July 10 2004

We visited with an elderly man named Misha on July 9 in the Sipailovo region of Ufa...we became acquainted with him while prayerwalking the area in June with a volunteer team from Westside Baptist Church in Sumter, SC...when we visited with him yesterday, he was feeling ill and said his heart was hurting...we gave him a copy of the Jesus film and asked if we could return in a few weeks and visit with him, to which he agreed...he shared with us that he has been quite lonely since his wife died a few years ago...he said he wasn't sure how much longer he would last, that perhaps he would soon die...we shared with him the hope and good news we have because of Jesus and challenged him to read the book of John in the New Testament and ask God to speak to Him and reveal Himself...

Pray with us in the next few weeks that Misha will indeed be reading John's gospel and that God will reveal Himself personally to Misha as the Creator and Saviour of the world...we prayed with Misha before we left; as we left his living room, he told us that he noticed a strange feeling in his heart as we prayed, and that he had already started feeling better...

Pray with us that the Lord would touch Misha's heart AND soul in such a way that as Misha reads the Bible, he will realize it is Jesus Himself who ministers love and health to him!
 

On another note, we encountered some resistance in the last few days concerning our children's ministry work involving two students from Kiev Christian University...apparently someone complained to local authorities and the police were called when the students & Larry/Josie Moon began playing with local children near the Moons' apartment building...the situation is still somewhat in flux right now as we try to ascertain exactly who complained. We are consulting with local Baptist leadership concerning the best course of action...

Pray for clear thinking, wisdom, and if we need it, unusual boldness to share the good news even in the face of pressure and misunderstanding...

 Pray with us that Satan would be thwarted in his plan to deceive and distract...

Pray with us that Jesus would bind him and rebuke him from interfering with the spreading of the gospel here in Ufa...we find it difficult to believe that there is truly religious freedom (as a local administrator assured us exists concerning this recent police involvement) when properly registered foreigners (like ourselves) are told they can't sit/stand/play with children on the playground next to their OWN apartment building...we suspect that one or two people complained about a situation about which they do not have full knowledge & are speaking out of ignorance instead of honoring their own laws...

Blessings,
Chris Carr
IMB Strategy Coordinator for the mega-city of Ufa, Russia