A SPECIAL REPORT FROM JAMES "JAY" & PIERA YOUNG,
Missionaries to Italy and Ukraine
NOTE: At the end of this text there is a very important update as of today, November 1, 1996.
Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are writing to you from Kiev, Ukraine. We've been here almost two weeks now, and we needed to inform all of you about some changes in plans and about the work we are accomplishing for the Lord both here in Ukraine and in Italy.
When Frank Butler of the Mesquite, Texas, Church of Christ received the final required hospital costs from the Dallas Children's Hospital, we were shocked! Instead of the $6,000 figure for only the hospital costs which we had first thought, the Dallas hospital administrators presented a request for a MINIMUM cost of $11,000! and the possibility of hospital costs (without the surgeon's fees which had been donated!) reaching a possible figure many times that amount.
It was a good thing we had not closed the door on our negotiations with Rome's world famous "Bambino Gesu' Clinic" (Baby Jesus Hospital). While holding our two weeks of special studies and preaching for the Aprilia Church (south of Rome), brother Mario Piccoli and I returned to the "Baby Jesus Hospital" in Rome and after meeting for several hours with its administrators, we came away with a minimum figure of $4,500 (including the surgeons' fees!) which is a comprehensive costs-figure for ALL hospital needs! We accepted, and in the name of the Christian Relief Fund of Amarillo, Texas, I signed the agreement and the hospital administrators issued a letter of invitation for little Sergey, his mother and Dr. Lena Slavuta.
By the way Sergey's mother is NOW A CHRISTIAN! Praise God! She would have never known about the Gospel of Jesus Christ had we not begun to assist her handicapped son. Now the problem is to secure visas for Sergey, his mother and Dr. Slavuta to travel to Italy. I stood in line at the Italian Consulate here in Kiev for hours before being able to finally speak with the Vice Consul. All is clear for the visas as soon as passports can be granted to the three. And this is the current snag.
Everything is ready for little Sergey in Rome. The Hospital wants him there on November 4th to begin the procedures; now the problem is with the Ukrainian Police officials who are dragging their feet on issuing passports to these people; they want bribes! What a mess this country is in!! These poor people, how discouraging it is for them to deal with situations in their country. But, God will see us through and so will you.
If you have not yet had the opportunity to send your gift to help with little Sergey's medical expenses, remember the address (make out your check to either "Mesquite Church of Christ" or to "The Christian Relief Fund"):
"Sergey Yavorsky's Heart Fund"
Attention: Frank Butler
Mesquite Church of Christ
400 W. Davis
Mesquite, TX 75149
We petitioned Austrian Airlines for discounted air-fares for the three, and they granted reduced fares; those costs will be reduced by about 50%! Praise God for this, too! But all these things take time, and most of all, prayer!
The Aprilia and Rome's "Cinecitta'" churches will provide money and lodging to assist with little Sergey's operation and inherent logistical needs. The Rome Cinecitta' congregation will make an apartment available for Sergey's mother, Dr. Slavuta and us to stay in Rome during Sergey's hospital stay for the operation, and the Aprilia church has made a contribution to assist with food costs for them while they are in Rome. While in Rome to take care of Sergey's hospital situation, Piera and I will conduct several days of special studies and preaching for two area congregations. The hospital has requested we be in Rome and on call in case of any problem.
God willing, we would like to arrive in Washington, D.C. in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with our children. We will then begin our visits to many of you. Not being sure just when little Sergey will be able to return to Odessa, Ukraine, our travel plans will be finalized only towards the end of November. At this point, we will phone as many of you as possible from Washington about our visits to you beginning in December and continuing through January. We're sorry about this change in plans, but the Lord's timing is better than ours. We know you agree!
We began a study of the book of Revelation (which the church in Aprilia had never studied before). The elders of the Church told us that our teaching among them had been a real "spiritual feast" and that they were very grateful to us for our continued ministry among them. They, as 80% of the churches of Christ in Italy have NO full-time preacher! While in that area, we taught and preached for the new Anzio, Italy church. This sea-side city of Anzio was one of the worst battle theaters of World War II.
Thousands of young Americans died on its beaches and environs in 1944 to liberate Italy from Fascism. One of the nicest American Military Cemeteries is found there. As Piera and I walked among the thousands of tomb stones reading hundreds of the names of those American boys, from every state in the Union, Piera said to me: "How much America has given to my country!" Those Americans gave the ultimate sacrifice to free men from political tyranny; we are in Europe today to proclaim a message which is freeing men from the tyranny of sin as we faithfully proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ to dying men and women in Italy and in Ukraine.
Continue to help us! Continue to Pray for this work! Talk to others about it!
by the students at this exclusive university which is preparing Ukraine's future leadership. You will remember from our report some months ago our mentioning that this University granted Piera and me "THREE-YEAR-MULTI-ENTRY VISAS". Now for three years we won't have to repeatedly apply for visas as in the past, and for three years we can enter and exit Ukraine without even having to register with the police! But, in exchange, we must proclaim the Gospel in Ukraine's most respected seat of learning! I am currently conducting studies on "Psychology and Christianity," on "The Evidences that Christianity is The Only Revealed Religion from God" and on the "Inspiration of the Bible." The students are excited about what they are hearing, and lives are being touched with God's message.
In just a few days our teaching at the University will have an interval and Piera and I will travel to Odessa to present a series of lessons to the Lord's Church there. We have Tanya Djouley, one of our young people from the Odessa congregation working with us here in Kiev currently, and the three of us are staying in a very tiny one bedroom (with NO door...) apartment; there were three of us until day-before-yesterday when two more young ladies from the Odessa church, Lilian and Luda, arrived "unexpectedly" and knocked at our door! And now, it's wall-to-wall people, and Piera is preparing food for all of us. Go ahead, blame us! We just can't say no to people when they knock at our door. Now you understand why, when we return to our home-base in Pistoia, Italy, Piera and I need a few days "to ourselves"... Pray for us. And now to the "rest of the story":
"Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ" (by the late Leroy Brownlow) is a great success, indeed! The first printing is now nearly exhaused as the book is in such demand. It was reported to us that a Russian Orthodox Priest took 20 copies of the book and said: "with these and the Bible I will begin a return to New Testament Christianity!" Praise God! We are now going to enter into a second printing of this needed book. Several missionaries and Ukraninian Christians have already told us during this trip that the book is so good that it will, without doubt, contribute to the conversion of many people and to the creation of many new churches of Christ in Ukraine.
Again, thanks to many of you who contributed to the printing of this good book. Although dead, brother Leroy Brownlow's works follow him! We thank God for brother Brownlow's contribution to the growth of the Lord's Church in his generation, and now in ours through his many books.
because we carry our lap-top computer and modem with us, and although it takes sometimes thirty or forty minutes to make connection, we can get your e-mails. Our e-mail address is: 75464.2401@CompuServe.com. Write us and let us know you are thinking about us!
May God richly bless your lives in every way. We are praying God will grant us the opportunity to see your faces again soon. Again, thank you so much for helping to provide our support that we might continue to make a difference for Jesus Christ in the lives of so many people before it will be eternally too late.
The Lord's and your servants,
James "Jay" and Piera Young
A Last Minute Update
to the Above Report
Pistoia, Italy - Friday, November 1, 1996
Dearest Christian friends everywhere!
We have returned from Ukraine and from one of the most intense and stressful months of our life, but the Lord was with us!
GOOD NEWS!! Little SERGEY YAVORSKY, his mother and our sister Dr. Lena Slavuta, will arrive at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport this coming Sunday evening, November 3rd! We were finally able to arrange all the proper documents and "permissions", and, God willing, Sergey will have his heart operation. However, the Italian Government is holding Piera and me personally responsible for all three of them, and so until they are on their return flight to Odessa, Ukraine, we'll have to be in Rome. We will travel to Rome Sunday after worship to receive our guests from Ukraine at 7:10 p.m.
We'll ALL be staying with brother and sister Piccoli; Mario Piccoli is the evangelist for the Cinecitta' Church of Christ in Rome. The accomodation will be rather tight (wall-to-wall people), but we'll make it fine. You can help make up for that when we come to see you: have a big-enough bed for the two of us (HA!!).
We will provide another indepth report to all of you once the surgery has taken place. We hope to be with our children for Thanksgiving Dinner, but this is subject to change depending on the circumstances relative to little Sergey's medical condition. In any case, we will be contacting many of you by phone from Washington, D.C. once we arrive.
VERY IMPORTANT: From the day after Thanksgiving Day until January 24th, 1997, you may contact us in the U.S. at our Voice Mail Box (or we might even be able to answer your call in person--provided we've arrived in the U.S.!!) in care of the following number: (301) 633-3550. This is our son's cellular-telephone and we'll carry it everywhere we go.
God bless all of you, and please continue to pray for little Sergey's operation and the safety of us all in travel.
The Lord's and your servants,
James "Jay" and Piera Young, Christian workers in Italy and Ukraine Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! This is a general letter to all of you who have an interest in our work in Italy and Ukraine. Very soon, we'll be writing many of you a personal letter which will include information as to when we intend to visit you during our trip to the States later in the Fall of this year.