Tribute to Shirley Gremyachev, Universal Aide Society, Canada

Shalom my dear brothers and sisters in Yeshua, to night is our Live Streaming Fellowship beginning at 8 PM- 9: 30 Pm Every Friday Nights. Today's topic will be: " Look! I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields and see how they are already white for harvesting." John 4: 23. You can watch the program live at NTCBN right here.

I'm so eager to share with you field report today from South Sudan but Iam going to set that aside in this report to pay special tribute to a Sister in Yeshua with whom our ministry has been co-laboring in the Great Commissions since 2005.

As I shared with you before, just as much as we focus on reporting on the need of ONMI in South Sudan, we also have benefactors and prayer partners who are undergoing through their own trying time with losses in their families and relatives. Just in the past weeks, I have the Miller family who have lost 3 members of their family and relatives back to back. But they are not mourning in vain because those love ones have passed unto Eternity.

So from time to time, I would like to remind you to join me in prayer in remembering those who have been co-laboring with us in the Great Commission and finally they have come to their final resting place, folded their earthly tent and moved on as we do not have a continuing city on this earth. We are all passing through while doing His work. So let us grieve with those who grieve and rejoice with those who rejoice. Romans 12: 15

This afternoon, I receive a sobering message from Yuri Gremyachev Shirley's husband from Canada. He wrote,

"I am sorry to have to tell you that after a courageous battle with cancer Shirley passed away in the early hours of the morning of Saturday July 17 at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital with me by her side."

What a sobering message to receive from a husband, a father and grandfather about the loss of his beloved wife who passed onto Eternity. Please join me to wish the family our deepest condolences. Shirley and her husband have supported tens of thousands of South Sudanese as their brothers and sisters, sons and daughters in Yeshua for the sake of the Great Commission. They stood in the gap for the persecuted church around the world, sending sea rail containers of goods where the need is the most.

In James 1:27, the apostle James gives us insight into what pleases God: “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” Sister Shirley and together with her husband have done that. Shirley was the director of a Canadian based Universal Aide Society.

Her central focus was shipment of 40ft long medical and humanitarian containers around the world where there is need to help the brethren. Throughout her benevolent love and care for the persecuted Church in South Sudan, Sister Shirley has helped ONMI shipped at least 9 40ft relief containers to South Sudan during the time of war and out of war. She was relentless and fearless warrior for the cause of the Gospel.

I first heard about her ministry, a Canadian based the Universal Aide Society from Blessing for Obedience in 2005. We don't do shipment of relief containers like we used to do during the war time and displacement as we shifted to development as aspect of ONMI's missions.

She had been helped ONMI with Shipment of 40ft ship rail containers all paid for from end to the end. She was patient, kind and gracious in everything she did. Even as of last month, she inquired of the need in South Sudan as people are returning from exile to nothing. She wanted to know what are the needs on the ground? She was gearing on shipping two containers to South Sudan one from British Colombia, Canada and Belgium for medical and Educational needs, She never told me she was having cancer even as she wanted those applications fill asap. But she slipped away right in the middle of it.

This verse from 2 Timothy 4: 7-8 is well fitting to say my final farewell to Sister Shirley She has fought a good fight, “ she has finished her course, she has kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for her a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give her at that day: and not to her only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

John 11: 25

In His grace

William Levi, Founder & Overseer

Operation Nehemiah Missions