The Yurkovich Family

Recap: Mike and Cindy have been serving in the Czech Republic for the past 7 ½ years. Mike is on staff at the International Church of Prague, as well as on a church planting team in which he directs the Logos Language Center for the purpose of making natural contacts with Czech students. Cindy also serves both in the church as well as meets with multiple Czech conversation partners at Logos. The center has grown to reach around 120 students each week. Parkside sent a great team this past summer to put on a valuable summer English camp with students from Logos.

Re-move: Prior to going to the Czech Republic, the Yurkoviches served for 8 years in Macedonia, where they helped plant Word of Hope church. Mike and Cindy are thrilled that they will be able to return to Macedonia in September of this year. Until now, their agency has worked strictly in the capital city of Skopje, Macedonia. But the Yurkoviches plan to branch out to beginning a new work in Tetovo, a city of 80,000 with no Evangelical church. As a service to the community and a means of forming relationships, they plan to partner with a great couple from South America in establishing a cultural center for teaching English and Spanish, as well as seminars on family life.

Here are some items for prayer for us:

- Continue to pray for guidance regarding the church plant and associated language center that Mike and Cindy are soon to leave in Prague. Our key Czech partner in the church plant, Daniel, will not be able to continue in the work due to the return of his cancer. And the missionary who had been lined up to direct the language center has decided not to take it on.

- Pray for the International Church of Prague as search committees and elders consider final applications for the two roles of Youth Director and Interim Senior Pastor. Pray for that God would provide just the right men for these roles, and that the church would grow stronger in the midst of the challenging transitions, as all of the current pastoral staff will have left by this June.

- Pray for God to raise up someone to direct the Logos Language Center that Mike has been directing the past 3 years. An individual who had agreed to lead it has become unavailable, and from a human perspective the time is very short to find a new replacement.

- Pray for guidance for the Czech church plant that Mike and Cindy have been involved in. The Czech pastor who has been heading up the team has had a relapse of cancer and decided to withdraw involvement from the church plant this summer. With a number of others moving this summer, it will be a challenge for those who remain to continue the work.

Here are some prayer requests for March:

- Praise God for a valuable ‘vision’ trip that Mike and Cindy took to Macedonia in January, and for what seem to be green lights from the Lord to move back to serve there in September. Pray for a good finish to ministry in Prague, and wise preparations for the move.

- Pray for recovery for Mike after his knee surgery in February, as well as for Hannah after injuring her foot badly. Thank God for these many good years of freedom from serious health issues.

We know that Paul received a unique Macedonian call, but is there such a thing as a Macedonian re-call?

- Pray for the start-up of a new semester at the Logos Language Center. Pray for opportunities to deepen relationships with students. And pray for the gradual passing on of responsibilities as director of the center from Mike to Dave Staedtler, a missionary with TEAM.

- Pray for this time of transition for the International Church of Prague. It has been privileged to have 4 members on staff for the past few years who are supported missionaries. But two have left Prague in 2011, Mike & Cindy plan to leave this summer, and the senior pastor has recently announced that God is moving them on this summer as well. Pray for God to direct the next steps and provide the men that are needed to lead this valuable fellowship.

- Pray for Daniel Heczko, the Czech pastor of the new church plant that the Yurkoviches are part of. Having gone into remission from Leukemia, recent tests have revealed a resurgence of the cancer. Pray for God’s intervention in Daniel’s health, for his family, and for God to use this in the church community for His higher purposes.

Pray for the first gathering of the new church plant on October 2, that unbelievers would be drawn to Christ through the light of this body of believers.

Pray for Luke as he takes ACT & SAT tests this month and seeks God’s will for his future education.

Pray for the kick-off of a new semester at the language center October 10. Pray for Emilie Brown as she begins the new experience of teaching English in Prague for this next year. Pray for her adjustments and for God to use her in the lives of others.

Pray for Cindy’s family as they continue to mourn the loss of her father. Pray that everyone in the family would know the genuine comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks!

Mike