MOMENTS TO REMEMBER

Years ago my son Caleb and I took our first trip to Odessa, Ukraine. It was a new and strange world to us in 1994. We had heard much about the Iron Curtain that had fallen and the collapse of the USSR. Now we were there to help establish a training center for Ukrainian pastors who were enjoying new freedoms; some had been in prison for their faith before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

On a street car one evening we noticed people celebrating. A few passengers were downing vodka too. It was Ukraine’s Independence Day which happened three years earlier on August 24th of 1991. People were enjoying their freedom from the USSR. We were invited to the party.

Caleb and I meeting the goat herders while wall building in Odessa in 1994. See wall in background.

We had been working hard that week trying to get a cement wall built around the future training center. Local goat herders began to watch us at work one day. We befriended them. Later one thanked us with a jug of warm goat milk. It was unpasteurized of course. It also was “warm” symbol of acceptance to us and the beginning of ministry to that part of the world that continues today. God works in strange ways.

That ministry resulted in many trips there for me as I sensed God’s leading. Eventually our daughter Rachel felt called and applied to serve there full time in 2004. She was single then. Ironically she met her husband-to-be on that first trip. Only God could have planned this.

Our Caleb was to follow also. He was newly married to Christina from Ukraine. They actually met in the US. They prepared and went in 2008 to serve in Odessa on the Black Sea.

The second moment to remember in this time line was on Ukraine’s Independence Day Aug. 24, 2022. That is the day Caleb and family returned to Odessa after a brief rest here this summer. They departed while Rachel and Mike came for some R & R and ministry before returning also. We had a blessed big family party as we bid Caleb’s family goodbye again.

Caleb and family prepare to return to Ukraine. He is the one with the big beard. :-) Mike near the right has the hat and Pray for Ukraine shirt. Vladimir and I are the grandpas that look alike (Me on the left and Vladimir in the center). Pray for us too.

All is well, they have arrived safely in Odessa. Keep both families in prayer as they seek to minister in a country at war. Is it worth the risk? Yes! Many people are turning to Christ during this unique time of ministry.

Pastor Mark

Note that this Sunday Pastor Juan Carlo Magallanes will be speaking at Discovery as he reports on his ministry to Hispanics in Quincy, WA. Let us all welcome him.

MEN TO REMEMBER

Recently a few good friends of Discovery have passed away.

Darren Livingston passed away a year ago and only recently did we realize it. Complications from a broken leg caused it. This special young man with Downs Syndrome was in our church for over 30 years. He was loved by all regardless of handicap. He was faithful and wanted to serve so became a door greeter handing out church bulletins. He also loved to sing. We rejoice that because of his simply faith in Christ he is with the Lord and enjoying perfect health in heaven. Pray for his remaining family.

Daren Livingston serving as welcome person at Discovery.

Another friend of DBC is Bernie Lindsey, a crab boat fisherman out of Kodiak, Alaska. We first met while I was on Coast Guard duty there. He was member of our church in Kodiak. He talked about the Word and especially Christ’s promised rapture and second coming. He also once saved a friend of mine and I who were stranded on an uninhabited island due to being low on fuel while hunting Elk. The next morning Bernie appeared in his large boat to join our hunt. We breathed a sigh of relief, boarded the Sierra Seas and had a great hunt and time of fellowship the next few days. Later Bernie encouraged me to prepare for ministry and planted DBC here. He followed our progress over the years. He visited our church last fall and how the church was doing. I visited him recently in Falls City in his last days to pray and encourage him. He wrote in the front of his bible, “I am driven to study the WORD! But that very study reveals to me how fallible i am.” His bible is full of notes and markings from a half century use. I will be using when I speak at his memorial next week. Bernie was 95 years old.

Another friend worth noting is Pastor Alexandar from a church in Eastern Ukraine. I met there and later he visited and spoke here once. Recently we prayed for him because Russian soldiers captured him and his wife and hid them in a basement in the war zone. They released his wife but tortured him to near death then put him in a Russian hospital. Later he was released but threated he could be killed. He and family went to Western Europe and recently called to say thanks for praying. Due to the war his church of about 300 has shrunk to about 30. Pray for them. Click the link below to see his recent visit to DBC. Bernie is sitting on the right along with his local family.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vJyd2k5mkEeKhFrn9

Pastor Mark

August 6-7 'Finding Real Hope' Biblical Counseling Conference: This is our church’s first biblical counseling conference for anyone. We highly encourage everyone to make an effort to attend this unique and invaluable equipping event. Friends outside the church are welcome to register as well. 200 max capacity. Find all the details and registration here: https://discoverybaptist.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1339116.

This conference will help us understand how God wants to work in us and through us, and where real hope is found for the issues we deal with in all of our lives. The conference is designed for teens and up. All the information is available here: https://discoverybaptist.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1339116.

Men’s & Boys Discipleship is cancelled for August due to the Counseling Conference. We will be start again Saturday September 3 for our Men’s & Boys Discipleship breakfast to be back. We’ll be starting a new study in the Book of Acts.

AWANA Registration Open: Registration for the 2022-23 school year is now open. See https://discoverybaptist.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1331056 for details.

See the ABWE magazine article featuring Caleb Suko regarding the seeing the war through missionary eyes. Here is the link to the.

https://www.abwe.org/blog/god-hasn-t-forgotten-ukraine-through-missionary-eyes

AN UNEXPECTED OVERTURNING

I don’t know if you realized it but it is like 747 jet liners crashing every day of the week. No one survived! Are you are wondering what I am saying? Read on…

This week the Supreme Court of the United States voted 6 to 3 to reverse the Roe vs Wade decision that made abortions legal for half a century. It was shocking news for abortion advocates but it was good news for Bible believing Christians.

The original court decision was made in 1973. During that time Nancy and I were in Kodiak, Alaska. There was one TV station. It was only on for a few hours a day. TV programs from the states were taped and shipped to Kodiak to be aired a few days later. Radio programs were few and far between too. I was on a Coast Guard ship patrolling the Bearing Sea. We rarely heard news from the lower 48. “Abortion” was a new word to many. It seemed unlikely it would happen in Kodiak. However, things changed all over as people realized abortions were legal.

Later we moved to Gig Harbor to prepare for ministry and plant a church (Discovery). We became more aware of abortion. Our church began supporting the local pro-life ministry. In January each year we alerted the flock to what was happening and to pray for God to change the law to preserve helpless infants in the womb.

It is obvious in Scripture that unborn fetus were just as much human as anyone on the street. Check out these verses regarding that: Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-16; Galatians 1:15; Luke 1:41-44; Isaiah 49:1; etc. etc.

A comparison illustration may help us to see how horrific this national sin is. Since abortion was legalized in 1973 it is estimated there have been 63 million infants aborted in the US. That is about 3,452 abortions a day, seven day a week. With that in mind think of flying in a 747 jumbo jet. They have a capacity of about 500 passengers. The amount of abortions per day would be like at least six jumbo jumbo jets crashing daily with all 500 passengers lost in each plane. Astounding isn’t it. That was the amount of unborn little children that died each year here. May God forgive us.

The good news is that things are changing thanks to a Supreme Court decision. It will affect millions and perhaps the next generation. God can forgive even abortion. How? Anyone who turns to Him in repentance over their sin and puts their faith in Christ alone is completely forgive. That

Pastor Mark

P.S. Our Annual Ministry Meeting is secluded for Sunday at 6:00 PM June 26th. Members and guests alike are welcome.

Also note that VBS starts Monday. See main website for details.