news from russia
We are delighted to announce the baptisms of LIDIJA (Kazan) and TATYANA in her old age and pray that they will endure to the end and enter the Kingdom with us.
ARMAVIR
Things are difficult for me as I am left alone now my husband has left me, I ask for your prayers. I admire your bravery in going to dangerous lands to spread the gospel to Moslems! I try also to be brave in my situation, also trusting in God.We often think of all the trouble Brother Duncan went to for Vitaly’s baptism, and despite all problems and the evil situation we are surrounded with here, we think with joy of the things of the Kingdom and thank you for the hope you have given us. We continue breaking bread together.
Sis. Galina and Bro. Vitaly
CHELYABINSK
I think that we all are brothers & sisters and must love each other. Only God knows who is better and who is worse. God bless.
Sis. Elena
EFREMOV
Here I am rather depressed as things are not good for us in our little group here, and despite all my efforts, people still do nott want to respond and be baptized. I find the letters I get from old Sister Ludmila all the time a great encouragement, she keeps me going.
Bro. Oleg
IZHEVSK
Sorry for not being in touch. I want to ask you to please pray for my wife as she is seriously ill and it makes our spirit at home very sober. May God bless and help us all.
Bro. Andrej
JOSHKAR-OLA
My children and I went to the Bible School of CBM in Moscow, the atmosphere was different to before, and we wished the baptisms had been performed openly rather than privately. However, for all things we give thanks.
Sis Lena
KAZAN
Here we are all well and continue to meet at Sis. Ludmila’s home. We have some small land outside of the city and we have been harvesting our crops; I feel guilty at times how much time I spend on such things when there is always the Bible to be read.
Bro. Andrej
I am very fearful I cannot attend the Winter Bible School because my health isn’t good. I have contact with the sisters from Kazakhstan still and try to give all advice I can from this distance. I am still so happy I was able to baptize Lidija here recently, I feel God is still using me. Bro. Igor Prozorov recently called me from Moscow, it was lovely to be remembered by him.
Sis Ludmila
I am so grateful to Sister Ludmila here who did so much for me spiritually, may God bless her with long life. I am grateful to you, too, for opening up to me so much, now I feel I know Jesus. For example, I understand now how He didn’t exist from the beginning as a person physically, but was truly the Son of God and son of Mary. In short I am so happy!
Sis Lidia
I still remember with such joy our meeting in Krutushka for the Bible School, it was my joy to help arrange this. My prayers are with those newly baptized people in Asia.
Bro. Viktor
Several from here are going to the Winter Bible School, but after my accident I feel unsure of myself to make such a long journey to Ukraine so, sadly, I won’t be able to come, although I am so strongly with you all. I am working at persuading one woman here to be baptized.
Sis. Ludmila K
I am sorry for such a long silence. Life has not been easy and I’ve not been reading the Bible as much as I ought to. However, I am resolving to make a special effort to attend the Winter Bible School!
Sis. Ludmila F
KHANTY-MANSIJSK
We are very happy to say that our young daughter has started reading the Bible. Because we are so isolated here, the cost of everything is so high because of all the transport required. It is very hard for us to survive. Please pray for us.
Bro Sergej
KORKINO
We made a visit to brothers and contacts in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It was very wonderful journey for us and we thank God! I have got a new job. I am struggling to understand Amos 9:7, it’s not at all clear to me and I am trying by all means to understand!
Bro Alexei
KRASNODAR
We have a desperate situation as my wife needs to have an operation, she has had all scans and reports from the doctor, but they ask so much money to make the operation. The local brothers to us here are poor and we meet together and just pray for her.
Bro Dmitry
KRUTAYA
I was disappointed at a recent Bible School to see people not allowed to be baptized because it was said they did not know enough: I have been worrying about this since returning home. Here in our region it is now not allowed to publish advertisments for Bible Basics. My husband and daughter are now working in St Petersburg, so I am preparing for the Winter alone with Anna. I am thinking much about Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians, that with God there is not ‘yes and no’, but in Him is the Amen, the ‘yes’. He is so positive, and amidst all problems we are facing here I am determined to live by those verses and be positive.
Sis Tanya
PYSHMA
I love you all, and wish you all God’s blessing in all aspects of life.
Bro. Viktor
ROSTOV Obl
We have some replies from here and we are grateful that you are sending them Bible Basics. I have been discussing with Adventists here about the Sabbath issue and trying to persuade them of the truth.
Bro. Andrej
RZHEV
I am pleased to inform you of more who want to study the Bible lessons here. It was encouraging to read of the first baptism in Iraq. I feel very limited in what I can do here because of total lack of funds. I really enjoyed going to Moscow and breaking bread with the brothers there. I have a neighbour, an old woman, who is studying Bible Basics with me, and also I am sending it to my relatives who live far from me.
Bro Aleksandra
St. PETERSBURG
I am reading and re-reading some of the old exhortations for the breaking of bread, they seem so relevant to me. Things here are going from bad to worse, corruption is everywhere and there is a spirit of evil it seems wherever one looks, and true Christianity is very hard to live here. I recently had a letter from Sis Ludmila from Kazan, it was such a pleasure. She has been a great encouragement to me since I first met her at a Bible School some years ago. She is a wonderful sister and it is encouraging for me to see that even now in her old age she still cares for us all and loves the Truth.
Bro Valeriji
SARATOV
I was so happy to see my grandson, who is also my brother, getting married to a sister in Christ. We as a family are so grateful for all the things you did for us. I read by the Companion each day, but I worry that I forget so much, even by the next day.
Sis Raisa
SHAKHTY
I have been wondering what 2 Pet. 3:9 means, about God waiting with patience for all to repent. One almost wishes He would not be so patient, so Jesus would return sooner. The verse confuses me. Tanya and I hope to come to the Bible School, and are so happy to have this chance!
Bro Andreji
SHCHYOKINO
I am having big problems with letters not getting through to me. I want to inform you all that I pray for all of you whom I know, I love you all. I break bread each week and read the same chapters you do from the Companion each day, I am with you all. Please pray for me as I fear each Winter whether I will survive because of my weak health. I am very worried about my elderly sister Sofia, she came to see me in May, and then she departed for Ukraine to her home and since then I have not heard from her. Travel is so hard at our age. As she is not educated and naive I worry that something bad may have happened to her. I pray for her, for you all, and desperately hope in the return of Jesus before I have to die.
Bro Boris
STAVROPOLSKIJ KRAJ
At last I think that God may have given me someone with whom to share my faith. I have found an old lady near here, to whom I can talk about the word of God. I bought her a Bible from a drunkard, who would sell anything he could for money to drink. I gave her the Bible and together we read through the book of Ruth. I am very hopeful that she may come to be baptized.
Sis Ludmila
TOMSK
I now have some free time and am happy to continue working on the website.
Bro Rinat
TULSKAYA Obl
My dream is always to be able to get to the Bible Schools because, for me, my faith is my life, it is all I have. I am so very grateful that you lovingly remember me and bother to write to me.
Sis. Ekaterina
TVER
My neighbour in our block has read Bible Basics and is corresponding with Brother Duncan, but she is very old and her family are against her studying with us. I pray for her and am hopeing to come to the Bible School.
Bro Sasha
TYMSK
We here are all very much looking forward to the next visit. We are preparing now for the Winter. When the river freezes, and vehicles can drive over it, we are more connected to the rest of the world. We pray for you all. We were so blessed this Summer with a great harvest of potatoes. Which we are storing. The snow has already come, and we pray God keeps all the family healthy through the Winter. I am preaching by letter to a distant relative of ours in Germany. Bro Ivan
UST KATAV
I know I have not written for a long time and I feel guilty for this! We love you all very much, and I give greetings from us here, Antonina, Vitaly and Dimitry. Please pray for us, we have some difficult problems. I have focused upon Isaiah 40:31, which says that in the Kingdom of God we will rise up with wings as eagles, above all the present sadness we now experience.
Sis Elena
YELETS
We were really pleased here to learn about the new baptisms in Latvia, may God bless you there in the work going on. We are well here by God’s grace. We are so looking forward to coming to the Bible School, it is such a joy for us each year, thank you!
Sis Nina
I am sorry, but for me it is impossible now to go anywhere because of my wife's severe disease; she suffered cerebral thrombosis (a stroke) a few months ago, so that for the time being she must stay home and be served by somebody. So I wish for the Bible school to go with the blessing of God.
Bro Sasha
