Monday, September 29, 2008
Please Pray for Aunt Judy
My Uncle Ronnie West died this past week. His funeral will be Tuesday at 5:30. I sure would appreciate your prayers for my Aunt Judy. She is a very special Aunt who always stays in touch with us, especially remembering all of us on our birthdays and other special days. Ronnie was a very thoughtful and kind man who loved his wife and extended family very much. He will be greatly missed.
Judy, we love you and are thinking of you and lifting you up in prayer. May you be blessed and encourged by the love and prayers of many during these days.
Judy, we love you and are thinking of you and lifting you up in prayer. May you be blessed and encourged by the love and prayers of many during these days.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Baptism Photos
Saturday was such a special day as we joined the Gulovinsky Church in celebrating the baptism of 4 new believers. We all met together at Genady's house which is just outside of Moscow. We drove our car to get there, but some came by train.
When everyone was there, they gave instructions for everyone to carry something and we started walking through fields to get to the river. It was about a 10-15 minute walk. People were carrying all kinds of things - tables, juice and bread for the Lord's Supper, hot water for making tea, sandwiches, cakes, robes, flowers, gifts, music books, etc. Once everyone was by the river, we gathered around and had prayer and then the service began.
Genady baptized 2 men and 2 women. We actually only knew 1 of the men from our last term. The others are all new to the church since we left. This was Genady's first time to do a baptism. It was exciting for Brad to watch Genady in this role. It was such a blessing to watch as these new believers were baptized in obedience to Christ, as a symbol of their death to sin and self and being raised to new life in Christ.
Above is a link to some photos that Peyton, one of our team members, took. You can click on slideshow up in the right corner, if you want. These are really beautiful. Peyton captured some unique moments. Maybe these photos will help you get a glimpse of the special time we experienced with our Russian brothers and sisters on Saturday. Thanks for praying!
Many of you prayed specifically for a young lady, who was struggling with the decision of whether to be baptized or not because her husband had told her that if she was baptized, she could not come home again. She is the older of the two ladies in the photos. She was there with her two small children. She was baptized. She went home that evening and her husband, who is Muslim, really fussed at her and was not happy. He told her that she cannot attend church anymore, BUT he did not hurt her and did allow her to return home. Praise the Lord for his work in her life. Pray for God to soften the heart of her husband so that he too might come to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord.
