Russia Report, September - October, 2012

Each time Jill and I travel to this great country of Russia we experience unexpected challenges and God's abundant grace. This trip was not the exception. In what use to be a field 20 years ago, Holy Trinity, a pentecostal church, build a church and worshiped. Over time, the land around the church grew and developed. That being said, the city wanted this valuable land back in order to build a sport stadium and, as required by law, offered two sites in exchange: a parking garage or a "no building" zoned piece of land. It was an impasse for years. Finally, the first week of September city authorities came at 3:00 a.m. with police protection and bulldozed down the church building. When the dust settled, all that remained were memories. In the rubble were Bibles laying in mud, dolls from a nursery, broken chairs, parts of a piano and the cross that once stood in front to proclaim a resurrected Christ. Today, Holy Trinity is totally off the property.

Once again, I preached at Holy Trinity except this time it was outdoors in the cold, wind, and rain with the rubble behind me and a busted up pulpit on which my Bible layed. Although there may be additional sides to this story that we are not aware of, we pray for God to build His church.. After teaching that week at the Moscow Theological Seminary, Jill and I boarded a train for an 8 hour trip to Bryanksa. This city of 300,000 is close to the Ukraine boarder and supports a growing church. For the past 2 years this body of Christ has not had a pastor but meet under the direction of good church leaders and a gifted lay-leader. They desire clear direction concerning their church and ministry within this city. Pray for God to send a person who is called for such a place and time as Bryanska.

It was also a great honor to be involved in two 20 year anniversary celebrations: Moscow Theological Seminary and the International Christian Assembly. It was great to see so many friends from around Russia and the world who came to attend one or both of these special events.

For 20 years Jill and I have worked in and around Russia. We have greatly enjoyed this journey and pray for God's wisdom in all we do as we trust Him in the season ahead. Thanks for your partnership. Please leave a comment if you can to let me know you stopped by.

God's Blessings!