Bill & Betsy Tarr
UKRAINE
WGM
Bill--Academic Dean/Head of English Department/teacher at Kiev Wesley Bible College
Betsy--Field Treasurer, college girls' ministry.
The college is in the process of moving from the capital (Kiev) to Uzhgorod, a town 485 miles west, near the Hungarian border. One of our graduates, who us a Methodist pastor, will take on the added responsibility of director of the college. He is currently looking for a building for the college and housing for us. The college board is made up of Americans and Ukrainians. The board will be meeting in Uzhgorod May 31-June 1. Pray for traveling mercies and wisdom. Also, since the college facilities and equipment all burned up Dec. 30, 2005, and we 'borrowed' a SS classroom from the Nazarene church for classes this past semester, all of our equipment will need to be replaced. Please pray for the funds for replacing of equipment and set up in the new location.
-June 17, 2006
Hi! We're in the midst of packing (to move 500 miles west of Kyiv) and we're planning to move June 27. We have a temporary place we'll rent for a month, with a possible apartment which we'll then rent full-time. This will give us time to get settled in before Bill, as Academic Dean, needs to get classes schedules, teaching assignments, and his own course syllabi, etc., ready for the new school year. Thank you for your prayers for the packing, moving, and settling in!, as well as learning our way around a new town, and all the adjustments that go with it!
With us moving and having to relocate us and the college, there are added expenses. Please pray that the Lord will provide for our needs and the college's as He sees fit!
Please read the attached email, which Hubert Harriman, our mission President, has sent. It is a short update on all that is happening in WGM. Thank you for your prayers for us and WGM. We love and appreciate you! God bless.
An Update from President Hubert Harriman
I appreciate this opportunity to tell you about what God has been doing through World Gospel Mission. In the spirit of Paul and Silas reporting to the Antioch Church that sent them, I want you to know that God is moving in powerful ways, transforming lives and establishing churches all over the world.
Your support of the missionary who forwarded this e-mail is an essential part of that kingdom work, and I thank you for your interest and faithfulness. If you receive more than one copy of this, it means you support multiple missionaries and projects. Again, thank you! You are laying up treasures in heaven.
To mention just a few of the encouraging reports I have seen in recent days:
- More than 600 new students were enrolled last month for the beginning of a new academic year at Bolivian Evangelical University in Santa Cruz.
- The Africa Gospel Church Baby Center in Ngata, Kenya, has received its first babies and more are on the way.
- Work is about to begin on our new field of El Salvador and we are making to plans to move into Sudan.
- God has supplied work teams and materials to greatly advance the work on the Taylor Community Center in McAllen, Texas.
- Africa Gospel Church now has more than 20 missionaries serving cross-culturally, and others have been accepted but are waiting on funds to deploy them.
- A young missionary couple, called to model Christ in a Muslim city of almost half a million people with fewer than 20 believers, has completed Arabic language study.
- WGM fielded more than 1,100 volunteers on short-term mission-impact teams last year and plans to send just as many, if not more, volunteers this year.
In April, 49 church leaders, missionaries, and Mission personnel met in Mexico City for a time of concerted prayer and discussion about internationalization. Put simply, internationalization is working together as a team of missionaries from anywhere to everywhere. WGM currently has more than 300 missionaries and support staff serving alongside national believers and church leaders on six continents, so we recognize that pieces of the internationalization process are already in place on many of our fields.
On the home front here at headquarters, there have recently been a number of changes. An 11-member administrative leadership team is combining and reorganizing departments. As we are dealing with these changes, my prayer is that God will make us more fit, more flexible, and more mobile for souls.
I share all of this to say that there is one thing that moves my heart, as I know it does yours, and that is the building of His church. God raised WGM up for one purpose—souls. The world has certainly changed during our 96-year history. The way of “doing” missions has changed. But our message must never change. As we deal with other changes along the way, I have no desire to rock the boat. But I am purposed to turn the boat, when necessary, to keep us focused on the main thing—God’s heart for souls!
I trust this update has been informative. Thank you again for your financial and prayerful support of what God is accomplishing through World Gospel Mission. The future is bright and beckoning. The task is monumental. I feel God’s hand in my back, pressing us at WGM to increase our effectiveness in one thing—to make disciples of Jesus Christ around the world!
"'For I know the plans for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' "
-Jeremiah 29:11
PRAYER CONCERNS
- Thank you for your prayers! We have felt them this past month as we have looked for 'permanent' housing for our time in Uzhgorod! This week the Lord has provided a place for us and we should move in on Thursday! Hallelujah! It will be nice to be reunited with our things (which have been in boxes since June), especially warmer clothes as it's getting cooler outside!
- Please pray for our Landlord, Janos (John), who is not a Christian, that we will be the exampe he needs to draw him to the Lord.
- Please pray for our students. A couple of them are married, with children, so have other responsibilities besides that of being students! Some of them have been out of school for a while and aren't used to studying! We know they will appreciate your prayers for them!
- You should have received our Wesley Bible College update, which mentioned that our college director, Sergey Bogomazyuk, is a United Methodist pastor. October 4th he is flying to the States for three weeks of meetings with UM churches. Our college board has asked him to stay an additional three weeks to speak in churches and do friend/fund raising for the college. Please pray for Sergey as he is away from his family for six weeks (he and Ester have three young children), and from his churches and college responsibilities.
- Thank you so much for your prayers for us and the people here in Ukraine! We love being here, serving the Lord and we love and appreciate you! God bless.
| FIELD ADDRESS | HOME ADDRESS |
| Bill & Betsy Tarr a/c 119 Uzhgorod 88000 UKRAINE |
Bill & Betsy Tarr 4035 NE 22nd Ave. Ocala, Fl 34479-2556 |
BIRTHDAYS
- Bill: August 24
- Betsy: November 3
E-MAIL: bill.tarr@wgm.org