May 18, 2008

Greetings from Ufa!  I’m writing to ask you to focus some of your prayer time toward the following needs connected to the Lord’s work here in Ufa in the coming days:

 1.       Pray for an Acts 29 discipleship/house church planting training to take place here in Ufa May 19-23.  The training team (Bruce and Gloria Carleton and 6 students from Boyce College at Southern Seminary) arrived here safely with all their luggage this past Thursday evening.  It took all day Saturday, but we were finally able to get their visas registered, this is a big praise.

 Pray for safe travel for many who are coming to Ufa for the training.  Pray for key leaders to be a part and to embrace the training and empower those they lead.  Pray for participants in the practicum May 26-30, that they be led to persons of peace (Luke 10) as they prayer walk Ufa during those days, that they be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading so that new bible study places will be found which eventually will become churches.   Pray for those who will attend the training and then return to their places of service outside of Ufa, that they also immediately start putting into practice that which they are trained to do.

 2.       Pray for our teammates Victor and Susan Bauer as they fly out early Monday morning back to USA for a scheduled vacation, family time, and mobilization for the Lord’s work here. Please pray for timely connections, no lost baggage, no hassles at passport control, etc.   Pray for a blessed time for them back in USA.  They are scheduled to return to Ufa on June 19.

 In conjunction with this, please pray that we receive new visa invitations this coming week for the Bauers and that the visa renewal process go smoothly for them in USA. 

  3.       Pray for our family as Saturday was a roller coaster ride for us—we received word initially that led us to believe Eileen’s grandma was near death; late on Saturday we received a fuller picture that although she is in poor health, she is apparently not near imminent death.   Pray especially for Eileen, because it is still quite possible we may have to put her on a plane in the near future to get back to USA and be with her grandma and family if her grandma’s condition deteriorates rapidly. 

  4.       Please pray for our new teammate Jim Havlik---he started cross-cultural orientation this past week near Richmond, VA and is scheduled to join our team in late August.   Pray for him to have a blessed time as he is trained and oriented regarding multiple issues related to his service with our team.  Pray for the visa process for him which has started here in Ufa, pray that there be no hitches or delays in the process.

 5.       Pray for Nikki Lutes as she prepares to come to the Ufa as a volunteer summer worker in an orphanage outside of Ufa as well as serving in an ESL day-camp in Ufa during part of June and July.  Additionally, she will assist our team with ESL groups on weekends during her time in the Ufa area. 

 Thanks for praying with and for us and the Lord’s kingdom work here in Ufa!

Chris Carr for TeamUfa

Russia