To Tver and back to Moscow
It is so good to be able to send this update to you. God is so amazing!
We wanted to send out an update and prayer letter a couple of days
before we left, but the Internet here at the Dorm crashed, and we had
no connection. I know that many of you expected to hear from us. I'm
sorry we weren't able to contact you.
A day or so before we left for the city of Tver (Te veer), the dorm
burst into a whirlwind of Oregonians. A team of about 16 Oregonians
arrived from the Astoria area led by their pastor, Jason Biel.
Prepared for cold weather they were surprised to find themselves in
90+ heat with 70% humidity!
They were even more surprised to find that one of their team members
lost his immigration card and about 7 of their bags were lost in
transit. Those bags didn't arrive until the trip was half over.
Welcome to Russia! Let me drop a note to any potential international
travelers. Pack a healthy carry on.
Once the team arrived, Alex (a staff member here at CCCPM) and I
quickly pieced together a rock band. Alex played drums, a guitar
player on the team was thrown on the base, their pastor Jason (33
years old) became our new lead guitarist and yours truly played rhythm
guitar and lead vocals. On top of this there was no sound man so Alex
and I went through all of the sound equipment to make sure everything
was working well. It only took a couple of minutes for me to realize I
would be running the sound as well as supervising setup. At one point
Alex turned to me and said, "God sent you here; it's not an accident
you're here. Make sure you show me how to do all this before you
leave." God is incredible!
All the while I was doing this; Rayma and Sarah were making new
friends, packing all the things needed to keep us alive, and even
taking the time to introduce Elias to Boris, the dorm cat. This cat
has definitely seen better days, but none the less Elias loves him.
Tver was only a three hour drive north (we had two 15-passenger vans).
But if any of you have driven outside the U.S. you know that three
hours on foreign streets is enough to make a grown man cry. We forced
ourselves not to watch the driving.
When we made it to Tver they gave Rayma, Elias and me the best room in
the hotel, which means it looks very much like a normal American hotel
room, from the 50s. Our hot water was brown but we had a fridge. God
is so good to us.
The next day we all hit the streets passing out flyers for the
concert. We met dozens of people and passed out hundreds of flyers. On
the second day we went to the park right across from the concert hall
and passed out even more flyers. We also got to share about Christ
with several dozen people.
The day of the concert was crazy; we had a little less than a hundred
people. The next night was City Day – the 800th or so birthday of
their city. The streets were overflowing with people. Many more people
filled the concert hall. We played as hard as we could. I can't
describe with words what I must have looked like screaming into the
microphone, as I flailed around the stage. We were all surprised at
how God enabled us to become, "All things to all people."
Meanwhile, Rayma, Sarah and Elias strolled through the parks and
waterfront area praying through the city streets which were filled
with young women of all ages extremely under dressed. They could sense
their unspoken cries of desperation and overall longing to be truly
loved.
Elias played with the Russian children in the park unfazed by the
extreme cultural differences. Speaking of Elias he is doing great
besides a little heat rash. He seems to have waited all his short life
to eat Russian food. He loves it! Elias especially loved riding in the
hotel "alligator" (elevator). And the "Babushka" (Grandma) who took
care of our room found a special connection with our little Elias. I'm
sure she would have bought an "I love Elias" t-shirt if she knew they
existed.
Sarah has been an extreme asset to us. Diaper after diaper, meal after
meal she has been constantly available to help us with anything we
need. From buying water to pushing the stroller, she has been a
constant resource and strength. I know we could survive without her in
this time, but much like the water in the hotel, I sure wouldn't want
to try it. She would love to get an e-mail from you if you have the
time. Her email address is Serengeti2@gmail.com.
Getting back to the outreach. By the end of the third night, more than
250 people at one point or another, heard the gospel message – more
than 50 of them individually. And, before we left, a little under a
dozen made decisions to accept Christ. Sarah shared with one young
woman who rededicated her life. Later her boyfriend came to Christ.
One young man who got saved the last night of the concerts said as we
were walking to a baptism. "I have peace in my life for the first
time." He then went on to share his desire to be constantly involved.
Another young woman broke down at the end of the second night. She
said, "I don't want to be a lesbian any more, I want to live for
Christ."
As we drove out of the hotel parking lot this morning, I remember
looking out the back window of the van. I was amazed to realize that a
couple of these young figures waving goodbye to us just days earlier
were still lost in darkness. But now just a couple days later, by the
grace of God have been ushered into eternal life. God is Amazing!!!
In a couple of days we will be leaving for our next outreach in Kaluga
We plan on sending out a prayer list before we go, as well as
responding to our personal emails.
I know this has been a long letter. We love you guys. Thanks for
lifting us up in prayer. God is answering your prayers!
Your Missionaries,
Dave, Rayma and Elias
It is so good to be able to send this update to you. God is so amazing!
We wanted to send out an update and prayer letter a couple of days
before we left, but the Internet here at the Dorm crashed, and we had
no connection. I know that many of you expected to hear from us. I'm
sorry we weren't able to contact you.
A day or so before we left for the city of Tver (Te veer), the dorm
burst into a whirlwind of Oregonians. A team of about 16 Oregonians
arrived from the Astoria area led by their pastor, Jason Biel.
Prepared for cold weather they were surprised to find themselves in
90+ heat with 70% humidity!
They were even more surprised to find that one of their team members
lost his immigration card and about 7 of their bags were lost in
transit. Those bags didn't arrive until the trip was half over.
Welcome to Russia! Let me drop a note to any potential international
travelers. Pack a healthy carry on.
Once the team arrived, Alex (a staff member here at CCCPM) and I
quickly pieced together a rock band. Alex played drums, a guitar
player on the team was thrown on the base, their pastor Jason (33
years old) became our new lead guitarist and yours truly played rhythm
guitar and lead vocals. On top of this there was no sound man so Alex
and I went through all of the sound equipment to make sure everything
was working well. It only took a couple of minutes for me to realize I
would be running the sound as well as supervising setup. At one point
Alex turned to me and said, "God sent you here; it's not an accident
you're here. Make sure you show me how to do all this before you
leave." God is incredible!
All the while I was doing this; Rayma and Sarah were making new
friends, packing all the things needed to keep us alive, and even
taking the time to introduce Elias to Boris, the dorm cat. This cat
has definitely seen better days, but none the less Elias loves him.
Tver was only a three hour drive north (we had two 15-passenger vans).
But if any of you have driven outside the U.S. you know that three
hours on foreign streets is enough to make a grown man cry. We forced
ourselves not to watch the driving.
When we made it to Tver they gave Rayma, Elias and me the best room in
the hotel, which means it looks very much like a normal American hotel
room, from the 50s. Our hot water was brown but we had a fridge. God
is so good to us.
The next day we all hit the streets passing out flyers for the
concert. We met dozens of people and passed out hundreds of flyers. On
the second day we went to the park right across from the concert hall
and passed out even more flyers. We also got to share about Christ
with several dozen people.
The day of the concert was crazy; we had a little less than a hundred
people. The next night was City Day – the 800th or so birthday of
their city. The streets were overflowing with people. Many more people
filled the concert hall. We played as hard as we could. I can't
describe with words what I must have looked like screaming into the
microphone, as I flailed around the stage. We were all surprised at
how God enabled us to become, "All things to all people."
Meanwhile, Rayma, Sarah and Elias strolled through the parks and
waterfront area praying through the city streets which were filled
with young women of all ages extremely under dressed. They could sense
their unspoken cries of desperation and overall longing to be truly
loved.
Elias played with the Russian children in the park unfazed by the
extreme cultural differences. Speaking of Elias he is doing great
besides a little heat rash. He seems to have waited all his short life
to eat Russian food. He loves it! Elias especially loved riding in the
hotel "alligator" (elevator). And the "Babushka" (Grandma) who took
care of our room found a special connection with our little Elias. I'm
sure she would have bought an "I love Elias" t-shirt if she knew they
existed.
Sarah has been an extreme asset to us. Diaper after diaper, meal after
meal she has been constantly available to help us with anything we
need. From buying water to pushing the stroller, she has been a
constant resource and strength. I know we could survive without her in
this time, but much like the water in the hotel, I sure wouldn't want
to try it. She would love to get an e-mail from you if you have the
time. Her email address is Serengeti2@gmail.com.
Getting back to the outreach. By the end of the third night, more than
250 people at one point or another, heard the gospel message – more
than 50 of them individually. And, before we left, a little under a
dozen made decisions to accept Christ. Sarah shared with one young
woman who rededicated her life. Later her boyfriend came to Christ.
One young man who got saved the last night of the concerts said as we
were walking to a baptism. "I have peace in my life for the first
time." He then went on to share his desire to be constantly involved.
Another young woman broke down at the end of the second night. She
said, "I don't want to be a lesbian any more, I want to live for
Christ."
As we drove out of the hotel parking lot this morning, I remember
looking out the back window of the van. I was amazed to realize that a
couple of these young figures waving goodbye to us just days earlier
were still lost in darkness. But now just a couple days later, by the
grace of God have been ushered into eternal life. God is Amazing!!!
In a couple of days we will be leaving for our next outreach in Kaluga
We plan on sending out a prayer list before we go, as well as
responding to our personal emails.
I know this has been a long letter. We love you guys. Thanks for
lifting us up in prayer. God is answering your prayers!
Your Missionaries,
Dave, Rayma and Elias
posted by Mark Armstrong | 12:53 PM
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