Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You…And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
Ps. 51:10-14
Dear <<First Name>>
God challenged my heart with these verses during the first days of this New Year. I long to see people come to salvation and desire for God to use me to speak His truth. These verses teach that in order to effectively teach and lead others to salvation, I must first give attention to the condition of my own heart. In thinking through plans and goals for this new year, I was challenged to make sure that maintaining my walk with the Lord was my first priority. I have set some goals for Bible reading, study, prayer, and scripture memory. Pray that God will use my time in His Word to prepare me for the ministry opportunities He brings my way. If you would like to know more about these goals, let me know and I will be happy to share!
I enjoyed a wonderfully refreshing 3 weeks at home over the Christmas and New Years holidays with my family. I was able to spend time with my parents, all my siblings, niece and nephews, and some extended family. I am so grateful for a family that encourages and supports me in the ministry God has given to me. I was also grateful for some quiet days after the holidays and before my return to Ukraine that allowed for some reflection and planning for this new year.
Since returning to Ukraine on January 13th, the theme of planning continues. I have had meetings with our prolife ministry directors to help them work on evaluating this past year and on setting goals for 2020. We are preparing for a board meeting in February where we will give reports and get the boards approval for our plans. I have also met with the ladies who are helping me to develop our program for teaching abstinence and we hope to more actively develop this aspect of our ministry this year. Pray that in all of this planning and beginning to implement plans that we would be sensitive to God’s leading. It is good to have goals, but it is also good to be flexible when God shows us that He wants us to move in a slightly different direction.
We have also been fine tuning some plans for the medical ministry. We have an ophthalmologist planning to come serve with us for 2 weeks the end of September. We have openings for medical or non-medical personal to round out this team. If you would like more information about this opportunity, let me know.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support throughout 2019. Looking forward to all that God will do in 2020!
Trusting our Good Shepherd to guide,
Holly Friesen
