Christmas Season has arrived in Russia...

The children from the shelter and orphanages have been calling Olga and I asking if we are in town and if we are coming to celebrate Jesus' Birthday with them in Suda, Krivets, Kaduy, and Cherepovets! And yes, we are back in town and getting ready to travel and celebrate Jesus with our precious children! Every call was so very special to us! Orphanage directors shared with us what the kids need for the winter. The way they did it was so special. They were very humble,giving a lot of respect to us as Christians. The directors let us know that the children are in need of warm sweaters and hats and we are going to buy nice quality, colorful sweaters and hats for each and every boy and girl in all the orphanages and a Christian shelter. Of course, we would like to buy "sweets and fruit" gifts also. We praise the Lord for He opened many doors for us to come in and share our lives and the blessing with the precious kids! Olga and I would like to say BIG BIG Thank-You to each and every donor who blessed the ministry with the gifts we can use to meet the needs of the poor.
This last week we have had a great time visiting children and sharing the Gospel. We prepared a wonderful skit where Father Frost, the Russian Santa, played by Andrew, was angry and depressed, complaining because he worked so hard to give little people gifts but never received any thanks or gifts for himself. He was burnt out by the material demands of Christmas no longer finding joy in the season. Then, while he is venting all his feelings to the orphans, the Christmas-tree, played by Alesia who use to be a troubled street kid who is now on fire for Jesus, had to speak up, much like Moses’ burning bush. She offers to explain the real Christmas story. The tree introduces the star that shown in the ski when Jesus was born, played by Irine, Abner’s wife, . It starts the nativity story and then a witch interrupts the story and tries to persuade Father Frost to reject the good news. Then shepherds, played by Abner, Max, and little Paul, come telling what they witnessed on the night Jesus was born, and wise men come telling what they witnessed when they gave their gifts to Jesus. Again the witch, played by Sveta tries to distract Father Frost, offering all the temptations she can think of but Father Frost rejects her and repents, receiving Jesus into his heart. After this he is filled with joy. Then Igor and Olga played an energetic kid’s song in Russian expressing the joy that we find in Jesus and we got everyone dancing. Then we started a snowball fight with the kids using paper balls. The children had a great time, and loved the skit. Some were watching with their jaws open like it was their favorite TV show. After the song my friend Nate, from the U.S, explained the skit, and offered the kids a chance to accept Jesus. It was my pleasure to translate the message of Salvation! Several raised their hands, and we led them in the sinner’s prayer. It is a great joy to see kids accept Jesus! I truly believe that the best gift we can give Jesus on his Birthday is a lost soul who accepts Jesus! Hallelujah! We ask that you would join us as we pray that the roots of faith would grow deep into their hearts and that the Lord would grow the seeds we planted. We can do all we can but ultimately their hearts are in the hands of God. And this is your harvest, our dearest friends, your beautiful fruit you had brought into the Kingdom! Thank you again for your prayerful and financial support! Olga and I do appreciate you a lot!

Hospital/Moscow/Day 12

Cubicle 1705/Infectious Diseases Hospital/ Moscow/ Day 12

Lord, I want my life to be sanctified and purified even more so! Please purify my heart! - Son, set your mind on something beautiful this very moment, set your eyes on what is excellent, do good that needs to be done this very moment, do it from your compassionate, kind, and gentle heart! That’s how I change your life and sanctify your heart!

Hospital/Moscow/Day 11

Cubicle 1705/Infectious Diseases Hospital/ Moscow/ Day 11

Nelly brought several DVDs for me to watch. I really liked couple of them: “About a Boy” with Hue Grant and “Antwone Fisher” with Denzel Washington. Both movies brought me to a deeper understanding of the simple truth that God won’t ask what kind of car I drove in Cherepovets. He will ask how many people I drove who didn’t have transportation. Jesus won’t ask the square footage of my place; He will ask how many people I welcomed into my apartment. He won’t ask about the clothes I had in my closet, He will ask how many I helped to clothe. God won’t ask how much money I had; He will ask if I compromised my character to obtain the monies. God won’t ask what my job title was; He will ask if I performed my job to the best of my ability. Jesus won’t ask how many friends I had; He will ask how many people to whom I was a friend. (“About a Boy”) God won’t ask in what neighborhood I lived; He will ask how I treated my neighbors. Jesus won’t ask about the color of my skin either but He will ask about the content of my character. (Antwone Fisher) Also, God won’t ask how many people I influenced in a positive truly Christian way and they changed; He already knows them. (Antwone Fisher and About a Boy) I truly recommend everyone to watch these great movies!!!! I understand that we come into this world to live 70-80 years with one purpose… and it is to do somebody a favor. I thought doing somebody a favor is minor but according to Jesus it is huge! He did me a favor; He died for me and redeemed me from the power of sin and death.

Hospital/Moscow/Day 10

Cubicle 1705/Infectious Diseases Hospital/ Moscow/ Day 10

I woke up this morning feeling so blue. Good morning, Father. No answer… Daddy, please don’t play hide-and-seek with me today. But He still did… often times my life reminds me of the game I played with my mom and dad when I was little. They often played hide-and-seek with me. It seems to me that my heavenly Father likes to play the same game with me over and over again. He hides and I seek. I guess hide-and-seek must be good for me. It is a learning process. I constantly learn to realize He is still around although I can’t see, feel, or sense Him. Dad wants me to realize He is the absolute. He exists always. I find it very interesting… a minute ago I saw Him in the Word, or the simple truth, or a miracle but next thing I know, He is not around anymore, I can’t see Him, I look around and all I see is the troubled world I live in. I learned His favorite hiding place, though… He likes to hide behind His creation. To find Him, I sit still and gaze at His creation: waterfalls, skies, birds, mountains, animals, ocean, rivers, fishes, and of course, peoples. I see Him there. When I concentrate on His works and powers, I forget about my sickness, cold feet and high temperature and start believing in Him even more!

Hospital/Moscow/Day 9

Cubicle 1705/Infectious Diseases Hospital/ Moscow/ Day 9

Astronomers found out that not every star in the skies shines her light. There are huge massive stars there in the universe but they do not shine their light, on the contrary they consume the light. Such stars are called Black Holes. There are too many black holes there in this world. If there’s any light there in you, let it shine. Lord, please help me bring the light into this dark place!

Hospital/Moscow/Day 8

Cubicle 1705/Infectious Diseases Hospital/ Moscow/ Day 8

To tell you the truth, I am very happy that no one can be told what the Kingdom of God is. Every person has to see the King and the Kingdom for him/herself. Everyone needs to come and taste how good the Lord is for himself! It is a serious decision to come see the King in person and let Him free oneself up from the system of this world. A human who knows or feels that something is wrong with the system, can’t tell exactly what it is, but knows that it is there will be able to make the decision. It is this feeling that will bring the person to the Lord. There should be a question like a splinter there in that person’s mind, driving him/her mad: What is this system all about? Can the system tell me who I am? If not, who can? Who am I? All these questions have nothing to do with you becoming religious but FREE from the system of the corrupted world we live in. Being free from the system enables a person to bring spirituality to material people. I strongly believe that only free spirits are given the power to perform miracles and bring the light into the dark.

Hospital/Moscow/Day 7

Cubicle 1705/Infectious Diseases Hospital/ Moscow/ Day 7

During my stay here I had some opportunities to talk to several nurses and the doctor about the Lord; looking at their faces I could tell they are lost, first, they are lost spiritually, secondly, they do not know how to treat me. They ran into the unknown. Nevertheless, they are so atheistic! Couldn’t believe my ears… they are so deep into the material world…What a country I was born in! Soviet system is smth else! We Russians were born into slavery, bondage, and prison we can’t smell or taste, or touch; it is a prison for our minds. The system was invented to blind us from the truth and make us slaves. Because we live in a slave community, many of us are not ready to be unplugged and set free. Some of us are so inert and some of us are so hopelessly dependant on the system that we are ready to fight to protect it. Slavery started when I believed that the system is strong and I am weak. I then believed that the system is everything and I am nothing! It brought me to the belief that the system could easily run over me and ruin my life. The fear crept in. Out of fear, I obeyed the system, followed its rules and regulations and became a slave. Little did I know that I was wonderfully and fearfully made by the Father who is in Heaven, that He has always been by my side to watch over me, protect, cherish and grow me into His son’s image! Thank you, Lord, for freeing my mind!