8/3/2019 Millers' Mailbox Fall 2011

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Millersmailbox

Fall 2011

W o r d s f r o m t h e W is eO u r Te a m m a t e s S h a r e A b o u t J o y s , C h a l l e n g e s , a n d O p p o r t u n i t i e s

The time is quickly approaching for our departure from the States, which means we will soon bexperiencing many different aspects of culture, life, and

ministry in Kiev. We thought the best way to prepareyou, our readers, for what is to come in our life was tosk some of our teammates in Kiev about joys,hallenges, and ministry opportuniti es. We hope theseesponses will give you a small glimpse into the life of a

missionary in Ukraine.

Q: What is your favorite part about living and serving n Ukraine?A: My favorite thing about serving in Ukraine is

watching God do amazing things in and through thepeople that we work with for the advancement of HisKingdom. Eric

A: Our favorite thing is that we know this is whereGod has called us to serve Him. Out of this comes theblessing of working with Ukrainians who share theame love for and desire to serve our King. Bob &

Sherri

Q: What has been your biggest challenge while on themission field?A: It is a challenge to see the ravages of an overlyraditionalistic and fundamentalistic mentality in thehurch. The internally-focused and rigid approach to

ministry that results from such a mentality thwartsgenuine spiritual formation, hinders evangelism, and gives no place to theological education or cross-ultural missions. Although this mentality seems to be

passing, it is still present and active and is hard to seend experience. Eric

Q: Describe the level of openness of most Ukrainians to the gospel. A: Our experience of recent years is that Ukrainians aretired of merely hearing the words, Jesus loves you. Theyhave been disappointed in promises made by their

politicians who offered them hope, but instead demonstrated self-interest. Ukrainians are still very open to relationshipsand when we, as missionaries, open ourselves to them insincere friendship we are able to demonstrate the truths of Gods faithfulness and love in a way that offers true hope

centered in Christs redemptive work. Bob

Q: Do you have an exciting ministry story to share? A: A few weeks ago, I was in a small town in the Odessaregion where some of our missionaries serve. As we walked around the city, speaking English, a young man passed byand was very clearly paying close attention to what we weresaying. We all stopped and invited him to come over and

practice his English with us, since that is clearly what interested him. We spoke for about 10 minutes and, at theend of the conversation, one of our missionaries invited himto the upcoming youth group at the end of the week. That

young man came, participated and had a good time, askingmany questions about Christianity. We are praying that the

Lord uses our time with this young man and his exposure tothe Gospel to draw him to Himself. Eric

A: We are excited to be a part of plans for a new church plant in Kyiv. Bob & Sherri A: Who would have imagined that we would see ourUkrainian church plant filled to overflowing? We recentlyheld a youth conference where over 250 young people fromall over Kiev gathered together to worship and learn moreabout Jesus! It seems like only yesterday that we weremeeting in our apartment! David & Elsie

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Andy & Cassie Miller 735 North StreetHuntington, IN 46750260.316.9290Andy260.224.0578Cassieandyandcassiemiller@gmail.com

SEND InternationaPO Box 51

Farmington, MI 48332248.477.421

E-mail: info@send.orgwww.send.or

TOP LEFT: Taking time to enjoy the beautiful fall colorsMaryland on our way home from a friends wedding.TOP RIGHT: A fall view of Kiev and the Dnieper River.BOTTOM : A neighborhood in Kiev, likely similar to thearea where we will be living. If you live in the city, chanceare that you live in a high-rise apartment building like theones in this photo.

8/3/2019 Millers' Mailbox Fall 2011

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M o r e W o r d s f ro m t h e W is e Cassie is looking forward to the opportunity to join the family atmosphere at Kiev Christian Academy (orKCA) as a teacher. We asked a couple of recent graduates of Kiev Christian Academy about theirexperiences. Heres what they had to say about KCA and growing up as a missionary kid in Ukraine.

Q: What was your favorite part of Kiev Christian Academy? A: My favorite thing about KCA is the family atmosphere. Most of us grew up together and all feel likebrothers and sisters. The special thing about KCA is that we are in fact brothers and sisters in Christ! That iswhat connects us all together despite our differences. Having Christ as the center of the students' and theteachers' lives creates a unity unlike any other. BeccaA: My favorite thing about KCA was definitely the community. The student body there seemed to be like onehuge family. The kids from elementary to high school created a positive and spirited environment. When Ithink about KCA, I remember how it is a place that is full of genuine, loving, and lasting relationships. Lindey

Q: What did you most enjoy about living in Kiev?A: I loved the city life and being able to travel on public transportation. I loved walking the streets of Kiev asthe snow fell. And I especially loved all the ministry opportunities. There still is so much work to be done inUkraine and I am so thankful to be a little part of the ministry happening there. BeccaA: I simply loved being in a big city I loved the ministry opportunities I was given. I fully enjoyed going toorphanages and helping at camps during the summer. They are memories I will treasure forever. I would[also] have to say that my friends at KCA played a huge role in making my time in Kiev memorable and a placeI will always consider home. Lindey

Praise the Lord for the joy of little blessings! Our

niece, Brielle, was born in October. She is abeautiful addition to the Miller family!

Praise the Lord for His faithful provision of

partnerswe currently have over 95 families, fivechurches, a Sunday school class, and a youth group

partnering with us on a monthly basis!

Praise the Lord for arranging housing for us in Kiev!We now officially have an apartment, located on the10 th floor of an apartment building and close to a few

other SEND missionary families.

Pray for us as we prepare to leave for the field. A lotof preparations will soon need to be made, by far the

most difficult being saying good-bye to family and

friends. Please pray for Gods strength to get usthrough these difficult moments, as well as for family

and friends that we will be leaving behind.

Pray that we will have the funding and paperwork inplace to leave for Kiev in January 2012!

Pra that the Lord will continue to re are our hearts

P RAISES & P RAYERREQUESTS

Partner Development Update:We Need YOU!!

God has been doing some really amazing things in the pastcouple of months! By His provision, our monthly support account is

now 89% funded! We are praying that the remainder of our support will be raised by Christmas so that we will be able to

complete the necessary paperwork and other details to allow our arrival in Kiev around mid-January! Praise the Lord!

Missionaries are able to serve through the faithful financialpartnership of people like you. To reach 100% of our support, we

need an additional $685 a month . Do you feel God calling you to partner with us in any of these categories? If all of these amounts

are promised, we will be fully funded!!

10 families to increase their current support by $10/month9 families to promise to support at $20/month8 families to promise to support at $25/month4 families to promise to support at $50/month

Cassies

Contributions are solicited with the understanding that the donee organization has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds.

We are standing in awe of the sovereignty ofGod. As many of you may know, we wanted to be in Kiev ayear ago. The Lord has been showing us His perfect timing,as well as preparing us and teaching us. The partner development process has taken us nearly two years, whichis considered average for most missionary families. We are

experiencing a wide range of emotionsexcitement,nervousness, anxiousness, and joyas we see our partner development journey come to an end. We look forward tohow God will continue to teach us and use us as we enter into the next journeyserving Him in Kiev.

We are thankful for your continued prayers.Please remember us in your prayers in the next couple ofmonths as we prepare to leave and say many good-byes tofamily and friends. We anticipate the good-byes as beingthe biggest challenge either of us has had to face. Wewould appreciate your prayers for us as we take the nextstep in following Him.

Grace and peace,

-Cassie

Follow our new weekly partner development updates! EachFriday, check your e-mail for a link to a quick video thatillustrates how close we are to reaching 100%! If God is

calling you to be a part of our last 11%, please fill out theattached form and mail it to SEND International!

89%almost ready for take-off!