Russia 2013

The Word of God commands us to "pray continually" (1Thess. 5:17) and that "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).  Prayer is the key to the heart of God.  And our sovereign God chooses to move through our prayers.  What an awesome privilege it is to pray.  Anita, Matthew, Angela and I felt the prayers of the saints, we prayed the prayers of God's heart and, as a result, we saw God's Spirit move in powerful ways.  Light dispelled the darkness and His love prevailed!  To Him, we give all the honor, all the praise and all the glory.

As I think back on all the years I have gone to Russia, I stand amazed at my Savior and Lord...that He would allowed me the privilege of being a small part of what He is doing in this tiny region of Russia.  Over the years, I have seen many come to Christ, be healed and restored.  I have seen the body of Christ in Russia expand their hearts to the Russian orphans and begin to work together for God's purposes and plans.  I have seen American churches adopt certain orphanages and give them the help they so desperately needed.  I have seen orphanage directors lives touched and changed by God's love, and, as a result, allowed the truth of the gospel to be shared in their orphanages. I have seen orphanage facilities improve to where there is no longer a great need for humanitarian aid. I have seen the birth of Change30 and its ministries...Project 1 and the Graduate Program.  And I have seen orphans become productive and successful people who love the Lord.  I am so thankful and blessed!  

Yet I have also felt much heartache over the years for I have seen the orphan statistics come true in every way.  Children I have prayed for and know have committed suicide, given themselves over to prostitution, drugs and alcohol.  Several have gone to jail. And teenage girls have become mothers when they can't even take care of themselves. 

I thank God for Change30 and for their passion to raise the life expectancy of the Russian orphans.  As Change30 continues to minister through the Project 1 Camps and the Graduate Program, the orphan statistics will continue to change.  So they need your prayers!  Please pray for those who have answered God's call and gone to this area to live and serve:  Matt and Jackie Hall (and their children), Jarrod and Katie Zurcher, Amy Harwood, and the Harrington family from Arkansas who are moving to Kaliningrad this month.  And pray for the Change30 staff and volunteers: Pasha, Varia, Anya, Roma and Sasha and Ksoosha.  

As my season in orphanage outreach may be coming to an end (with Kolosok closing), I do see God opening up another opportunity to serve in Russia through ASK Network.  ASK Network is an international movement of people from all nations and all generations who long to see God's kingdom come and who have heard and felt the call to pray - to ASK.  God's particular call to ASK Network is to worship Him, listen to Him through Biblical meditation, ASK or pray with God's Word and to obey and thank Him.

The Lord gave Anita, the ASK Network Continental Director of Europe, great connections and new friendships while she was there.  She has the desire to return and build upon what God has begun with ASK in this region of Russia.  When she does, she has asked me to go with her again.  I know that ASK Network will not take yearly trips to Russia, yet, I am thankful for this new and different season of ministry.  I will still be involved in orphanage outreach but just not to the degree I have been in the past.  The Russian orphans are in my heart and will always be. 

Several years ago, God gave Angela a song to sing over Russia.  This particular song kept coming to my mind all throughout this trip and I found myself singing it over Russia again. Maybe you will too. Here are the words:

Shine, Jesus, Shine

Lord the Light of Your Love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus Light of the world shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
Shine on me.  Shine on me.

Shine Jesus shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit blaze,
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your Word
Lord and let there be light.

I want to thank Ksoosha Joy and Venera.  If not for them, we would have not been able to do what God called us to do.  They were our voices.  Thank you, wonderful women of God, for allowing God to use you in very powerful ways!  Anita, Matthew, Angela and I appreciate you!

It is through you, my partners, that the ministry God has called me to do in Russia is possible.  With a heart filled with gratitude, I thank each one of you for your trust, love, support and powerful prayers.  And "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  Eph. 3:16-19

In His love,
Lucy

P.S. A few picture highlights of my trip that I have not mentioned in other posts:

Learning that Max (from Kolosok) completed the Change30 Graduate Program. 

Max entered the program one year ago, and worked hard to finish his

education, find a job in his field of study, and become financially stable.

Congratulations Max! 

The opportunity to give Viktoria a flute lesson

A wonderful surprise visit from Tanya.  Definitely made my day! :)

 

 

Great visits with Pasha and Olga, especially the one at their home.

Olga cooked a very delicious dinner. :)

 

 

My visits with Venera.

 

My time with this wonderful family.  They hosted me for almost three weeks!

Thank you so much for your love and care, Sasha and Ksoosha!  

Such special times with you and your boys. Forever grateful.

 

Serving with Anita and Matthew

 

Kolosok

After our time in Gusev, Kena drove us to Kolosok Orphanage.  We arrived just in time for dinner and were greeted warmly by some of the staff and children.  We settled into our rooms, ate dinner and then we to the music room where we played Crazy Old Fish War and Uno with the kids.

Kolosok Orphanage 

The next morning we visited Valentina who was the Assistant Director of Kolosok for many years.  We enjoyed a perfect tea time, caught up on our families and prayed together.  After tea, we visited her garden and played with her kitten, Ira.  I really wanted to take little Ira home with me. :)  Please pray for Valentina as she has some health issues and for her son who was in a bad car accident a month ago and has a very long recovery ahead of him. 

Valentina

 

Ira playing with her mother's tail

  

In the afternoon, Angela and I had a visit from Nastya (graduated several years ago) who is now about 5 months pregnant. She openly discussed her situation with us and asked us to pray for her.  Angela and I both are so thankful that she felt comfortable enough to share her situation with us and to ask for prayer.  We know that our time together that day was definitely a divine appointment. Could you take a moment to pray for Nastya and her baby?  Thank you.

 

Nastya

 

 After our visit with Nastya, Tamara, one of the teachers came to see us.  She shared with us all that has happened in her life since we last saw us. The most exciting news she shared was that she got married!  She married a man who is a musician like herself and is very happy.  But Tamara also shared with us that she recently had been having some problems with her heart.  It would race and make her out of breath.  We took the opportunity to pray for her heart and for her.  Later in the day when I saw her again, she was excited and told me that her heart was normal again.  We praised the Lord for answered prayer! 

 

 

Tamara

 

In the evening, the kids did a scavenger hunt.  They had to find items like a long stick, a fish, Bible, a flag, and clean white sock but they also had to deliver a sweet treat to Valentina and have her sign a paper that she received it.  Once they were back, the team had to either do a skit or sing.  What fun!  Since Valentina lives about a 10 minute walk from Kolosok, the kids came back with red faces, smiles and definitely out of breath!  One team sang a song with hand motions and the other one sang while one boy danced (see the video).  The winning team received Snickers bars and everyone received Russian candy.  Next, we made fish keychains out of pony beads.  Some chose not to make a fish but instead became very creative in making a keychain of their own design.  We ended the night playing several games of Uno. 

 

Checking to see if they got all the items

 

Fish and other creations

 

The Project 1 Mini Camp was the next day.  We arrived at the land around 11 am and were greeted by Sasha, Ksoosha and their boys.  Nicholai, the caretaker, also greeted us.  The weather was just perfect...warm, blue skies and fluffy white clouds.  Definitely an answer to your prayers!

 

The kids explored while we helped with the lunch preparations.  Several of them found the new hay loft and had fun covering themselves with the hay and then balancing on a beam. 

 

 

 Then it was game time.  The kids played several different relays and volleyball.

 

 

 

We all gathered in the canopy tent for a delicious lunch of pasta with meat, potato chips, cucumbers, tomatoes and bread.  Oh, don't forget the ketchup and mayonnaise! Most of the kids ate huge portions and came back for more.  :)

 

 

 

Then we all went to the fire pit to roast hotdogs!  Yes, they ate hotdog after hotdog with, of course, lots of ketchup! :)

 



 

With very full bellies, we played the water balloon game.  One team bounces a water balloon off their sheet to the other team's sheet.  The other team has to catch the balloon without it popping.  Enjoy this short video.

 

 



 

                          

 

Finally, it was smore time!  I have never seen the kids eat so many!  They had a blast roasting the marshmallows and making the smores.  Faces were covered in chocolate and marshmallow.  :) 

 

 

Director Tatiana came with us that day and brought her granddaughter, Ksoosha. Tatiana got to see first hand why the kids love to come to the Project 1 land.  Though she knows improvements and renovations are needed, she gave her complete approval and support to Sasha and Ksoosha. And Tatiana plans to go to the first Project 1 camp with her granddaughter.

 

The bus ride back to Kolosok was full of laughter and joy.  Then several of the kids fell fast asleep. 

 

   

In the evening, I shared the story about Jesus feeding the five thousand people with a boy's lunch of two fish and five small loaves.  After the story, each child was able to fish for a fish on the floor that had a Bible verse on it.  Each fish had a different verse on it.  So we trusted the Lord that each child received the verse he or she needed.

 

 

Our last morning there, we took a walk to the Orthodox church with a few of the children then we to a local café where one of the girls, Sasha, works as a waitress.  It was great fun and a blessing to have her wait on us.  Sasha graduated this year from the 11th grade and will study in Kaliningrad next year.  Most of the children at the orphanage choose to graduate after the 9th grade and do not want to study the extra two years.  We are so proud of all Sasha has accomplished! 

 

Sasha

 

After lunch, we said our goodbyes to the staff and the children.  It was not easy since we know Kolosok is scheduled to closed in May of 2014.  The staff gave us a framed picture of themselves for us to remember them.  Please keep these ladies in your prayers as some of them will not have work when Kolosok closes.  

 

The staff of Kolosok

 

Director Tatiana

 

But we did hear that the government has put the care of the orphanages under a different department and the lady who oversees this department sees the value in smaller orphanages. So there might be a small chance that Kolosok will not close. Please join us in praying that God will keep this orphanage open.  It is a place where the gospel is welcomed and received by many. 

 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade."  1 Peter 1:3-4  

Our time at Kolosok was short.  Yet, we still had the privilege once again of sharing this living hope with the staff and the children.  And that hope can shine even in the darkest place, not because of who we are but because of Who He is. He is the God who saves, forgives, heals and restores. We may never see the staff or the children of Kolosok again in this lifetime but we can and have entrusted them into the hands of the One who will never leave them or forsake them.  To Him be the glory!

 

The Children of Kolosok Orphanage

                                     

                         

 

Gusev

Angela and I had a safe trip home.  We did have a very tight connection at the JFK airport because our flight from Moscow was an hour late arriving.  We had little over an hour to make it through customs, get our bags and recheck them, get my ticket to Atlanta, take the Airtrain to the Delta departure terminal and make it to the Delta gate.  Praise God that we arrived at the gate just in time for boarding!  We felt the prayers of the saints and knew that God had gone before us and prepared the way.  Thank you so much for your prayers.

Our time in Gusev was short but very sweet.  When we arrived in Gusev, we expected to be taken to the church where Kalzhan and Gulia presently live.  Instead, we were taken to the home of a young couple, Kena and Katya, who have a 5 month old son.  Katya is the daughter of our very good friend Natasha. It was such fun to share their joy over tea.  From there, we went to visit Kena's store where he sells goods from Poland. 

Katya and family 

 

About 5 years ago, Natasha (Katya's mother) and her husband, adopted a deaf girl named Lena who used to live at Kolosok Orphanage.  She was 6 at the time she lived at Kolosok and was a very frustrated and unhappy child.  At that time, she did not know sign language so she really had no way to communicate with anyone. Today, she is 12 and is a totally different child.  She is full of joy, knows that she is loved both by God and her family, and can now hear and talk.  Lena recently underwent implant surgery that has enabled her to hear. :)  Praising God for all He has done in Lena's life!

 

Lena, Lucy and Natasha

 

After visiting his store, Kena still didn't take us to the church but surprised us by taking us to Kalzhan and Gulia's new unfinished house.  We were greeted by the family and others from the church where we had a picnic birthday celebration for Isaak, Kalzhan and Gulia's youngest son who turned 5 that day.  We enjoyed delicious shashlik that was cooked by their oldest son, Danik, and lots of other tasty food.  The kids played games then Isaak gave away some of his most precious toys as gifts to the other children who came.  Isaak wanted to give presents instead of receiving them for his birthday.  The celebration lasted until around 10 pm. :)

 

 

 

Angela balancing cups and plates on her head

 

 

Isaak giving presents

 

The next morning we attended church. Once again, I was blessed to get to be a part of the worship team and play my flute.  During church, we heard testimonies of the people who went on the yearly week long bicycle trip to evangelized the surrounding villages and towns.  It was amazing to hear their stories.  After the testimonies, Kalzhan preached a powerful sermon about being in Christ.

The Bicycle Team Singing

After church, we visited shortly with friends we had not seen in several years before going upstairs to have lunch with Kalzhan and Gulia.  Our fellowship time with this family will be a sweet memory for both Angela and I.  We have many years of history together and it was such a blessing to be in their home again.

The Alimbekov Family

 

Because it was difficult to do, I did not post but one picture while in Russia.  I have now added pictures to previous posts if you want to go back and see them.

 

Next time I will post on our visit to Kolosok Orphanage.  Until then...

Update

I am back at Sasha and Ksoosha's now and only have a few minutes to post before we go for a visit with little Olga and Pasha.

I want to thank you again for your faithfulness to pray for Angela and I.  We have seen God's hand of blessing in all of our days here.  He has moved in hearts and given us many opportunities to minister.

The weather has been wonderful.  Warm sunny days with blue skies and beautiful fluffy white clouds.  Yesterday was very warm.  Today even warmer...preparing us for our return to GA.  :)

We have not had any more problems with the passport control officers.  They did not visit us in Gusev or at Kolosok.  :)  Thank you so much for your prayers!

Both our visits to Gusev and Kolosok went very well.  I plan to post about them when I get home.

Please pray for us as we travel home tomorrow.  Thank you again for your love and support.

Until next time....

In KGD

Yesterday Angela and I had a wonderful visit with Ksoosha K., a former C30 staff member, and her family.  We went her mom's house and were greeted with much love and joy.  Julia, Ksoosha's sister, her husband, James, and their son, Thomas were there visiting from Norway.  Zhenya, Ksoosha's husband, and her children were there also.  Daniel, her son, had grown up so much since the last time we saw him and we got to meet her beautiful daughter, Elizabeth, who is several months old now. We ate a wonderful meal cooked by her mom and shared what was new in our lives.  It was such a blessing for us to be with this family.

Thomas, James, Julia

 

Daniel, Zhenya, Liza, Ksoosha

 

 

After our visit, Angela had a dinner date with a friend in KGD.  I was able to go the C30 life skills class for the graduate girls.  Usually there are around 4 girls who come but there were only two last night.  One of them lives in the C30 apartment and is my little Olga's sister. :)  At the class, I got to see Olga, Jackie, Katie, Amy, Anya, Varia and Sveta.  Such fun!  The class was led by Varia and a C30 intern named Rachel.  The topic we discussed was self esteem.  During the class, each person shared what they liked about themselves and, in turn, we would share what we liked about her.  Our time ended by praying for one another.

Little Olga, Julia (Olga's sister) and Varia

Anya volunteered to walk me back to Venera's flat where Ksoosha would pick me up.  It was a beautiful night and the walk was very enjoyable.  Anya asked many questions about ASK Network.  She had gone to the Gusev ASK conference and really liked it.  She told me that she esp. liked it when they prayed for the Russian government and took turns praying instead of praying all at once.  I was able to answer her questions and hopefully give her a better understanding of ASK.

Anya

Today Angela and I met Matt, Jackie, Jarrod, Katie, Amy, Rachel, Sveta and Egor for lunch.  We enjoyed reuniting with them and heard all the news about the graduate program.  We visited two graduate apartments after lunch.  Most of graduates were working but we did get to meet Ruslan. Both apartments are spacious and nice but still very typical of what they might live in when they are no longer in the program.

Sveta, Lucy, Angela, Jackie, Matt and Egor

Angela and I met Ksoosha Joy after seeing the apartments and came back to her place for tea.  We had a lovely tea and great fellowship. :)

Tomorrow Angela and I will go to Gusev for a visit. We will spend the night, attend church then leave in the afternoon for Kolosok Orphanage.  Please pray that we will not have any more encounters with the passport control officers in Gusev or in Bagrats, where Kolosok is located.

We will be at Kolosok from Sunday evening to Wednesday afternoon.  On Tuesday, we will go for a picnic at the Project 1 land with the children of Kolosok.  During the time in Gusev and at Kolosok, I will not have any internet connection...so I will not be able to post again until I return to KGD.

The weather has been wonderful!  Warm temperatures and very little rain.  Please pray that the weather continues to be nice esp. on Tuesday for our picnic at the Project 1 land.

Thank you again for your faithfulness to pray for us.  We feel them and know that God is answering!

Update

Very quick post to let you know that Angela arrived safely and is now at Venera's. Thank you for your prayers.  I plan to post again tomorrow or the next day when I have more time.

ASK Network

These past three days have been busy with the conferences, church and visiting. Today is a day of much needed rest.  :) Anita and Matthew are safely back in England now. Thank you for your prayers for their safe return.

Both conferences went well and were well received.  Anita, Matthew and I felt and knew that we were being upheld and sustained in prayer during both of them. We believe that God granted us great connections and a fruitful planting; time will tell whether the fruit will last, but we are confident that we were well within the Lord's purposes and timing.

The Kaliningrad conference had around 22-25 people in attendance. Sasha and Ksoosha were please with how many people were there and said it was a good turnout. The people listened attentively, took notes and participated in prayer and in the meditation session.  Afterwards we had the privilege to pray individually with several people.  I went to Ksoosha's church on Sunday and several people told me how much they enjoyed it and how it had helped them.  They thanked me for coming and sharing ASK.  Sasha and Ksoosha also gained a better understanding of what ASK is about.

Matthew teaching in KGD

 

Anita teaching in KGD

Worship

The Gusev conference had around 60-65 people in attendance.  I knew that we would have more people there and was greatly pleased at the turnout.  Most of the people were from the Gusev church but there were a handful of people from other churches who came too.  Just as in KGD, the people listened attentively, took notes and participated in prayer and in the meditation.  Kalzhan, the pastor of the church, gained a better undertanding of what ASK is about and thank us for sharing.

It was in Gusev that we really felt your prayers as we had an interruption in the evening session.  The people from passport control came to check our passports.  We had to leave the conference and go to their office to answers some questions. We knew that the church was praying as well as our faithful intercessors.  Nothing like this has happened to me personally in all the years I have been coming to Russia.  It was quite intense but all was well after about two hours.  We know that God answered prayer on our behalf and gave us favor.  We finally returned to the church around 7:45 pm and were able to finish the conference with joy.  During our last session, we prayed for the Russian officials in Gusev and all of Russia.  Anita, Matthew and I thank you for your faithfulness to pray for us.

Matthew teaching in Gusev

Anita teaching in Gusev

Praying for Government Officials

Praying for Russia

Communion

We got back into KGD around midnight.  Anita and Matthew had an early morning departure so we said our goodbyes then.  It was such a privilege and joy for me to be a part of this ASK team.  We worked together well and complimented one another in our gifts and abilities.  I do look forward to being with them again in Russia.  :)

Angela begins her journey to Russia tomorrow.  Please keep her in your prayers as she travels.  She will arrive in KGD around noon on Wednesday.  I am looking forward to greeting her and welcoming her to Russia.  :)

Tomorrow I get to spend time with the daughter of my heart, Olga, and her husband, Pasha.  :)

Thank you again for your prayers.  Will hopefully write again in a day or two.