Sunday Service and Building Update 10-23-11

Winter here in Siberia is well on it's way. We had snow this past week and the temperatures are dropping below freezing at night. Since we have no longer been allowed to meet in the cultural building for services here in the village, the adults have been meeting in our home and the children have been meeting on the soccer field near our house. However, as of this week that will no longer be possible due to the change in weather. Although the plan is for the adults to meet in the new house while the children's ministry and youth activities are held in our current house, there still remains work to be done in the new house in order for our family to be able to move in. Last night David and I prepared the dining room of the new house for Sunday school. Since there are still many tools and supplies stored in the house we closed off part of the foyer and dining room where we would hold the class with large sheets of plastic to hold the heat in from a small heater. 

As we made our weekly visits to invite children to Sunday school, we were not able to talk to every one of them to tell them of our moving our class indoors. We printed the address on the invitations we hand out each week but without talking to them personally we can not be sure they read the invite which explained that we would not be meeting outside. So, today we had a day of low attendance. We pray that when are able to spread the word of our new meeting place, that attendance will increase again.

Today's Sunday school class (minus our daughter who took the picture).

One great blessing of today was that the attendance in our adult service was more than

the Sunday school attendance! Praise the Lord for two first-time visitors today! The visitors were two ladies - one of which you will remember from the post about our neighbor's husband who passed away, Baba Vara. Rebekah went to visit her again on Saturday, as she has done so many times, and invited her to church. Baba Vara promised Rebekah she would come on Sunday and she did. On the way over to our house, she and Rebekah stopped at our next door neighbor Lyba's house to see if she wanted to attend. Rebekah was so excited to bring two visitors to church! 

Lyba and Baba Vara with David after the Sunday service.

Both of these ladies have been witnessed to numerous times and we were so encouraged to have them as well as our three faithful attenders in the Sunday service today!

Please continue to pray for us and the progress on the new house. We are currently working on the heating system and will soon be posting more about that process on our building blog. With winter already upon us we have to have the heating system up and running in order to keep the house warm so that we can continue the drywall and other work that remains before we can move in. We appreciate your prayers for us and have been so encouraged by many of you who have kept up to date on the progress and have given towards this need. We are looking forward to our official first service in the new house and can't wait to share the blessings of that day!

First Youth Meeting in the Village

One of the highlights of this month has been the recent survey trip made by James and Amber Pranger to Krasnoyarsk. James came to Russia as a six year old missionary kid years ago along with his parents, Jim and Laura Pranger, and his four siblings. In the winter months of 2004, James, his parents and younger sister moved to Krasnoyarsk to continue their mission work. James left the field when it was time for him to attend college, returning to Russia a few times during his summer breaks. Now that he is married, he and his wife came to Krasnoyarsk on a survey trip before beginning deputation to return as missionaries.

James and his wife, Amber.

They were able to stay for almost two weeks in Krasnoyarsk. We, having already known James, were very excited to meet his wife and have the opportunity to get to know her. They are a very sweet couple and we very much enjoyed the time we were able to spend with them. One day, we took them around sight-seeing and souvenir shopping. Amber is a photographer so she was able to take some pictures around the city as well. 

Amber and I on the pedestrian bridge - downtown Krasnoyarsk

Another day we were able to spend with them, David and James worked in the new house to get some drywall hung up in the church meeting room. While they were busy, I took Amber to visit some of the teen girls so that we could invite them to the upcoming Sunday services when we planned on having our first young people's meeting with James preaching to the teens. Before moving to prepare for deputation, James and Amber had worked in their church where James was the youth pastor. He will be working in what will be their sending church as well upon their return to the States. I also wanted to take Amber around the village to meet some of the wonderful people who we are trying to reach with the gospel. There is nothing better than visiting them in their homes and seeing how they live with your own eyes. Below are a few of the wonderful moments Amber was able to capture during our visits.

On Saturday David and I spent more time inviting teens to the youth meeting. Sunday morning we woke up to some chilly weather but thankfully our prayers were answered and the Lord gave us a beautiful day with pleasant temperatures for services outside.

James, Amber and the whole group of children present for Sunday School.

Once we opened in prayer, we divided the teens from the younger children. James is fluent in Russian so he can jump right in and work in any area needed.

James taught the teens,

while I taught the younger children.

Most of the younger children's class.

Our neighbor's children coming to Sunday school.

Teen girls in attendance

Our daughter, Rebekah, was excited to be able to have a class with girls her age.

After the lesson, the younger children played a favorite game called, 'Eleven." And the older boys enjoyed wearing James out in a game of soccer!

Love this photo of this little guy running behind tall James.

After the services, we enjoyed lunch and fellowship together. We pray they will be able to raise their support quickly and return to the mission field which God has for them. Thank you James and Amber for your visit!