Dear Friends,
Are you in your God-appointed place and doing what He has assigned you to do? It seems that many people are constantly adjusting their lives to find their place. Once they make the right adjustments, they enter a place of peace, joy and fulfillment and connect with the right people at the right time.
One Word Can Change Your Life
I want to share with you an example of this by a testimony that Varya (Director of “Love For Kids”) told me recently. One of the times when I was scheduled to go to the “Warm House” to minister to the orphans, I was waiting on the street corner for her to pick me up.
She was a little late and when she finally came she apologized for being late. I said it was no problem and said, “Varya, I am never in a hurry and never late.”
She looked at me like a deer looks in the headlights of a car at night time.
We went on and had a great time teaching and interacting with the orphans. She told me later that what I said in response to her being late changed her life! It was a revelation to her and how she lives her life.
She realized that she has to live a life without stress and hurry having joy and enjoying God. She said as she applies this principle to her life, she has much less stress, not in a hurry and has much more joy. This is an example of being the church and having church all the time.
Alina…No Longer an Orphan
Do you remember Irene from my previous update (her actual name in Russian is Alina)? She received Christ Jesus as her Savior at my first meeting with the deaf orphans. She is doing great! With her becoming a Christian and as the leader of the group, this means that many of the other kids will follow her and open their hearts to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Irene was staying at the warm house for three weeks and was roommates with one of the staff members who prayed on her knees frequently before she went to sleep. At the end of her stay at the warm house the staff member saw that Irene was on her knees praying to God using sign language with great emotion.
I want to report to you that Irene is no longer an orphan! She belongs to a family now and has a Father who loves her greatly and will care for her eternally!
Care Package
I really want to help Irene. In one more year she will be dismissed from the deaf institution and put in a world where she has no experience. I would like to invite you to be a direct help and blessing to Irene by sending her a “care package.”
For her to receive a package from someone in North America would be a huge impact and a highlight of her life. Some things you can send are: clothing, school supplies or even better – items that can be helpful to a deaf person such as an alarm clock made for deaf (vibrates) or any other similar items, items from a Christian book store (she doesn’t know English, but would love things with a simple Christian message), jewelry, perfume, or a short encouraging note.
She is 16 years old, about five feet tall and small to medium build. Here is the address where to send it:
Varvara Latyshevich (for Alina)
Ul.Luchiny 48-48
Minsk 220112
Belarus
Thank you for your support and praying for us and those we minister to. We love and appreciate you dearly and pray for God’s direction, protection, health and blessings over your lives. Let’s all get in our places and do our part! Looking forward to hearing from you!
In God’s Great Love,
Jim, Tanya and Kids
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Jim has been an active leader in the local church for many years. Some of the areas he has worked in include pastoring, teaching, altar counseling, singles ministry, youth ministry, prison ministry, ministry to the deaf, evangelistic outreaches, church building projects, hosting mission teams, and church planting.
Jim ministers with an emphasis on teaching and facilitating unity among believers. For many years now his heart has been stirred to serve the Lord abroad with a calling to the Russian-speaking people wherever they may be. Jim has helped many in this people group to know Christ and grow in their relationship with Him. Jim has also worked in the Far East of Russia. There he assisted the Christian churches in the areas of growth and unity by giving counsel conducting seminars and leadership schools.
Jim Harper is married to Tanya and they have three children: Anna Marie, Natasha Joy and Jimmy Andrew.