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September 17 , 2006

We thank all of you for praying for our conference. It was
better in many ways than we expected and also colder, but just being in
the forest and fellowshipping with one another kept our hearts warm. We
do feel that the Lord brought those present closer together as a family.
We are rejoicing in many ways.

For over a year and a half the Lord has been directing us to
future ministry in Israel. Today at the close of the conference we
announced that we will be moving to Israel. It has been so amazing all
the different ways the Lord has confirmed this change. Marta has had
dreams, Daniel has have many visions (he will also move to Israel in the
future) I have had specific words during times of prayer.
In June, Eric and Tanya Bougie moved to Poltava, with the plan to
serve here for 6 months or so and move to start a church. It turns out
that we will move to Israel and they will stay to help in the transition
and hopefully see another pastor raised up. Eric served for almost 7
years as a Calvary Chapel pastor in Russia, Tanya is Russian and will
lead worship in Poltava.

We are praying about how to serve in Israel. The Lord seems to
be opening an opportunity to spend time in Jerusalem with Pastor Bradley
and Marianna Antolovich the end of Nov./ beginning of Dec. One
confirmation of the Lord's leading specifically at this time was that
when we communicated our plans to Bradley, he called the next day and
told us that he already had plans to tell the church that night that they
were planning to move to Switzerland. They will expand the reach of "For
Zion's Sake" further into Europe. There are mature brothers in CC
Jerusalem, so Bradley has asked us to pray about starting in Jerusalem to
be a support and stability in the time of change there.
Our spirit is filled with joy, and we are praying for the Lord's will to
be accomplished in Poltava and through our lives in Israel.

September 05, 2006

Don & Marta Patten News from
August 2006
Calvary Chapel of Poltava, Ukraine
Go. Tell The People Isa. 6:8-9

"I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done." - Hudson Taylor

Praise
1. We have seen many kids pray to repent of their sins this summer.
2. We continue to sense God's grace and direction in our lives.

Prayer Requests
1. Pray for our conference Sept. 15-17 to unify us in the Spirit.
2. For Jamie to trust in God, as heart condition caused her to be in the hospital.
3. Pray for the orphans we have visited in summer camps as the start school.
4. Pray for servants to be raised up for the different areas of ministry.
5. For those who have heard the gospel to repent and grow in the Lord.

Traveling to summer camps to visit orphans was a huge blessing for us. This past year we visited many orphanages and just before their summer break we made arrangements to visit the kids in the different summer camps. Perhaps, some kids would think it would be great to spend the whole summer in a camp, but there are significant inconveniences at the camps in Ukraine. Often the toilets are outhouses, the buildings are run-down, the kids are limited in what they can do and where they can go. As a result, the orphans are extremely excited and very open to us when we visit them. We take sports equipment to play, we paint faces, we share a Bible story, and most the time do a craft with them. A few camps we went to this year for the first time and though the directors where not so friendly at the beginning, without exception every camp invited us back. Because we had so many people from church traveling with us we went to some camps two or three times, which allowed us to deepen friendships with the kids. We also saw kids that used to be in the Poltava orphanage a few years ago and had great joy spending time with them again. All the orphans have returned from the camps to start school and we are anxious to start visiting them in the orphanages where they study. We had visitors from the states and from other Calvary Chapels in Ukraine help this summer and we were blessed to serve together.

Marta had a big encouragement as a friend, named Mary, came to Poltava to see and participate in God's work here. Mary Schaffer was the first person Marta started taking short missions trips to Mexico with. She has always been a special friend and servant of the Lord. We are so thankful for those friends and family members who continue to encourage us through all these years as we live in a distant place. We are strengthened to know many people are praying for the Lord's work here and are built up by those who can write, call, or come to visit us.

This summer Paul and Teri Sisemore, who were serving in Preluki, returned to California. Paul said "Whether one stays or leaves the Holy Spirit is the one to do the work". The church there has continued on in the Spirit and a group of 22 Ukrainians from Preluki came and served with us for 2 days. They worked together in moving a missionary from one apartment to another, visiting the orphanage and psychiatric hospital, and helping make a children's festival very successful. Plus their presence strengthen the friendship between the people in the churches. Keep the church in Preluki and Pastor Vlad and Janna in your prayers please. While they were here they also did a concert in the central park. One young man prayed to ask for God to forgive him of his sins and we rejoiced. I wanted to mention that our experience has been that most people who receive a tract or even pray to ask for forgiveness on the street do not end up coming to the church services. I used to wonder if there was some problem with us, now I believe that people are more complacent and seeking materialist goals so they do not think they have time for God or church. What we have found is that those believers who attend the meeting need to be shining for the Lord in such a way that their family and friends see the change in them. When the believers are consistently a good witness for the Lord eventually those that know them repent and come to church or come to church and then repent. I believe this is why Ephesians 4:11-16 teaches us to equip and edify those in the church so that as they become mature in their faith they will be effective in doing work of the ministry themselves. May we all grow in God's love ourselves and share it with others.

September 15-17 we will host a conference in the forest just outside of Poltava. The theme of the conference is "The family of God". We invited some of the Calvary churches around us and a few of them will attend. Please pray that the Lord would deepen our relationship with Him and with one another. We are really excited and are praying that the Holy Spirit will empower us to live the lives He has called us to within God's Family.

Our mailing address:
Don and Marta Patten
P.O. Box #357
Poltava - 22
Ukraine, 36022

Phone # 011-380-532-57-25-89
E-mail: donandmarta@juno.com

Support can be sent to:
Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
3800 S. Fairview
Santa Ana, Ca. 92704
For: Don & Marta Patten Poltava, Ukraine

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