We are meeting with Brother Vin and Timmy at 10:28 a.m. at the gate in the airport in Frankfurt/ Germany to board to Vilnius; the flight is about to leave at 10:30 a.m. The crew is extremely nervous, because boarding time is over, and Brother Vin and Timmy arrive last minute at the gate. By experience we know that God is never too late! So here we are on our 2 hour flight from Frankfurt to Vilnius in the service of the Lord, and we are in expectations for whatever He has in store for His Bride at this time.
By now, Brother Vin and Timmy are on the go for about 24 hours, while Burkhard and myself stayed already 2 nights in Germany and adjusted to the 10 hour time difference to Canada. Brother Vin and Timmy have a 7 hour time difference, and these things are not easy on our human bodies.
Brother Pavel Stepanenko, the hosting pastor for these 2 weeks of services and fellowship, together with a numerous number of brothers and sisters from the church in Vilnius, is greeting us at the airport with their traditional welcome 'bread and salt'. What a wonderful surprise!
Then we are going to our assigned destinations to get some rest and to get ready for the evening service at 6:30 p.m.
Because we are staying at Brother Valerie Rodevich, the song leader's house, we go early to church and participate in the song practise. The visit of Brother Vin is truly a very special and exciting event for the believers here in Vilnius.
We are very surprised and happy to meet old friends here, which used to live in Donetsk/Ukraine, but because of the war and unrest there, they left everything behind and moved to Vilnius.
Although we are all very tired, as soon as the song service starts, all the tiredness is gone and we are enjoying the atmosphere and each one of us has the opportunity to share a little testimony. Brother Vin testifies of how he met Brother Nikolai Stepanenko in 1987 and how everything started in seed form at that time and has now become such a beautiful fruitful tree.
The most amazing thing to me personally is to see, how God caused Brother Vin to be reminded on his own father, when he met Brother Nicolai Stepanenko the first time. Something just caused him to pay extra attention to that man, and from there everything started.
"God has ordered our steps, everything in our lives is so meticulous planned.
When we look at each other, it might seem difficult, but when we look at God's working, its different.
If you are an elect of God, then God ordained you to receive His Word, to see His promises in the Bible, then God already planned your life, and we are all at a certain stage in our earthly journey. He planned our life with the purpose and intention of revealing Himself in and through us. Nothing in your life is ever by chance; everything has a purpose. Even every hair on your head is numbered; not just counted. God is very specific; there is a time to be born, a time to die. Things are not always written; its the unwritten things; thats the mystery between you and God and the missing piece is inside of you.
You as a church have come to a season, you need to understand, that its not just some blessings, but its the workings of God among you. There are things happening among you, they are in infancy and you have to have that discernment. The church is moving into another place. I see a church on fire. I came like Mose; I turned aside to see that great sight; I fly and come and see."