Photo of the Week - 11/8/2015

I really love this photo. It was taken several years ago when myself and another missionary who so kindly offered to help me plan a Ladies' Tea for the 8th of March, Woman's Day, here in Russia. The goal was to invite mothers of our Sunday school children, as well as, ladies in our village in order to introduce myself to them and help them feel more comfortable with what we are trying to do here in the ministry. 

I won't go into the details of the party but, I share this photo to ask for your prayers for us as we head into the holiday season. Christmas is such a wonderful opportunity to invite our neighbors into our home and get to know them better. Building relationships is very important here. We must gain their trust before ever being able to share Christ with them. 

Now that our house is a little more done, we are looking forward to opening our home in the coming weeks to precious friends and families. Join us in praying that we may reach them for Christ.

Vacation Bible School 2013 Daily Themes

We are sharing another VBS theme with you from, what I believe, was one of our favorite (if the kids could vote) VBS themes from 2013. I had been looking over different ways to incorporate science experiments into our VBS program as a way to really get the kids' attention and help them "see" the Bible lessons we are trying to teach them. Using these Bible stories along with the experiments from Mad About Jesus, was a great success! These experiments are a lot of work to gather and prepare for each day but they add so much to your program and the looks on the kids' faces definitely are only one reason they are more than worth it!

Theme for the Week: Laboratory of Fun

Goal: To use science experiments as visual reinforcement to the daily Bible lessons.

First you will need a Professor to do the daily experiments.

We asked a lady who attended our services if she would be our Professor and perform the science experiments each day. Please meet "Mrs.'Pipetkina' - (taken from the word 'pipette') 

It was a great experience for her to help out and gain this experience. She and I spent much time together praying for each lesson as we gathered together daily over several days to translate the experiments into Russian. Each day I stood by her to help in case she needed something and to hold up verses which we had printed out that went along with the experiment.

Day 1: Theme: Sin separates us from God but by accepting Him as our personal Savior we can receive forgiveness of our sins. 

Story: Samaritan woman at the well

Verses: John 4:1-30, 39-42

Science Experiment:  - Object Lesson 1: "One Sin"

Day 2: Theme: We are saved by faith, not our good works.

Story: Pharisee and the Publican 

Verses: Luke 18:9-14

Science Experiment: Object Lesson 8: "Only the Penitent Man Shall Pass"

Day 3: Theme: Through Christ we can do all things.

Story: Peter walks on the water

Verses: Matthew 14:22-33

Science Experiment: Object Lesson 12: "Leap of Faith"

 THIS was a lot of work but a HUGE hit with the kids!

Even some of the adults wanted to "walk on the water".

Day 4: Theme:He will strengthen us if we ask Him in prayer.

Story: David and Goliath

Verses: I Kings 17

Science Experiment: Object Lesson 2: "Even Little People Can Do Big Things"

NO PHOTOGRAPHER MEANS NO PICTURES FROM DAY FOUR. (Insert sad face)

But, I will take this time to show you an amazing photo booth another missionary painted for our special VBS week. Isn't it awesome!?

Day 5: Theme: Christ died for us because He loves us.

Story: Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch - 

Verses: Acts 8:26-40

Science Experiment: Object Lesson 11a: "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

 This was the greatest object lesson of the week which made it perfect for the final day's experiment. A great illustration that had passersby stopping to watch to see what happened.

We pray this post is a  help and encouragement to you as you prepare for upcoming VBS programs in your area of the world. We would love to hear from you if you use any of these ideas.

A Reason to Celebrate

Today, November 2nd, 2014 is a special day for our family as it marks 15 years of serving the Lord on the mission field of Siberia, Russia. It is truly hard to believe we have been here for that long!

I put together this slide show to share with you many of the blessings we have witnessed over the years. 

God is GOOD!

We would like to express our sincere appreciate to those of you who have prayed, given, encouraged, and loved us along the way. 

We truly could not have stayed here this long without you holding the ropes for us!

We look forward to many more years and many more blessings. 

We have so many dreams, hopes, and wishes that we beg God to allow us to see come to fruition here in Siberia. 

Please pray for us as we continue on in His name.

God gave the increase!

Quite a few years ago (2007 if I remember correctly), through helping out another Christian man with some building projects in our village, my husband met a family. This family lived in the city during the school year but came out to stay with Grandma and Grandpa who lived in the village, during the summer months. While my husband and Zhenia, the man he worked with, completed these projects at Grandma and Grandpa's house, they often witnessed to the great grandmother who also lived there. It was an unusual situation with four generations under one roof! In all there was great grandma, her daughter and son-in-law (Grandma and Grandpa), and their two daughters who were both married. The oldest daughter, Yuliya, and her husband, Vanya, had two children. The younger sister, Nastya, was married to Oleg and would soon be expecting their daughter, Dasha. Through working on these projects, and the daughters realizing that David was an American; Yuliya, and her sister, Nastya, opened up to let the guys know that they themselves taught English. One taught at a school and the other at the Aerospace University! My husband, David, and his friend, Zhenia, continued to witness and talk with the great grandmother since she would often work alongside them in the garden. It was a great opportunity to get to know this family better!

I, Dee Dee, was also able to meet this family, along with our children. The daughters, Yuliya and Nastya, and I enjoyed visiting together and two of our children were close in age. We invited the children to Sunday school and visited them every Saturday to invite them through giving them coloring sheets to bring to the next day. Through time, Yuliya began bringing her kids to Sunday school and even attended the Bible study herself. They came every chance they could and would even drive in from the city to attend church. We thought for sure that Yuliya would soon see her need for Christ and be saved. 

Pollina and Zhenia, little cuties - August 10, 2008

However, through time she got involved in a business that kept her busy. The kids had recitals and gymnastics to keep them busy and they stopped coming to Sunday school. We tried to keep in touch with them and were amazed that they would reconnect with us during the holidays, often exchanging gifts with our children at Christmas time. But, there were a few years where we heard nothing from them.

Sometimes during the summer months when time allowed them to, the kids would come to church. Once we found out they were in the village for the summer we would again make weekly visits to their grandparent's house to invite them. But, Yuliya herself would not attend services. The family was usually out of town during the VBS programs, which we always wished the children could attend. It was one of those situations when we thought, what was it that caused Yuliya to stop coming to services? And with that thought came a million others, maybe she was convicted? Maybe she was offended? Maybe she was afraid to take the next step and accept Christ?

As we missionaries often do, we ourselves thought there had to be a reason why she stopped coming. 

But, there never seemed to be any real reason. 

The devil sometimes gives them just enough busyness in their lives to distract them and keep them 

from making a decision for Christ.

Fast forward to last year's VBS program 2013. 

Yuliya and her sister, Nastya heard about our VBS and brought their children to most of the week's activities!

Pollina invited a neighbor to come as her guest which has caused this pre-teen girl to start to regularly attend Sunday school!

This year, upon our return to Russia from our furlough, we again reconnected with Yuliya and her family, to invite them to Sunday school. Thankfully, all three children, began faithfully attending this summer and were able to attend every day of this year's VBS program! Just before the week of VBS began, Zhenia expressed an interest in knowing more about salvation. As I was talking to him after service, Pollina came up to listen in and agreed that she too wanted to know more! I promised them that I would talk to their Mom since she and I have had a good relationship so that she knew how the Lord was working in their hearts. After the first day of VBS, I was able to take Yuliya aside and explain to her that her children wanted to accept Christ. She, not completely understanding herself all that repentance meant,  at that point agreed to read the "Done" book during the week of VBS and to come to me with any questions. She and her sister came each day as they could and sat in on every Bible lesson. Pollina and Zhenia even worked hard to earn medals for memorizing the most verses! Pollina beat out her brother for third place by memorizing 52 verses. Zhenia said 50 verses!

The next Sunday after the week of VBS was finished, Yuliya was in services while her children were in Sunday school. As they worked to finish reading "Done" together, we prayed for their understanding and offered to answer any questions. Yuliya herself, asked if she and the kids could come over during the week to visit. Every Sunday after services they have stayed to visit with us just because. This past Sunday, they explained how close they were to finishing the "Done" book and that they would complete it this week. Today, they were faithful to come early to be in their places for Sunday school. Once service was over, and I dealt with several other people and some medical questions, Yuliya waited patiently to visit with me while the kids played together. I asked about the "Done" book and if they were able to finish it this week. She said they read the rest of it in a day. Then she said, "There is a prayer of repentance at the end of it. We all three read it together and Zhenia asked me, 'Mom, does that mean that we just got saved?' I told him, I don't think so, Zhenia. We need to ask Dee Dee but, I think there must be more to it than simply reading this prayer." So, that broke the ice for more questions. I explained again how that in Romans 10:9-10 the Bible says: 

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." 

 I asked Yuliya if she would like for me to go through verses with her again and she agreed. She immediately called her children in and she, Pollina, and Zhenia listened intently as I explained the plan of salvation to them in detail.

I am happy to say that after our discussion, all in the same room and one at a time, all three of them placed their trust in Jesus Christ and accepted God's free gift of salvation!

Here is a photo of us in our home after we all spent some time together rejoicing over their decision to live for Christ!

Since Yuliya just today expressed an interest in reading the Bible together with her kids, she was excited to take the discipleship workbooks home with her for them to work on together as a family. Please pray for us as we explain baptism to them in detail, disciple them, and for the salvation of Yuliya's husband, Vanya.

GOD IS GOOD!

Wounded Soldiers (Katya's story - Part One)

(NOTE: I began writing this post as it is dated, back in February of 2013. I struggled with how to write and express all that happened as my husband and I fought for months to help this dear lady, Katya, receive medical care she so desperately needed, as well as, help her family cope with the reality of her illness. This post is the beginning of the wonderful story of Katya's salvation and the precious few months she lived as a Christian.)


This past week was a blur to us.

Almost like a nightmare that we would really like to forget.

As you pass through these halls it is almost like you are walking through a war zone;

walking past wounded soldiers weary from the fight.

In reality, it is the local cancer hospital where people should be able to come to find rest and seek treatment.

Being one of two cancer hospitals in the entire region rest and relaxation is a far cry from what you see

on the faces of those who have found themselves here.

Instead you see people, many of whom have traveled for miles just to have their diagnostic tests done and

hopefully be "lucky" enough or "sick enough" to be admitted the day they arrive.

They are exhausted from standing in lines

for endless hours only to be told they must come back later,

or even that there is no room for them at all, unless they can pay for their medical care.

You see, the situation here in Russia with cancer is critical.

The numbers of patients is growing.

I just heard a statistic that 5,000 children in Russia are diagnosed with cancer each year.

Less than half of them will actually receive care.

The best hospitals are not in the small towns but in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other large cities.

Then there is the older generation which comprises most of the patients here in our area.

We currently have two cancer hospitals in Krasnoyarsk.

They are overflowing with needy patients.

Take Katya, for example, the mother of one of our most faithful ladies.

This week was spent just doing our best just trying to get her admitted to the cancer hospital.

You see, she started telling me sometime last month (January 2013) that she was having trouble swallowing.

I told her she should see a doctor.

Fast forward a few weeks later and we find out she is in the hospital because of fluid building up in her abdominal cavity so much that she could hardly stand up. We understood what this more than likely meant - CANCER.

Katya was released from the hospital after they kept her for almost a week (if I remember correctly). The doctors told her she needed to be seen by a doctor in the city because they did not deal with these type of situations like hers. They really told her very little and eventually a doctor there agreed to drain some of the fluid off of her abdomen to ease the discomfort. While she was in the hospital a lady in her room kept telling her not to worry or be afraid that she would be okay. This Orthodox lady showed her prayers from her book of prayers and told Katya that she needed to buy a cross from the Orthodox church and "pray" those prayers. Katya returned home on a Wednesday so just after the service, I took her daughter, Sveta, and grandkids home from the service to try to talk more with Katya about her medical and spiritual needs. The Lord chose the perfect time for us to talk this time, as I had tried before to sit down with Katya and share God's plan of salvation with her but was unable to. This time, we talked a bit about her medical problems. Then she began sharing with me about what her roommate had told her and about her fears as she lay in that hospital bed. The conversation led right into sharing the gospel! I was able to reassure Katya that SHE can't handle what is in store and can't know the future but God does and wants to use this to draw her to HIM! After talking a little, Katya agreed to let me read some Scriptures to her while her daughter and granddaughters sat across the room. Katya soon expressed her desire to come to Christ and place her faith and trust in Him to save her. I prayed for Katya and then offered for her to pray and accept Christ and she cried out to God verbally and asked Him into her heart begging Him to save her! What a precious prayer Katya prayed to a loving heavenly father! She said "Amen," and she hugged me. Relief was audible in her voice. Her daughter hugged her while I sat with her teen granddaughter and noticed tears streaming down her face as well. We all rejoiced in that moment as we had all prayed for years for Katya to come to Christ!

From that point on, we strongly desired that God would be glorified in Katya's life no matter what the outcome! That evening I told Katya that whatever news she may hear as she goes into the cancer hospital for further testing, it will be God's will for her life and she can safely trust in His promises. That very evening she became visibly at peace even through her pain and suffering, now that her eternity was settled!

(to be continued...)

Sunday School Caroling 2012

Each year since we first arrived in Russia we have been involved in special Christmas cantatas and plays during the long holiday season. The only problem is that with us serving in Siberia, the time when most of these activities are scheduled to take place is usually during the coldest time of the winter. Often that means that people are not physically able to attend or have no desire to leave their houses or warm apartment buildings in -30 degrees Celsius temperatures! 

So, in an effort to teach my Sunday school kids to show kindness to others and be a blessing to the elderly and physically handicapped, we went caroling from house to house through the village! 

Honestly, I had been wanting to do this for several years but, when the temperatures drop often the kids also stay at home snuggled in their beds and only the most faithful ones come out to Sunday school. This year we had a good group of faithful kids and they were excited about doing something new.

First of all, we decided to go caroling on a Sunday afternoon just after our Sunday morning service. Most of the kids went home for lunch and we fed a couple at our house before gathering them all up in our truck. Going caroling on a Sunday worked out to be the best way to ensure that the kids would all be there as they promised. 

Cramming into the truck was just part of the fun!

Yes, it was a little "crowded"!

Here are a few photos from several of our stops.

We sang to this precious lady, Nina. She is Angelina's (the little girl in the photo) great grandmother.

We visited families of some of our SS kids and elderly ladies who are no longer able to walk and get out of their apartments without assistance. But, our last stop, in my opinion, was the most memorable for all of the children. 

The young lady seated on the right in the photo below has been a friend of our family's since we first moved to the village. We were introduced to her through the English teacher at the village school. She suffered a seizure when she was about six years old and the damage left her handicapped. Her family moved out to the village with the hope that it would help her. She has improved tremendously since that time. 

What a blessing to hear her mother, grandmother, and grandfather thank us over and over again for taking the time to come to "cheer them up" with our visit and singing. It was GOOD for the kids to see this eighteen year old girl in such physical condition yet she studies in school and wants to be just like them. 

I couldn't have been happier with the responses we received from these dear people we visited. What a blessing it was to me and what memories were made for the kids.

Traditionally, if you do something nice for someone or visit them around Christmas time you WILL walk away with more than you can imagine. Today was no different for us!

Here is our loot after all of our visits! We also gave away some candy bars before this photo was taken. The children divided up the candy among themselves.

I pray this was the beginning of a new tradition and that many look forward to it each year from now on!

Another Soul Receives Christ!

This has been an amazing week for us here in Russia. We both are so grateful for how the Lord has worked and the doors He has opened for us here. As you read in our last post, Lena accepted Christ on a Monday. That day, just before she left the village to return to live in the city, she was so excited as she told me of a neighbor with whom she wanted to share the gospel. We supplied her with a New Testament, several "God's Simple Plan of Salvation" tracts, a few other tracts, and a Roman's Road bookmarker. Lena was equipped and ready to witness to her neighbor! 

The next day, Lena called me to share that she gave her neighbor, Marina, the tracts and New Testament and that she wanted to thank us for these precious gifts. She then proceeded to explain how she had shared with Marina that she herself accepted Christ's free gift of salvation and that now Marina wanted to get saved! She asked if I could help tell her what to do next in order to help Marina come to Christ! I quickly shared this news with David and we excitedly told the ladies that we could come to them to talk further with Marina.

Due to some family difficulties, Marina explained that it would be better for us to come during the day on that Thursday. So, we arrived at Lena's sometime in the afternoon.  Marina came up from her apartment to meet us and talk with Dee. After talking with her for several hours, Marina had to return home to prepare lunch for her live-in boyfriend who would returning home on his break from work.

In that time we were able to hear about Marina's current relationship with the father of her youngest son. He is from Dagestan and claims to be a Muslim. She had been previously married and has one older son from that relationship. Marina was completely aware that she was living in sin and she had been searching for a way to change her life. 

Marina returned to Lena's apartment to continue talking with Dee and she soon realized that the first thing she needed to do was to accept Christ. Her family relationship would take time to sort out but she understood that she needed Christ in her life before anything else could change for the better. So, right there in Lena's children's bedroom, Marina bowed her head and asked for forgiveness of her sins and accepted Christ as her Savior! 

At that point, we called Lena into the room and the three ladies rejoiced together at what God had done in these two ladies lives! We realize that there is a long road ahead with dealing with the family situations but God will finish the work He has started in them! 

After much rejoicing we all decided that we would continue our meeting weekly with David teaching the ladies and Dee teaching the children as a Sunday school class. The first week we met we were so happy to meet Marina's two children who came to Sunday School for the first time in their lives. Marina was so happy to be able to bring them and know that her children would begin learning about God.

Here is a photo taken by our daughter, Rebekah, of our newest Sunday School class.

Please be in prayer for Marina, as well as, Lena as they strive to live for the Lord and be a light in their families.  Marina is well aware of the many important decisions she has to make some of which are in the immediate future. 

We are so excited and actually surprised by this new ministry God has opened up for us. These ladies live on the right bank of our city which is a good drive for us each week. We would have never guessed that God would have us work in this part of town after we moved out to the village! Pray for these new opportunities and for the others that God wants us to reach in this area of Krasnoyarsk!

What a wonderful Savior is Jesus My Lord!

During the week of VBS held here in the village we were paid a visit by a mother, Lena, of two siblings who began attending our Sunday school last summer. She was very grateful for our ministry and thanked me multiple times for teaching them the Bible and holding VBS as a way for them to have fun and learn more about God. During the summer, Lena travels back and forth from their apartment in the city to her parent's house here in the village. The children stay with their grandparents (Lena's parents) as much as possible so that they can get a break from the city and enjoy playing with their friends here in Elita. 

Last summer, Lena was still working and was hardly free to come out to the village therefore we only had the opportunity to meet her this summer when she came by to see what VBS was all about. 

Lena stopped by to watch the children one day and then she came again on the last day of VBS to watch her children receive their medals. 

On the last day I told her about our services on Sunday and Wednesday and invited her to come. She was very interested in the fact that we had services for adults. That was a Saturday.

Then, she walked to our house with her children on Sunday morning all dressed up and asked if it was alright if she came to services! She really enjoyed the service and said she would come again. From then on, she has come to every service when she is in the village. One day, her daughter relayed a message to me from Lena that she wanted to talk with me. I told her that I could have her over the next morning and she came to visit with me as we had planned. During that time She explained to me that she had come to "make friends" with me. You see, she and her husband, who is from Tajikistan, are building a house down the street from our house. She said that she really enjoyed talking with me and wanted to make a point to be friendly so that later when we would practically be neighbors, we would already be friends.

The Lord opened the opportunity for me to learn more about Lena and her life. She is a very intelligent lady. I learned about her education. She studied to be a geneticist. She is a very well read lady. But more importantly than all this, she shared a secret with me that has been tormenting her for years. 

Approximately 20 years ago, Lena had an abortion. As she shared this burden and explained how it has affected her life, I saw a broken soul who has been searching for forgiveness from God for a very long time. As she explained it she realized herself that forgiveness was exactly what she needed but she didn't know how or exactly where to find it.

She had since learned through attending our services that Christ died on the cross. However, she didn't understand that through Christ we have redemption and forgiveness of our sins. 

She wondered why Christ died. 

She said to me, "He must have died for himself."

 Then she and I took a walk through the Roman's Road and I explained to her WHY Christ died. 

He died for me. But most importantly for HER! 

When I explained to her that Christ died to pay for her sins through the shedding of His blood on the cross. And that when a person accepts Christ as their personal Savior, as far as the East is from the West, he remembers our sins no more; she started sobbing. 

Then she asked if she could hug me. 

It was a very special moment I hope I never forget.

As we parted that day, Lena shared how she would still need to "weed" out her thoughts and think more about what all we discussed that day. I was amazed that we actually were able to go through the Roman's Road. I knew how much reading she had done. At times she also seemed so confused about spiritual matters that I felt we would have to sit down many times together before I would even be able to begin sharing the Roman's Road with her.

Since that day, Lena continued to come to services. 

We were able to find her a whole Bible. Then through some difficulties with the building of her family's house, she came to my husband to ask some building questions. Long story short, she has spent a lot of time at our house and David has helped her in the redesigning of their house plans. During this time we have been able to spend more time with her mother, as well as meet her husband. 

Just yesterday, as she stopped in to ask about coming back for more help she shared with me through tears that she wanted to talk to me because she was ready to accept Christ. She tried to make it back to our house yesterday evening but she was not able to get away from her family after dinner. 

So, this morning I receive a phone call from Lena asking if she could come over to talk about the building and about salvation. The day was very gloomy with lots of heavy rain and fog but I was excited and looking forward to what I had prayed was about to take place. Lena came in and we sat down on the couch together. I had written down a few verses which the Lord brought to my mind this morning to share with her and we began reading those verses. She explained to me some of her thoughts and about an hour and a half later we knelt by our couch to pray together. I prayed for her and then she prayed and accepted Christ as her personal Savior! I wish you could have heard her prayer. It was beautiful. She cried as I shared some things with her as we knelt there together for a moment. 

As we sat back on the couch Lena immediately began talking about a friend of hers, a Russian lady, who is also married to a Muslim man. She has already told this friend about us and about attending services. Now that she has accepted Christ Lena wants to share more with her and even try to invite the friend over so they can "attend" our services through Skype. David and I have already talked about driving to Lena's apartment to visit their family and hopefully be able to study the Bible with her and maybe even her Muslim husband. She shared with me that her husband is very interested in the Bible and that he even downloads Christian films off the internet and watches them over and over again. Thankfully, I had an audio disk of the gospel in the Tajiki language that I was able to give her to give to her husband. Please pray for his salvation as well. I will not give his name on here at this point.

This picture was taken a few minutes after Lena accepted Christ. 

We had been crying and enjoying the moment together so it is maybe not the best photograph we could have taken. 

But it is a picture of another soul that found forgiveness and mercy through Jesus Christ. 

That makes it beautiful! 

I love this picture and I will forever cherish these moments. 

This is why we came to Siberia. 

We came for Lena and the many others like her searching...

I can't wait to meet the next soul we came to share Christ with. 

Football...in Siberia!?

While we were in the States on our last furlough (Fall of 2008-Spring of 2009) we shared with the churches we visited  how we were praying specifically about the use of sports as another way to reach young people. We had already been contacted by a Russian man who loved American football and was getting together with some guys who met to practice, as best they knew how, without a coach or trainer. They all had hopes that someday they would see a team formed here in Krasnoyarsk. This man kept in touch with David for several years. Even while we were in the States on furlough he e-mailed us to wish us a Merry Christmas and say "Hello" from time to time. David attended a "practice" or two and was asked by this new friend if he would be able to coach these guys to help them get ready to actually play against other teams in Russia. We found out a bit later that there is even a larger interest in a local football team than just with the group of men who want to play.  Evidently there is a desire with the local city government to see a team formed as well.

There even was some financing at some point and the guys actually had pads and other equipment shipped from the States.  Over the years some of the equipment has been dispersed and they are now ordering the remaining amount that they need in order to have everyone in a uniform and proper gear.

Recently, as he promised to do, the guy who has kept in contact with David over the last few years, called us to let us know that the guys are now ready for a coach to get them game ready. Since we had been praying about this opportunity for some time as well as for the Lord to help us reach more young men, David accepted and is now the main trainer for the Siberian Bears football team.

I have been so looking forward to this post! I think I have also been more excited about this whole endeavor than my husband. He is thinking...I don't know THAT much about football!! I am thinking...I don't have to coach them, just invite them and their families into our home and make friends with their wives for witnessing opportunities galore! Awesome! What more could I ask for???

Since practices have been in full swing for several weeks now, I think David is doing a wonderful job on the coaching side and the guys are very pleased with him and the progress they have made in such a short period of time.

In order for the guys to make it to practice after work and school/institute, practice is often scheduled in the late evenings. With our car being "out of comission" this makes it a bit more difficult for David to get home after practice since buses do not run that late out to the village where we live. It has been great to hear that the guys always offer to take him home after practice. This time spent in the car with different players has given David more opportunities to witness and get to know each of them better. Thank the Lord for a positive side to us not having a car right now!

Please pray for us in this new and exciting ministry opportunity. We are thanking God for it and praying He will be glorified in every part of it. Winning games will be the reward for the guys. Winning souls through this will be our reward!

"and weep with them that weep." Romans 12:15

Please forgive such a lengthy post but it is a story of  a special opportunity the Lord recently gave us in our ministry here. We pray it is a blessing for you to read.

David and I moved our family out to the village almost six years ago now. Almost immediately everyone began talking about the new Americans who had "moved in". We were so excited to be able to live in a house with next door neighbors with whom we could build relationships. One elderly lady, "Baba (Russian for Grandma) Vara" who lived two houses away from us on our street came right away to meet our family. Right away she wanted to take the kids to her house for a visit. She wanted to give them treats or fruit to be kind. She even left some fresh baked sweet rolls and candy tied to our door on our first New Year's morning in the village. Over the years we have lived in the village, we have developed great relationships with our neighbors. We look out for each other's children and help each other in any way we can. It wasn't long before our daughter Rebekah became a frequent guest at Baba Vara's house. 

Baba Vara walking hand in hand with Ryan while Beka runs along to her house.

Rebekah soon learned that Baba Vara had never learned to read. In an effort to try to witness to her, Beka would come over for a visit to share the Bible story we had learned in Sunday school each week.

Rebekah with Baba Vara

Ryan watching "Grandpa Gleb" cut grass in our lower field to feed his animals.

We invited Baba Vara and her husband to church services many times. Beka continued to witness to both of them even though the Grandpa was practically deaf. She gave them a Bible and tracts and prayed for their salvation faithfully. It always concerned Beka that with the Grandpa being so hard of hearing if he was truly hearing her as she retold the Bible story each week. We continued to pray for the both of them and visit them often. One time when Baba Vara had been sick, Rebekah and I both went over to try to share the Gospel with her again and show her from the Bible how to be saved. Baba Vara listened intently to every verse. However, she simply stated that she would pray "that way" and since she was already very religious, it was obvious that she didn't fully understand her need for salvation. 

Approximately one month ago, as Baba Vara and I met outside to chat a bit, she shared with me that her husband was sick and in the hospital. She fought back tears as she described how the doctors could not lower his blood pressure which had risen even higher since his admission. Within a few weeks, the doctors told the family there was nothing they could do for him and that they would just release him to home.  They were able to find out that he had a stroke and although he had lived past the critical point, he was paralyzed on one side and now bedridden. Baba Vara let me know when the family planned on bringing him home. One of the many things I often thank the Lord for is my Nursing degree. I can't tell you how many times it has allowed me to help people here on the mission field. This time was no exception. Baba Vara knows I am a nurse and she wanted me to come and visit after he was brought home for her to care for him.  There is Hospice available here but people out in the villages don't know about it or even consider it as an option. Baba Vara just wanted to care for him as best she could for what she knew would more than likely be his last days. 

The first day he was at home, I went over for a visit to check on his condition. As I began talking to Baba Vara and her daughter who had stayed with him in the hospital for nearly three weeks, they began to weep. They shared how helpless they now felt with no one to call for in case he needed something. They told me that the doctor released him and told them she would call them, in a week, to check on him. It was sad to feel their anxiety in now feeling fully responsible for his care. I promised to return two times a day to check on them and offer any help I could in caring for him. So, I did just that. I had to go home and gently explain to our daughter, Rebekah, that "Grandpa" was not doing well at all and may not be with us much longer. She cried as she so prayed for years that he would be saved. I promised her that if I had another chance to witness to him that I would. 

A few days later, Baba Vara's daughter had left to run some errands for the day. I made sure to visit even more frequently since Baba Vara would be alone to care for her husband. During my visit she told me how he had opened his eyes a little that day but his arm that he had been moving a bit, he had not moved it at all since morning. As we went into the kitchen to talk a bit after making sure he was comfortable, she began to tell me that since his eyes were open she tried to talk to him a bit. She said she asked him if he was going to leave her all alone, as she began to weep. We cried a bit together and then she mentioned that it must be written in the Bible that only God knows when each person's life on earth is over. I reminded her again of our conversation about how we must all be ready to meet God because she was right, we don't know when our last day on earth will be. As I was talking to her she said, "I need to talk to 'Grandpa' that way." I offered to do it for her if she would allow me to. She agreed! So, while she worked in the kitchen, I went back into the room he was in and leaned over his bedside. I explained to him that it was me again and that I wanted to talk to him about something very important. I was amazed as he turned his head every so slightly towards my face. I hadn't seen him move his head on his own since he had been at home. I continued witnessing to him and told him God loved him and wanted to take him to Heaven when it was time if he would only believe in his heart in Jesus who died for his sins and rose again. "Grandpa" then opened his eyes as big as he had ever opened them since lying there in that bed, started moving his jaw like he wanted to say something, and moved the hand that hadn't moved at all that morning out of the covers! I took his hand and held it thanking God for such an amazing moment! I shared the news with Baba Vara and she said, "See, he knows you are talking about God." 

For the next two days, he slept only opening his eyes once a tiny bit. He passed away peacefully on that next Saturday, September 10th, which was also his 80th birthday (also my Dad's birthday). David and I were able to attend the funeral and we were even able to use our vehicle (a truck) to carry all of the flower arrangements from the house to the cemetery. During the meal which was after the funeral, Baba Vara especially thanked her neighbors for all their help and care, assuring everyone in the room (including her family) that she would make it alone just fine because she has such great neighbors. She even mentioned how our children, Beka and Ryan,  came over last winter to shovel snow off her driveway. Thank the Lord for the testimony we have been able to have with this family. We pray this dear man heard, understood, and truly received Christ as his personal Savior and someday we will see him again in Heaven!