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November 20, 2002
1. We are
seeking God's wisdom as to where to place our oldest son Nathan (6 yrs old in
December) in a Russian school for perhaps a day or two per week. Eileen is
presently homeschooling him, but we want him to learn Russian and Russian
history etc.
2. Our
children are having some difficulty readjusting to the Russian winter. We are
losing 4 minutes of daylight every day; we have less than 8 hours of daylight
now, and the children are unable to consistently play outside because of
the weather.
3. We are
seeking God's will as to the timing, place, etc., for a new evangelistic bible
study group. God may be opening a door for us to do this in our own
apartment with residents in our own building.
4. We are
preparing for new team members to come join us in early January. Pray that we
can get their apartment ready, find language teachers for them, etc
5. We are
planning toward several major projects in the next year: production of an
advocacy video that will help mobilize prayer and personnel support for our
work, presentation of a major evangelism/church-planting training conference
next April for the entire country of Russia (involving mainly Russian
Baptists), an evangelistic English camp next summer, possible involvement in a
master's degree pilot project for urban ministry in our city (Ufa, 1.1 million
people and only 2000 believers).
6. For a
continuously growing relationship with Russian Baptists and other evangelicals
here in the Ufa area; that God would produce a spirit of unity that would lead
to close cooperation in church planting efforts.
7. For
additional team members in the areas of media production, student evangelism,
church planting among professionals/business people, etc.
8. For
Eileen to better prioritize our time so as to better invest in the lives of
our 5 children. We are constantly torn between commitment to family and
commitment to ministry outside the home. God is leading us toward better
balance.
Prayer requests originating from several pastors here in the Ufa
which Chris
heard yesterday. It would be good for the bros and sisters in America to join
in intercession for their needs.
1. Pray for the Zirganski people (from the city of Zirgan in south-central
Bashkortostan; that strategic ways to share the gospel can be found)
2. Pray that space can be found and rented for a new adaptation center for
reformed addicts. The Lord has blessed us in Bashkortostan with a growing
ministry of deliverance and salvation among folks who are trapped in substance
abuse. We need to locate a place for those who have completed rehabilitation
and need to learn a trade before integrating back into society.
3. Pray for the planning of a Pioneer Evangelism conference here in Ufa next
April. Pray that the Lord would show us where to conduct the training, who
to invite, that God would provide all the resources necessary to conduct the
training. Pray that key leaders would also attend and be challenged to
capture a church-planting mentality.
4. Pray for an upcoming youth conference in Ufa on Dec. 12. Pray that the
youth who attend will commit their lives to the Lordship of Christ and to
being on mission with him in their own republic. Pray that the fires of
evangelism will be stoked in their hearts during the all-day meeting.
Pray that many of them will answer the call to Christian ministry.
Our leadership in Bashkortostan is fervently praying for the Lord to
rapidly raise up a new generation of Christian leadership to minister in
existing and new church plants.
5. Pray for Natasha Slobodyan, who serves as the coordinator for children's
ministry training in Bashkortostan. She had a double mastectomy about two
years ago, and is again struggling withcancer. She is currently under
treatment and is not doing well. Pray for the Lord to intervene in her
life and heal her body of this cancer so that she may continue serving him in
the area of children's ministry.
6. Pray for the Baptist believers in Davlekanovo (a short distance southwestof
Ufa); they request prayer for a vibrant children's and youth ministry, along
with the desire to begin ministry among the Tatar-speaking people located in
several key cities in the southern half of Bashkortostan.
7. Pray for Alexander and Lena Shishkin as they contemplate a move to the
republic of Karelia (part of the Russian Federation and located just to the
east of Finland. Pray that the Lord give them clear confirmation concerning
their desire to move there (from Ufa) to begin the first evangelical church
in the city of Petrozavodsk.
8. Pray for one of our local missionaries who is named Andrei. He is
encountering a difference of opinion with the group who is partially
supporting him (financially); pray that the Lord give him and the organization
wisdom as to how to reach a compromise on their differences.
9. Pray for a believer named Farit, who is now assisting the pastor of the
Baptist church in Davlekanovo. Pray that the Lord increase his ministry, that
the church would grow, and that new bible study groups would result.
10. Praise the Lord with us for the 31 former addicts who are now believers
and have been baptised as a result of rehab ministry in the city of
Oktiabrski. Praise the Lord with us for the 60 who have completed the rehab
process. Praise the Lord with us for the 4 former addicts who are now
themselves serving in Christian rehab ministry. Pray for the growth of this
ministry into Ufa, Blagoveschensk, and other key cities of Bashkortostan.
Pray that the Lord will provide the resources necessary to continue these
rehab centers in the areas of rent, provisions, furniture, and qualified
workers.
11. Pray the Lord would give us wisdom as to how to start new bible study
groups and leadership training groups here in Ufa. We need wisdom as to
locations, who to train, who to initially target, etc.
12. Pray for a pastor friend from South Carolina (Mark B., and his son Mark Jr)
who will spend several days with us starting Saturday the 23rd of Nov.
Pray that the Lord open doors of ministry in prisons, orphanages, churches,
and also that God would grant us favor with local officials for the purposes
of relationship-building.
Pray that we would wisely use the
resources God has given to us even at a personal level. While shopping this
past week, Chris noticed an elderly woman who was somewhat stooped over
because of obvious back problems. She was counting her change as she looked
up to see what kind of milk she could afford. She then trudged over to the
counter where cheese is sold...Chris heard her say "how can a person live on
such a pension"?
Our hearts break when we daily
encounter such poverty and see the struggle right in front of our eyes. What
is even more painful is that there is a deeper hunger in the human heart, a
hunger that only Jesus can satiate. The early church father Augustine wrote
"our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee". Pray with us
that we can introduce Jesus as the Bread of Life, as we also attempt to
minister to the gnawing pain in the stomachs of hungry people.
Thank you for being a part of team as you lift up these needs before a great
and gracious God!
Much love-
Chris & Eileen Acc
Ufa, Bashkortostan
November 8, 2002
Praise the Lord with us that we are
now officially registered to live and work here in Bashkortostan again! I
just returned from the registration office less than 15 minutes ago. We were
uncertain if we would be registered without any problems, but thank the Lord
it has happened.
Also, praise the Lord for at least 80
new believers who were baptized while we were stateside. If I've understood
correctly, the 80 are from the Baptist churches across Bashkortostan who at
different times during the past summer were baptized in lakes, rivers, or
creeks. We hope to hear from other confessions/denominations here in
Bashkortostan as to how many believers they are reporting in their churches.
Pray with us that God would bind the
strong man (Satan) here in Bashkortostan, and that the name of Jesus would be
glorified and made known among the 112 different ethnic groups residing here.
Pray with us for a pastor's conference
starting tomorrow in Ufa which will continue thru Friday night, that the
pastors will be encouraged thru the training and fellowship. Serving as a
pastor here in
Bashkortostan is a difficult job, as it is in the USA.
Pray for Chris as he attends a field
meeting next week (Nov. 10-14) in Moscow, that he has safe travel and that the
Lord ministers strength to Eileen who will care for our kids with the help of
the kids' nanny and housekeeper while Chris is out of
town. Eileen is an absolute trooper and awesome mom and wife, and she
provides such wonderful stability for our family...pray that the Lord gives
her a sense of peace and empowerment as she ministers in and out of our
apartment.
Pray for Chris as he attempts to get
the car inspected before leaving for Moscow. This is another adventure in
bureaucracy and patience may be necessary!
Thank you for your prayer and support,
Chris
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