UCG Ukrainian/Russian Translator's Imperiled Life --
Good News Update!

Updated May 22, 2015

Operation in Odessa, Ukraine a success! Funding was generously provided by

• Church of God Parkersburg Sabbath Fellowship
  
• Church of God Central PA
• Apple Ridge Ministry

Read below for background to this story.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

With a grateful heart I am kneeling to God and thanking Him for your help, especially for your sincere prayers. When I arrived to the hospital, there was a 90% chance that I would have to do the operation, but I asked the doctors to begin an alternative intensive therapy before resorting to the operation.

And I prayed and felt your devotional support. My loving family as well didn't cease to kneel, appealing to God in prayer. Within five days there was a change and the crisis passed, but the side effects of the medication was very strong, so sometimes I couldn't even see, and the whole day I just lay down with my eyes closed.

In three days my sight was considerably improved, but important acupuncture points were treated with a special device, and when this takes place, a regulation of function of a ciliary muscle causes improved blood circulation and increases the supply of oxygen to tissues of the eyes and the brain, intensifies exchange processes, reduces intraocular pressure and improves the potency of vessels in the brain.

Using the hands of doctors, the Lord stopped the destruction of my sight without any operation because, truly speaking , I am afraid of operation, and I was afraid to lose my sight as well.

Thanks to your financial help, I could pay completely for all the treatment which took 10 days. May God bless you for your noble heartfelt help!

Updated April 24, 2015

Hello everyone,

Update on our subscriber in Ukraine. 

Natasha Teague with husband David

He contacted us today from Odessa, Ukraine. His doctors have started him on intensive treatments of drugs injected and placed into his eyes. They say that there is a limited chance that this treatment might cure his eye problem instead of the operation. However, the chances are that he may have to undergo the eye surgery within about a week. He is a very private person and usually doesn’t display emotions openly, but he said he was very , very thankful for our help and that he is able to be treated. He said he felt so blessed when he saw the hospital full of sick and injured people, and he sees so many suffering, especially children. 

We know that our heavenly Father can perform miracles, and we just pray that he will be able to avoid the operation. 

Thank you so again, brethren, for your help and prayers.

Posted April 15, 2015

Natasha Teague who manages UCG's Russian literature translation and subscribers, writes this report about one of our Russian language translators who lives in Ukraine north of Crimea. This describes some of the trauma that people in Ukraine are going through at this time. Here is Natasha's report:

March 2015

Our subscriber and his wife live in Ukraine, north of Crimea are in a very dire situation. At this point because of the tense situation, he must remain unnamed.  The war has intensified in his area, and people are being killed around him, dead bodies are found in the street, and people are afraid of each other because they do not know which side they are on.  Right now there is an intense security crackdown by the Russian side. People in his area are afraid to say anything because there is a manhunt going on for those who are not orthodox believers.  People who keep the Sabbath are especially singled out. Not only do neighbors turn in neighbors, but those on the Russian side also search the Internet to find the identity of people like our subscriber. It has become an intense war against nonconformist believers. Those keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days must be very careful not to call attention to themselves.

Our subscriber is in his early sixties. He studied English, French, and history at university during the time of the Soviet Union. He was a Christian and was happy to work for a Protestant church as a pastor.  However, when he learned about the Sabbath, he took this truth to those above him in the church, but they did not respond. He did not learn this off the INTERNET; he found the truth by searching the Bible himself. Later, he learned about the holy days through Bible study, and once again he tried to inform those above him of this truth. This time they told him that he could either teach their doctrines or he could not stay in their church or be a minister. Of course, he chose to do what God said, and he gave up his job. He also lost a chance to immigrate to the United States as a minister. He also understood that it would be very difficult to survive without their support because Christians were highly discriminated against and even persecuted under the Soviet system. He and his wife tried their best to get jobs anyway. Many job interviews were successful until the employer found out that they were Christians.  He was forced to work as a laborer and construction worker because he could not use his degrees even in the public school system because he was a Christian.

Once the Soviet Union collapsed, he was able to find work as a translator for Christian organizations which began to operate more freely. He put his language abilities and deep knowledge of the Bible to work at last. He translated a booklet for United and became more familiar with our literature. He said that the Trinity Booklet especially impressed him. He said it is especially important for the Russian people. In the past, when he tried to explain this subject, he did not have such a detailed explanation of almost all aspects of the Trinity to answer the many questions which people have about the subject. He says that if someone really wants to know the truth, it is laid out in great detail for study in our literature.

Right now, he and seven other people are keeping Sabbath and the Holy Days like us. They will be keeping Passover with a foot washing ceremony and the Days of Unleavened Bread. For some time he has had trouble with his eyes, but now it has become crucial. All good doctors have left the area because of the war. For him, it was very expensive to pay for the doctor to check his eyes. Now, he has been told that he must travel to a large city, Odessa, to have an operation on his eyes which will cost around $1500, or he will lose his eyesight.

The situation in Ukraine has destroyed the economic system. It is especially devastating to those on pension.  His pension and everyone else's was lowered to $30, not even enough to buy bread for a month. We are also not talking about any money for medical assistance. He in his wife are very faithful, humble, and private people. We asked him a while ago if we could try and collect some money for him from the brethren, but he declined. Now that his eyesight is so bad that he cannot even use the computer, we have asked him again, and this time he says okay, we should try. Without eyesight, he says he cannot do anything for others.

The body of Christ is made of many members, and when one hurts, the whole body suffers. So the plight of this godly man and his dire need for our help weighs heavily on our hearts.

-- Natasha Teague