Saturday, October 10, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Love? Justice? God?
This past Wednesday we had a really good response to our last outreach. With all the spiritual conversations we had from the previous outreach we decided to go out on a limb and boldly proclaim Christ. We had 40 people say that they were interested in talking again about spiritual things again.
We decided to invite these contacts back again. This time in stead of films we prepared and performed some skits possing the questions. Does God exist? If there is a God, what is He like? and How can I reach God? We had three people share their stories about how God had answered one of these three questions for them. This really helped us weed out some who were not so interested. God really used this to show truth to Russians as well as give us wisdom as to who we should invest our time into. Only a few more days are left here in the city.
4 people prayed to receive Christ at this event. It was neat to see the different ways that God was working through our team and using us to prevent distractions and avoid the ones that were reoccurring while we were sharing the gospel.
One more outreach to go! This upcoming week we will be hosting an event where we will be teaching American dances and games. Please pray for a great turnout. That we would gather more contacts for the small team coming here in after we leave. That God would give us an urgency to share with our Russian friends before we leave.
We decided to invite these contacts back again. This time in stead of films we prepared and performed some skits possing the questions. Does God exist? If there is a God, what is He like? and How can I reach God? We had three people share their stories about how God had answered one of these three questions for them. This really helped us weed out some who were not so interested. God really used this to show truth to Russians as well as give us wisdom as to who we should invest our time into. Only a few more days are left here in the city.
4 people prayed to receive Christ at this event. It was neat to see the different ways that God was working through our team and using us to prevent distractions and avoid the ones that were reoccurring while we were sharing the gospel.
One more outreach to go! This upcoming week we will be hosting an event where we will be teaching American dances and games. Please pray for a great turnout. That we would gather more contacts for the small team coming here in after we leave. That God would give us an urgency to share with our Russian friends before we leave.
American Film Festival
Two weeks ago we had an awesome outreach that we had planned here in the city. We had an American film festival that we hosted for Russian students. It was free of charge and a whole lot of prayer went into planning the outreach.
We had shown three different films at the festival and after each film that we had shown we would have a discussion. There were about 40 or so Russian students who came out to participate. It was pretty exciting. The first film "control Z" was a short film that talked about undoing things in your past. The second video was a french film called "liberte" that prepped a conversation and freedom. My favorite video was a Russian film that laid out the gospel metaphorically. The film showed a father having sacrifice his little son to save a train that was going to run off the road. This film was very moving for some Russians and we heard some crying through it. I was really surprised to hear this. Most Russians do not show their deep emotions so openly. There is a term we use here quite often in light joking with our Russian friends: 'use face control.'
My friend Yura attended and the next day Abe (a staff member here on our trip with us) and I went to follow up with Yura about the films he had seen the night before. This eventually lead us to a conversation to clearly share the gospel again with him. Abe was here this time to share with me. It helped with the language barrier and this time I felt like this time Yura clearly understood the gospel with the help of Abe translating some difficult things to understand for a foreigner to English. Although Yura did not make a decision he and I are both reading a book by Josh McDowell called 'More than a carpenter.' He is reading it in Russian and I am reading it in English. Pray that this stirs an urgency in his heart to accept the one true living God. I love this guy, but I know time is running short. Please pray for patience and understanding and that Yura continues to see the love of Christ.
We had shown three different films at the festival and after each film that we had shown we would have a discussion. There were about 40 or so Russian students who came out to participate. It was pretty exciting. The first film "control Z" was a short film that talked about undoing things in your past. The second video was a french film called "liberte" that prepped a conversation and freedom. My favorite video was a Russian film that laid out the gospel metaphorically. The film showed a father having sacrifice his little son to save a train that was going to run off the road. This film was very moving for some Russians and we heard some crying through it. I was really surprised to hear this. Most Russians do not show their deep emotions so openly. There is a term we use here quite often in light joking with our Russian friends: 'use face control.'
My friend Yura attended and the next day Abe (a staff member here on our trip with us) and I went to follow up with Yura about the films he had seen the night before. This eventually lead us to a conversation to clearly share the gospel again with him. Abe was here this time to share with me. It helped with the language barrier and this time I felt like this time Yura clearly understood the gospel with the help of Abe translating some difficult things to understand for a foreigner to English. Although Yura did not make a decision he and I are both reading a book by Josh McDowell called 'More than a carpenter.' He is reading it in Russian and I am reading it in English. Pray that this stirs an urgency in his heart to accept the one true living God. I love this guy, but I know time is running short. Please pray for patience and understanding and that Yura continues to see the love of Christ.
Friday, June 12, 2009
God is continuing to work in Russia
Sorry for not posting for so long. It is very difficult to get to a computer and it is quite expensive. For example, it is 49cents a minute to call home from here.
God has been doing some wonderful things since we have been here. A few days ago a staff member and I were eating a burger king, (it is not what you are thinking of, Russia burger kings are a whole different story) and we were looking at some pictures that we often use to help us talk to students about spiritual things. We call these pictures Soularium. A Russian woman name Oxana and her friend came up and started to ask what the pictures were for. I don't know any Russian, and my staff member I was with knows very little as well. Well, to make a long story short, God used the pictures and the help of a bi-lingal track we call 'the four laws' to lead this girl to Christ. It shocked both of us how God used our broken Russian to show here and present her the with the truth. It was awesome and humbling.
There are many Russians who believe that the are Christians here, but that is something that is completely different. Church in Russian culture is tradition, and to be a part of the motions and go to church twice a year in Russia means that you are a christian.
We have had two outreaches since we have been here in Russia. Our first was a sports outreach. We played football, soccer, and ultimate frisbee. We had a huge turn out with 75 Russians who came out. We have made many contacts here in Russia through that event and have been calling them to meet up with them, love on them, and most importantly share the gospel with these people.
The weather is getting quite warm here in Russia. A high of 30 degrees Celsius. Today is the independance day of Russia and there are Russians all over the city. It is a great time to meet people, but most of them are drunk, don't speak English, or are a little too crazy for our teams safety. There is an early curfew tonight, and I'm thankful for it.
We have been able to do some fun things to experience the culture. Last weekend we went to a Russian circus. It was interesting, and there were some acts that surprised us all. Lets just say it wasn't as family friendly as we thought it would be, but that is Russia for you! Please pray for the purity here in the city. Impurity and corruption is introduced so early for the children here. It is seen in most advertisements around the city. Pray for the protection of our eyes as well as the people around us. Our team does not turn on the television while we are here for this reason. I'm starting to realize that being a believer and living in Russia is a very hard thing to do. It would take more sacrifices to really follow after Christ and flea temptation if you were to live here as compared to America.
We did get to experience a Russian ballet the other night. It is surprising how cheap the tickets are! We watched a full ballet with an entire orchestra for about $18. A show at the theatre is about $8-$10 here, and to go to the movies or cinemas as our Russian friends call it, it is about the same $7 or $8.
Please pray for my pen pal Oleg. He is spiritually warm right now. He is pretty faithful in coming to the events we have and is starting to show some strong interest in the gospel. He is having a hard time believing something that he knows so little about. He is really skinny and pale with a tiny little voice! What a character!
Also, please pray for a Russian named Yura. I have shared with him two times and he is struggling with coming to a decision. Yura believes what the gospel says, but thinks it is something for older people since our staff guy Abe shared his story and told Yura that he personally accepted Christ when he was 20. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him I accepted Christ when I was 7! Praise Jesus for that understanding! Yura is now reading a book called 'more than a carpenter' and we are praying that will continue to make the knocking on his heart even more stronger!
God has been doing some wonderful things since we have been here. A few days ago a staff member and I were eating a burger king, (it is not what you are thinking of, Russia burger kings are a whole different story) and we were looking at some pictures that we often use to help us talk to students about spiritual things. We call these pictures Soularium. A Russian woman name Oxana and her friend came up and started to ask what the pictures were for. I don't know any Russian, and my staff member I was with knows very little as well. Well, to make a long story short, God used the pictures and the help of a bi-lingal track we call 'the four laws' to lead this girl to Christ. It shocked both of us how God used our broken Russian to show here and present her the with the truth. It was awesome and humbling.
There are many Russians who believe that the are Christians here, but that is something that is completely different. Church in Russian culture is tradition, and to be a part of the motions and go to church twice a year in Russia means that you are a christian.
We have had two outreaches since we have been here in Russia. Our first was a sports outreach. We played football, soccer, and ultimate frisbee. We had a huge turn out with 75 Russians who came out. We have made many contacts here in Russia through that event and have been calling them to meet up with them, love on them, and most importantly share the gospel with these people.
The weather is getting quite warm here in Russia. A high of 30 degrees Celsius. Today is the independance day of Russia and there are Russians all over the city. It is a great time to meet people, but most of them are drunk, don't speak English, or are a little too crazy for our teams safety. There is an early curfew tonight, and I'm thankful for it.
We have been able to do some fun things to experience the culture. Last weekend we went to a Russian circus. It was interesting, and there were some acts that surprised us all. Lets just say it wasn't as family friendly as we thought it would be, but that is Russia for you! Please pray for the purity here in the city. Impurity and corruption is introduced so early for the children here. It is seen in most advertisements around the city. Pray for the protection of our eyes as well as the people around us. Our team does not turn on the television while we are here for this reason. I'm starting to realize that being a believer and living in Russia is a very hard thing to do. It would take more sacrifices to really follow after Christ and flea temptation if you were to live here as compared to America.
We did get to experience a Russian ballet the other night. It is surprising how cheap the tickets are! We watched a full ballet with an entire orchestra for about $18. A show at the theatre is about $8-$10 here, and to go to the movies or cinemas as our Russian friends call it, it is about the same $7 or $8.
Please pray for my pen pal Oleg. He is spiritually warm right now. He is pretty faithful in coming to the events we have and is starting to show some strong interest in the gospel. He is having a hard time believing something that he knows so little about. He is really skinny and pale with a tiny little voice! What a character!
Also, please pray for a Russian named Yura. I have shared with him two times and he is struggling with coming to a decision. Yura believes what the gospel says, but thinks it is something for older people since our staff guy Abe shared his story and told Yura that he personally accepted Christ when he was 20. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him I accepted Christ when I was 7! Praise Jesus for that understanding! Yura is now reading a book called 'more than a carpenter' and we are praying that will continue to make the knocking on his heart even more stronger!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
First few days in Russia
Well we have arrived in Russia and the weather has been quite nice since we got here. Jet lag is still a pending factor as I tend to wake up around 4AM in the morning.
Thursday (1st day in the city)
We arrived at 3AM in Perm and this was my first time going through customs in another country. It was very interesting for me. When the plane landed in the city we deboarded on some stairs and walked ten feet to a bus that all passengers boarded. The bus then drove another 40 feet to the building to go through passport control. We seriously could have walked there and have no idea why we got on a bus? But that is Russian culture for you. The airport was a complete hole in the wall. VERY SMALL! Wow, I was shocked. Maybe four benches that you could sit down at in the entire airport.
We walked outside and it was somewhat dark. We met a russian named Yura who is a missionary for Y-WAM here in the city and he through all of our bags into the back of a truck that looked like it was from the TV show MASH. Quite funny I'd say. On our way into the city we passed six or so car dealerships. I was surprised, if you would look at the city, you wouldn't expect to see that many, maybe one, but not six. We took a short nap and then went on a scavenger hunt in the city! OH THE STARES! You can definitly tell we are American. It is not the way we look, but the way that we dress. I'll explain more later. We went to one of the colleges here and some russian girls standing in front of a water fountain asked if I could 'you take photo' and I did. It was her birthday and she was wearing a dress out of 1985! That is the best way to describe the city. Go back 20 years and that best describes the way it looks around here. Run down I'd say.
There was a festival for the city here yesterday and we went to check it out. We all played some russian dance games there and when the band on stage started to play swing music we all ran out and started dancing. All the russians watched us. We sucked, but it was fun for our team. My russian is getting better and I'm starting to forget some english? Strange, but it is happening to us all. Our brains feel like mush.
Weird Culture things:
When entering a store you must put your bag you have with you in a locker or seal it in a plastic bag. There is a bag lady whose job is to seal your bag in a little bag.
This is the hardest thing for us American guys is not smiling. If you do it here, that means you like the girl you are looking at. It is hard for us, we feel like idiots because we don't know the language and it sends a mixed message. Russian men do not show any emotion on there face. We ave a saying around here on project, 'practice face control.' Well, I suck at it.
I have met two russian men here, Dami and Yura. I'm setting up appointments here soon to meet up with them. Pray that it all works out!
Pray for safety of the team
Pray for the breaking down of language barriers
Pray for unity on the team
Pray for Jesus to be seen through us all at all times!
Thursday (1st day in the city)
We arrived at 3AM in Perm and this was my first time going through customs in another country. It was very interesting for me. When the plane landed in the city we deboarded on some stairs and walked ten feet to a bus that all passengers boarded. The bus then drove another 40 feet to the building to go through passport control. We seriously could have walked there and have no idea why we got on a bus? But that is Russian culture for you. The airport was a complete hole in the wall. VERY SMALL! Wow, I was shocked. Maybe four benches that you could sit down at in the entire airport.
We walked outside and it was somewhat dark. We met a russian named Yura who is a missionary for Y-WAM here in the city and he through all of our bags into the back of a truck that looked like it was from the TV show MASH. Quite funny I'd say. On our way into the city we passed six or so car dealerships. I was surprised, if you would look at the city, you wouldn't expect to see that many, maybe one, but not six. We took a short nap and then went on a scavenger hunt in the city! OH THE STARES! You can definitly tell we are American. It is not the way we look, but the way that we dress. I'll explain more later. We went to one of the colleges here and some russian girls standing in front of a water fountain asked if I could 'you take photo' and I did. It was her birthday and she was wearing a dress out of 1985! That is the best way to describe the city. Go back 20 years and that best describes the way it looks around here. Run down I'd say.
There was a festival for the city here yesterday and we went to check it out. We all played some russian dance games there and when the band on stage started to play swing music we all ran out and started dancing. All the russians watched us. We sucked, but it was fun for our team. My russian is getting better and I'm starting to forget some english? Strange, but it is happening to us all. Our brains feel like mush.
Weird Culture things:
When entering a store you must put your bag you have with you in a locker or seal it in a plastic bag. There is a bag lady whose job is to seal your bag in a little bag.
This is the hardest thing for us American guys is not smiling. If you do it here, that means you like the girl you are looking at. It is hard for us, we feel like idiots because we don't know the language and it sends a mixed message. Russian men do not show any emotion on there face. We ave a saying around here on project, 'practice face control.' Well, I suck at it.
I have met two russian men here, Dami and Yura. I'm setting up appointments here soon to meet up with them. Pray that it all works out!
Pray for safety of the team
Pray for the breaking down of language barriers
Pray for unity on the team
Pray for Jesus to be seen through us all at all times!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Briefing
We have been briefing these past two days in Lexington and will be departing tomorrow afternoon. We have been doing everything from 'getting to know you' activities to team building activities, spent some time with the Lord as a team and individually, and worshiped a praised together.
God is teaching us all great things as we get ready to embark on this journey. It has been awesome to see the Lord provide for all of us these past few days. THOUSANDS of dollars of come in for Christ to use us with this summer. Thanks for serving with me in your finances and prayers.
Again, please be praying for Russian souls for this summer. During our briefing God has been revealing to me that the soil in Russia is a whole lot harder to plant than in America. Russian students seem to take time to process things to really get an understanding and foot on the concept of the gospel. Please be praying for our pen pals as we continue to share with them and love on them through e-mail. Pray that we can make some quick arrangements to meet up with them once we land in Russia.
Please pray for my roommate in Russia that is on my team. We will soon be finding out who this is. Please pray for us as we go through security and travel these next two days. We will be tired after 15 and a half hours of flying not including our many hours that we sit in line, wait in different airports, and go through security. Hope to be able to write frequently once in Russia.
God is teaching us all great things as we get ready to embark on this journey. It has been awesome to see the Lord provide for all of us these past few days. THOUSANDS of dollars of come in for Christ to use us with this summer. Thanks for serving with me in your finances and prayers.
Again, please be praying for Russian souls for this summer. During our briefing God has been revealing to me that the soil in Russia is a whole lot harder to plant than in America. Russian students seem to take time to process things to really get an understanding and foot on the concept of the gospel. Please be praying for our pen pals as we continue to share with them and love on them through e-mail. Pray that we can make some quick arrangements to meet up with them once we land in Russia.
Please pray for my roommate in Russia that is on my team. We will soon be finding out who this is. Please pray for us as we go through security and travel these next two days. We will be tired after 15 and a half hours of flying not including our many hours that we sit in line, wait in different airports, and go through security. Hope to be able to write frequently once in Russia.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Flight Itinerary
Many of you were wondering my flight itinerary. Please pray for my team and I as we travel.
Tuesday Mary 26th
Depart Lexington, KY 5:30pm
Arrive in Chicago, IL 5:56PM
Depart Chicago 10:00pm
Arrive Frankfurt, Germany 1:30pm (May 27th)
Wednesday, May 27th
Depart Frankfurt 5:40pm
Arrive in Russia 3:10am(May 28th)
(layover in Russia city)
Perm is 10 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone. Please pray as we will start our day when you go to bed. When you awake in the morning pray that we get a good night sleep.
Tuesday Mary 26th
Depart Lexington, KY 5:30pm
Arrive in Chicago, IL 5:56PM
Depart Chicago 10:00pm
Arrive Frankfurt, Germany 1:30pm (May 27th)
Wednesday, May 27th
Depart Frankfurt 5:40pm
Arrive in Russia 3:10am(May 28th)
(layover in Russia city)
Perm is 10 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone. Please pray as we will start our day when you go to bed. When you awake in the morning pray that we get a good night sleep.
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