Prayer

David Ralston, one of our elders, recently shared with me the story of Evelyn.  David met Evelyn during his work in Kiev, Ukraine where we support the Ukrainian Education Center—one of our ministries to the nations.  Evelyn seemed doomed from the start to suffer despair.  Her father did not want her.  In fact, he asked her mother to have an abortion.  Her mother refused and the marriage dissolved.  After Evelyn’s birth, her mom had to leave Evelyn with grandparents in Ukraine while she travelled to Italy to find work.  Her grandfather frequently got drunk on vodka and beat the grandmother.  It was a horrible living situation for a young girl.  Evelyn’s mother eventually returned to Ukraine and was reunited with Evelyn.  The two of them tried to live with her ex-husband.  But after a tumultuous three years, Evelyn and her mother were kicked out.  Evelyn eventually graduated from school and enrolled in a university in Kiev.  Eager to learn English, she joined an English conversation club.  But the man who ran the club took advantage of her and slept with her.  Evelyn became pregnant and learned that this man had seven children with five different women.  He persuaded her to have an abortion and then promised to break things off with all the other women if Evelyn would stay with him.  She did.  He didn’t.  Evelyn’s life was filled with despair. Read More »Toxic: The Poison of Despair (James 5:7-20) Chris Altrock – December 2, 2012 – Sunday Morning Message