the encounter

Just wanted to share some updates from “my sister” Kathryn who’s just returned from two weeks in Uganda and then took off a week later to head to St. Petersburg, Russia.
She came and spoke to our small group last week before leaving on Friday. The first e-mail was after she returned home from Uganda.

I was in an earthquake!! Ok…well, it was actually a small earthquake with very
little repercussion. It was definitely a new experience for me and, in a way, it
was symbolic of what was happening in the hearts of the people of Rakia and those in
surrounding villages. The people were ready to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ
and by the end of our time there, 87 new believers were born into the Kingdom of
God. Hallelujah!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers and financial support. We were kept safe,
everyone stayed healthy, and most importantly, seeds of the Gospel were planted. I
wish I had time to relay all that the Lord was doing while we were there.
I do want to tell you about one little girl named Juliet and ask for your fervent
prayers. Juliet is between seven and nine years old and she is the head of her
household. Her mother and father abandoned her and her four siblings.
When we visited her hut, two of her siblings were at school and two had gone to
look for food. All they had was four or five golf ball-sized Irish potatoes for
five growing children. They shared a two-room mud hut with a thatched roof (that
surely leaks when it rains), with no windows, no electricity, no furniture, and
dirt floors.
After we provided a few gifts of water, food, a mattress, and other needed items,
Juliet asked us to pray that she would be able to take care of her family. (When I
was her age, I prayed for a pony.) Our hearts broke as we knelt by this courageous
little girl to offer her needs up to the Lord. I ask that you would join us in
continuous prayer for Juliet and her siblings for the Lord to meet their basic
needs, and most importantly, for her to know the realness of His love.
It’s easy to look at Juliet’s situation and feel that the Lord has forgotten her
and so many others like her. However, we know that He hasn’t. God’s love for her
is so great that HE used you and me, all the way from the USA, to bring provisions
to Uganda to meet the needs of Juliet and others like her. We were just blessed
to be the vessel HE used.
I’ll be sending you another email shortly as we prepare to leave for Russia on
Friday. Thank you for your continued prayers. I can feel the difference its
making!!

~Katya
“Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

This was just before she left for Russia on Thursday:

Tomorrow we will be leaving for Russia with plans to visit about 6 different
orphanages. Our main focus will be on Vacation Bible School (VBS) and forming
relationships with the children so that the Gospel can be shared. Please keep us
in your prayers for

• safety in travel
• physical, mental, and emotional strength
• the Lord’s anointing on everything we do as His servants

I look forward to sending you update emails over the next month until my return on
August 4th. You can also read the intern blog on Buckner’s website
http://internsatbuckner.blogspot.com.
Thank you so much for your prayers! You are vital to this ministry and our team!
~Kathryn “Katya”
“Let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

And after arriving in Russia on Sunday she sent this:

Our team of seven fantastic ladies has safely made it to Russia yesterday with all
of our luggage. Praise the Lord! This morning we enjoyed a contemporary Russian
church service and then a nice Russian lunch of chicken crepes…delicious!
This afternoon we will prepare and pack for a week of vacation bible school at an
orphanage called Lopoohinka. The interns last month were the first Buckner group
to visit this orphanage. We will stay there for six days, coming back on Saturday.
Please pray the Lord will direct our planning and packing for this orphanage of
all ages and that the hearts of the children and caregivers will be open and eager
to hear the good news of the Gospel.
I urge you to continue in fervant prayer! They are making a difference! I look
forward to updating you on how the Lord is working and moving in the hearts of
those at Lopoohinka.
~Katya
“Let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

Thanks for your prayers, I’ll keep you as updated as I can. She’ll be in St. Petersburg until Aug. 5.