was Bro. Ross, my youth director, so this was an enormous honor for David to spend this time with him.
David and his group were able to visit two army bases, and they even slept four nights at one of them. Some of the people from Windsor Hills Baptist Church have been to this army base before and said that they made more progress with fellowshipping with the soldiers on their first day this time than they had made on their entire previous trip. There were many opportunities for witnessing, and one soldier even "cried like a baby" David said, when they left. The soldiers just can't understand why these Americans would want to sleep in their bunkers with them, help wash their dishes, mop their floors, etc... Of course, we know it is all for the Gospel's sake, and that is exactly how they explained it. There were also many other opportunities for witnessing, and the seed of the Gospel was planted in many hearts.
One particular blessing of the trip was that David had a part in stopping a planned abortion. David was able to meet once again with a young couple that both David and I spent time with in December. This couple, Asi and Lizet, have two boys the same ages as our own two boys. As you may remember, we took our 1-year-old daughter with us to Israel in December, and this couple just fell in love with her. While we were with them, they asked us to please pray that God would give them a third baby. They even asked Dr. Vineyard to pray with them about this matter. Just a few weeks later, Lizet found out she was pregnant! In the last month or so, some major, unexpected hardships came upon this family, and Lizet had decided to abort the baby due to the stress the family was under. Asi, her husband asked David to please call Dr. Vineyard "because he is the only one Lizet will listen to." Dr. Vineyard told her, "Lizet, I prayed for God to give you that baby; now, you are going to have that baby and enjoy that precious life!" Then, David called me and asked me to talk with Lizet. Lizet calls me her "sister." Lizet told me, "Jolene, I won't do this. I talked to David, Dr. Vineyard, now you, and now I know that I don't need to do this." Amen! God is good! We are continuing to pray for Asi and Lizet's salvation, and feel that these trials they are going through are just bringing them closer to their day of salvation. It is extremely difficult for Israelis to accept that Jesus is the Messiah, as their culture teaches them that the Messiah still has not come.
Next Sunday a new ministry will begin at Simferopol Baptist Church - a nursery ministry! Church nurseries are basically unheard of here, so we are "pioneers," I guess you could say, in this area. I am especially excited and praying that God will use this ministry, something He laid on my heart, as another tool for reaching others for Christ and allowing young couples to grow in Christ since they will be able to sit under the preaching uninterrupted. Not long ago we purchased a crib, and yesterday we bought a new playpen. This week, I plan to have a "work day" at the church in order to get everything set up and ready for "opening day."
Thank you for your prayers for us and the ministry the Lord has privileged us to work in. We LOVE it here and are VERY HAPPY in our work for the Lord!
With Love from Ukraine,
Jolene Sloan
P.S. Sorry no pictures this time - seems our camera has seen it's
last days already!
