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Nordic / Baltic / Eastern European Newsletter
June 30,  2009                                Issue 8           
 
In this issue   Hit Counter
Putting faith in God first -- Artur Aleksandrov's courageous story
Itinerary for June 28-July 15 trip to Scandinavia/Ukraine
Summer Days - News highlights from Johnnie Lambert
This is the United Church of God
Nordic Newsletter inserted into Good News Magazine
Greetings,
From Aarhus, Denmark 
Yesterday I started my journey here in Aarhus by visiting two people. One is a member of the United Church of God, Dorthe Djernæs, and the other a new gentleman whom I have met for the first time. Today we plan to spend the entire day together and have a Bible Study. We have started a travel blog of this trip that can accessed from United Church of God's main Website at http://www.ucg.org/resources/blog.htm
 
     We are making an effort to make more of our literature available in their native languages. Sofie Banham, a United Church of God member in Australia, will be helping to translate some of our material into Polish.  We hope to have some of her work up soon on our Eastern European page at www.ucg.org/easteuropean.  
     In the next newsletters we will be featuring stories about the current languages we offer on our Eastern European section of the United Church of God Website
     Remember, you can view this newsletter plus all the previous ones on our Web site at http://kubik.org/ucgee.  
 
                                                       In Christ's service, 
                                                       VK signature
                                                       Victor Kubik
                                                       Senior Pastor
Putting faith in God first -- Artur Aleksandrov's courageous story
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 Artur Aleksandrov
 Artur Aleksandrov-graduation day
Artur Aleksandrov lives in Tallinn, Estonia.  He has been reading the Good News magazine for about two years.
     This June he graduated from high school. But, it was not easy.  He had important exams to take, some of which had to be taken on the Sabbath Day. If not taken, he would be not be able to graduate, and worse, be denied admission for further education and look at a bleak future. This did not dissuade Artur.  He put God first.  And God responded and blessed him mightily.  The words below are Artur's. We found them inspiring as we hope you will, too.
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Now that the more important things related to school are behind me, I am sitting down to tell you how it all went and how our shared Lord constantly blessed me through this time. 
     As you know, just recently I was a high school senior, trying his best to balance school, God and various 'cares of this life.' When the new year started, I wanted to focus on picking the right national exams to take. When I decided on which ones I prefer, it didn't even come to mind that one of them could fall on the Sabbath. By nature being rather forgetful and slow, I didn't notice the day of the week I was to sit for the first two exams (both were on the Sabbath). I lived on unsuspectingly until, about three weeks before the first exam, one of my teachers casually mentioned something that made my pupils triple in diameter. That's when it hit me! 
     I informed the teacher about the situation and asked if I could maybe do it on another time - she said that I'd have to ask for permission from the National Examination Center. The people at the center are the ones that create and check the exam materials; they also arrange a second time to sit for the exam(s) for those that, due to serious reasons, couldn't take the exam(s) at the standard appointed time. My teacher told me that my only hope is that the second dates for exams don't fall on Saturdays. I looked up when the additional time for exams would be and found relief. This was the first blessing from God - that the additional exams weren't on the Sabbath - and it saved me a whole year of my life. I could complete the exams this year but had to hurry with asking the center to allow me to take them. I wrote a letter of request to the center explaining my affiliation with a Sabbath keeping church and then I started to wait. They tested my faith and patience for a whole month before I got a reply on the 5th of May. They also requested an affirmation from the church as proof, which Mr. Lambert duly composed for me. They respected my beliefs, and although my request came way too late, allowed me sit for the exams on the additional time appointed by them. This was an another blessing from God. It was an answer to numerous of my prayers to Him while I was still awaiting the reply from the center. In that period, I was partly preparing to receive a negative answer, which meant failing to graduate and staying for another year in school, and partly really hoping that God would still provide an easier way out. I knew he could - and he did! 
     21st of June was my graduation day, and I still ponder about how much of a blessing that extra month for preparation had been. People here are lamenting about how difficult this year's English national exam was. On the other hand, the English exam that was prepared for the additional time (the one I took) wasn't that hard at all! Actually, our group heard the listening part four times because the stereo kept getting jammed and the audio kept on repeating. So it could even be added that we - the 'second group'- had a great advantage! Also, on my Estonian exam, where we had to write a 600 word essay, I was blessed with several topics that I could actually relate to - I chose 'Forgotten value's and got a score of 8/10 for it. This is very good by my standards. Overall, the results I got for my exams were a bit higher than what I was expecting. Even the day of my graduation ceremony turned out to be a blessing, against all odds. I remember how my homeroom teacher told me in a surprised tone that this year's graduation ceremony will be held on a Sunday. She said that in previous years it had always been on Saturdays! I don't think that's a coincidence.
     So, dear brethren, as you can see for yourselves, our Gracious and All powerful Lord responded to our collective prayers with abundant gifts. I want to , again, thank you all for your brotherly goodwill and asking on my behalf. There is nothing more powerful in this world than the prayers of God's servants - his saints. I hope that I am on the road to becoming one myself. I appreciate you being there for me. When an opportunity presents itself, I'd be more than happy to help you as you have helped me. 
     Meanwhile, I am left here, in a spiritually left behind Estonia, trying to fulfill the purpose for which the Father drew me. What I see happening in my life is encouraging - it is my wish to become one of the pillars in God's church in Estonia, so that as God calls more people into His Church, they'll have someone to turn to for answers and encouragement. 
                                                                                  -- Artur 
Itinerary for June 28-July 15 trip to Scandinavia/Ukraine
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Itinerary of June 28-July 15 trip to Scandinavia/UkraineThis journey will begin in Copenhagen and my first visits will be in Aarhus, Denmark.
     Starting in Aarhus, Denmark, I'll visit with UCG members and new people wanting to know more about the United Church of God.
     From there going on to Oslo and Karlskoga, Sweden. From there to Budapest to meet with our team of four who will be Teaching English as a Second Language for the second year in Vinogradov, Ukraine to orphans and street children. We'll also arrange for printing the booklet about God's Holy Days.
     From there I'll conclude the trip in Chernihev, Ukraine where LifeNets has been working for more than 13 years with victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986.
Summer Days: News Highlights from the Baltic States by Johnnie Lambert
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Now that the long days of summer are here, there is a lot of activity in Eastern Europe. Here are some news tidbits--  
      · Congratulations to Artur Aleksandrov for his graduation from high school. Artur refused to take his exams on the Sabbath. In response to our prayers, the National Board granted an exemption to Artur to take the exams at another time. Best wishes to Artur for his coming university studies. (See Artur's story at the top of this newsletter). 
      · Please remember Helga Magi in your prayers. This faithful Sabbath-keeper from the days of the Soviet Union has been ill for months.
      · On 17 June, Toomas Schvak was awarded his Master's Degree from Tartu University with honors.  Toomas has been invited to a reception given by the Rector of the university honoring the best graduates. Toomas will continue on in pursuit of his doctorate this fall. Can you say Dr. Schvak?  We were saddened to hear that Toomas' grandmother to whom he was very close to died suddenly in late June. 
      · In Latvia, there is BIG NEWS. On 27 May, son Aron was born to Ziedonis and Anita Rideri. All are well.
      · In July, Esthere and Jakob Schultz will be coming the the United Staes to
 Jacob Schultz 2007
              Jakob 
attend Camp Heritage, a UCG camp for young people located near Pittsburgh
 Esther Schultz
             Esthere 
Pennsylvania.
 
As for me, after knee replacement surgery and three months recovery, which has gone remarkably well, I will be returning to Tartu on 5 August. Beverly Kubik has done an excellent job of making Feast of Tabernacles arrangements. With help from Toomas, I will be finalizing a few details.
     Literature distribution has been growing rapidly into the six countries we service from Tartu. Thanks to Natasha and Toomas for translated articles for every issue of the Good News. We hope that some translated materials may soon be available for Latvians. Before returning home on August 26, I expect to take a summer walk in the Latvian forest (on my new knee) with some very special Latvian friends.
This is the United Church of God
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This is the United Church of GodYou may want to know more about the United Church of God and its work around the world.  We will happily send your our brochure This is the United Church of God. 
     This publication begins by explaining the two-fold mission of the Church: Preaching the Gospel and then make disciples among those who hear and heed when the gospel of the Kingdom of God is preached to them. 
     Then read about God's Great Purpose for All Mankind and what does our name signify.   
      What Did the Early Church Believe and Practice?  What about the Law of God and what is the New Covenant?  We end by offering hope for a troubled world.  Ultimately, God desires that all mankind be saved and live eternally in His family and Kingdom. And this is what motivates the members of the United Church of God in our collective responsibility. 
 You can order this booket by writing to these two addresses in Scandinavia and the Baltic States:
 
The Good News
P.O. Box 3535
111 74 Stockholm
SWEDEN
 
or

Head Sõnumid
Pk. 62
50002 Tartu Postkontor
ESTONIA
Nordic Newsletter Inserted into Good News Magazine
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Nordic Newsletter #4About every two months we insert a two or four page newsletter with the Good News magazine that is mailed to the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland. This newsletter tells more about the people behind the Good News and what they do plus gives special offers of literature. 
 
We post all our back issues of the  Nordic newsletter on our main United Church of God site at 
www.ucg.org/svenska.  You can read the latest edition by clicking here
 
In our last issue we encourage  our readers to subscribe to this eNewsletter which comes out more often and contains more information. 
 
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Contact Information

Victor Kubik
3707 Turfway Ct.
Indianapolis, IN 46228

phone:  001 317 216-0802  
mobile/sms:  001 317 679-7676 
email: victor_kubik@ucg.org 

Johnnie Lambert
562 Sing Sing Road
Horseheads, NY 14845 
 
phone:  001 607 796-2660 
mobile:  001 607 765-1969  
email: jlambert49@gmail.com
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