Partnering Together

Russian Christmas

2009-01-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Russian Christmas yesterday with the Goluvinski Church. The service was very special. There were about 36 in attendance - 8 guests - 4 from the invitations given out.

Genady shared the Gospel in a very clear way and then he read the Christmas story and lighted candles to represent the different characters in the story. Then he put out all of the candles except for the Jesus candle and we all had individuals candles to light from the Jesus candle. It was really special. An elderly lady named Ludmilla, who was a guest, would not put out her candle. Even after the service, when we were getting ready for the fellowship time, she sat there with her candle burning. I pray that Christ's light will be in her life - that she will really understand what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ.

Another younger lady named Sveta also came. She seemed to really enjoy the worship and fellowship time. The young Russian ladies in the church did a great job of reaching out to her. One of them even french braided her hair for her after the fellowship time. Pray with us that Sveta will also come to know Christ as Savior and Lord.

Pray for all of the guests who came. Pray for God to use what they heard and experienced to draw them into a personal relationship with himself.

It's pretty neat that we get to celebrate Christmas twice each year. That's one of the really special benefits of living in Russia. Now let's all worship and praise Him every day throughout this new year of 2009!

They're Headed Home

2009-01-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

We took the team to the airport this morning. We saw them all get through passport control about 11:45. Their flight was at 1:10. As far as we know, their plane left on time and they should arrive as planned this evening. We were incredibly blessed by their time here. Thank you Crestview for sending them!

Our oldest son, Drew, was able to go with the team to a small town outside of Moscow called Rzhev over the weekend. This was his first mission trip. He had a wonderful time and gave testimony last night about many things God taught him there. He loved going to the orphanages and playing with the children. He loved seeing their smiles when they were given little gifts. He took tons of photos. Hope you enjoy them.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

Wow! 2008 has been a great year for our family. We are so thankful for God's guidance and provision this past year. Our God is great and He is faithful!

We were blessed to spend the last day of 2008 and the first day of 2009 with 7 awesome people from NC. The team was here to ring in the New Year with us. We rang it in singing "Shine Jesus Shine" and "May Our Hearts Be So Consumed By You That We Never Cease To Praise".

May God be honored in the ways we spend our days in 2009. This is our hearts' desire.

I'll post a few photos of our New Years celebrations - Home group with Russians, New Year's Eve party at Stamey's - New Year's Day party at Stamey's. By the way, the guy in the speedo is not a team member. He is a Russian man who swims in the freezing pond water for his health. The team really had fun seeing this part of Russian culture.

And then the photo of Ben shows is bandage. He brought in the new year by sliding down a slide and hitting his head on a cement curb. He is proud to have 4 stitches in his forehead. God really helped him during the trip to the Dr. and the time of getting the stitches. After the initial shock, he was very calm and did not scream or cry.

Enjoy the photos. Happy 2009!

2008-12-30T12:13:00.000-08:00

All 5000 invitations are given out. Praise the Lord! Ask Him to use these invitations for His glory.

2008-12-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

Team Update

2008-12-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

Crestview Baptist Church, you have sent us an awesome team! Thanks so much. Our time together has been so special. The team is so flexible and has worked so hard.

They have been out in the freezing cold weather with no complaining. So far over 2000 Gospel tracts / invitations to a special Russian Christmas service (on Jan. 7) have been given out. The cool thing about these invitations is that they clearly present the Gospel. No matter how many people come to the Christmas service, still many will read the tract and we've no doubt that God will use it in the lives of some. Please pray with us that these invitations will fall into the hands of people who are seeking and open. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work through them to draw people to Christ. Pray that many will want to attend the special service. Pray specifically for Alexander, a man who called Genady today to say that he wants to come to the Christmas service. This is the first concrete response we've received. Praise God for how He is going to work through this effort to bring glory to himself and draw people to himself. Tomorrow and Wednesday the goal is to hand out 3000 more. Pray for energy, strength, boldness, and love as we do this.

Brad has been spending lots of time with the team and I've been home with the kids, but tonight he stayed with the boys and I was able to attend a party for the elderly Christian women at Good News Church. What a blessing!!!!! The sweet ladies were so thankful and just loved having fellowship with the Americans. Margie shared the story of the candy cane and they gave each lady one. We sang songs together. Each lady shared prayer requests and team members wrote them down and promised to pray for them. Almost every single lady asked for prayer for salvation for family members. We shared some food together and also testimonies of how God is working in Russia and in America. It was such a sweet time. At the end the team gave each lady a gift bag with little gifts and fruit. The ladies were so happy and thankful. Thanks to all who gave financially to make this party possible. I know some from Poplar Springs Baptist Church gave towards this and probably many others. I'll post some photos so you can see the joy on the faces of these dear ladies. Enjoy!

2008-12-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

Crestview Volunteer Team

2008-12-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

A volunteer team from our home town of Shelby, NC is here with us this week. We are having so much fun ministering together with them. They have already been an incredible blessing to us. My brother, Jeremy, is team leader. It's been so great to see him and catch up a little with him. Actually everybody on this team has been to Moscow before, so they're pros. Please pray for them the rest of this week. They will be doing many different things. Lift them up and ask the Lord to work both in and through them during their time in Moscow. Here is a partial schedule of what they will be doing. They will be very busy. Please pray for strength, boldness, opportunities, health, and more.

Sunday - worship, fellowship with the Goluvinski Church - the team will lead in worship through songs and testimonies.

- 3 will go to Svetlana's home group - 2 will go out with a church member to pass out

DVDs of the JESUS film - 2 will go to shop for items to be given to elderly Christian women at Good News Church.

Monday - full day of prayer walking and evangelism - giving out Jesus film DVDs, candy canes with the story of the candy cane attached, invitations to a special Christmas service that will take place on Russian Christmas (Jan. 7)

Tuesday - a.m. prayer walking and evangelism - p.m.meeting to discuss personal evangelism with Goluvinskiy church members.

Wednesday - New Year's celebration with Goluvinski Church and evangelism until 4:00. Bring in the New Year at the Stamey's apt.

Thursday - Since it's New Year's Day and this is the biggest holiday in Russia, everyone is busy and everything is closed on this day. Russians will be spending time with family and friends. So the team will be with us all day. We're hoping for snow so that some of us can go sledding. Also Rhenn Cherry, our new strategy coordinator for Moscow will be with us for the day. The team will get a chance to hear about his plans for Moscow and pray for him and his ministry. He may also share a little about his plans for involving Deana and Jeremy in this work in the future. We'll have some great prayer times together asking the Lord's blessings on this coming year.

Friday - Sunday - At 9:00 a.m. on Friday the team leaves for a small village several hours outside of Moscow - Rzhev. They will meet with the church there for fellowship and encouragement and minister in two different orphanages. They'll also be sharing both through testimony and song in the Sunday morning service.

Sunday - travel back to Moscow - debriefing.

Monday - Travel back to NC

I'll try to update an post a few photos later in the week. Thanks Crestview for sending this team! Thanks for co-laboring with us!

Team Retreat - A Blessing !

2008-11-11T02:35:00.000-08:00

Wow! Our retreat this weekend was filled with laughter and fellowship as we spurred one another toward love and good deeds. What did we do?

Sessions - being intentional about evangelism, starting cell groups, and praying

Fellowship - around the campfire with roasted hot dogs and smores

Worship - through songs, Bible devotionals, and prayer

Silliness - through games (always fun when you have young journeymen!!)

Lori and I are so blessed that our lives are intersecting these servants on our team. Please keep praying for them. And just to remind you of who they are:

Karin Wilson and Chris Fox - journeymen, who have arrived recently, just moved into dorm rooms on a university campus, both studying Russian and looking for friends

Peyton Colburn - journeyman, leads a home group each Saturday, teaches at a local university

Dan Rankin - journeyman, extending with us for another year, teaches English at a university, has one new believer he is trying to disciple and looking for others

Mark Sprinkle - carrer, directing the "campus ministry" division of our team, is praying about starting a new worship group in his home

These are awesome folks to work with, and our team retreat helped us grow closer.

Photos of Volunteer Team

2008-11-02T03:22:00.000-08:00

Volunteers arrive - DMin students and professors from New Orleans Seminary

Sharing at Gulovinsky Church

Thanks for the gifts!

No, they're not sleeping. They're praying.

Prayer walking in the Northern Administrative District of Moscow (NADM)

Worship and debriefing - HE IS WORTHY!

Volunteers In Town

2008-10-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

This week a team of 8 volunteers - students and professors from New Orleans Seminary - are here working together with us. They arrived on Friday and will be here until next Thurs. Please pray that God will work mightily through them and in them during their time in Moscow. 4 of them will be preaching in differernt Russian Baptist Churches today. Pray for God to speak through them to minister to the hearts of those who will hear.

Photos of Our Apartment

2008-10-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

After 2 months, we finally feel settled back into our newly remodeled apartment here in Moscow. Thought we'd share some before and after photos. The left side are before photos of how we found the apartment when we returned. It was quite a shock - not at all how we had left it. But the right photos show how it looks now. Everything is clean and neat and it feels like home again. It's good to be home!

Please Pray for Aunt Judy

2008-09-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

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.

Baptism Photos

2008-09-03T05:38:00.000-07:00

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.

flickr.com/photos/peytonc/sets/72157607042709176

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.

Baptism

2008-08-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

The Gulovinski Church will have a baptism service tomorrow. They plan to baptize 4. Please pray that this will be a really special time in the lives of these new believers. Pray especially for a young lady. She was muslim and her husband is muslim. She has shared openly with him about her decision to follow Christ and she has been attending church for a while now. She told him she was going to be baptized and at first he said nothing. But yesterday, she called to tell Genady (pastor of the church) that her husband told her that if she is baptized she cannot come back home. Pray for her to know what the Lord would have her do. Pray for salvation for her husband. I'll try to post an update with photos from the baptism soon.

Back In Moscow

2008-08-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks for praying for our travels. We arrived safely back in Moscow 1 week ago. It's been a very interesting week with so many adjustments. Please continue to pray for us during this time of transition.

When we got to our apartment on Tuesday, we found that the remodeling was not complete and the apartment was not livable. Thankfully, the IMB owns another apartment in the same building and the family that will live in that apartment is still in the States on furlough until Sept. 1. So we've been living in two bedrooms of their apartment. Their den is full of all their personal things that they packed up before furlough. Their other bedroom is full of the personal things that belong to the family who lived here before and are still on furlough. So we're all sleeping in one bedroom and have made the other room a place where whoever can't sleep because of jet lag can go in the middle of the night. We are working every day to try to get our apartment in good enough shape for us to live in it starting Aug.31 since our friends will be returning to this apartment on the 1st. Please pray with us that this can be accomplished.

The boys are doing great. I know that many of you have been praying for them and God is answering. They went to school the day after we arrived. It was fun to watch them reconnect with old friends and teachers. We are so thankful for their school, Hinkson Christian Academy. They all seem to be very happy with their teachers and classes. They've had a good bit of homework, but haven't seemed to mind too much. Please do keep praying for them, especially as they adjust to being away from extended family. It's hard.

Please also pray for Brad's knee. He hurt it playing basketball several months ago. We thought he was well enough to come back, but somehow he has injured it again and it is really hurting a lot. Pray for wisdom to know how to handle this. Pray for healing.

It has been great reconnecting with some of our Russian friends. Tomorrow evening, we will have dinner with Genady and Vica. Genday is the pastor of the Gulovinsky Church that was started during our last term (the guy on last year's IMB Lottie Moon video). Then on Saturday we will go to a baptism service that the Gulovinsky Church is having. 4 new Christians will be baptized that day. We can't wait!

There have been many hard days and difficult problems to solve during this first week back, but the Lord has given us strength and helped us. There have also been times of joy. We praise God for his faithfulness and know that He will see us through this time of transition. He is good!

Time To Travel

2008-08-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

We have received our visas and plan to return to Moscow, Russia on Monday, August 18. Please pray for safe travel. We would sure appreciate your prayers during this time of transition for our family.

Our time of stateside assignment has been incredible. We have enjoyed some great times with extended family and friends. We have really enjoyed living in the missionary house and worshipping in English at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church. It's been a blessing to be able to share what God is doing in Russia in many different churches throughout the year.

Now it's time to return to our ministry in Moscow. Please pray for God to show us where He is at work and how He wants us to join Him.

We will try to update this blog regularly and would appreciate your comments. If you want to be in touch with us by e-mail, you can contact us at lorsta@everyheart.net.

Prayer Request

2007-06-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Please continue to pray for our team, The Co-laborers, as they work to reach the Northern Administrative District of Moscow (NADM) for Christ and start new churches. Our family is leaving Moscow tomorrow morning to begin our stateside assignment and about the same time a group of students and faculty from New Orleans Seminary is coming to volunteer with the Co-laborers. The team will offer free Bibles to thousands of people this week. Please pray that many will be open and have a desire for God's Word.

Drew and Mark

2007-06-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

Drew, better known as "werD" (his name spelled backwards) being honored by his teacher at 5th grade promotion. Mr. Hays gave Drew an award for leadership. In the group photo, Drew already has his shorts on. This is because he has outgrown all of his long pants. He had to really work to get his jeans buttoned. As soon as the program was over, he ran to change back into his shorts.

Mark receiving awards from his 4th grade teacher, Miss Graham. He received several academic awards as well as the "First Recorder Award" for learning to play the recorder so well in music class.

Mark has become quite a good baseball player. He really enjoys the game. He's learned a lot about good sportsmanship too. He played against his best friend's team this week and got beat pretty bad, but had tons of fun anyway.

Kindergarten Graduation

2007-06-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ben with his good friends, Anthony and Jae Hun

Our Little Graduate

Karate Graduates

I'm so proud of Ben!

That's my boy!

Mr. Thompson gives Ben his certificate

Ben and his best buddy, Anthony

3 More Days

2007-05-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

We only have 3 days left before we head to America for our stateside assignment. On May 17 we wrote asking that you pray for us as we finish out this term. The Lord has blessed in incredible ways and we just wanted to share a few.

Last Sunday we worshipped for the last time with the Timi Church. A lady named Olga repented and gave her life to Christ. What a blessing! Also, our team member, Karen Fletcher gave her testimony in Russian and did a great job. She and her husband Doyle finished full-time language study this week. We're so proud of them! Sasha reflected on his relationship with Brad and how the Lord led them to work together many years ago. It really is amazing how God has built the Timi Church and we know that He will continue to grow it, even after we leave. Sasha gave us a special magnet to go on our refrigerator. He said that people always go to get physical food from their fridge and every time we do, he wants us to remember that there are people in Moscow who need spiritual food. What a great reminder!

We worshipped with the Gulovinski Church for the last time two weeks ago. It was also a special service. The lady who sits with our elderly neighbor went with us. She seemed to really enjoy the worship and fellowship. Some of the members very openly shared the Gospel with her. She was not ready to accept it, but she was very open. We showed her how she could go back later without us by public transportation, but really didn't think she would because it takes about 1 hour 15 min. by public. We saw her this week though and she told us that she went back to church last Sunday by herself and really enjoyed it. Bless the Lord! Please pray for salvation for Christina. It was hard to say good-bye to Genady, Vica, and the rest of the church. They really have become our family here in Moscow.

This week has been spent helping the boys finish up school and say good-bye to their friends. We've had lots of sleepovers, even on school nights! The boys kept thinking of one more friend that they needed to spend some more time with. And they're actually all spending the night with friends tonight. Today is the day that they'll really have to say good-bye though. It's the last day of school. Please pray for them! Ben had kindergarten graduation on Wednesday. It was such a special service with the theme "Walk Like Jesus". Brad and I both cried because we are just so thankful that we've been able to send the boys to an international Christian school here. What an incredible blessing that is made possible by your gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering and the Cooperative Program. Thank you! Awards chapel was Thursday morning. Both Drew and Mark received several different awards for academics as well as for character. Mark was especially proud to receive the "First Recorder" award for being the best recorder player in his music class. He was very surprised to get this, but he has worked very hard and deserved it. Drew had 5th grade promotion yesterday afternoon to celebrate finishing elementary school. It was also a very meaningful celebration. His teacher had prepared a slide show and he called each child up one at a time to honor them. He shared special memories, gave awards, and gave them a challenge to live for Christ.

So now we'll spend the next 3 days just packing and cleaning. We still have a lot to do. Pray for energy and strength to get it all done. It has been sooooooooooooo hot here for the past week and the heat just really drains us. Yesterday evening at 10:00 it was 85*F outside and 89.5*F inside our apartment. We have two little fans and Brad and I each keep one blowing right on us. We have to move them from room to room as we work. We're looking forward to a little air-conditioning. We probably freeze everywhere we go in America!

We probably won't update for a while. We may not have e-mail access until we get to Shelby on June 10. We would appreciate your prayers for safe travel and for wonderful reunions with all of our family members, friends and churches in America. Please also continue to pray for our team members who will press on with the work to reach the Northern Administrative District of Moscow (NADM) for Christ. And continue to pray for the list of unbelievers from previous posts.

Thanks so much and hope to see many of you soon!

Please Pray With Us

2007-05-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Because we're leaving Moscow in 2 weeks, God is giving us some great last visits and conversations with people. Please pray with us for the following people.

- Constantine is our elderly neighbor. We were able to watch the Jesus film with him a few weeks ago and have had some great conversations about spiritual things. Pray that he would understand his need for a personal Savior.

- Oxana is a Ukrainian who was here caring for Constantine for 3 months. She watched the Jesus film with us also. She has gone back to the Ukraine now, but before she left, we were able to give her a Bible and tract and talk with her about Christ. Pray that God will give her a desire to read scripture and the tract and open her heart to understand and accept what she reads.

- Christina is Constantine's new caregiver. She is from the same small village in the Ukraine as Oxana. She is very open to discussing spiritual things. She is going to church with us this Sunday, May 20. Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak directly to her and call her into a relationship with God.

- Irena is a neighbor that Lori has developed a relationship with. Lori has been able to talk with her many times and has given her a Bible and tracts in Russian. A huge barrier in her coming to Christ is that she is an alcoholic. Pray for God to remove her need and desire for alcohol so that she can think straight and understand that only Christ can fill the void in her life that she so often tries to fill with alcohol.

- Olim is our muslim friend who attends our little Baptist church with us almost every week. This week or next week will be our last chance to visit with him. Brad plans to speak very directly with him about spiritual condition. Pray for him.

- Galina is an elderly lady who has been attending the G. Church for some time now. Brad talked very openly with her on Wednesday, telling her that she needs to make a decision for Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give her understanding of her need to personally say "yes" to Christ.

- Valera is a man who came to the Jesus film showing several months ago. He has been attending the G. Church ever since and seems to fit right in and feel a part of the church. He has not repented and accepted Christ. Pray that he soon will.

- Andrae is a friend of Genady who came one time to the G. Church. On that day, he stood and asked everyone to pray for him. He is an alcoholic who is not a Christian.

- Igor is the wife of Natasha who is the newest Believer in the G. Church. She accepted Christ about a month ago. At first her husband was against this, but it seems that God is working in his life. He comes to the home group every Sunday afternoon and listens. I saw Natasha last night and told her that I would ask Christians in America to pray for her husband.

- Zhena and Irena are relatives of Igor and Natasha. They all attend a home group that meets on Sunday afternoons. Marina, the leader of this group believes that both Zhena and Irena are very close to accepting Christ. Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in a mighty way in that group Sunday afternoon. They actually meet about the time that churches in America are meeting for SS and worship, so if you could pray for them in your churches today, that would be awesome.

Stateside Assignment Coming Up

2007-05-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

We will be heading to the States on June 4 for a 14 month stateside assignment. We are all really getting excited. We will be living in Shelby, North Carolina near many of our family members. Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, the church Lori grew up in, has a beautiful missionary house that we will get to live in. This is the same house we lived in on our first stateside assignment. The boys call it "our house".

Before we head that way, there is much to be done. The boys are finishing up school and have many special activities and programs between now and when they finish on June 1. Brad has lots of work to do to close out this term of ministry and to help prepare others to carry on the work while we're away. I'm packing and cleaning everyday. I know we'll get it all done, but sometimes it seems overwhelming. Please pray for us during these next two weeks. Pray for us to finish well. Pray that we will accomplish all that God wants us to before the time for us to leave.

Please pray for us also as we say some difficult goodbyes. Drew will be saying goodbye to his best friend, Kian, who is from Australia. By the time we get back, Kian will have moved back to Australia. We don't know if or when the boys will get to see each other again. The same is true for Mark's good friend, Zachary, who is from Taiwan. Brad and I were talking the other day about the fact that we're really excited about going "home" to all that is familiar and comforting, but we're taking the boys away from all that is familiar. This is their home. I know they'll adjust and love living in the States, but we would appreciate your prayers during this transition time. Thanks so much!

Church Planting Conference

2007-05-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for praying for our 4th annual church planting conference. It was a huge success. 22 people attended. We had sessions about cell groups, spiritual warfare, church planting movements, and much more. We spent much time in prayer for each of the new churches and cell groups in the Northern Administrative District of Moscow. The Lord gave us beautiful weather and we were even able to play a few games of volleyball together. Lori had the privilege of taking care of Sasha and Katia's baby, Vanya, who is 6 months old. He's a doll. It was also a time for us to pass on the vision and in a way say goodbye to our Russian friends. We still have 3 weeks here and will see them again at church, but Brad was able to thank them and encourage them to continue on with the work of evangelism and church planting. Thank you for praying with us for this conference. God indeed answered!

Praises and Requests

2007-05-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

- An elderly couple, Vladimir and Valentina, accepted Christ as Lord and Savior at the Timi Church Thursday Bible Study at the senior center. Both are in their late 70s. Praise the Lord for His work in their lives. They will be leaving to go to their dacha for the summer, so we don't have a lot of time for follow up. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in them over the summer as they spend time in the Word.

- One of the small groups from the Timi Church meets weekly on Sundays in the home of a lady named Ina Alexandrovna. She is not a Christian. Last week, the leaders of the group were excited to hear Ina pray out loud with them for the first time. Pray for salvation for this dear lady.

- We will be having our 4th annual Church Planting Conference this weekend, May 4-6. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to teach us all through his Word and the different seminars. Pray for Brad as he will be leading most of the conference. Pray for clarity as he leads the whole thing in Russian. Pray that those in attendance will hear what God has to say to each of them about how He wants them to be involved in His work of reaching the Northern District of Moscow with the Gospel of Christ.

- Our neighbor, Irena, stopped by this morning. We have been talking with her and praying for her salvation for many months. She is an alcoholic and this makes communication very difficult at times. But this morning she stopped by to say that she is not going to drink for 60 days. Today is day 2. She has prayed and asked God to help her. Please pray with us that God will give Irena strength not to drink for a time so that she can think clearly about her spiritual condition. She said that when she sees us out her window, it reminds her to pray and ask God for help. Maybe God will give us some good weather to play outside more so that she can be reminded of God.

- Please continue to pray for salvation for: Olim, Igor, Constantine, Oxana, Christina, Andrae, Galina, Valera and others who live in the north of Moscow who are lost without Christ.

Church Planting Conference

2007-04-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

May 4-6 we will be having our 4th annual NADM Church Planting Conference. There will be about 30 people in attendance. As you remember us this week, please pray for this upcoming conference. Pray for Brad as he plans the schedule and sessions. Pray for those who will be attending, that God will prepare their hearts for all that He wants to say to them. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be our guide throughout the weekend. God has really used the past 3 conferences to spread the vision for reaching the Northern Administrative District through starting new churches and cell groups. Please pray that He will do the same this year and even more than we can ask or imagine. Thanks so much!

Rejoicing

2007-04-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

We are rejoicing and know that you will rejoice with us to hear that a lady named Galina Nikolievich repented and accepted Christ as her Savior during the service at the Gulovinski Church this past Sunday. During the testimony time, she came forward and said that she realized that she needed to repent and give her life to Christ. She then began to pray the sweetest prayer of confession. Peter, who was leading the service, was shocked, I think. He fell to his knees in prayer beside her. When she finished praying, many church members surrounded her and began to pray for her. What a sweet and special time! Praise God with us for his work in Galina's life!

Long Overdue Update

2007-04-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we've been pretty slack about updating the blog. We admit this and apologize. We will try to do better. Thanks to some of your for your gentle reminders! We know that many of you look at our blog regularly and if we don't update, then you don't know how to pray for us specifically. Thanks for continuing to pray for us, even when you didn't know specifics!

God has been working. Here are a few praises.

- A young lady named Natasha recently accepted Christ in one of our home groups. Her husband had told her that if she became a Christian, he would beat her up. He has been attending the home group with her though and when she did pray to receive Christ, he did not hurt her. He continues to attend the Bible studies with her and now we're praying for his salvation.

- A man named Sergei walked walked into one of our groups from off the street. He is a former soldier who killed some civilians while following orders. He has been plagued with guilt for many years. Brad and Sasha talked with him for over an hour and he ended up on his knees, repenting and praying with tears to receive Christ's forgiveness and salvation.

- 3 new cell groups have started as a part of the Gulovinski Church. These groups meet on different days of the week and usually have several unbelievers in attendance at each meeting. Praise the Lord for how He is growing His church.

- 43 people attended a recent Evangelsitic Easter Concert at a Social Center in the Timi Region. A long time ago, the Timi Group met regularly in this building. For 1 1/2 years, the building has been closed to us because of reconstruction. We've had several volunteer teams who have prayer walked in this area and prayed that this place would be open to us again. Finally, we are able to meet in this place again on a regular basis.

Prayer Requests:

- Pray for new Believers Natasha and Sergei.

- Pray for salvation for the following people : Igor (Natasha's husband) Andrae, Constantine (Our 83 year old neighbor), Oxana, Irena, and other unbelievers who attend the cell groups and churches in the Northern District of Moscow.

- PLEASE Pray for OXANA. She is a young lady from the Ukraine, who is here caring for our elderly neighbor, Constantine. We have invited her to watch the Jesus film with us in our home tomorrow evening (Sunday, April 22) Pray that God will use this film to draw her into a relationship with Him.

- Please continue to pray for Genady and Sasha as they lead the work in the Gulovinski and Timi Regions and pray for God to call out new leaders to work in the other regions of the Northern District.

Praise and Prayer Request

2007-01-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

Many of you have written to ask about the Jesus Film showings. Thanks for praying when we showed the film. God answered your prayers. 19 new people came to see the film. Out of these, 9 filled out forms saying that they are interested in studying the Bible, 1 wrote that he had prayed to accept Christ during the film, 2 have come to the Gulovinsky Church since that time. 1 man continues to come back on a regular basis. Please pray for all of these 19 and pray for the Gulovinsky Church as we follow up with these people.

Please pray this week for Brad and many other men who will attend a church planting conference in Ivanova, Russia. This is a conference for missionaries and for nationals. Brad is taking several Russian friends with him. Pray for God to speak to all who attend and to give a vision for how He wants each of them to be involved in starting new churches in Russia. Pray for safety as they drive 5 hours on Monday, Feb. 5 and Friday, Feb. 9. Please also pray for Lori and the other wives whose husbands will be away all week. Thanks!

Visit With Family

2007-01-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

We were so blessed in January to have 10 days with Lori's little brother, Jeremy, and his wife, Deana. They decided to come and visit us for their 10th anniversary celebration. We had such a good time with them and were so encouraged by their visit. It was so fun to see how God is at work in their lives and to hear how He is working in their church, Crestview Baptist. THANKS Jeremy and Deana for spending your vacation here with us in Moscow!

Showing the Jesus Film

2007-01-06T01:20:00.000-08:00

Hello to all and Happy New Year!!! Here in Russia we are just getting ready to celebrate the birth of Christ!! That's right! In Russia, the official holiday for Jesus' birth is January 7.

Santa Claus, or "Father Frost" (in Russia) has already come, because he delivers presents on Dec. 31, New Year's Eve. But on Sunday the 7th, there will be sole concentration on the birth of Christ ( for those who believe ).

Anyway, as part of this celebration, one of our church plants, in the Golovinski Region with Genady, will be showing the Jesus Film two times; on Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th. Please pray for these showings. We have no idea how many will come, but we have been delievering personal invitations throughout the week, and we have been hanging posters close to entryways.

Thanks for joining us in this effort. God will use your prayers. And may God bless you richly on our Russian Christmas!!

Brad

Happy 2007 !

2007-01-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since we've posted. We had fun Christmas and New Year's celebrations with lots of friends and have just been really busy. Sorry for not updating more often. We know that many of you are faithful to read our posts and pray for us and we need to be more faithful to post in this new year.

Now it's time for us to celebrate Christmas for the 2nd time. Yes, here in Russia, we get to celebrate Christmas twice each year. Russians celebrate the Christmas holiday on January 7th. So this weekend, we'll get to enjoy focusing on the birth of Christ again with our Russian friends.

Brad and other team members have been passing out fliers and hanging posters this week because on Saturday, January 6th and Sunday, January 7th, the Goluvinsky Church will be showing the Jesus film. We are doing this evangelism around the Christmas holiday, hoping that many will be off of work and able to attend.

PLEASE PRAY with us that God will prompt many to come to the two showings of the Jesus film. Pray for Genady, Ilya, Brad and other church members who will be there to talk with those who do come. Pray that some might come, see the film, and decide to accept the greatest gift ever given, Jesus. Pray that some may also become interested in attending the G. Church through this outreach. There are 1 million people living in the Northern District of Moscow and the majority of them are lost without a Savior. Pray for God to work in a mighty way this weekend to draw some to see the film and respond.

We pray that 2007 will be a special year for each of you! Thanks again for your faithfulness to pray for us.

2006-12-17T00:44:00.000-08:00

Mark Sprinkle and one of the guys he is working with delivered 2 Bibles to people who responded to our Bible card offer. These cards were passed about by a volunteer team from Crestview Baptist in Shelby, NC. Mark reports - “At one home we were invited inside for tea, which led to conversation about the Bible and spiritual things. I shared the gospel with these 2 grandmothers, who listened thoughtfully. One of them promised to read the Bible we left.” Please pray for these two grandmothers and for others who have received Bibles.

2006-12-17T00:38:00.000-08:00

On my way to a training seminar on cell groups, a man on the street wanted to speak with me. We were standing right by the church, and I was kind of in a rush, but was reminded of the man in the story of the Good Samaritan, and how he had been “rushed” by. So I stopped to talk with the man. He pointed to the church, to the very top where the cross was. And he said that he noticed that the cross is not exactly straight on top. I had the chance to explain to him that more important than the straightness of the cross, is the straightness of his life with God through Jesus Christ. He listened and wanted to go inside to see this Protestant church. He entered, and I introduced him to Pastor Sergei, who spent some time with him witnessing. Then he gave him a New Testament and we prayed for him. Alexander is the man’s name. Please pray for him, and ask God to keep reminding me not to rush by those who are seeking.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!

2006-12-16T03:20:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of Ben taken when I picked him up from school on Wednesday. Temperatures are in the 40s and we have no snow on the ground. It is damp though, so we have LOTS of mud. The kids have outside recess before and after school no matter what the weather. I have to wash Ben's snow pants and coat every day or every other day. I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!

Prayer Requests

2006-12-16T03:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks for lifting up the following requests.

- If you read this early on Saturday, please pray for Brad. He will be leading (in Russian) a seminar on small groups. Pray for God to speak through Brad. Pray for God to show love to all who come through Brad. Pray for God to give the Russians a vision for reaching out to their neighbors through small groups. Pray that God will move some to open their homes for small groups.

- We will travel Sunday, Dec. 17 by train to Kiev, Ukraine. On Monday we will apply for new visas. We must have visas in order to live and work in Russia. Pray that the travel and the visa application process will go smoothly. We hope to pick up our new visas on Tuesday and catch the night train back to Moscow. Pray for some fun family time as we travel and spend a few days away from home.

- Continue to pray for our friend, O, to accept Christ as his Savior.

- Both of the new church starts will be doing evangelism projects over the holidays. Plans are still in the making. Pray for wisdom to know how best to reach out to unbelievers during these special days.

2006-12-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

Drew with his 5th grade teacher, Mr. Hays. Drew has been blessed with an incredible teacher this year. Mr. Hays is a first year teacher and he's a first rate teacher.

Ben loves kindergarten. He's a happy kid!

Mark plays a hymn on the recorder and Brad sings during the Timi worship service.

Timi Church meeting in November. We shared the Lord's Supper together for the first time.

Prayer Requests

2006-12-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks for lifting up these requests.

* Please continue to pray for our muslim friend, O. He will be going to church with us again this week. Pray for the Lord to soften his heart and show him Truth.

* Pray for Brad this Sunday as he will be leading a session on starting home groups at Good News Church. Pray for God to speak through Brad. Pray for Good News as this church
looks into ways to reach out and spread the Gospel.

* Pray for both the Timi Church and the Goluvinsky Church as these churches make plans for evangelism events that will take place around the Christmas and New Year holidays. Pray that new contacts will be made through these events.

*Praise God with us that he has added a new family to our team. Doyle and Karen Fletcher along with their 3 children are joining our team and we are thrilled. Pray for wisdom to know how to involve them in the church planting work in the northern district. This summer they will be moving to the district. Pray for guidance to know which region they should live in. Pray for them as they continue in full-time language study for several more months.

* We are down to 6 months now until time for our next stateside assignment. We're really looking forward to that time, but we know that God has some things that He wants to do in and through us here during these next 6 months. Pray for us to stay focused and to continue to walk in obedience to all that He calls us to do during these next 6 months.

A Prayer for Sunday

2006-12-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you who pray for us regularly! Tomorrow, Dec. 3, at 8:00 a.m. Moscow time, a young man Muslim man "O" will be coming to our home to watch the Jesus Film in his heart language. Mark Sprinkle will be coming to join us. Please pray for God to use this event in this man's life. At the end of the film, there is a chance to pray for forgiveness, and to choose Jesus Christ as Lord. Pray for God to move mightily and break down any barriers to hearing the Truth.

If you come to this site after Sunday, please lift up "O" in prayer anyway, as Mark and I will continue to work with him.

Blessings, Brad

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since our last update. It's just been a busy month and neither of us has taken time to write. Sorry about that. Thanks for your patience!

Our e-mail has not been working for about a week now, so if you've sent us anything, please resend it. We can receive now, but tonight could still not send anything. Hopefully it will be working right very soon.

We wanted to take time to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. We really enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving yesterday with several other missionary families. We had 16 guests for lunch and really had a good time. Lori cooked a 26 lb. turkey and lots of other yummy treats. We pray that all of you also had a special celebration.

We've made it a family tradition to use the month of November each year to make lists of things we're thankful for. Each family member has a list and every evening we list one thing we're thankful for. It's fun to see what the kids list from year to year and the lists seem to fit their personalities and their interests at the time. Here are a few things from each of our lists.

Brad : church, Genady & family, Sasha & family, Lori, 3 sons, parents, IMB & their care for us, my in-laws, music

Lori: salvation, Brad, 3 Boys, books, memories, family in America, holidays, freedom, grace, prayer, health

Drew: basketball, football, Mr. Hays, cinnamon rolls, Jesus, friends, laughter, dirt cake, snow, video games

Mark: music, sports, Miss Graham, animals, brownies, prayer, Hinkson Christian School, card games

Ben: that God can do anything, that God is alive, that we can talk to God, beds, movies, Anthony, God's love

We do have so much to be thankful for and we know that all of these things are blessings from the Lord.

We are very thankful to be able to live and work in Russia at this time. We're so thankful for the opportunity God has given us to be a part of what He is doing here. Genady's church has found a place for Sunday worship services. This is a huge answer to prayer! The Timi Church met this past Sunday and we shared communion together for the first time. This church continues to form and grow. God is blessing! Please continue to remember these churches in your prayers. We'll update soon with some specific prayer requests for each church.

We're also very thankful for the love and support of so many people who care about us and pray for us regularly. Thank you for keeping up with our ministry and for lifting us up in prayer. We need your prayers!

More Photos

2006-11-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

Proud Parents

2006-11-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks for praying for Vanya and his parents. Thought you might enjoy these photos.

It's a Boy!

2006-10-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

Genady and Vica have a new baby boy. He was born sometime in the early morning on Saturday, Oct. 28. Both Vica and the baby are healthy. He weighs approx. 6.1 lbs. They named him Mark. Please pray for Vica and the baby as they will be in the hospital for a few more days. Pray for Genady as he patiently waits to meet his son. Pray for Melena (3) and Stefsha (2) as they make the huge adjustment to having a new baby brother. Praise the Lord for the birth of little Mark.

Another Step

2006-10-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Rejoice with us, please, that another step was taken in the development of our church plant in the Golovinski Region. Through Genady’s leadership with his team of committed believers, this group recognized on Sunday, Oct. 22, that indeed they are really a church!! They have felt like a church since the baptism in August, but on Sunday they decided to take the step of introducing membership. Nine people were immediately ready to commit to this, and a few others are praying about it.

I bless the Lord that He has put on the hearts of these folks to not just look inwardly, but to feel the burden for reaching the lost in their region. They want to do this through the development of cell groups, meeting in the homes. Please pray as God continues to piece the mosaic together.

Blessings, Brad.

New Baby Boy

2006-10-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Sasha called just a little while ago and said, "You can congratulate me now. I just became a Papa". Katya delivered by c-section a healthy baby boy this afternoon. If I understood correctly and did the calculations right, I think he weighs 9.2 lbs. They have named him Ivan Alexandrovich - Vanya will be the Russian nickname that they will call him while he is little. Please pray for Katya and Vanya as they will be in the hospital for several more days. Please pray for Sasha to be at peace as he waits to meet his son and to see his wife again. Praise the Lord for a safe and healthy delivery! Praise the Lord for Vanya!

Thanks for the Chocolate!!!!!!!!!

2006-10-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a special thanks to Jim, Carol, and others from FBC Charlotte who sent a footlocker of chocolate our way. As Jim was preparing to travel this way, he wrote to ask if they could bring us anything. I told him that my brother had brought over many things to us recently so we didn't really need anything, but that if he had space, he could throw in some hot chocolate and a brownie mix. Well, he showed up with a footlocker full of brownie mixes, hot chocolate and other goodies. THANKS so much! We've already enjoyed some delicious brownies.

Pray for Katya and Sasha

2006-10-24T02:14:00.000-07:00

Please pray for Katya today. She started labor about 1:00 p.m. our time - 5:00 a.m. Tuesday EST. This is her first baby, so of course, she is very nervous. Pray for Sasha too as he waits for news. He is not allowed in the hospital, so he is waiting for a phone call. Please pray for health for Katya and for their baby boy. We'll update as soon as we hear news.

Pray for Valentina

2006-10-24T01:56:00.000-07:00

Please pray for our friend, Valentina. She is an elderly lady who started coming to the Gulovinsky Church when it was meeting in the library. She came regularly and was interested in studying the Bible. When we had to leave the library and started meeting in Genady's apartment, she said that she would not be coming anymore. Well, when the Crestview team was here, she started coming again. No doubt, an answer to prayer. She is coming to worship on Sundays and to Bible study on Wednesday nights. She talked with me this past Sunday and said that the more she reads the Bible, the more confused she becomes. She can't understand the trinity and when she sees God the Father and God the Son as separate, she can't understand how a father could allow his son to suffer as God allowed Jesus to suffer. She is confused, but she is seeking. Pray for her to clearly understand the true nature of God. Pray for her to understand the depth of the love of God for her personally. Pray for her to understand the reason for Christ's suffering and to be able to accept God's gift of grace. At the home group on Wednesday night, they will not have their normal study, but will be doing a special study to help Valentina understand the nature of God. Please pray for God to speak to Valentina's heart. Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak through the Word and through every Believer to make things more clear to the precious lady.

Each One Special

2006-10-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

God has been so good to allow our latest volunteer team, from Shelby, N.C., to cross paths and minister to the following people during their trip to Moscow. Please join with them and with us as we continue to pray for these individuals ( those in RED have not been born again in Christ ).

Natasha (whose husband left her)
Tamara
Oleg, Arkadia, and Irina
Sasha and Katya
Pasha
Svetlana and Vitalic ( not baptized yet )
Olim
Misha (missionary / pastor in Rzhev)
Anastasia (pray for her son)
Vitalic
Sergei and Vitaly
Misha and Dema, sons of Rosa
Dema’s neighbor and daughter
Valentina

Children at the Children’s Shelter in Rzhev:

Clava, Vasya, Sergei, Nastia, Alexander, Christina, Sasha, Stas, Leon, Axana, Kolya, Adrei, another Sasha, Anya, Lugene, Kerill

Thank you for joining us in prayer!!
Blessings, Brad.

More Photos

2006-10-16T02:15:00.000-07:00

Praising God for a Wonderful Week!

2006-10-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

It's been another great day. The team enjoyed worship and then a special time of fellowship with the Goluvinsky Church. Then they came to our house for dinner and a time of reflection. God answered your prayers and we really had a great time remembering God's blessings of this past week. We made lists of people, places, and experiences that have been a part of the week and it was fun to see how God put it all together. We shared stories, testimonies, and lots of praise.

At the end of our time together I received a huge surprise. I was given a BEAUTIFUL quilt made by the women of Crestiew Baptist Church in Shelby, NC. Many different women in the church made squares and then they had them put together to form an incredibly beautiful quilt. My sister-in-law, Deana, even made one. This is a special gift that I will treasure forever. It's even more special because I know of the love and prayers that are a part of the gift. I KNOW that these women pray for me, my family, and our ministry regularly and it means so much. THANK YOU, ladies, for making me feel so special and loved with your kind gift. I will use it as a blankie, as I was told to and I know that it will comfort me on difficult days and keep me warm on cold days.

So now we've said goodbye and Brad is taking them back to the hotel. Brad will meet them in the morning to get them off to the airport. Please pray for their safe travel. Please pray for us, as it is always hard to say goodbye. It never really gets any easier. When I came back inside from saying goodbye, Mark said, "Momma, you know how you sometimes say that I have a tender heart - well, I can just imagine how you must feel right now since your brother just left. Are you okay?" He's so sweet! Yes, I'm okay, but it is always sad to say goodbye to family.

Crestview, THANKS SO MUCH for sharing this incredible group of people with us this week. It was a wonderful week and only God knows the results that He will bring from all the seeds planted by the team.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen! Ephesians 3:20

Random Photos

2006-10-15T03:51:00.000-07:00

2006-10-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

After a long week of ministry, we had a fun day of shopping and sightseeing yesterday. We ended the evening with a trip to the Moscow Circus. It was a fun day. My boys have really enjoyed being with this team. They have been a blessing and encouragement to our whole family!

Today we will attend church. 1/2 at Good News and 1/2 at Genady's. Then the whole group will go to Genady's house for a goodbye fellowship with the Goluvinsky church. After that they will come to our apartment for dinner and debriefing. It will be fun to look back at all that God has done during their time here. He has worked in some incredible ways and they will have lots of stories to tell when they return home. So be ready to listen.

Attached you'll find some more photos. Justin let me download some of his photos, so I will share some of them.

Please pray for our debriefing time tonight. Pray that God's Spirit will be present and teach us as we remember all that He has done this week and give him thanks and praise. Pray for safe travel tomorrow and for sweet reunions with family members.

More Photos

2006-10-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Photos

2006-10-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Rzhev, Russia

2006-10-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Wow! We just returned from a wonderful trip to Rzhev, Russia. I'm too tired to write much tonight, but will try to write more later. The team can also fill in the details for those of you who live in Shelby. We traveled about 4.5 hours by van to get to this little city. We were greeted by the pastor and a few members of his small 19 member church. They served us a delicious meal that first evening and fed us several more very delicious, Russian meals during our stay. We then drove about 1 more hour to get to the children's shelter. This is a shelter for children who have been neglected or mistreated in their homes and have been removed from their homes for a time. Hopefully these children will be able to be reunited with their families but if not, they will be moved to orphanages. The children were soooooooooooooooooooo happy to have visitors and even though the team only spoke English, they were able to communicate love to these children. With hugs, smiles, gifts, games, stories, and laughter, much love was shared. We pray that we were a blessing. We KNOW that we were blessed!

In addition, the men were able to help with building a roof for the little church there. They worked this morning to help nail some boards on the roof that is being built. The pastor and others were so thankful for their hard work and help.

We were able to spend the night in Russian homes and were treated with incredible hospitality. Janice and I spent the night with a 76 year old lady named Lida. There was no heat in her apartment and it was about 40*F outside. So it was pretty cool inside too. Last night, she gave us the feather blanket from her own bed. She used a much lighter blanket. This morning, she made us sit with our feet on a little stool and put a hot water bottle on our feet to keep us warm. She fixed us a huge breakfast and just served us constantly while we were in her home. The others had similar experiences of amazing hospitality as well.

We're all so thankful to God for allowing us these experiences. It's fun to see how He is at work in different places. He is so good! Thanks for praying for this trip. God heard and answered.

More Photos

2006-10-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Wednesday

2006-10-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

After several day of hard work, the team enjoyed a day of sightseeing today. We visited Red Square, the Kremlin, Lenin's Tomb, and several other places. Then this afternoon, the team hosted a party for all of the International Mission Board MKs who live in Moscow. I think we had about 22 kids there. We played games with them, shared American candy with them, and then had a pizza party with them. They all had a great time. They are all such good friends. When parents picked up their children, we gave each family a gift bag filled with baking items are not available here in Moscow. They were so thankful to receive these bags. Thanks to all who helped to make this possible. This was a fun way to encourage the IMB missionaries and their children.

Yesterday the team passed out about 2000 tracts and 2500 invitations to receive a free Bible. They were tired at the end of the day, but excited to think about what God will do with these tracts and invitations. Pray with us that as people check their mailboxes and find these tracts and invitations, they will read them and respond.

Tomorrow we head to an orphanage several hours outside of Moscow. This will be a big adventure for all of us because we have never been there before. Pray for safety as we travel and for God to use us to accomplish all that he desires while we are there.

Thanks for lifting the team and us up.

Photos

2006-10-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

2006-10-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

Babushka Party

2006-10-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the morning prayerwalking in two different regions. It rained a little, but that didn't stop this group. It was a blessing to walk together with this Crestview team and pray for the thousands of people in the region who do not know Christ. Please pray with us for God to work in a mighty way to bring the people of the northern district of Moscow to Christ.

In the evening, we hosted a party for the elderly women of Good News Church and the Goluvinsky Church. It was a very humbling experience for all of us. One lady who was bent over and had very swollen legs, climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor with much difficutly but was praising the Lord all the way. 97 year old Susanna came even though she had been feeling poorly all day. She said that whenever God's people gather together, she wants to be there, even if she is in pain. She had to go and rest on a sofa twice during the party. She rested for 15 min. each time and then came back with a smile. When she came back the 2nd time, Jeremy had put the gift bags we were going to give them near the door and she had to pass by them. She came to me and whispered in my ear that she had peeked in the bags and she had a big grin on her face. She said, "I'm just like a little child. I can't wait to see my present". Then she said, "I'm just obeying Jesus. He said that we should be like little children".

We enjoyed tea, cakes and fruit. The ladies really enjoyed these treats that they don't get very often. We shared songs, poems, scripture and lots of good fellowship. Then we had a special prayer time. The women were so happy for us to pray for their very specific needs and of course they prayed for us too.

When we did pass out the gift bags, they were very happy to receive all the gifts. The cards written by women at Crestview with photos were really special to them. Each one wanted to have her letter translated and wanted to know about the person who wrote it. Thanks, women, for your part in ministering to these precious ladies and thanks to all who donated items for the gift bags.

Don't know why but sometimes when I try to add photos, I can't. Wanted to attach some of the ladies. I'll try to do another post with photos.

Baby Shower Photos

2006-10-09T02:01:00.000-07:00

Super Sunday

2006-10-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

The team had a super Sunday. They split up for church. Half went with Brad to Genady's house church. Phillip gave testimony of God's work in his life and sang "Give Me Jesus". This was very meaningful to the Russians. They wanted to download the music to their computer so that they can translate the song into Russian and sing it in their church. It was neat for those who had been here before to see the church that exists today. When they were here 1 1/2 years ago, we were just dreaming and hoping for this church to start. The other half of the group went with Lori and Mark Sprinkle to Good News Church, which is the mother church we work with. They were celebrating Harvest Day and had a very special service. Jeremy sang "It Is Well With My Soul" and gave greetings from Crestview Baptist Church.

We pray that each of you had a wonderful time of worship in your church as well. Our God deserves our worship and praise. He alone is worthy!

After church, Natalie, Jeremy and Matt were able to participate with Mark Sprinkle in a conversational English group that he does on Sunday afternoons. They really enjoyed that and they were able to learn a few words of Russian as well.

We all met up at our apartment by 6:00 to have a Baby Shower for Vica and Katya. These are the wives of the church planters we work with. This is not a Russian tradition, so this was a new experience for them. They had so much fun! They really appreciated all of the gifts. They were a little overwhelmed, I think. They said that they could have more babies now and have plenty of clothes for all of them. Vica was able to leave her other children with a friend. This does not happen very often. She said that it was so relaxing and fun to have no responsibilities for a few hours. She really enjoyed the fellowship. Katya was told by her Dr. that she needed to go into the hosptial at the end of last week. This is Russian tradition. Often women rest in a hospital several days before giving birth. Katya decided that she just could not go to the hospital until after the baby shower. She was very happy that she waited. She will go into the hospial today at 2:00. Please pray for her. She will be sharing a room with several other women who are also expecting babies. Because medical care here is free, sometimes it's not the best and the workers are not always helpful and sympathetic. Sasha will not be allowed to visit but they will have to stay in touch by cell phone. This is Katya's first baby, so she is a little nervous. Vica will go into the hospital on Oct. 20. Please remember her in prayer as well.

Today the team is prayerwalking in the regions where they will distribute literature tomorrow. Pray with us that the literature will be received well and that God will use it to draw many to a relationship with Him.

Tonight we will have a party for the elderly ladies from Good News Church and the Gulovinsky Church. We've done this in the past and it's always a really special treat for them. The team will give them gift bags with treats they collected before they came. We'll also have tea, fruit and sweets with them. There will be times of testimony, singing and then special prayer for the ladies.

Tomorrow we'll be passing out 2500 tracts in the Gulovinsky region. We've put Genady's phone number on these tracts and hope to recieve some calls through this. But even if we don't receive calls, the Gospel will go out to 2500 homes tomorrow. Then in the afternoon, we'll be passing out invitations to receive a free Bible in another region. Pray that these tracts and invitations will be well recieved.

Many have asked about Joy. Praise the Lord that she is well now. Thanks for praying for her. The Lord heard and answered. She was back to herself and feeling fine yesterday.

Off To A Great Start

2006-10-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

Lori met the team early for a fun morning of souvenir shopping. Janice got the "super shopper award"! We had a lot of fun.

At 4:00 we met at Good News Church for a time of fellowship with the Gulovinski Church. Our Russian friends had worked hard to prepare a delicious meal for us. They had also prepared a slideshow to show how the church has developed since the last Crestview team was here. It was fun to see how God has worked to build his church in that region. We had a special prayer time together in English and in Russian. It was a really neat time of praise for how God is working in both the Gulovinski Church and Crestview Church. An elderly lady named Anastasia said, "Even though we speak different languages, we are united because of Christ. We are brothers and sisters in the family of God".

Please continue to pray as relationships develop and ministry continues. The group will attend church today and then tonight we will have a baby shower for Genady's wife, Vica, and for Sasha's wife, Katia. Katia is due in 10 days and Vica in 3 weeks. Pray for them and for the healthy birth of their babies.

Monday we will spend the day prayerwalking and preparing for literature distribution that we will do all day Tuesday. We will be passing out thousands of tracts in our region on Tuesday.

Please continue to pray for Joy. She was a little better yesterday and was able to get out for half the day.

Crestview Team

2006-10-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

A team of 9 from Crestview Baptist Church arrived right on time today and quickly came through customs with no problems. This is a real answer to prayer. All luggage came. They had a good flight except that Joy got sick on her stomach near the end of the trip. Can't tell yet if it is a virus or something else. Please pray for her. She decided to stay in her hotel room and sleep. The rest of the team went to Red Square and then came to our house for pizza and orientation. We're so thankful to have this team here. Thanks,Crestview, for sending them to encourage and support us in ministry! Lori's little brother, Jeremy, is part of this team. It was a huge blessing see and hug him.

Thanks for Praying - Please Continue

2006-10-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

We've been too busy to blog lately, but did just want to let you know that both the women's retreat that Lori attended and the church planting conference went really well. We praise God for how He has worked in answer to prayer this month.

Lori was able to spend a weekend outside of Moscow with 6 other missionary moms. They had a delightful weekend together with lots of good fun, fellowship, and worship. Their focus was on GRACE and they studied the book of 1 Peter. Lori was blessed

Last weekend, we had our 3rd annual church planting conference about 2 hours outside of Moscow. The Lord provided beautiful weather, a beautiful place to stay, and beautiful fellowship. 20 people gathered to discuss starting cell churches in the Northern District of Moscow. The pastor of our mother church was there and he gave incredible support to the work we're doing.

Thanks for continuing to lift us up in prayer. The month of October is busy. A volunteer team from our hometown arrives this morning. Lori's brother, Jeremy, is leading this team. We look forward to catching up with him and getting to know the others on the team. We'll post the schedule for the week so that you can pray each day. Remember to pray a day in advance since we're 8 hours ahead of NC time. Pray for God to accomplish all that He desires both in and through the team while they are in Moscow.

Mark's 9th Birthday

2006-10-03T01:52:00.000-07:00

Mark turned 9 on Sunday, Oct. 1. Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes! He really did have a great birthday. He was able to spend the weekend with his best friend while Brad and I were away at a conference and then when we got back home Sunday night, we had a little celebration with cupcakes and presents.

Mark is such a neat kid. Can't wait for those of you who live in the States to have a chance to know him better next year. We praise God for his work in Mark's life this past year because this summer Mark accepted Christ as his Saviour and Lord. Please pray for Mark. Pray that this coming year will be a special year for him. Pray that he will grow in his understanding of what it means to be a Christian. Pray that he will grow in every way - spiritually, physically, academically, and emotionally. Pray that he will just enjoy life and enjoy being a kid. Pray for wisdom for us in parenting Mark. He is a precious gift to us from God and we're so thankful for him.

Photos of Drew

2006-09-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

When I published the last blog, I tried and tried to upload photos of Drew and our computer would not let me. I have no idea why. Tonight it will let me, so here is a photo of Drew shooting ball.

Our 3 Sons

2006-09-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on the boys. Drew, Mark and Ben are growing up so fast. In the pictures you can see that they are obviously growing physically. They are also growing academically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's so neat to see God at work in each of their lives, growing them into the young men that He wants them to be.

We're so thankful that they are able to attend Hinkson Christian Academy. It's a small international Christian school here in Moscow. The school has a little over 200 students in grades k-12. The boys have excellent teachers who really invest in them. Drew's in 5th grade. Mark is in 4th. Ben just started kindergarten. Today I asked Ben if he misses me when he's in school. He said, "No, Mom, I'm just having too much fun to think about you". That's okay. I'm glad school is so fun for him.

The boys loves sports and I've had to work at developing a love for sports as well. Last year they all played basketball and baseball. Now Mark and Ben are playing soccer and Mark just started TaeKwanDo. It's fun to watch them play and to cheer for their teams. I'll attach a few sports photos to this post.

Drew is not playing soccer because he fractured his foot last month. He has been very careful with it and it has healed well. He is able to use it now with no pain or problems. Thanks for praying for him. The Lord has answered our prayers and we think he will be ready when basketball season a starts. He's been practicing with friends during recess and after school each day to try to get in shape.

The Lord has blessed us with 3 sons who add so much joy to our lives. Pray for us as we parent them. Pray for them to become all that God wants them to be. Pray that as a family we will bring glory and honor to God in the way that we relate to each other and to other people that God brings into our lives.

Remembering

2006-09-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

We are remembering today the tragedy that occurred 5 years ago in our country of birth. And most you who are reading this will no doubt think about this event and how it has affected all of us in some way. Perhaps you remember exactly where you were when you received the news. I do.

I had just arrived at Good News Church, to have a prayer meeting with some of my Russian brothers. And then I got the call. And I almost dropped to my knees, feeling weak. Naturally, questions were flooding my mind. As more of my brothers came into the meeting, they all greeted me with warmth and love and concern. And I remember specifically how they began that prayer meeting – fervently praying for America and the President, and for me and my family in the States.

I was feeling so distanced from my loved ones that evening ( Moscow is 8 hours ahead of EST ), but God provided comfort through my Russian friends and through their prayers. It was a time I will never forget. And I suppose neither will you.

And we shouldn’t forget. The tragedy of that day should make us all realize and remember that there is only one true Shield, one true Defender, one true Protector - - not only of our country, but of something more eternally valuable = our souls!

May God, indeed, allow the USA to look to Him as their Shield. May the Lord Jesus be the Defender of our souls! And may America turn back to the One True God, depending on Him, and making Him the priority for determining the values worth upholding!

“Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “ - Jesus Christ

Blessings,

Brad

An Overdue "Thank You!"

2006-09-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you for giving through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to reach a lost world!

We are excited to report that Southern Baptists gave a record amount – over 1.3 million ! – through the 2005 offering. Your faithful giving enables us and more than 5,100 colleagues to continue our work and to support new colleagues coming to join our efforts. Lives have been changed because of your giving.

We are grateful for your faithfulness! Please continue to partner with us to complete the unfinished task.

*** see www.imb.org for updated IMB information ***

Blessings,

Brad

A Blessing, through "failure"

2006-09-07T23:39:00.000-07:00

God reminded me the other day of how His Kingdom sometimes expands without us knowing it. I was on a tramvae (trolly, for those of you who haven’t visited us yet), and I was conversing with a lady you had repented several years ago, in one of our church plants. Now, I must say that that particular church plant didn’t survive. It did not grow into a church, and those who had attended were welcomed into Good News Church, the “mother church” through whom we work.

I was delighted to hear that shortly after this woman came to faith in Christ, she shared her faith with her dying father. He was in the hospital at the time. And he listened to his daughter and also accepted Jesus before he died. This was the first time I had heard this story.

It was a reminder for me. The church plant was not a “success.” It didn’t survive. But through the attempt at starting the church, not only this lady, but her father received Christ. Success in church planting? No. But the Kingdom expanded. And that is what we’re really praying for anyway.

I hope this will encourage you to attempt ministry where you sense God is leading, even if it doesn’t “appear” to be successful. Who knows? Perhaps God would rather you not know.

Blessings,

Brad

Please Pray for Brad

2006-09-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to ask those of you who read our blog to pray for Brad. He has been sick for 10 days and can't seem to get well. He's taken a round of oral antibiotics and when that didn't help, he was given a shot of penicillin. That was on Saturday and he's still not well. He tested positive for strep and the Dr. said that the shot should knock it out, but it hasn't. We'll go back to the Dr. tomorrow at 10:30. Pray for wisdom for the Dr. and for healing in God's perfect timing. Thanks!

God is Good

2006-09-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

Indeed we are grateful that we can “partner together.” With whom? – you may ask. Well, for one - Genady Krechin. He called me last week to let me know that another man had just repented! This was a neighbor of Nikolai, a man that is part of our church plant in the Golovinski region. We rejoiced together on the phone, as I know you are doing now, to know that God’s grace has reached yet another soul in our region. Praise God!

Blessings,

Brad

View Slide Show at imb.org

2006-08-25T02:49:00.000-07:00

Some journalists from the IMB have been with us this past week. Go to imb.org to read their write up about the baptism service and to view a slide show. They did a great job and you'll enjoy it.

More Baptism Photos

2006-08-25T02:19:00.000-07:00

First Baptism Service for Golovinsky Church

2006-08-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, August 20, was an incredible day for us. The new church in the Golovinsky region had its first baptism service. Two ladies were baptized in the Moscow Canal. Anastasia is 80 years old. She started coming to Bible study about 6 months ago when the church was meeting in a library. Soon she repented and gave her life to Christ. She has been faithful to attend ever since. Marina is in her 30s. She's a beautiful young woman who also recently accepted Christ. What a beautiful time it was as we celebrated with them their new life in Christ. After the baptism, we took the Lord's Supper together on the banks of the canal. Then we went to Genady's home for worship and a fellwoship meal. Genady is the Russian pastor of this new church plant. How we praise God for allowing us to be a part of this special celebration! Please pray for Anastasia and Marina as they now learn what it means to be dead to sin and self, and alive to Christ. Pray that they would have a hunger and thirst for God's Word. Pray that they would understand who they are in Christ and live out of their relationship with Him.

First Day of School

2006-08-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Drew, Mark and Ben started school today. They were all very happy and excited about the start of a new year. They were ready to see their friends again. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to send our boys to a small, international, Christain school called Hinkson Christian Academy. Drew is in 5th grade. He has a new teacher, Mr. Hays. All of the kids think he is "so cool". Mark is in 4th grade. His teacher is Miss Graham. She was Drew's teacher last year and she is wonderful. Mark had a great day. Ben started kindergarten today. His teacher is Mrs. Williams. She was Mark's 2nd grade teacher and she is also an excellent teacher. Ben only has 5 kids in his class - 4 boys and 1 girl. He was just fine when I left him this morning and he was all smiles when I picked him up this afternoon. Thank you , God, for giving my boys a great first day to a new school year!

Dacha Trip Photos

2006-08-10T01:42:00.000-07:00

Family Vacation

2006-08-10T01:30:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful family vacation at the Skinner's dacha (summer house) this past week. God gave us beautiful weather with cool temperatures. The area around the dacha is really pretty and we just drank in the beauty of it all. The boys were free to run in and out of the house whenever they wanted and they loved it. They spent most of their time outdoors playing baseball, digging worms, fishing, whittling, playing ping pong, playing volleyball, etc. Of course, they are the new generation of "campers", so when they got tired, they would play their Gameboys a little and then be ready to play outside again. The dacha has no running water so the boys had to help with getting water from the well and it was cool enough that we needed a fire at night, so they helped with chopping and stacking wood.

Brad and I are mentoring some new missionaries, Doyle and Karen Fletcher. They came out for part of the week and we enjoyed getting to know them a little better. They have a daughter, Falyn, who is 12. Their son, Tristyn, who is 10, is a good friend of Drew's. Ben and Mark both love playing with Deagan, who is 7. Of course, we enjoyed time with our good friends, the Skinners, too. They are always so kind and generous and being around them always encourages us. We spent a few days in their home at the end of the week.

We're very thankful for the chance to take this much needed vacation. We needed some time to slow down and just focus on each other and God allowed us to do just that. At the end of the week, Drew came to me and was blinking back tears. He said, " Mom, my best time at the dacha just happened. I was in the tent by myself. I read my Bible and then I was listening to my new CD and a song called, "Here Comes Our King" came on. As I listened to it, all the memories of this whole week at the dacha were running through my mind. It was like the love of God just came over me all at once and I started crying". Wow! God is so good and I'm so thankful. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Thanks For Praying For Baseball Camp

2006-08-10T01:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for praying for the baseball camp we had in our region the last week of July. This report is coming a little late because the same day that we took the volunteers to the airport, we jumped in the car and headed to Ivanova, Russia for a week of family vacation. I'll write more about that later. Below is Co-Laborer team member, Holly Henson's, report on how the week went.

Last week we had baseball camp in Friendship park again. It was a wonderful week. We had 63 kids enrolled for the camp. We had about 30 new ones to come which gives me about 90 contacts in the north to start a sports club. The team that came was really great. A lot of them were teenagers, and they did a wonderful job. They got to know the kids and spend time with them. It was absolutely awesome. We were able to give each kid a sports New Testament. Even some parents recieved New Testaments too! The team brought backpacks, t-shirts, baseball gloves, and pins to give away. The kids were really grateful for all of the gifts each day. I was able to donate most of the equipment to the baseball league that is already exisiting in the park. Please pray as I follow up with these children and PTL for a wonderful week!

We will meet again to play sports with the children at Friendship Park on August 21. Please pray that the Lord will work in the lives of these young people and their paretns, as we continue to develop relationships with them.

Ben's 5th Birthday

2006-07-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

Our youngest son, Ben, turned 5 today. He had a really fun birthday. Thanks for all the birthday wishes you sent. As you can see in the photos, he got some fun presents and enjoyed some yummy cupcakes. We're very thankful for Ben and so proud that he is our son. He's tons of fun.

2006-07-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Mr. Wade teaches Senya how to hold a bat.

Baseball Camp

2006-07-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

This week we are hosting a volunteer team from Tenn. They are working with team member, Holly Henson, to do a baseball camp in our region. 30-40 children have participated each night. They are learning baseball skills at different stations and they are also hearing the Gospel each evening. On Thursday and Friday nights, the team will be giving out gifts of baseball caps, t-shirts, and also sports Bibles. Please pray for all of the children and parents involved in this camp. Pray that God will use the seeds planted by this team to draw many to salvation in Christ. Pray for God's work in the lives of the volunteers too. Pray that God will use their experiences in Russia to deepen their faith and trust in Him and to give them hearts for missions.

Saying Goodbye

2006-07-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

On Friday we said goodbye to 9 students who worked with our team for the summer. They were able to make lots of friends and have impact on a campus in the northern part of Moscow. Thanks Guys for all that you did this summer. We'll miss you. Pray for us. We're praying for you.

For a Friend

2006-07-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hello folks. Here is a prayer request from one of my IMB colleagues, doing an evangelism project in a large city in Russia. His name and location will remain undisclosed for now, but God knows.

“We are getting ready to distribute over 20,000 flyers through mailboxes, inviting people to join us for a "Short Bible Course." The course will be 16 lessons from the books of Romans, and will be a good overview of the Gospel message. This all seems very straightforward. But, although religious freedoms are certainly better in many ways than they were in Soviet times, there is still the possibility for hang-ups.

Please pray about the following...
· Pray that there would be no resistence from the government or others to our offering this service to the community.
· Pray that God would draw people to this Bible-study, and that no hinderances would keep them from coming.
· Pray for "smooth logistics" as we attempt to group those who want to enroll in the course.
· Pray that people would come, be saved, and become a church that will reach out and start other churches.
TIMELINE:
I should get the invitations from the print-shop today (July 21st)
They will be distributed next Friday and Saturday (July 28th and 29th)
We'll be accepting "enrollment" by telephone for a week or two thereafter
We hope to begin meeting with those interested in early/mid August”

Thank you for praying for my friend and the Russians in his city.

Blessings, Brad.

Kentucky Homefolks

2006-07-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

We are very blessed this week to have a volunteer team working with us in Moscow. And they are from the super state of Kentucky!!! Holly Henson, who leads sports ministry on our team, is from KY, and her home association (Caldwell-Lyon) has sent these volunteers. Among the volunteers are Holly’s mom and dad, who happen to be home missionaries, working with NAMB. In addition, another young couple from Tennessee has joined the team, and they are on a scouting trip for a future job assignment in Russia with Southern Baptists. So we have quite a group with us!!!!

Pray for them and for us, as we are prayer-walking, working in the parks with sports ministries, and distributing tracks and Bibles. Specifically, pray for the following individuals, who said they would return to meet with us on Friday night at a local park:

Pasha, Sasha, Seenya, Irina, Andrei, Illya, Daniel, Suran, and others, whose name I cannot remember.

Blessings, Brad.

Blogging Break

2006-06-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Just in case you are a regular at this site, I wanted to inform you that we will not have another post until July 6 or shortly thereafter. Thanks to all of you who continue to pray for God's work in Russia, and specifically, in Moscow!

If you are from the USA, happy July 4th, a little early!

Blessings,

Brad

Musical Missions

2006-06-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

A huge event will take place Thursday, June 22. A choir and orchestra of 300 Americans will be performing a convert entitled "The History of American Spiritual Music." Seating capacity will be over 1000, but we are not sure what to expect. The idea is for believers to come with an unbelieving friend or relative, and hopefully this will lead to discussions about faith. A music missions organization called "Global Missions Project" has organized this event, coordinating the participation of various Christian churches and groups. It is a privilege for me to say that my step mother, Judy Stamey, is here with "Virginia Voices" and will be part of this ministry concert. Pray for God to use the whole event for His glory!

Blessings,

Brad

True Treasure

2006-06-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had the privilege of prayer walking with a lady named “Treasure.” We walked together, along with a group of 7 others, in a region in which we are trying to start a new church. And we prayed for thousands of people, as we passed rows and rows of high-rise apartments, to know about and then receive the True Treasure of Jesus Christ.

(Treasure is part of a music team from Calvary Baptist Church in Winston Salem, N.C., and it has been a blessing for our team to be able to work with a few of them during the last several days.)

Blessings,

Brad

A Day for Dads

2006-06-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

“… when these parenting years have passed, something precious will have flickered and gone out of my life. Thus, I am resolved to enjoy everyday that remains in this fathering era.” - James Dobson

Happy Father's Day

Blessings, Brad.

Therapy

2006-06-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Last month, during a worship service of one of our church plants, a lady stood up and said, “When I come here, I receive therapy.”

On Sunday, June 18, that church plant will meet again for corporate worship. Please pray for God to bless those that come by granting joy, peace, encouragement, and therapy for the soul.

Blessings,

Brad.

Summer Student Sows

2006-06-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

Derek, the student who is living with Mark Sprinkle (on our team) for a month, has developed a close friendship with a Muslim student, whom we will call "Art." Derek has tried to speak of spiritual things with Art, but finds it difficult, especially since they are usually in a group where the topic gets changed quickly. He’s been praying about how to get Art in a one-on-one conversation. Yesterday Derek came home excited to report how he got to share the whole gospel with his friend! He and Art had gotten separated from the others after a visit to the zoo, and while hanging out they read some passages from Scripture and thoughtfully discussed them. Derek and the guys in the FSR team are getting to plant lots of seeds of truth in the minds of Art and their other Russian friends. It is encouraging to see Derek’s boldness and faith grow as he prays and looks for opportunities to share. He prays every night for his friends’ salvation.

Blessings, Brad.

Sister to Sister

2006-06-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

I had the joy yesterday evening of walking a 79 year old woman to the bus stop. Her name is Anastasia, and she regularly attends one of our home groups. A few months ago, Anastasia repented, came to faith in Christ, and now is awaiting baptism in our church plant. As we walked, she told me that she had recently written her sister who lives in another part of Russia, a long way from Moscow. And she shared her testimony of coming to Jesus and meeting regularly now with God’s people in Bible study. She urged her sister to try to find a group of believers which study the Bible.

Her sister replied, saying that she has heard of those kind of people in her city – people that gather for Bible study – but she doesn’t know exactly where to find them. She wrote that she would be looking for these Godly people, so that she too, could learn God’s Word.

Amazing! – how God uses a changed life in Moscow, to have impact through a written letter, on another individual, practically in another country! Pray for Anastasia’s sister to become our “sister in the Lord” by finding a group of believers in her city.

I got on the bus and waved good-bye to a smiling, Spirit-filled, 79 year old, holding a cane – one of God’s cherished children.

Bathroom Reading

2006-06-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

I found one of my sons this morning in the bathroom, lying on the floor. Sick? No, just going through his 959 Plan. Now, before I go any further, you have to understand that our bathroom is what you would call “divided.” We have one small room, in which is nothing but the toilet. Beside the toilet room is a separate room, in which there is a tub and a sink. It was in the tub and sink room that I found my son. The “959 Plan” is a devotional guidebook for new believers, with the idea of spending 9 minutes and 59 seconds with God each day in quiet time. There is a simple prayer method, and there is scripture to read and think about each day. And there are lines for you to share your thoughts and how to apply that day’s scripture. So there he was, finding a quiet place, in order to have his quiet time with the Father; an example for us all. Would you please pray for my son? Which one? The one with the reddish shade of hair. (that didn’t help much, did it?) Why not pray for them all – you'll find their names in the column to the left.

Thanks and blessings, Brad.

Add to your list?

2006-06-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

Many of you were in places where you worshipped God today. I hope your worship was in spirit and in truth, and that the family of believers with whom you worship help to edify you. I was blessed to be in one of our church plants today, in the Golovinski Region, where Genady Krechin is the Russian leader. Seventeen people came together and we observed the Lord’s Supper for the second time. (Russian Baptists regularly have communion the first Sunday of every month) Of the 17, seven individuals have either not committed themselves publicly to the Lord, or they have recently done so and are awaiting baptism. Would you lift them up, please, during your prayer times this week? -- Marina, Vitaly, Svetlana, Anastasia, Galina, Christina, and a young Muslim man who will remain un-named.

Thanks for caring and reading.

Blessings, Brad.

Seventy Five and Counting

2006-06-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you for reading this and for lifting up our requests. During this last week, the new summer students on our team were introduced to 75 Russian students, over a period of 3 days. This is just the beginning, as they seek to develop relationships that will have lasting spiritual impact. So keep praying!

Blessings, Brad.

Wide open young people

2006-05-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

I think it is awesome that 10 college age young people have recently arrived to work on our team here in Moscow. Nine of these will stay for 2 months, live at a university dorm, study Russian, and hopefully develop meaningful relationships with Russian students. Pray for their adjustment here and for their witness.

Golovinski Update

2006-05-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, 17 people came together at the Golovinski church plant for worship and Bible study. Among those who attended were 2 ladies who will receive baptism next month, 3 people who have not made a public profession of faith, and my friend (of a different faith) from Uzbekistan. Next week we will celebrate communion together! Thank you for rejoicing with us, as we watch God put together this body of believers step by step.

Blessings, Brad.

Kitchen Conversations

2006-05-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

One of the special joys I have had over the last few weeks has been overhearing bits and pieces of conversation. Eavesdropping? No, just the pleasure of hearing a Grandpaw talk with his grandsons. Lori’s parents have been with us for the last 3 weeks. And just about every morning – early morning – between 6:00 and 7:00, one or more of my 3 sons would get up and go directly into the kitchen, where they would find their Grandpaw McSwain. Now, you have to realize that our kitchen is small. And yet, my boys would go and sit and simply converse with Grandpaw. About what? Everything – life, nature, God, whatever. And I have taken great joy in thanking God for this brief time when those Kitchen conversations could take place. Memories are a fun thing to create.

Blessings, Brad.