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In this issue: 1. Ministry trip around Bulgaria 2. Visit to Ukraine 3. Producing our 1st music CD. 4. Danny’s surgery. 5. A short vacation: Danny and Matty—baptized 6. Prophetic School and Prophetic Conference in Shumen. 7. Prayer requests.
Click on the link below for photos from the moments described in the prayer letter:
http://kmission.netfirms.com/pics/sept2005/page_01.htm
We were saddened to see what happened in Louisiana and the South of the US. Teresa’s sister and her family live, or rather lived, in New Orleans and their home was not flooded. She and her husband and two kids are safe. There was a series (three waves in June, July and August) of flooding in Bulgaria and Romania this summer as well due to sudden torrential rains. The scope of devastation is less than what happened in the USA. Yet, 10,000 houses were destroyed in Bulgaria and 2 million people were somehow affected by the severe weather. The death toll was about 20 people. There is more than what meets the eye, however, in these catastrophic events. Man’s unspoken claims to be in control of life and nature is denying that God is in control of His creation. We believe that these disasters fall within the perfect judgments of God and the increasing birth pangs of the world that is to come. May He use them for the turning of people from their ways to the Lord Jesus!
Trip to Ukaine Aug 10-14. Ukraine is a big country—47 million people and a territory as big as Texas. We had the opportunity to visit New Hope ministries. They have a youth-oriented ministry through which they reach out to youth in government schools. They provide educational programs to public schools and thus they start relationship which may lead to inviting kids to the Youth Club which the ministry operates on their premises. About ten people work in the office on different programs. I was impressed by the correspondence course for middle school kids. Over 5,300 kids are on the roll of the course and all this is managed only from that office! A total of about 8,000 children receive the Bible course and even send in their pictures. We found this a very creative way to reach kids with the Gospel in the most remote places of a huge nation. We made this tripto the Ukraine due to the generous help of one of our supporters. It was informative for us to see how God is using these Ukrainian Christians to reach the younger people with the Gospel. It was amazing to see also how some of the issues the church is dealing with there are very similar to those facing Bulgarian Christians. May the Lord bless the Ukrainians!
Boys under attack but protected in the Lord. When visiting the grandparents, Matty decided it would be fun to pet a dog – a stray that a neighbor was feeding. Well, the dog bit Matty on the stomach and we ended up in the emergency room! Fast-forward, two weeks later. Danny began complaining of pain in his testicle. After two days we took him to the doctor. They advised us to go immediately to the emergency hospital. After initial look, the doctor on call said Danny needed surgery that very day. The surgery went well – they had to remove a piece of tissue that had twisted and was preventing blood flow. Danny has healed up well – so has Matty….at least now he knows not to pet stray dogs anymore! Read our boys blog and look at some photos http://kostovboys.blogspot.com
Youth ministry – “Lift Up Your Eyes” – a maxi-single album of four songs recorded! Please, let us know your mailing address and we will send you a CD to enjoy. Read the words of the songs in English here. Recording an album with Bulgarian worship songs has been a dream of Vik’s. Yavor, Vik’s brother, wrote three songs for this summer’s VBS’s. We took those songs, plus one more, and shut ourselves in our apartment for three days with only our computer, microphone, and musical instruments as companions. But we did it! We praise the Lord! We want to distribute the music to the youth we minister to and to all who are hungry for words of truth.
Vaction. We were able to go to the Black Sea for a week. Danny and Matty had fun. Noah spent half an hour at the beach and did not seem impressed. One of the high points of the vacation was that Dan and Matt were baptized in the waters of the Black Sea. Now they are baptized believers.
The Prophetic Bible School, with Stuart from Wales, starts this coming Friday, Sept. 9. We had 11 students from churches from around Bulgaria. The goal was to train believers to follow Jesus by hearing the voice of God and obeying it. We felt a new challenge in the Spirit to seek the things of God in the nation and boldly stand for what is right in the churches.
We also held a prophetic church conference in Shumen, a town in NE Bulgaria, at a large local evangelical church Sept. 12-14. Many were blessed as we taught on the abandonment of selfishness in church life in order to seek a deeper revelation of Christ and a deeper fellowship with one another. There were people who did not like the message yet God’s word never returns empty. Once again we saw how desperate the Bulgarian evangelical churches are for truth, honesty, relationships and a vision. May God have mercy! Change is not just an option—it is the only alternative for these churches.
Please pray as we continue to speak to church leaders and Christians looking for 12 new volunteers (from 6 churches) to train during 2005-2006 as youth workers for our orphan work. We will travel again in the fall to continue to establish vision and relationships. Pray for good planning and opening of closed doors for us. We will conduct one more Prophetic School by the end of the year.
Please, pray for physical safety—Danny’s surgery with causes exactly like Matty’s a year and a half ago shows us that health is an area in which the enemy can cause setbacks. Yet, the Lord does not allow him to go beyond limits He has set. The dealing with the Bulgarian hospitals and their red tape and attitude was the more difficult part.
We always appreciate your prayers and your love.
Viktor, Teresa and the boys
Please, visit our website for more photos and information: http://kmission.netfirms.com. We are grateful to all of you who pray for our work and give generously. The work we do is possible due to the sacrificial giving of God’s people. To support us financially, mail checks to: Door of Hope International S-15, PO Box 303, Glendale, CA 91209-9984. To use your credit card click here. To subscribe to, or unsubscribe from, our e-mail newsletter, write to vikkostov@hotmail.com