The above photo is of Jill Nyasha Meck and Samuel Newton after their immersion in Ivano-Frankivsk on Thursday 12 April 2018
When Russia invaded and occupied portions of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea there was a relocation of numerous offices and institutions. The capitol of Donetsk was relocated to Kramatorsk. The numbers of IDPs has now reached into the millions. The Medical Institute in Donetsk was relocated to Ivano-Frankivsk and merged with the Institute there. This move brought a number of medical students to Ivano-Frankivsk. One of those was a brother from Ghana named Emmanuel. I have often referenced Emmanuel in these reports so will not repeat those details except to say he is a wonderful brother in the Lord whose smile is contagious and whose energy and passion for the Lord is amazing. He plans to return to Ghana and start a medical center that will help propel the gospel into his nation.
Through Emmanuel’s constant efforts there have been many from the Medical Institute worshipping and studying with the Ivano-Frankivsk congregation. These have represented numerous African and Asian nations (19 I believe). Emmanuel has been offering a tutoring session at the Church’s meeting place. The Church offered this without cost and even offered the refreshments that it had for the students (tea and coffee, etc). These sessions meet every Saturday.
When the Church had to move meeting locations the Medical Institute students were a force of help in that move. The students have meshed into the congregation and assist in leading singing, prayers, and even preaching. On a number of occasions, the Church has taken upon a special offering to assist several of the medical students be able to pay their tuition.
From brother Emmanuel’s involvement there have been several of the medical students who have studied and obeyed God’s gospel call (2 Thessalonians 2:14).
Arising from the tutoring sessions was the idea of developing a group that would focus on helping the “motherland” of each involved student. Emmanuel wanted to use this as an avenue through which further medical missions could be initiated in nations where there is such a need. Thus, developed the group that was called “Helping Motherland International.” The group is not officially registered with Ukraine so it is more like a club with non-binding activities and non-legal status than an organization which offers legal benefits.
This action gained greater momentum when Dr. Gary Jerkins and Dr. Ron Swang (brethren from the Hillsboro congregation in Nashville, TN) began discussing with HMI the possibility of providing a medical seminar by which visiting medical professionals from the USA would come and present teaching techniques. This idea took off and was completed in March with an overwhelming success. Gary and Ron recruited 17 medical professionals to come and volunteer their time and talents in the seminar!
This information is necessary to provide the setting for the story of the immersions of Newton and Nyasha.
After arriving in Ivano-Frankivsk I enjoyed lunch with Volodya and Julia. We discussed the October visit and made some preliminary plans. During that lunch Volodya told me of various actions and events in the Ivano-Frankivsk congregation. He was especially excited in telling me of “Newton” who is a student in the Medical Institute.
He said that Newton had started visited because brother Emmanuel invited him to come and see the Church. Newton had been going from church to church in Ivano-Frankivsk and closely watching each one and so he accepted Emmanuel’s invitation. Newton said he was instantly struck by the sincere spirit and attitude of the congregation. He said that all other churches seemed only interested in having you give them something but here was a Church that was giving things to others without any required payback.
Newton visited for the first time one year ago. He continued to attend worship and Bible study. He attended the Saturday tutoring sessions that Emmanuel teaches for the medical students and became involved in the organizational structure of HMI. He attended the medical seminar hosted by Drs Gary Jerkins and Ron Swang. He has been encouraged by John Durham.
When the Church and Tanya had to vacate their rental places and move to another location, the Medical Institute students were a fantastic help. Newton has a car and he was driving Tanya to her new living place. During that time, he told Tanya that the Ivano-Frankivsk congregation was unlike any Church he had found and he was so happy to be here because it was a Church that really cared for people.
In recent days Newton told Ivan that he wanted to be immersed. His fiancée, Jill, also wanted to be immersed but had some questions. Ivan studied with them and answered all questions.
Volodya said that he was shocked to learn that Newton had never been immersed because he was as involved and energetic as a committed Christian should be.
Newton has been attending and watching and looking and inspecting to see if what appeared was actual reality and not some religious sham. After a year’s intense scrutiny and constant attendance, he was convinced and asked as the Eunuch “What is keeping me from being immersed?”
And he was and he brought Jill (Nyasha) to the Lord as well.
Brother Emmanuel sent me the following when I asked if he could share some good words about this couple.
Jill Nyasha Meck and Samuel Newton are both in their final year as Medical Students in Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, Ukraine. Jill is Zimbabwean and Newton is a Ghanaian.
They both came to know the Lord’s Church (church of Christ) for the first-time last year during our Saturday Practical Skills Training at the Church’s meetinghouse. Newton inquired about the supporters of HMI and they were briefed about the Lord’s Church in Ivano-Frankivsk and brethren in USA which gave us the location and logistics for the weekly training sessions.
They were taken to the Church’s notice board where the photos of members of Ivano-Frankivsk congregation were introduced to them. Newton was very amazed that, the Lord’s Church would allow us to use their facility for free and would support us with logistics. They were invited to fellowship with the Church and it took them a couple of weeks to choose but they finally honored the invitation and ever since then, they have been coming for Bible studies and Sunday services.
And today they both got baptized upon their own request.
Jill and Newton both serve on HMI Ukraine Executive Board as a HMI Representative of Zimbabwe, and HMI Director of Academics/Logistics Respectively. They are very kind, lovely and passionate people. I am extremely excited today to finally called them my brethren in Christ after their baptism. They are in a relationship for six years now and I cannot wait to receive their wedding invitation. Lord willing, they would complete their studies by the end of next month, May 2018. Please do keep them in your daily prayers.
With this report I conclude the mission trip’s reports! If you have missed any please go online and read those you missed. As at the end of every trip I can sit back and survey the long days and endless travels but balance those with the wonderful fellowship and phenomenal fellowship that is Ukraine. To be sure there are problematic issues that try to dissuade optimism. There are countless frustrations that tempt you to throw up your hands in desperation. And, there is a long line of necks to wring, heads to knocks and other parts to give a hard boot. But we try to be patient and let God take care of these issues. However, I am still requesting from government officials several heads on stakes so that a point can be made!
To each individual reading this, THANK YOU for all YOU have done to contribute to the success of this mission trip. The hard work that so many exert make a difference! THANK YOU especially to those financial supporters whose fellowship is critical to what you have read in these sixteen reports.
Continue praying for our efforts on this trip that they will provide the opening of doors by which the gospel can be preached!
On Sunday I will be back at the Dalraida congregation teaching my Bible class and then after morning worship is concluded I will immediately leave to travel to Tennessee and north Alabama returning for next Sunday at Dalraida then off for another jaunt that takes me into Florida! At least these are the plans for the moment…
John L. Kachelman, Jr.
Kyiv, Ukraine
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