4.    February 28, 2010

1.       Please keep praying for the emerging network of house/cell groups and churches in Ufa and Bashkortostan; there is now a missionary council in Ufa and also at the regional level to keep encouraging the development of strategy for the planting of these kinds of groups and churches. Pray that this council adhere most of all to the timeless principles of scripture as they seek to have a unified vision to empower local believers to be on mission with God and be sent out as incarnational witnesses. 

2.       Pray for Carr visa invitation paperwork to come together; a hopefully small delay has occurred regarding turning in all the applications in Ufa; pray that it all comes together this coming week so that the invitations can be issued within a month and sent back to USA in order that visa applications can start being processed at the end of April in anticipation of a late-May return to Ufa. 

3.       Pray for one of Chris’ aunts who recently lost her job and has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  It appears she will go through several weeks of radiation to treat the cancer.  This has all happened rather suddenly and has come as a shock. 

4.       Pray for several potential student volunteers who are considering studying for a semester or two in the next year or two in Ufa…there are still some unanswered important questions for these students regarding courses to study, transfer of those course credits, visas, lodging, etc.

5.       Praise God with us for the return of Victor and Susan Bauer to Ufa on Feb. 21.  They are teachers of English at a local institution in Ufa. 

6.       Pray for Chris as he prepares for the oral defense of his doctoral project and dissertation on March 19 in Kansas City.  He also will be involved at a mission conference in Virginia March 9-14. 

7.       Pray for the process of finding a new apartment for the Woodall family to move into by the end of late May before the Carrs arrive back in Ufa; the Woodalls are currently living in the Carr apartment.  These things are rarely smooth and a lot of negotiation usually has to occur to make things work. 

8.       Pray for a group of believers serving as a Great Commission Resurgence task force as they recommend how to best position the Southern Baptist Convention to fund and fulfill the Great Commission around the world as we are each on mission and sent by God.  They have made some excellent recommendations regarding needed changes and paradigm shifts in how we as Southern Baptists do church planting that might not be easy for all involved and will require a paradigm shift in how we think and act. 

Thanks for standing with us in prayer as we seek to take all of our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.  Thanks for engaging in spiritual warfare with us regarding the lostness of Ufa and Bashkortostan.  Thanks for praying for the health and well-being for our team at physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels as a whole. 

 Blessings!

Chris

Fe    February 6,  2010

I am on the way to Nashville and then to Mississippi to speak at a church on Sunday morning.  This is a brief prayer update to pass along and post as you are able.

 1.       Keep praying for the Woodall and Haas families as they continue language study in Ufa, that they keep gaining vocabulary, grammar, and every-day good verbal practice, and continue working as teachers of English at the American-Bashkir Intercollege.

 2.       Rebekah Woodall, daughter of the Woodalls in Ufa, had a bout with breathing problems during one night this past week.  Pray for the Lord’s protection on her health and for peace of mind for Clarke and Tara.

 3.       Pray for Chris as he speaks at a Mississippi church on Sunday morning, that the Holy Spirit work in the lives of the believers there to be on mission with God in their community and beyond.

 4.       Pray for Victor and Susan Bauer’s visa acquisition process---their visa invitations are currently being processed in Washington DC toward their soon return to Ufa as teachers of English at the American-Bashkir Intercollege.

 5.       Pray for Chris’ dissertation process---the dissertation is now complete and in the final stages of proofing and printing in order to send on to his professors at Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City.

 6.       Pray for Ufa believers Maxim M., Andrei D.,  Alexei M., Marina S., Galina S., and Ludmila M. as they continue to lead an emerging movement of house/cell groups and churches in Ufa and across Bashkortostan.  People are becoming followers of Jesus and new groups are being started with good frequency and this is cause for praise to God!

 7.       Ufa believer Maxim M., in regard to the emerging house/cell movement in Ufa and Bashkortostan, requests prayer saying “there are obstacles—conservatism in thinking, especially with the older brothers; jealousy could arise if everything starts working out and there are blessings; the devil will still try to destroy everything through disagreement and pride.”

 8.       Pray for the Carr family’s visa acquisition process, which is in the very early stages.  The hope is that we can get at least 90-day religious work visas to get back into Ufa at the end of May, so that stamps and notations can be placed in each of our passports to activate our approved temporary residency status which will allow us to be in Ufa for up to three years without further need for leaving the country annually to secure new visas. 

 Thanks for praying with us and for the Lord’s work in Ufa and Bashkortostan.  Thank you for your sacrificial giving to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Int’l Missions via your local church.  We’d love for you to consider coming on a short-term volunteer trip to work with our team in Ufa!

 Chris