Dear Friends and Co-workers
We do this work together! This is what my wife said, shortly before she passed into God’s Kingdom nine years ago. I was sitting on the bed beside her in our home and we both knew her time had come, and the Lord was calling His servant Home. Looking at me she said, “We did this together!”
Her job had been to keep the ‘Home Fires burning’, as we used to say in the last war! During those tumultuous days when I was constantly back and forth to the Soviet Union, my faithful wife’s job had been to look after the home and the family and continue her music ministry in the church. The result is obvious: even now after she has gone to her reward, I am still supported by my whole family!
And I also regard YOU as my ‘family’, without you I could not continue! You do the praying, the financial support and the spiritual ‘back-up’ that helps keep me going.
It’s the same with the war in Ukraine. In the West we know that if Russia wins, Putin will invade Europe. The West must supply the urgently needed weapons and back-up – it is vital. No, we do not face the pain and suffering on the frontline, nor even the pain and death experienced in all Ukraine, but without us, their efforts would be in vain. We must ‘do this together.’
Over the last 60 years I’ve faced prison, cancer, hardship, years away from wife and family, and even four assassination attempts – death was so close. Three times, just the barrel of the pistol or sniper’s rifle away from eternity! But through it all, you have been there, supporting, giving, and praying. We’ve done this ‘together’.
Now I am asking you to stand with me for the impossible. Our regular income has been down since Covid, I am able to be in Georgia and Armenia right now, winning souls for Christ, because of two significant miracles last year. We received a large legacy of a half a million pounds from one source and a further legacy of a quarter of a million pounds from an anonymous source! I cannot know clearly, but I suspect it is from a widow who travelled with me so many times on those Bible Smuggling trips before her husband was brutally killed. What a memorial, for them both – out of death is coming new life for thousands today in Georgia and Armenia! What joy in Heaven when this couple will be surrounded by those who, without this donation, would face a lost eternity!
I write this before leaving for this mission, because of time factors: I fly out on Tuesday May 7th and return Tuesday May 21st, two weeks, two countries, one week in each. In Georgia we have a Day of Prayer for the nation with the support of the Minister of Religious Affairs who will be in my meetings, at a time of mounting political unrest and public protest against a new Russian-inspired unjust law. The second week is in Armenia, which is under threat from Azerbaijan, their Islamic neighbour, and abandoned by Russia. The whole world is in turmoil. But as the Bible says, ‘wars and rumours of wars’ are a sign of the Return of Jesus. Luke 21.
Ukraine is in a desperate situation, we must pray. Lack of support from the West and severe delays means that the Ukrainian armed forces have lost ground against overwhelming pressure from overwhelming Russian numbers. But we will be in Ukraine for the Day of Prayer on June 22nd this year and have permission to hold it in a place where we can gather thousands of people.
Our prayer, both in our Ukraine and UK office, is that by a miracle, this coming Day of Prayer in Kyiv, in June, would be a celebration of victory. This needs a miracle! But our God is a God of miracles. When I look back over 75 years, almost everything God called me to do was an impossible miracle. Going to Jerusalem by road in 1961 – impossible. Healing from cancer twice without medical intervention – impossible. Smuggling hundreds of thousands of Bibles behind the Iron Curtain – impossible. Getting out of Soviet prison in 1973 – impossible. Persuading the Soviets to release Georgi Vins from prison in 1976 – impossible. Evangelising in communist stadiums before the freedom came – impossible. Bringing 5,000 people to the East/West Conferences in West Germany, 1998-89 & 1991-92, costing over £1 million, where I prophesied, and we saw the fall of the Iron Curtain – impossible. Taking 400 people to evangelise Siberia for 3 months in 1994, costing £2 million – impossible. Stopping the storm in Caesarea in 2016 in front of 4500 unbelieving Jews – impossible.
What I am doing now age 92 – believing God to bring Holy Ghost revival right in all the post-Soviet states – impossible. To do this, we need you to pray over our finance! My daughter in our accounts department has just informed me that we have overspent this current year’s income by the same amount as it has cost us to pay for our National Day of Prayer in Ukraine: £350,000!
We desperately need your support: financially (yes, that’s another great miracle if we get through this year); and in prayer – in simple loving support – in knowing that we encourage you also to do the impossible in your own sphere of service.
Believing God for the impossible is the secret of Power with God: pray and believe with me for the Victory in Ukraine; and for the finance for the next six months! We are fully booked for Revival meetings in Ukraine and Central Asia until December this year!
David
As the war in Ukraine has intensified so our efforts to help those in need has increased. Our staff pray with and visit those living on the frontline. Recently Vadim, our representative, visited the port city of Odessa, which is regularly bombed. Together with Military Chaplains, he distributed humanitarian aid and prayed with those in need.
Thank you for supporting this vision through prayer and financial gifts. We value each contribution and pray God’s blessing upon you. ‘And now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He who became the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting agreement between God and you, signed with His blood, produce in you through the power of Christ all that is pleasing to Him. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.’ (Hebrews 13:20-21, TLB.)