Mom was Hospitalized in Cherepovets

Mama Valya was hospitalized again because of her critical condition. She is diagnosed with recurrent cancer of the esophagus. She has been given treatment in the hospital. Please pray with us as we travel to St. Pete for another test on October 14. Mom will be checked on cancerous cells in all of her body. This very test costs 16000 rubles which is about $580. The Lord has blessed us with this amount through Calvary Chapel Placerville. Thank you, friends so very much! To ALL of you who pray and support us in this dark hour we would like to say a BIG, HUGE THANK YOU!

IBS Seminar in Veliki Ustyug

It was my pleasure to send out a team to a small town called Veliki Ustyug to teach an IBS seminar. There is a small church there just starting out that really needs some help and asked us to come over there. As a leader of the group Abner brought Valentine, Nate and Sveta to this beautiful town. It was Nate and Sveta’s first seminar. Nate taught the seminar and Sveta translated for him. Nate came back all fired up and here's what he shared with me and the rest of the team:

On Friday, Abner, Valentine, Sveta, and I went to a small town called Veliki Ustyug to teach my first IBS Seminar. I think it is fun that we went to the city where supposedly the Russian Santa Clause lives. We went to teach the truth in the heart of what I believe to be one of the world’s best deceptions. We went to a small church that is just starting in the city. Valentine has family in the city and had become acquainted with the church. He saw the need in the church for what we offer here at Intensive Care Ministries.

I was excited to be able to finally teach people how to study the word inductively, book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. I am eager to share with others what God has used in my life to change me in mighty ways. If I have ever seen a group of people that need to learn how to study the Word correctly this group is definitely one of them. These people are hungry for the Word, and as I looked at them I saw them through the eyes of Jesus; as sheep without a shepherd. We jumped into the course right away by and though there was a little hesitance on their part at first, when they saw how they could learn to work with the texts of the Bible they were eager to learn. There is a lot I have to learn about dealing with Russian people and about the false doctrines that are crippling the church today, but I know that we have the only antidote that will help heal the church. As we spent three days going through the course it was a joy to see their hearts moved and their desire grow like a fan on the flame.

The team worked very well together and I was pleased to see how the Holy Spirit was able to bring us together to teach his sheep. Sveta is a great interpreter, Abner a great leader, and Valentine has a huge heart for the Lord. I look forward to working together with them in the future as God leads us to different places to strengthen the Church. We have already decided that we will most likely come back to this city in the next couple months to try to teach the second course. We have given them homework so that we can see if they are ready for the second course, if not we will review what they have learned. I hope that they are able to apply what they have learned and are diligent to take the time to really get into the Word. I would ask that you would join me in praying for these people, that they would be filled with the Spirit and filled with wisdom to be able to learn the first course well enough to move on to the second. I am convinced that through our faith we will be able to strengthen these people and give them the tools they need to grow into a strong and healthy church.

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IBS Seminar in Moscow Theological Seminary

Last we I got back from the forum in Moscow and three days later I was back in Moscow again to teach the Inductive Bible Study method to the students of the seminary there. But I love doing it. I took along with me Nate and Sveta. We have been talking about how we might be able to get Nate involved with teaching seminars but we could not get around the language barrier. Then, our friend Sveta, said she has been wanting to get involved with ICM. Sveta is an English teacher and it has been her desire to minister as a translator for a long time. It would seem that the Lord is bringing together a great, well rounded team. I asked if she would be willing to start traveling with the team and translating for Nate until he is able to do the seminars on his own. She was happy to get involved since translating is what she feels called to do. To prepare them to go out we decided it would be a good idea for them to travel with me back to Moscow and observe me teaching the IBS method. So we drove to Moscow together.

During the seminar we saw first hand how there is so much false and contradicting teaching out there that people are hurt, confused, weak and skeptical. To deal with this the seminary is teaching the student to be critical of everything new that they hear, and to view every teacher with doubt and skepticism. True, though we are encouraged in Acts 7:11 to check the scriptures and to be careful about what we are willing to believe, we are to have an open heart. We need to be careful not to be like the Scribes and Pharisees that refused to believe everything they hear that does not match what they previously believe or have been taught. Because of this at first the students were very resistant to what Igor was saying and did not have an open heart towards the IBS method. But we were able to win their trust by pouring out our love on them. It did not take long before they were receiving with great joy what we have to say.

I believe this is exactly why the mission to teach the IBS method around the world and in Russia is so important. We need to get people grounded, and not wondering around in confusion caused by false teachings. If we can get Christians to learn directly from the Lord’s word then we will have a church that knows the heart of Jesus and can work together as the healthy body of Christ. There are so many errors caused just by taking things out of context and not paying close attention to what God is saying in his word.

We spent three days teaching the course, Monday through Wednesday. We had a great time learning from the word and fellowshipping with the students. They are a great group of students on fire for the Lord and I look forward to possibly working with them again. We are already talking about coming back and doing the course again and probably doing the second course where we then teach how to develop questions to lead a small home group and how to prepare a sermon.

This is what your support and prayers are going towards. I thank you for giving us the ability to strengthen the Lord’s church. And I look forward to what God does through our joint effort. I would ask that you would please continue to support us in prayer and if the Lord leads financially so that we would be able to continue this work.

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ICM Leaders Forum in Moscow

It was tough to get everyone together this year,but September 14^th though the 16^th we again held our Intensive Care Ministries leaders conference in Moscow. I always look forward to these conferences as we gather together with the ICM team from all over the world to share in the word and out common vision. This time we had Lewis and Adrian from Ireland with us to lead us in the word.

This year the topic was Being and Discipleing Good Leaders. Adrian and Lewis took us through the book Million Leaders Mandate by John C. Maxwell. I think that the book is a great book for today's church, with a message that we all as Christians need to take to heart. I believe all of us at on time or in one way or another will have to be leaders, and we need to learn how to lead and grow the next generation to lead and grow leaders of the generation after them. Basically, what the book teaches is discipleship. The main idea is to not just teach and feed people who just come to church sit and are not involved themselves. But to get people more involved in the work of hte Kingdom of God. Not to get more people into full time ministry but to get people actively involved in their own walk while helping and growing others in the their walks.

ICM is built up of pastors and teachers all over Russia and the Former Soviet Union that support us, pray for us, and even teaching seminars. Ty make up a very great team of amazing brothers and sisters with amazing hearts. Every one of them is passionate for the Lord. Together we are working to train and teach pastors and the church how to grow in the Word. It is our desire that through our combined efforts and help of the Holy Spirit we will grow a generation of pastors and leaders, who will be able then to train and teach the next generation, strengthening the church and spreading the gospel all over Russia. I believe this conference perfectly fits this vision and, if applied, is what is needed to reach this goal.

I thank all of you who have been praying for and supporting ICM, allowing us to serve in Russia. I am convinced that through your future efforts, our serving here with your support and prayer, we will be able to do great things for the Kingdom of God, bringing glory to the name of Jesus Christ. I ask that you continue to joins us in our ministry praying for and supporting me and the team. I look forward to what the Lord has planned for us.

From left to right: Victor, Igor, Anthony, Gor


Lewis.....Ira

Abner with his son Artem.

Peter and Mike

Andrey...Garik...Abner


Olga and Olga

The group at lunch

Victor and Adrian




Sveta translating





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