Matt's Blog

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>From: Oleg Vasilevsky [mailto:oleg@radooga.net]
>Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 5:44 PM
>To: oleg@radooga.net
>Subject: Prayer Center Update when people are getting tired
>
>
>
>Pastors met for prayer and strategy at the Prayer Center
>

Follow up:

>Last night group of pastor who coordinated the Prayer Center met together
>for prayer and strategy. One fact all of us had to admit was that all the
>people around including our own were getting tired. We have talked once
>again about the goals of the tent ministry and it truly brought a fresh wind
>into the Prayer Center. During the past week literally every hour of the day
>and night people were praying at the tent. Today when I visited the tent
>pastor Vasiliy Daviduk and his wife set up the table with tea and coffee and
>served the tent camp community while distributing their magazines and other
>Christian literature. The leaders of the camp made a decision to stay
>downtown Kiev until the 26th of December. It’s a very critical time for our
>ministry there because people are tired and consequently less excited than
>before. At the same time, I believe, they are seeking the most for truth
>now. That is why we made a decision to clear up a tent to make more room for
>fellowship evangelism. Our tent is one of only few tents that has a heater.
>Please, pray that God would always put us in the right place at the right
>time with the right people.
>
>We also decided to start fasting for the situation in Ukraine because of the
>critical state of things in the political world. Only God can open people’s
>eyes and change the people from truth killers into truth seekers.
>
>
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>Spiritual committee meeting
>
>At the beginning of 2004 I was invited to join the Spiritual Committee of
>our district. This group was organized upon the request of the State
>District Administration where government officials realized the church could
>be a real help to the society both in the spiritual and humanitarian sense.
>There were a dozen of pastors from all kinds of different denominations
>including Russian Orthodox priest, Roman Catholic priest and Evangelical
>pastors. The Leader of that meeting asked each one of us to share about our
>attitude towards the events in Ukraine. All of us had the same heart that
>it’s the time for the church members to take a stand for truth and justice.
>It was interesting that many of us had similar thoughts that this revolution
>was important not only for Ukraine but for other former Soviet Union
>countries that Russian government is trying to pull together under its
>umbrella. The last one to speak was the Orthodox priest with whom we had
>good relationships. He got up and confronted all of us for breaking the law.
>He said Russian Orthodox priests have blessed Yanukovich for presidency in
>Ukraine. He literally said that “with truth or lies Yanukovich did become
>the president and we had to obey the new president!� He got up and left. In
>accordance with the words of one of the pastors from the meeting, Russian
>Orthodox church is heavily promoting Yanukovich by saying that if people
>vote for him they would get a free prayer liturgy and if not they would burn
>in hell. Someone also shared that Russian Orthodox church is loosing many of
>its members due to their position and obedience of the Head of Russian
>Orthodox church in Moscow who is co-sponsoring the campaign. The meeting
>ended with prayer and signing of letter to all Christians in our district
>where we ask people to turn away from evil and follow after righteousness,
>godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness.
>
>
>
>Trip to Donetsk
>
>I have a huge desire with some other pastors to go to the city of Donetsk
>where Yanukovich is from. We know that some pastors there are under
>persecution and have to take their families to other cities to protect them.
>Russian Orthodox church in the areas where they are supported by the
>government consider every protestant Christian a cult member. We would like
>to hear from the pastors about their needs, pray for and with them, share
>about Yuschenko’s position towards Christian churches in Ukraine and beg
>them to stand up for truth in their cities. Please, pray that the Lord would
>make it possible for us to go to Donetsk and love on pastors there while
>presenting the truth about what is happening in Kiev. .
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>Update
>
>Situation in Kiev – the crime level has dropped by 30% in Kiev during the
>revolution time. There are no acts of violence downtown taking into account
>that there is no police around Independence Square and Kreschatik. People
>of Kiev and other cities show incredible support and donate a lot of money
>for the cause of revolution. One of the members of Spiritual Committee has
>compared this with 1942 when people were collecting money for tanks and
>planes of the Soviet Army to fight Hitler.
>
>Prayer – Sunday night pastors and priests from different denominations
>gathered on the Central stage at the Independence Square and prayed with
>almost million people there. I heard many pastors cried because they had
>never seeing so many people praying.
>
>Third election – we are preparing for the third election turn. It will take
>place December 26th. It is a very important date for us as Christians and we
>pray that we as Ukrainians would celebrate this day as a birth day of new
>Ukrainian nation.
>
>Round table talks haven’t produced any results – Many international
>diplomats have spent 6 hours in talks about the situation in Ukraine. They
>have agreed that Ukrainian parliament and president needed to sign changes
>of the election laws but they haven’t agreed on Yanukovich and his
>government’s dismissal despite the decision of the Parliament to do so.
>
>Amendment – Kuchma and Yanukovich demand Yuschenko to sign this amendment.
>It talks about limiting the presidential power in the regions. Kuchma and
>Yanukovich realized that they would loose the third election and that is why
>they are trying to remain in power at least in the loyal to them regions.
>
>Tomorrow’s Parliament meeting - Our parliament is meeting tomorrow to sign
>the changes to the constitution about the election laws to minimize the
>falsifications. Tomorrow is the last day to do it due to the terms assigned
>to pass a bill in Ukraine. If they don’t only God knows what will happen
>next.
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>In need of God’s justice and mercy,
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>Oleg Vasilevsky
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