Hi everyone!
Hear that the sun is shining in Indianapolis today...and I know that’s a good thing since it sounds like Indiana has gotten a good amount of rain this week. Hoping that the weather will continue to be good through the weekend.
We had a good day today and topped it off by going over to the Kostin household one last time to meet with the church. Valentine was not present. We were disappointed by that. Galena told us that he got a phone call around 11 AM today & left with some friends shortly thereafter. He didn’t show for dinner. We’re really sad not to get a chance to say goodbye to him. Other than that disappointment, we had a good time with everyone, although things were a little subdued with our departure coming up tomorrow. Kipp and I both started things off with some words of encouragement and urged them to keep on keeping on. I read from Colossians 1:9-12 and said that what Paul prayed for the Colossians in those verses is what I pray for them. We told them we loved them and their progress in the gospel is a source of great joy for us. They asked us to come back someday, and we certainly hope that God will bless us with that opportunity.
After dinner, we exchanged addresses and hugs. Then it was back to the hotel, where we are now. I’ve taken a little break from packing to type up this blog. We fly from here to Kiev in the morning, where we will spend the rest of Friday. Our plane for the US does not depart until Saturday morning. We are sure looking forward to being home...on American soil.
We ask for your prayers as we travel home. I just cannot thank all of you enough for your prayers, uplifting words, and financial support to make this trip possible. You all have been such a blessing to us. One last thing,...I just could not have had a better travel partner than my brother, Kipp. Not only is he my spiritual brother in Christ, I love him like the brother I never had. This is our third trip together and when the opportunity to do foreign work comes again, he’ll be at the top of my list as a traveling companion. Trips like this can either make or break relationships, and through the years, ours has only been strengthened. We work well together and I hope God grants us another opportunity to work together.
Well...that is all. Matt signing off from the Spartak Hotel in Mariupol.
God bless!