RETURN TO THE DEPORTATION CAMP

Today I visited the Deportation Camp. It is a detention center for foreigners that are found in the country with an expired or no visa. It had been about 5 years since that last time I was there. We had 5 guys that were there back in 2000 to 2002. Then all was quiet but in the last year it seems that more guys are being picked up and taken to the camp. So today I made the journey outside of Moscow to the camp. It took awhile to find what bus went out there. The place had not changed very much it still looks like a little prison. One thing had changed: I was able to communicate with the guards, and fill out the forms with little effort which before was a major ordeal. Usually every time in the past we went there it would be a new crisis, but today it was great. Perhaps being able to speak confidently was a plus. They even allowed a Bible and Christian books to go in with the food parcel.

Tonight we had our weekly prayer meeting at the church. Each week we have been picking a country that is under persecution. Today we prayed for Indonesia, where according to Voice of the Martyrs, a church that has been established for 9 years and has about 190 members last week was assaulted at it's Sunday service by 200 Muslim. They hassled them for 5 hours until the police came and told the church to disband. Last week the Religious affairs Minister and the Home Minister announced a revision of the 1969 Joint Ministerial Decree. They have introduced three new laws that will make it very difficult to plant a new Christian church in Indonesia and it will make it very difficult for the existing Christian Churches to continue.Please pray for the situation in Indonesia

Well finally it looks like I am going to start my first English lesson at the college on Monday. With Nellie, who is the wife of the director. Nellie is the drama and sing coach. She and Victor, who is and extremely talented singer and actor will be my first students. Please, pray for me. Well, God Bless you all Good night, dean P.S. please pray for Natasha she has been sick and it seems to keep holding on to her.

Losha has returned!!

Greetings from Moscow! THE SNOW IS MELTING, and spring is around the corner. Great news: today Losha came back home. He was on the streets with his friends for about 4 weeks. Most of his friends I have met, and they all have a soft heart. Losha showed up tonight at the Monday bible study. He is happy to be back, and the guys were happy to see him. During the meeting Losha showed up with Sergey who also lives with us. Sergey comes into the meeting and with his typical loud voice cries “ Losha has come home”
Today I went out to Solneachnagorsk ( Place of sun shining) a city and hour out of Moscow, and out in the forest is a huge T.B. hospital where one of our guys from Ghana is. I might have spoken to you about Charles. Charles, contacted T.B. in prison, where they removed one lung. And now that he is out of prison the T.B. has attacked his other lung. Charles is an amazing guy, he is about 28 years old and he has been through so much. He is a walking miracle. Please pray for the protection of his only good lung. As so as he is better we want to send him back home.

Saturday I had the honor of doing a teaching at the Jews for Jesus Shabbat service. The Jews for Jesus keep the Shabbat service very much like an all Jewish Shabbat service so that they attract non- Christian Jews to the service. They read from the Pentateuch, then from the Prophets, then from the New Testament. They sing Jewish songs, and then break bread together. After the meeting I was invited to a birthday party for Dina. She is a Christian Jew, who I had the opportunity to Baptize last summer. When you go to a Russian birthday party, you better be prepared to eat until you pass out, and Dina’s birthday was no exception. Dina who turned 70 (doesn’t look a day over 60) invited her co –workers 3 women. In Russia during the Soviet times your close friends were always the ones you worked with. Generally you work together at the same job for your entire life. So co-workers usually are close friends. Dina has a great faith, and is a great witness to her friends. Good night and God Bless.

After the service

Today we had a Youth Bible Study. It is new in a way, because there was a long break for our youth ministry, but at the same time, I have been meeting with Sveta and Dima and some other kids quite regularly, before my trip to France. So Sveta and Dima wanted to get together today, Olga came along with us and we had a great time of fellowship and then studied 1st Psalm. We learned 3 things that Christian should not do and 2 things that he should. Dima’s comment on that was: “It is easier to be good, because you need to do only 2 things.” What can you say to that?:-)
After the study, Sveta got her face painted and then all of us went to Julia’s house to have some tea. Our fellowship continued up till 9pm. What a blessed day! I thank the Lord for it!
Please pray for our Youth Ministry: for kids to have a desire to study the Word and to be obedient to the Lord. For Nika (Dima & Sveta’s older sister), Natasha, Zulia, Dima, Egor and his sister Tonia, for Dima and Sveta (of course) and other kids that the Lord will bring.
Thank you and God bless!
Natasha
More pictures of this day you can find in “More pictures”:-) link.

Sunday again

Hi everyone, perhaps you have heard by now the accident in the Metro. It happened between our metro stop Sokol, and the next metro stop north of us. All in the church at the time. It sounds like all were rescued and the metro will be restored by morning.

We had a nice service today, Sunday always is a great day for our church. After the service Jacob and I went to visit one of the Cameroon guys that are in the hospital from receiving a concussion. Joshua translates into French for our Friday bible study with the Cameroon soccer players.

Pray for Losha,
he left back to the streets with
his street friends
and has been drinking with them.

Winter is still holding on and we have a snow storm going on outside.
God Bless and good night

Before the service

We have a great team of ladies who help out with
the hospitality ministry: my friends Julia & Olga,
Elia, who is on staff with the Bible College & also
Aliona and Nastia – both study at the Bible College.
They bless our fellowship by making very tasty
sandwiches and serving tea, coffee and cookies.
Some people think that
Aliona and Nastia are twins,
but they are not,
they are sisters…in the Lord.

(Posted by Natasha)

Ikea world through the eyes of 10-year-old

Today my friend Julia and her kids Dima and Sveta invited me to have dinner at Ikea restaurant; it was a special treat for my birthday. We had very sweet time together. I brought a gift my dad gave me today – a digital camera and it became a center of Sveta’s interest. She began to take pictures and after I looked at them, I decided to post some here, I think, Sveta has a talent.
I took some pictures too :-) We really had a great time today!!! You can see more pictures in the “More pictures”:-) link.
(Posted by Natasha)

A little about Abe and the Feast of Purim

Abraham made it home safe to Ghana. He was able to find his father, after 10 years, also he was reunited with some of his brothers and sisters. His mother past away while he was in Moscow. He is happy to be back.

Today I was invited to celebrate the Feast of Purim or also known as the feast of Esther, with a group of Jewish belivers, some of which fellowship at Sokol. Out of the 25 that were there to celebrate this yearly feast, 10 were not believers. However 5 of them took home New Testaments. Mira, who works with Jews for Jesus(standing in picture) is really gifted in seeking out the Jewish people here in Moscow, and has been used to share the gospel with hundreds of Jews. It is really a blessing for me to be involved with the Jewish community here. Just an interesting side note, 2 years ago while Lynn and I traveled to Israel to meet Pastor and the group from CC Modesto I really got a love for the Jewish people, and found out that many live in Russia. I prayed that The Lord would open up the door to meet Jewish people in Moscow, I had not met one in the 4 years I had lived there. But now the Lord has opened the door.

Geno from the zone

Hello everyone, I just received a phone call from Geno, he told me the about Sergey his first cell mate to receive Jesus Christ a year ago. They both began to pray for Sergey's 10 year old son a year ago. Geno said that Sergey called his son, and shared the Good News of the gospel, and his son Maxim received Jesus. It was a great blessing for Geno and his group of believers. God is doing a wonderful thing way up there in the middle of no where in that prison. But God has a plan for that prison.
God Bless and Good night

Abe's departure

Good after noon, it's 11:00 pm at night, today Abe made it on the airplane, we spent all day at the visa dept. Abe lost his passport and so to leave Russia you must appear before a judge and they approve the departure that is to insure that the person exiting the country does not have a criminal charge against him. The Judge signed of at 3:00 yesterday, so we had to re book his fight today. He should be in Dubi for the night then on to Ghana. Pray for Abe, he is going home to really nothing. His mother died while he was living here and he has lost all contact with his dad. Abe has been here for a 1/3 of his life.
Currently we have a snowstorm going on outside but spring is aroooouunnnd the corner.
God Bless you all, dean

March 8th - Women's Day & not only that...

Hello everyone, tonight we had our mid week bible study, and since it is national women's day I taught the book of Ruth, what a great book, and Sunday we will continue the honoring of women as I will teach on the book of Esther. Today we looked everywhere for Tulips but our region was sold out so we gave to every woman some kind of plant herb thing*, oh well we will definitely find tulips for Sunday. One of the guys that I have known for about 7 years is going back to Ghana, Abraham was a part of a bible study we had for Ghanian guys 3 years ago, all have went home but Abraham. Things have been very difficult for Abe, and so we have purchased him a ticket and hopefully he will leave and return home to Ghana on Saturday, the first time he has been home for 9 years. Please pray for his exit visa and safe return home.
da sviDAniya
*it's called mimosa (editor's note ;-)

Tuesday's events

Good afternoon, today I was out in Krasnagorsk where I have a Bible study with Valya, and her soon to be husband Yuri. It is always a great time with food and fellowship. Krasnagorsk is about a 35 min. train ride out of Moscow, and I just walk about 15min from my flat to the train station. Valya, and her Mom Luba, who has been a part of the church at Sokol for about 7 years, and her son Dima live in an area that is surrounded by a beautiful forest. It is always a nice break for me to get out of the city.Also today the college where the church meets had its award ceremony for all the student actors. We were invited to attend.God has given us favor with the directors of the drama department Nellie and Rufic. God has placed the church in such a unique place surrounded by students.
God Bless you all, dean.
Please pray for this unique relationship we have at the college.
Tomorrow is womans day, one of the biggest holidays in Russia, it is huge. Every man living in Russia will be buying flowers and chocolate tomarrow. So a special Women's day to all you women and girls.

Sunday

Good Moring and Good evening
where ever this blog note finds you,
today we had a nice service, and the Lord's supper.
We are studing through the Gospel acording
to Matthew, and we just finished chapter 11.
One of the members of the church and a good
friend of mine Volodia, had his article on Aucustical
Physics published in an American Physics journal,
and I'm realy proud of his acomplishment.
That God would use his great mind for His Glory,
God Bless and spakoyna noche!!!

Winter is almost over

We thought winter was just about over, it has been snowing

hard all day long, it looked like christmas again.

Today Dale and I went out to Mitishi, a city 45 mintues

out of Moscow, as we do weekly to visit the T.B. hospital.

We had a great time in sharing about the Bible with Justin

from Cameroon, and Bradon from Sri Lanka.

God is working in both their lives.

Well it is 11:59 at night, so Good night and God Bless, spakoyna nochi!!!

Dean