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Monday, November 27, 2006

Heading Home Soon

Today is Monday November 27.

We are heading back to Russia Thursday afternoon. We will be spending the next few days packing and re-packing things trying to fit in as much as we can into our luggage. We have only a few more days in which to see our children and grandchildren. Those moments are precious as we know it will probably be a year or more before we see them again. We are very happy to be going back to Russia despite the separation from family and friends.

Yesterday we spoke at "The Blessed of the Lord" church in Woburn, MA. This congregation, led by Pastor Betty Jacovides, is one of our most faithful supporters. We have been friends for over ten years and always enjoy the opportunity to visit the church and share what the Lord is doing.

Last Sunday, November 19 we were in Charlestown, NH speaking at Life Fellowship Foursquare Church. This vibrant growing congregation is led by Pastors Dave and Cindy Grasso. The church has made the decision to become a part of our support team, contributing toward our ministry monthly, and they have collected hats, mittens and scarves which they will be sending to us for distribution to the needy in Russia. We had a wonderful time speaking and afterwards sharing a meal with the missions group in the church.
We will be very busy over the next month as we adjust to the time change, re-start our language study, begin a young marrieds Bible study, meet with our church planters and plan a week of outreach in January.
Thanks to everyone who embraced us and blessed us on this trip to America. We would not be able to do the work we are doing in Russia without your help.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Mid November Update

It's Monday November 13 and we are back in our home in Lowell after a long weekend.

We started out Friday afternoon by driving to Concord NH where attended the Northern New England Foursquare Churches Leadership Conference. We had a great time visiting with friends that we have met while on this adventure and the conference was refreshing and encouraging for us. We were able to speak with one couple and give them some counsel as they pursue their desire to serve as missionaries. The conference ran from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon. The worship was great, the speakers were inspiring and the fellowship was good.

On Saturday afternoon we left Concord NH heading to Alton Maine. We had a nearly four hour drive and arrived in Alton at about 10:00 PM. We were hosted in Alton by Pastors Jim and Robin Tardy, of River of God Foursquare church. On Sunday morning we shared with the congregation the good things that have been happening in Russia. We were surprised and happy to meet several young people and couples from Bulgaria in the congregation. One young woman., named Petya, is a dynamic Christian who has worked alongside her father in Bulgaria to plant churches among the Gypsy, Roma people. She and her father have planted nearly 40 churches in Bulgaria! We hope to help Petya as she has a desire to became part of the Foursquare movement and continue planting churches in Bulgaria.

After the church service we joined the congregation in sharing a meal as we answered questions about ministry in Russia. After a long dinner and conversation we packed our car and headed down the road to Bath Maine. The drive to Bath was through torrential rains and took nearly 2 1/2 hours.

That evening in Bath we spoke at The Bath Foursquare church, pastored by Charles and Avis Nance. Bath Foursquare was one of our earliest supporters and the first church to send us a box of clothing for distribution in Russia. The night service was a lot of fun and the congregation enjoyed hearing about the work in Russia. Bath Foursquare is a great church with a heart for missions.

This week we will speak at 3 home groups and next Sunday, November 19 we will be at the Charlestown NH Foursquare church.

Karen and I enjoy sharing the story about our work in Russia, but at times we wonder if we are effective and does what we are sharing have any impact upon people. Well, this week we received news that one teenage girl was impacted enough that she has changed the direction of her life! On Mechanicsburg PA. We spoke at the Good News Free Methodist church. We shared our 5 minute video update, and a three minute summary. That brief bit of time caused this young woman to question the direction of her life and her future career choices. Her parents, were thrilled when she spoke with them saying that she thought that she might have a calling to missionary work. This is exciting and gratifying to us.