Back in the Classroom
Our new students, our first term, and our first visiting teacher since 2019
Greetings to our UBI partners!
We are now a month into UBI’s 25th school year. The leaves are beginning to fall, the students have settled in to their routines, and we are enjoying the study of God’s word together every day.
New Students
We welcomed nine new students this fall. They have joined the returning nine to bring our student body to 18; ten men and eight women. They are an eclectic group of believers from all different walks of life. Some are new Christians and some have been in the faith for years, but they have all come to grow in their faith and knowledge of God’s word.
Several of the new students haven’t even been in a classroom for years, so it has been a challenge adjusting to the academic expectations and pace at UBI. A couple weeks ago, one student shared very honestly about how emotionally and mentally exhausted he was from the first few weeks. He felt like he wasn’t able to keep up. He said that there was just too much to learn and he didn’t think he could do it.
I assured him he was doing well and to trust that he would eventually get used to the workload. I shared with him that studying at UBI is like drinking from a fire hydrant every single day, and that no matter how hard you study you’re not going to be able to “learn it all.” He ended up passing all his first-term classes and has really enjoyed his Introduction to Greek class these past two weeks.
Our second-year students are an example of what happens when you give yourself to the program, trust the process, and push through. They are confident and know what it takes to succeed. One student, Larissa, was so nervous about being in front of others last year that she would physically shake when it was her turn to speak. However, last week during ladies’ chapel, Natasha told me she was like a completely different person. She was more relaxed. She was more confident. She has grown so much since she began her studies this last year. It’s exciting to think about how she will bless the kingdom when she finishes her time at UBI.
Visiting Teachers
We were so excited when Ron Fox arrived to Kyiv to teach his classes on 1st Corinthians and Narrative Preaching. We’re always excited to see Ron, but this trip was different. Ron was the first visiting teacher in two years to set foot in Ukraine and join us live for class. The students enjoyed his classes and learning from his experiences very much. We hope and pray that our spring semester will bring even more of our visiting teachers back to the classroom.
That being said, we are indebted to those instructors who were not able to come but still joined us online. Dave Phillips taught Survey of the Bible, Gabe Fischer joined us for Introduction to Greek, and Thereasa Winnett taught the women Ministering to Marginalized Children.
Beginning next week, our new students will have Bible History I, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and Intro to Preaching II. The second year students will be studying the Gospel of John, Church History, and Explaining Difficult Passages. Please say a prayer for them today, that God blesses them with success and spiritual growth during their studies.
Conclusion
As always, we thank you so much for your financial help and your spiritual support. It is an honor to have a front-row seat to so many lives being changed. Please keep the staff in your prayers as we seek to teach, lead, and disciple these students and prepare them for their future ministries.
Sincerely,
Brandon Price