Brief Update from the Carillets for prayer partners — but will include newsletter list members too.

(Well, the update is brief, if you skip over my thoughts about the power of presence.)

We just returned from visiting supporters in Upper East TN.

There is something beyond words about the power of people reuniting, even if the separation has only been a few years. Part of that is the power of presence.

I hope you are aware of Jesus’ presence when you are at the Lord’s Table with the Lord’s people, and you sense the power that comes from that. The power of forgiveness, of hope, of love, of sacrifice, among other things.

I hope you, at least from time to time, think about the “communion of the saints” that puts you in touch with the lives of the faithful who have gone before you and give you hope for the future. We are not alone!

Just one example. LaVerne and I had lunch with Joe and Sue Sutherland in Johnson City, TN — near Milligan College and Emmanuel Christian Seminary. Joel joined us too. Joe mentioned our family sailing venture in the Virgin Islands years and years ago. His entire family was present. LaVerne and I were Skipper and First Mate on a bareboat charter. We did not exchange many words about that time together, but, at least speaking for myself, we spanned time and space and were together again with that memory, sensing a gentle flow of joy and warmth as images, smells and feelings merged in those moments of recollection. We did not mention Woodland Christian Camp when I was dean and Joe was the featured speaker, but I remembered. Joe did ask about the Simferopol Christian Church, which he attended when speaking at one of our worldview conferences. We briefly talked about our visit with them when they ministered in Buckie, Scotland and what that church meant in the community. Our being together with pizza (for communion bread?) brought back a flood of memories that we did not even speak of but the memories where there: speaking about God, Gospel and Christian worldview in the Crimean parliament building; visiting the Yalta coast and the photo op with Lenin; barely catching a plane out of Simferopol when the booked flight was canceled without notice — and nowhere for Joe to sit except in the cockpit. I remembered their graciousness and familial support of us, our ministry, in many ways.

We stayed with Willie and Naomi Hammons when in Mountain City, TN. I spoke at our longest supporting church, Hammons Chapel Christian Church. But this was not about my speaking on Easter, but about being with faithful and loving supporters — friends.

Willie and Naomi were the last of our US visitors before Putin changed our ministry in Crimea. Willie interviewed and recorded the testimonies of some of the staff and graduates for our college. We were in our House on the Hill, the CIU Center. Those seated in our classroom/library would have no idea that the next year Russia would annex Crimea and some of them would chose to leave the land where they were born and their children were born rather than raise their children under Russian management. After that meeting we blithely went on our way with the Hammons to share with them one of our favorite locations on earth, the Austrian Alps and the Italian Dolomites. This would be our last such vacation from Crimea

Memories! Where would we be without them. Who would we be without them? For sure, less enriched.

Remember! Feel!

n the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:

The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed.

Emmanuel – God is with us!

Praise the Lord, for over 10 days I saw no improvement of sight in my eye that had cataract surgery — and that was after a week of slow progress, but now I see as well in that eye as the eye that had cataract surgery several years ago (and had not complications).

Sometimes I do need glasses to read, but will see the optometrist in four weeks and decide then what is needed. I can get by using my computer without glasses, but probably with some eye strain.

Praise the Lord, though LaVerne has had her ups and downs with her leg pain, it is doing pretty well. The x-rays a couple weeks ago showed new bone growth and that all was well — but not yet without pain.

Praise the Lord for the staff and residents at the House on the Hill meeting to celebrate Pascha — Easter, Resurrection Sunday. Pray that the scriptures examined and the words shared will touch the mind and heart of at least one of those 20 residents. I will eventually write about it in a pictorial newsletter.

Praise the Lord that Ukrainians are coming together this month to discover the needs and opportunities to serve as translators and support personnel for translators — Pray that eyes and hearts will be opened and some will join the unfinished task of providing God’s word in every living language on earth. Pray for the presenters, including me. I leave for Kiev April 17.

Pray for our TMI board members who have serious health issues, Larry Vierling, Ken and especially Pat Miles, and Morris Little.

Praise the Lord that Tiffany’s boyfriend’s surgery appears to have removed all the colon cancer four days ago. Pray for his recovery. A lot of the colon was removed.

Pray for the sale of our House on the Hill. We thought it was sold last December. Now we have new paperwork hurdles to manage before it can be sold — not that we have any buyer yet. We hope that with the opening of the bridge between Russia and Crimea the end of May the housing market will improve. Of course, not everyone is in the market for a building that has three apartments. Maybe someone will see a business opportunity there. I am concerned that we sell it before someone lodges a complaint against our ministry to residents and it is used against me. A long shot, but not impossible in today’s Crimea. It was bad enough in yesterday’s Crimea.

Praise the Lord that the two online classes I teach for Summit Christian College (NE) have gone well. (Considering the disadvantages of not knowing the students like when you are on campus.)

In my next pictorial newsletter, I will include photos of some of the people and places. After my teaching trip to Ukraine.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support. Some of you provide designated funds to keep the remaining staff ministering at the House. The rest of our donors provide my travel and office expenses, salary and medical benefits, funds to help national ministries with short term needs (today I ordered six books for one of our graduates doing post-doctoral work — you helped with that) and whatever is needed for TMI to fulfill its mission to make disciples and equip the saints for ministry.

BTW, if you do not already use Smile Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/), I suggest you do that and designate what charity you would like Amazon to support with a percentage of your purchase. You can designated it for Teaching Ministries International if you do not have another preference! (You can write it in since it is not likely to appear on a list.)

Christ is risen,

He is risen indeed!

Thanks for remembering us and our ministry!

Georges (and LaVerne)

Olya speaking to some of the residents in celebration of Pascha – the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.