I have had very little time to spend with my computer this trip, which is a good thing, I’m sure, as it means I have been busy with what we really come here to Russia to do, which is to encourage and share that precious gospel. Since my last update we have visited Ekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains, a dividing line between Europe and Asia. We had a truly blessed visit in Ekaterinburg with many of the brothers and sisters that were part of Pastor Dennis Hilman’s congregation when he lived there.
At our Sunday service in Ekaterinburg, Pastor Dennis baptized Yurij and Yulia Gonin’s children (I and Leona Matson stood as God-parents) and I also stood as a witness (Godparent) to Konstantin Rib’s baptism. I have had a close relationship with Konstantin (Kostya) and his family for the last ten years, and though Kostya has always faithfully attended our services and helped us in our work, he has been quietly distant in spiritual matters, but now the Lord has suddenly touched Kostya’s heart to seek a closer relationship with the Lord through a deeper repentance and through baptism. I felt very privileged to be part of Kostya’s baptism when he and his family told me that I am a person they trust and love very much, and that they wanted me to stand as a witness for Kostya because they know I will continue to pray for and encourage them along this oft rocky road of faith.
We also visited Gagarka and the Christians there. Marina, a young mother of 5, who heard we would be holding services in Gagarka, came to us from another village. She had been carrying a deep burden of sin and guilt and fear of God’s judgment on her heart all winter and so after service I found a quiet spot to sit with Marina, along with sister Svetlana Fedorova who helped me to minister to her, and there we listened to Marina’s tearful confession.
It was with thankfulness and joy that I was able to explain the gospel to Marina and to tell her how the Lord had heard her prayers and sent me from across the seas from the opposite side of the world to sit beside her here in this tiny Russian village home, and to lay healing hands upon her and bless her with the forgiveness of sins in Jesus name and precious shed blood. Afterwards I gathered our group together to pray for Marina and to bless her once more. Now Marina wants to be baptized along with all her 5 children, so I presented a New Testament bible to her and asked her to read it over the next months and to prepare her heart and by God’s grace, I will come to her village in the winter and we will baptize her and her children then.
I also want to write about Katya, a young English teacher who I met through another friend in Ekaterinburg. Katya is an Orthodox Christian and so when the Lord opened opportunity for me to speak to her about matters of faith, she wanted to know which God we believed in... and when I returned the question to her, she told me she believed in Jesus Christ, which I found so encouraging, as so many Orthodox Christians will say they believe in God, but not often do they say “I believe in Jesus Christ”.
I spent that first evening quietly discussing faith with Katya while others visited around us. Katya agreed with me that it was no coincidence that we met. She told me how only yesterday she had written in her journal how she “Needed to read the bible!”. (Katya had tried to read the bible in years past, but found it difficult to understand.) I invited Katya to our service the next day and she came.
I presented her with a Russian version of the New Testament, then she stayed with our group late into the evening and again she was with us on our last evening in that city. It was obvious to all of us that the Lord was opening Katya’s heart and expanding her view of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Katya sang with us and prayed with us and confessed her sin and need of Jesus. Before we left her that last evening, I gathered our group around her to lay hands upon her and pray for her, and to bless her, when she asked, with the forgiveness of all her sins.
We flew from Ekaterinburg to St. Petersburg on Monday. We left our luggage, with the gracious help of Pastor Leif Camp, in the offices of the beautiful St. Mary’s Ingrian Lutheran Church which is located in the very centre of St. Petersburg, and spent the day sight-seeing in that breathtakingly beautiful place. A young sister, Maria Lubova, who moved from Udmurtia to St. Pete last year, spent the day with us and we prayed with her and encouraged her along this way, then we traveled by bus to Kingisepp, where I am writing this update from. Here in Kingisepp many long-time friends are gathering with us to sing and pray and be encouraged in God’s Word. We will spend another day or so here before continuing on to Rzhev, the last destination in our trip before Moscow and home.
There are many other things I want to write about, but I don’t have time. The young people traveling with us are all doing so well. It’s a bit difficult for them sometimes because of the language barrier, but they are expanding in their outreach.. learning to talk without language.. or with that international language called “Love” :)…
New Additional note to explain an issue in the above report.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support and the encouraging notes and replies to my updates.. I just wanted to answer a question that has come up a couple of times from some of you concerning why we didn't baptize Marina (read above) right away that day. We did want to do that and discussed it together, but we had little time and the fact that Marina's children were not with us, but back home their own village played into it as well. When I encouraged Marina to read the bible, it didn't have anything to do with making her "ready" for baptism, but only for her to learn more deeply about her Jesus.. By God's grace, we will be back in the winter and it will be a wonderful celebration for Marina and all her children.. Please do keep Marina in prayer, though, as she is faced with some real struggles.
Now we are preparing to leave for St. Petersburg and then on to Rzhev this evening. We have had a wonderful visit with the Christians here in Kingisepp. I wish our visits weren't so short...
Much love and grace to you all,
Gregory:)...
Some additional pictures!
Leona and Gregory with the children baptized
At our Sunday service in Ekaterinburg, Pastor Dennis baptized Yurij and Yulia Gonin’s children (I and Leona Matson stood as God-parents) and I also stood as a witness (Godparent) to Konstantin Rib’s baptism. I have had a close relationship with Konstantin (Kostya) and his family for the last ten years, and though Kostya has always faithfully attended our services and helped us in our work, he has been quietly distant in spiritual matters, but now the Lord has suddenly touched Kostya’s heart to seek a closer relationship with the Lord through a deeper repentance and through baptism. I felt very privileged to be part of Kostya’s baptism when he and his family told me that I am a person they trust and love very much, and that they wanted me to stand as a witness for Kostya because they know I will continue to pray for and encourage them along this oft rocky road of faith.
Konstantin's Baptism
We also visited Gagarka and the Christians there. Marina, a young mother of 5, who heard we would be holding services in Gagarka, came to us from another village. She had been carrying a deep burden of sin and guilt and fear of God’s judgment on her heart all winter and so after service I found a quiet spot to sit with Marina, along with sister Svetlana Fedorova who helped me to minister to her, and there we listened to Marina’s tearful confession.
It was with thankfulness and joy that I was able to explain the gospel to Marina and to tell her how the Lord had heard her prayers and sent me from across the seas from the opposite side of the world to sit beside her here in this tiny Russian village home, and to lay healing hands upon her and bless her with the forgiveness of sins in Jesus name and precious shed blood. Afterwards I gathered our group together to pray for Marina and to bless her once more. Now Marina wants to be baptized along with all her 5 children, so I presented a New Testament bible to her and asked her to read it over the next months and to prepare her heart and by God’s grace, I will come to her village in the winter and we will baptize her and her children then.
Svetlana, Marina, and Gregory
I also want to write about Katya, a young English teacher who I met through another friend in Ekaterinburg. Katya is an Orthodox Christian and so when the Lord opened opportunity for me to speak to her about matters of faith, she wanted to know which God we believed in... and when I returned the question to her, she told me she believed in Jesus Christ, which I found so encouraging, as so many Orthodox Christians will say they believe in God, but not often do they say “I believe in Jesus Christ”.
Katya (with flowers) and Crew!
I spent that first evening quietly discussing faith with Katya while others visited around us. Katya agreed with me that it was no coincidence that we met. She told me how only yesterday she had written in her journal how she “Needed to read the bible!”. (Katya had tried to read the bible in years past, but found it difficult to understand.) I invited Katya to our service the next day and she came.
I presented her with a Russian version of the New Testament, then she stayed with our group late into the evening and again she was with us on our last evening in that city. It was obvious to all of us that the Lord was opening Katya’s heart and expanding her view of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Katya sang with us and prayed with us and confessed her sin and need of Jesus. Before we left her that last evening, I gathered our group around her to lay hands upon her and pray for her, and to bless her, when she asked, with the forgiveness of all her sins.
We flew from Ekaterinburg to St. Petersburg on Monday. We left our luggage, with the gracious help of Pastor Leif Camp, in the offices of the beautiful St. Mary’s Ingrian Lutheran Church which is located in the very centre of St. Petersburg, and spent the day sight-seeing in that breathtakingly beautiful place. A young sister, Maria Lubova, who moved from Udmurtia to St. Pete last year, spent the day with us and we prayed with her and encouraged her along this way, then we traveled by bus to Kingisepp, where I am writing this update from. Here in Kingisepp many long-time friends are gathering with us to sing and pray and be encouraged in God’s Word. We will spend another day or so here before continuing on to Rzhev, the last destination in our trip before Moscow and home.
Church in St. Petersburg
There are many other things I want to write about, but I don’t have time. The young people traveling with us are all doing so well. It’s a bit difficult for them sometimes because of the language barrier, but they are expanding in their outreach.. learning to talk without language.. or with that international language called “Love” :)…
Debbie at the Winter Palace - St. Petersburg
New Additional note to explain an issue in the above report.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support and the encouraging notes and replies to my updates.. I just wanted to answer a question that has come up a couple of times from some of you concerning why we didn't baptize Marina (read above) right away that day. We did want to do that and discussed it together, but we had little time and the fact that Marina's children were not with us, but back home their own village played into it as well. When I encouraged Marina to read the bible, it didn't have anything to do with making her "ready" for baptism, but only for her to learn more deeply about her Jesus.. By God's grace, we will be back in the winter and it will be a wonderful celebration for Marina and all her children.. Please do keep Marina in prayer, though, as she is faced with some real struggles.
Now we are preparing to leave for St. Petersburg and then on to Rzhev this evening. We have had a wonderful visit with the Christians here in Kingisepp. I wish our visits weren't so short...
Much love and grace to you all,
Gregory:)...
Some additional pictures!
Kostya, Dasha & Nona!
Queen Leona, St. Petersburg
Anya Kuzmakova - My very good friend and fellow missionary
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