This morning I assisted the pastor at several meetings with various members of our church staff. The work of a pastor often means confronting, encouraging, rebuking, and giving direction. I see how it has to be a gifting of the Holy Spirit or else he could never pull it off. I'm so thankful God has gifted our pastor to...well, do what a pastor needs to do. He's a good shepherd of the sheep.

Pretty much the whole day was spent in these meetings. I did have the chance to have lunch with Pasha inbetween. We made our final plans before leaving for the north. I'm sure glad God is in charge of this trip!

In the evening my friends the Fadnesses had me over for dinner and some fellowship. We had fun eating pizza on the cardboard boxes they came in! Well, they were out of paper plates and it was my idea to use the boxes. Caleb was especially happy as it was his turn to do the dishes that night. We also had some potatoe salad made by one of the ladies from church. Well, I kinda burnt the pizza, but the salad was great! After dinner we watched part of the movie "Jeremiah" about the old testament prophet. The Lord gave Jeremiah a hard job to do - preach repentance to an unrepentant people. Jeremiah gave up what could have been an easier and softer life in order to obey the will of the Lord. Sometimes God asks us to sacrifice some of the pleasures or comforts of this life so that we can be used by Him the way He wants to use us. At first this is hard as our flesh shouts, "no!" But as we begin to die to the flesh and move out by faith in doing what God has called us to do we find He also gives us the strength, desire, and ability to complete it.

Well, tomorrow will be a full day, so I better hit the sack. God bless! Ron

Here's a funny story. I arrived early this morning to the helps ministry to set up the chairs. By the time 11 o'clock rolled around there were only two grandmas there. No leader, no ministry workers, no other attendees. Where was everyone? Confused, but undaunted, I went ahead and started with the two grandmas. Then a man and his wife showed up. I'd never seen them before and everything seemed fine, until the wife began to shake all over and ran to the bathroom. It turns out she has a bad heart and was afraid she might be having a heart attack. We ended up needing to call the paramedics who came and ran tests on her while we continued our Bible study. The paramedics couldn't figure out what was wrong with her and so they called for back ups. Two more specialists came. So now we had four doctors, one patient, two worried grandmas, and one poor husband not knowing what to do. I kept reading from God's Word. Finally, I ended the study, prayed with the grandmas and sent them on their way. When I came back from buying some food for the man and his wife, the doctors were on their way out and happily stated that they had found out what was wrong with this woman - she has the flu. The man and his wife also seemed relieved, if not slightly embarrassed. They were thankful for the attention and food. After they left, we got a call from the leader of the helps ministry. As it turns out he, the worship leader, helpers, and several other attendees had indeed come. But when they came the door was locked and they assumed no one had arrived at the building yet. They waited fifteen minutes in the freezing cold not knowing that we were inside wondering where they all were!! They didn't knock or ring the bell as they thought the building was empty. They ended up praying, handing out the food, and going home. What a mix up! Days like this you can only shrug your shoulders and say, "God has a plan."

In the afternoon my friend came over and helped me buy a new anti-virus program over the net. I'm glad that's done as my trial version was about to expire.

This evening I spent most of my time doing all my monthly reports. Praise God, I finished! Now I can leave for our trip up north without that on my mind.

Thank you for your prayers concerning this trip. I don't know if I'll have internet access, so you might not see an update until Friday. Have a great week and keep seeking Jesus! Love, Ron

P.S. I'm sorry I don't have any photos of today's events. In the craziness of it all I forgot all about my camera. But I put in some other photos for you.

Greetings from Syktyvkar!!! We made it! We're doing great. The flight here was fast - 1 1/2 hours. And they fed us a nice lunch to boot! Even gave us a piece of candy. :)

The hotel is very nice too. After we got settled in and had some tea and yummy pirogi baked by Pasha's wife we hit the streets and found an internet cafe. (a real one like in the states.) We will come back here daily, so hopefully I can keep updating each day.

I met a guy who lives here on the plane. He was the first to ask us why we were coming to Syk. When I told him that we were looking to possibly plant a church he smiled and said, "That's great! Our city needs some religion." So there you go!

Thank you for your prayers. Especially as we will go to try and meet with city administration tomorrow and also to find an exsisting church.

All my love, Ron

p.s. The internet cafe guy didn't know how to hook up my camera. Maybe tomorrow I'll have some new photos for you.

p.s.s. the city is not large (250,000), no trolleybusses, but it is very quaint and picturesque. Looks like a city in Northern Washington!

Sorry we were not able to get to the internet cafe yesterday, but we have an update for you today.

Yesterday we were able to meet with the pastors of two different protestant churches here. They were very helpful in giving us some pointers on the ins and outs of church work in Syktyvkar. Today we hope to meet with a pastor of a third church.

We also were able to meet with a rep from the local ministry of justice to find out what we can and can't do in this city from a legal standpoint. He took our official church bylaws, will read them over, and then meet with us again tomorrow afternoon to give us some advice on what steps we need to take next. In Russia every religious organization (ie church) is required to be registered with the ministry of justice as an official entity if you want to have any legal rights (handing out literature, renting and buying land or property, holding outdoor or indoor events, evangelism, etc.) We have this status in Vladimir but not sure if this applies to the republic of Komi.

We met our fist Komi today! A salesgirl at the souvinier stand. She kinda had an eskimo look. We have a photo which I'll post later. (Unfortunately we haven't been able to figure out how to upload photos here yet.) Overall, you don't really see or hear many Komies. They've pretty much assimilated with the mostly russian population over the years. However, we did notice that many street and store signs are written in both russian and komi.

I'm having a blast doing this scout work. Pasha and I get along fantastic and often think alike which make it that much easier. God is also teaching me how to not just think of what I want or my opinion but to yield to those of others. Good stuff!!

Thank you all for your prayers. Though we are far from home, we somehow feel at home and have sensed the Lord's hand guiding us here and there and opening doors for us to make the needed contacts.

We still need to find out information about renting halls and flats for future missionaries and appreciate your prayers for that. Also, being able to meet with someone from the city administration. Today we were told that the needed person wouldn't be in until Friday and we leave on Thursday! Maybe God will open a door somehow...

I'm a little disappointed that I don't feel the freedom to pass out the tracts I brought. We just want to be careful about following the law. However, I pray the Lord would give me more boldness to simply share my faith verbally. We can for sure do that legally!

Well, that's all for today. May the Lord continue to bless you in your work, family, and walk with Him. Ron

Thank you for your prayers! Praise the Lord, we were able to have a meeting with two representatives from the city administration this morning. We were able to share with them our plan to possibly begin a church plant here in the near future. Of course, they reminded us that the russian orthodox church holds quite a bit of influence of city affairs, but we expected that. Overall, they weren't against us coming and even gifted us with a beautiful color picture book of Syktyvkar - something we had been searching for but hadn't been able to find!

We also were able to meet with the director of a hall that would be perfect for using as a meeting place for services and/or evangelistic concerts. Of course, for any long term renting we'd have to provide him with documents showing that we have permission from the local ministry of justice.

Speaking of which, in a few hours we go back to the justice office to find out just what we can and can't do from a legal perspective.

God also answered our prayers about sharing our faith here. He opened the door for us to be able to share the gospel in length with the main secretary of another concert hall we visited last night. Another church meets there on Sundays so she had a lot of questions based on what she saw of their service. I was rejoicing afterwards that God gave us this chance to testify!

This morning we were also surprized when the hotel administration asked us if we would be willing to do an interview with a television company as a promotion for their hotel. We don't know yet if we'll be able to squeeze it in on this last day of our trip here, but we'll see how the Lord leads.

Stay tuned for more. In the morning we leave for our 26 hour train ride back to Vladimir. Thank you for your prayers!

Well, we made it back home safe and sound. I'm writing to you now from my apartment in Vladimir and sure feels good to be home. The train ride back to Moscow from Syktyvkar went very quickly...I'll tell you more about that later. I thought it would be good if I gave you a little recap of our trip day by day. Day one:

The day we left Vladimir, Pasha and I stopped off in Moscow at McDonald's for lunch. For many russians, McDonald's is still considered going out to a fancy restaurant. Basically, they have the same burgers, etc. as in the states though one difference is that sometimes, as in the one we went to, they are located in historic or old buildings. Really gives it that "european feel".

Then it was off to the airport. We had taken the express train to Moscow from Vladimir, rode the Moscow underground metro to McDonald's, and then a public bus to the airport. The plane ride went very smoothly. We were very impressed with the "Komi airlines" and even had a terrific lunch during the quick hour and a half flight.

Once arrived to Syktyvkar, we rode the public bus to the hotel. As we rode through the center of town we noticed how pretty the town looked all covered in snow and lit up with strings of Christmas type white lights. It was much colder in Syktyvkar - way below zero - than it had been in Moscow and Vladimir. Makes sense since it's 800 miles farther north!

The hotel "Syktyvkar" is a very nice hotel. Clean, well kept, and friendly service. You could tell someone had recently invested some money into it and were doing there best to make it the best hotel in town - I think they did pretty good! Once we settled into our room (by the way, the room was very nice too, and only about ten bucks a person per night), we had some snacks Pasha's wife had packed for us before we left.

Since the flight was so short and the evening still young, we decided to head into town and try to track down an internet cafe we'd heard about. It was the first real internet cafe I'd seen in Russia. There was a real trendy type cafe/bar on one side of the room, and a little room with computers on the other side of the room divided from the cafe by windowed partitions.

After we sent a few e-mails and updated the web site, we headed back to the hotel. On the way we passed one of the city squares where they had built an entire "palace" out of ice! It was amazing! the walls, towers, windows...everything was ice. In the center courtyard was a three story tall Christmas tree (New Year's tree in russian) all decorated and covered with snow and frost. Because of the lighting it was hard to photograph, but I did get a good one of Pasha standing in front of one of the "ice brick" towers. What you can't see in the photo is that the inside of the towers flashed colored lights, adding to the effect. A very good first day!

Today I got to lead the helps ministry as the regular leader was home with the flu. Afterwards I worked in the church office preparing a report of our time in Syktyvkar for our pastor, then headed home for dinner and more working on the report. I'm kinda pooped tonight, so here is a brief summary of day two of our trip:

On day two we visited the Syktyvkar Church of Christ. We were able to sit in on one of their Bible seminary classes and then meet and speak with the instructor afterwards - a very nice elderly gentlemen by the name of Gennady.

From there we headed over to the Baptist church where we were able to meet with the head pastor, Pavil, and his assistant. They, like the church of Christ, were very friendly and welcomed a new church work to their city. Both churches also gave us a little idea of the spiritual condition of the city. In short, people need the Lord!

In the afternoon we toured some of the stores and streets of the city, getting a feel for public life. Though it's a very beautiful city, we also noticed that the expressions on peoples faces reflected sorrow, irritation, and boredom. Perfect fishing grounds for the kingdom of God!

Later, back at the hotel, we rested and organized our notes for that day.

Day three of our trip to Syktyvkar took us to city administration where we unsuccessfully tried to meet with someone concerning a possible church plant in this city. However, we were successful in updating at the internet cafe and having lunch! :) We would just have to trust city adm. into the Lord's hands.

We also spoke to a rep at the state counsel. He said they use to have a religion department but that it's no longer functioning. He sent us to the ministry of justice. On the way out, we happened to notice a little souviner stand. We got talking to the salesgirl and I got up the nerve to ask her if she was Komi. She was! Our first Komi. Her name is Marina. I had a hunch that her dark hair and facial features might belong to the Komi. She was very kind and sold us a couple of dolls dressed in traditional Komi outfits. Authentic Komi handcraft and an authentic Komi!

After a fruitful visit at the ministry of justice we visited another possible hall rental and then made our way back to the hotel for dinner and some planning for the next day.

Our fourth, and last day, in Syktyvkar was the busiest. Today we had to get everything done that we couldn't do on the first three days!

I really had it on my heart that we needed to go back to city administration and try one more time to meet with someone there. We prayed that morning in our hotel room that the Lord would go before us and that if it was His will that we'd get into city adm and all the other appointments as well.

We hit city adm first and after being sent in circles again, we finally sat down on a sofa in a hallway and decided to move on. Just as we were making our next plan, I lady came up to us, introduced herself as the head of public relations, and asked us to her office! She was so kind and open to our plans. This was God's person at city adm! After several minutes of conversation, she called in another woman who was one of the city adm lawyers, for a more legal opinion. She was also quite friendly, though a bit more skeptical. She warned us that the orthodox church would come against any efforts we made in their city. That's nothing new for us, so we took it with a grain of salt. Overall, it was a very fruitful meeting. We were able to share the gospel with these official women and they in turn gifted us with a picture book of their city. God is good!

After city administration, we headed off to check out another possible building to rent for evangelism and services. On the way we found a souviner store and stopped in and made a few purchases to take back to our friends in Vladimir. I wanted authentic Komi souviners. They had 'em! As soon as we got to the "October" Hall we knew this was going to be the best bet. It was well located, had a fresh coat of paint, and the director was very open to renting to us. Even offered a discount for weekly rentals! At one point he became more interested in my camera than talking about the hall - turns out he's a shutter bug! He made me take several pictures of him to check the quality. :)

From there we had lunch at cafeteria #106. (it's a common russian thing to name establishments by a number. - very soviet.) Great food! We had a few minutes to stop off and update at the internet cafe before hopping on a bus back to the hotel for a TV interview! Yes, we were surprized too when the receptionist asked us in the morning if we would be willing to give an interview as hotel guests for a TV commercial they were doing for the Hotel. We gladly consented and prayed the Lord would use it for His kingdom. During the interview, we were able to tell them where we were from, the name of our church, and that we were looking to start a church in Syktyvkar. Wow! We haven't even started and already free advertising!

After the interview we left for our appointment at the ministry of justice. That's where we had the best news of the day. After spending a day looking over our bylaws, they came to the conclusion that we have full rights to begin a church in Syktyvkar without any limitations. That means concerts, evangelism, weekly meetings, etc. Praise God! We felt God would give some major direction depending on how this turned out. We were walking on the clouds coming out of that office. We felt victory!

Our last appointment was at the Baptist church where we had set up a second meeting with the pastor and his assistant. We spent some time getting to know eachother, he looked over our statement of faith and determined that it is pretty much the same as theirs. They welcomed us coming to start a work in their city, with one condition - that we please don't steal any of their sheep. They are sensitive to this issue because it happened with another church they had been working with. As a result, relations with that church have pretty much been cut off. We assured him that that is not our style.

On the way back to the hotel we made one more stop at the grocery store to buy food for our train ride back to Vladimir the next day. By the time we got back, had dinner, and made it to our room we were exhausted. But we also were full of joy sensing God had been faithful and the tirp a success.

Stay tuned...tomorrow our train ride back to Vladimir!

We stayed up way too late packing, laughing, and just having a good time the night before we left Syktyvkar, cuz the next morning we had to get up at 6 am to be at the train station by 7:00 am. Ugh! We managed to barely leave the hotel in enough time to make the 15 walk to the train station. My legs were not cooperating that morning with my brain and our bags of food and luggage didn't help as we waded through several inches of new snow.

We had purposely chosen to ride in the "barracks" section of the train to save money and rub elbows with the folk. I call it barracks because there are 52 beds to a car, which are thinly divided into nine sections of six beds each with the main hallway cutting right through the middle of each section. All this spells zero privacy and all these people trying to carve out their own little space and keep from constantly bumping eachother. I rode 32 hours to the Ukraine this way once, and believe me, it's no picnic. Anyway, we quickly realized that our "neighbors" were the partying type and foresaw a long night of listening to them drink and carouse. I quickly asked the steward if there was any chance of upgrading to "coach". About an hour later we said goodbye to our new neighbors and headed for greener pastures about nine cars away. When they opened the sliding door of our new private cabin we were somewhat surprized to find two brazen women staring up at us from the lower bunks. (There are four beds to a cabin in coach). I thought, "there's no way we're riding 26 hours locked up in this tiny space with these two!" Thankfully, upon asking they granted our request to be in a cabin to ourselves. (no offense, ladies!)

Most of our trip was spent alternately sleeping, eating, reading, and fellowshiping. What a blessing it was to be able to read God's word in the quietness of our own cabin. Thank you, Lord! Every so often the train would stop in out of the way places to pick up new passengers. The entire trip was one long view of snow covered meadows dotted with little farm houses interspersed by forests of pine trees. Beautiful! Often I would make a point to get off during our longer layovers to get some fresh air and stretch my limbs a bit. Pasha and I also had a little P.E. class in our cabin going at one point. It's amazing all the exercises you can think up using towel racks, luggage, and folding tables!

My favorite part of the trip home were the talks Pasha and I would have about our lives and God's Word. I really enjoyed getting to know this brother better and found we have much in common. Except food taste! He hates fruits and veges, I love them. He likes three spoons of sugar in his tea, I would gag! It's fun that we can be different but still be one in Christ!

After arriving to Moscow, we made our way to the bus station and then rode another 3 1/2 hours to Vladimir. It was about 2pm on Friday by the time we got home. Amazingly, I felt rested and full of energy when I got home. So, I had a little workout before dinner and hitting the sack.

Well, that's our trip. I hope you enjoyed "coming along" with us. And thank you to all of you who were praying for us. WE FELT YOUR PRAYERS! I am very excited about what God may want to do through our church in the city of Syktyvkar. I don't know if I'll play any role in it, but I'm ready to go again anytime the Lord calls. For now, it's back to the ministry here in Vladimir and the many surprizes that holds. It's so neat serving Jesus. He keeps it interesting!

Looks like I caught a cold. I was all achy, burning eyes, and sneezing all day, so mostly I just laid around and read. Hopefully, it will be a short illness.

Today I was blessed to be able to read a book called "Classic Christianity" by Bob George. The author explains what it means to be a christian. I was so encouraged as I was reminded that though I was once spiritually dead in my sins, Jesus' death took those sins away and his resurrection gave me new life. I am a new creature in Christ! Now I have a choice to either serve the flesh or God. It's so wonderful to realize that I am the son of a King, that I am beloved by my heavenly Father, that He always accepts me just as I am and longs to pour His love out on me. A christian is someone who was once spiritually dead, realized their need for a savior, asked Jesus to wash away their sins, and receive His life into their heart making them born again. If you haven't done this, I encourage you to take a step of faith and do it. If you have done this, then I encourage you to keep receiving Jesus' love for you and love Him in return. There is no better life!

Please pray for me that I would get healthy again quick so I can serve the Lord with all my strength.

Happy love day! (Who was Valentine anyway?) Thanks to all you who have been posting messages. It's encouraging to hear from you. I also restored the "e-mail" button if you'd like to drop me a line that way. I love to hear from you! Thanks for your prayers for my sickiness. It's running it's course and I have joy!

What can I share with you today on a day when I was home all day nursing this cold? Well, quite a bit! God sometimes allows my body to come to a halt so that He can speak to my heart. "Hello!?!? Anyone home????" All my furry and activity are stripped away and I cry out, "Yes, God?"

I continue to read "Classic Christianity" and am realizing more and more what exactly happened to me when I gave my heart to Christ. I passed from death to life and that says a lot!! I also have a salvation that is irreversible (despite what some may say) for Jesus died for ALL my sins - past, present, and future. That's great news!

I also received this verse in the e-mail today: "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor. 12:9,10

That was a big encouragement as I realized that I shouldn't be bummed when I see my weaknesses or go through trials, for these are awesome opportunities for God to demonstrate His power in and through me. I realize it's not about me, it's about Jesus and the life He lives through me in spite of my frail self. Alleluia!

God also spoke to my heart today through His word during devotions (and that in spite that they were interrupted a zillion times by phone calls, e-mail, breakfast, door bells, etc.) In Matthew 26 the religious leaders just arrested Jesus, gave Him a mock trial, falsely accused Him, condemned Him to death because He is God and said so, punched him, and spit in His face. Nice example guys of how a "spiritual" dude should act, huh? Get a life! (Get life in Christ!) Throughout all this, Jesus' good and faithful friend Peter stood at a distance waiting to see how it would end and did absolutely nothing to help Him. ("Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!") I'm sure you meant it when you said it, Peter. But before I got shaking my head and clucking my tongue at Peter, the Lord convicted me that sometimes I am likewise guilty and stand at a distance when my friends are going through it. I want them to be strong and get angry at their weaknesses. How wrong of me!! I forgot that "My strength is made perfect in weakness" and "I take pleasure in infirmities" and "when I am weak, then I am strong." For just as in Jesus' case, God has a reason for allowing the trials we go through. Our job as a friend is not to simply sit and observe the pain our friend is in, but to stand by them, reach out and touch them, and hold up their hands encouraging them to keep seeking the Lord.

Finally, I want to share with you the words of a song my dear friends Marvin and Linda sent me on cassette. They so ministered to me and go along with what the Lord showed me in devotions! I hope you can take the time to read through and reflect on how they apply to your situation. God bless! Ron

All things work for our good,
though sometimes we can't see how they could.
Struggles that break our hearts in two
sometimes blind us to the truth.

Our Father knows what's best for us,
His ways are not our own.
So if your pathway grows dim
and you just can't see Him,
remember you're never alone.

God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don't understand,
when you don't see His plan,
when you can't trace His hand -
trust His heart.

He sees the master plan;
He holds our future in His hands.
So don't live as those who have no hope -
all our hope is found in Him.

We see the present clearly
but He sees the first and the last.
And like a tapestry
He's weaving you and me
to someday be just like Him.

God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don't understand,
when you don't see His plan,
when you can't trace His hand,
trust His heart.

He alone is faithful and true.
He alone knows what is best for you.

So when you don't understand,
when you don't see His plan,
when you can't trace His hand -
trust His heart.

This morning I went over to the Fadnesses to meet with Jeff and Christina to make a plan and invitations for our church's ten year anniversary coming up this May. We're excited for this event and what God will do. We're inviting several of the churches and individuals from the states who have co-labored with us here in Russia over the years as well as the other churches throughout our region.

We also had some fun time watching the olympics on russian television. It's so funny to see how the commentators tend to elevate the russian athletes over the others. Of course, they do that too in the states, but somehow it's more noticable when it's not your own guys being praised.

The kids got a load out of playing around with the digital camera today. The photos speak for themselves.

Later in the evening, the kids went off to attend a home Bible study while us three adults stayed behind and played scrabble. We didn't get very far into the game when we began to get into a discussion about what's going on in our lives. We got so into our talk that we forgot about playing the game and never finished! I was glad. The talk was so good! I am again reminded of how blessed I am to have such a family of believers here and how precious they are to me.

I got home from Moscow last night at 2am, so I'm sorry I didn't have time to make an entry for the 16th. I know you understand.

Several weeks ago I had committed to picking up a friend from the airport in Moscow who was arriving from a conference in Thailand. Now that I'd caught a cold I was dreading the four hour drive there and four hour drive back, but, what could I do - I promised. So, off I went. Things didn't start well when I got to the garage (it's about a ten minute walk from my apartment) and my car wouldn't start. I hadn't driven it in over a month and I had a feeling gas wasn't getting to the engine. I didn't know there's a little manual pump for this right next to the carburator, and so I spent over an hour trying to start the car in vain and calling everyone I thought could help on the cell phone I'd borrowed from my friend for the day. Finally, I asked the garage attendant for some help and he and a few other guys I rounded up helped to jump start the car. Hurray! Now, could I get to Moscow on time after leaving so late?!

After gassing up and picking up my friend, Sasha, we headed for the airport. We arrived right on time! - only to find out the flight was delayed an hour! Oh well. Sasha and I bought some snacks and waited. Sasha is a great guy. He's 17 and has been a christian for a couple of years now. We had great talks on the way down and while waiting. It's hard to be the only christian in your school and not give in to the peer pressures. But God is giving Sasha the grace to endure and also the boldness to witness to his peers about Jesus.

Finally, our friend's plane landed and within another hour we were on the road back to Vladimir. We stopped at McDonald's on the way home. (you HAVE to stop at McDonald's when you're in Moscow - it's a tradition!) We had a nice ride back to Vladimir listening to worship music and watching snowflakes fall all around us from a new storm. Once I got my friends home, I headed back to the garage and had the car washed at the 24 hour car wash there. The young guys that work there were in a squirlly mood (who wouldn't be at 1 in the morning washing cars!?) and so we had some fun banter between us after they were done washing the car. I was also able to share about the Lord with them and they seemed genuinely interested. Oh that God would touch their hearts!

So, this morning (Sunday) I slept in a bit and then headed to the third service down at the church. I'm still getting over this cold and yesterday's adventures weren't exactly what the doctor ordered, but, God's grace is sufficient and I rest in that. I was also able to rest some more this afternoon and stayed home from the prayer meeting tonight too, which was probably good for my body, if not for my spirit. :)

Thank you for your prayers! Ron

Today on my day off I'm feeling better. Thank you for your prayers. I pretty much spent the morning in the Word. I've found it difficult lately to just sit and pray. For some reason I get distracted by a million things - I think it's partly just plain laziness and partly a lack of faith. I know the Lord will help me with this.

Pasha, my Syktyvkar traveling buddy, came over in the afternoon for a lesson on the computer. I'm giving him a general understanding of how computers work as well as using e-mail, the internet, and a text editor. He's a quick learner. Mostly, it's just a blessing to hang out with my bud. Please pray for Pasha and his wife, Olya. Since they married they have been living with Olya's parents in a one bedroom apartment and you can imagine what that's like. They are praying God would provide them with a place of their own.

I also was able to read some more in the book "Classic Christianity". Boy, I'm realizing how important it is that I keep a fresh understanding of the christian faith and what it means to be a christian. Today the doctrines of law and grace were discussed and how easy it is to fall into a grace PLUS the law kind of thinking. We are saved by grace and we must LIVE by grace. Sometimes I think that God changes His opinion of me (translated love) based on whether I do good or bad. That's a works based relationship. But the Bible tells us that nothing we do or don't do causes God to love us any more or less. He just loves me, period. That's so refreshing.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Pastor Jeff's wife, Christina. She and Jeff need to make some important decisions concerning her method of treatment for her injured back and really need God's wisdom.

P.S. I had a surprize visit from some of the guys from the church. We had some fun with the camera - check it out!

This morning at our weekly church planning meeting the question came up of whether or not we as a church should celebrate "International Women's Day" which is March 8th. The reason for the doubt is two-fold. One, the holiday has it's roots in the efforts of a german woman who years ago pushed for women's rights in Europe - she encouraged communal living where children would be raised together in orphanage type settings, while Dad AND Mom could pursue their careers. Apparently she didn't tote traditional Biblical family values. Secondly, the holiday, like most holidays in Russia today, is really what many would say is just an opportunity for citizens to have a day off from work and drink themselves into a stupor to add some spice to (or dull the pain of) their drab lives. So, the reasoning followed, why should we as a church touch this holiday. The "other side" had the point of view that as long as we live in this country and the government calls it a national holiday, we ought to make the best of it. In other words, we can use it to speak forth the good qualities of women as spoken of in scripture, as well as using the holiday to evangelize those who tend to visit churches only on such holidays. In short, we can help make "Women's Day" what it truly ought to be - giving thanks for God's beautiful creation - the woman. No set decision was made on our church's involvement this year with the holiday, but probably our pastor is leaning toward planning a special service around the holiday for the purpose of evangelism. His feeling on all holidays is that they are a wonderful opportunity to reach out to the non believing community. As for the german lady, well, I'm sure there won't be any mention of her "merits" at the service.

In the afternoon our american missionary team gathered for our bi-monthly team meeting at the Fadness' home. Pastor Jeff shared with us about his wife Christina's state of health. She's not doing too well right now and may have to return to the states for a time of treatment. Please keep her and the family in your prayers.

Tonight Baba Anya called. She's one of the grannies at the church. Recently she had to go into the hospital and had to give her little dog up to someone in the church to care for in her absence. Now she's out of the hospital for a little while and is worried sick about her dog. She couldn't get through to the sister that's caring for the dog, so she called me to see if I knew anything. She's so funny. She said when she called the other number there was screeching on the other end. I think she called someone's fax by mistake. :)

I was so glad Dima came by this morning to see if I needed any help. I had to prepare and send out over 30 e-mail invitations for our church's ten year anniversary and knew it would take me most of the day. That left me no time to go and pay my bills which were due today. Dima to the rescue! Also, I'm still not feeling %100 healthwise, so I really didn't relish the idea of running around in the slosh and cold. Praise the Lord, I was able to get all the invites out and Dima successfully paid the bills.

I called our worship leader in the afternoon to let him know I wouldn't be participating in leading worship this evening at church. I'm still coughing a lot and singing just agrivates it even more. I was even thinking of staying home altogether, but decided to go to the first service. I'm glad I did. The teaching tonight was all about healing! Mainly, pastor Jeff exposed the false teaching that many believe which says that every christian should be healthy. He explained through the scriptures how God allows us to suffer various afflictions for various reasons - all for our good. We learn through our illnesses to trust the Lord more and to find our joy and peace in Him. He even used a line from my recent favorite song which goes, "When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart." Yes, we are to pray for healing and have faith that God can heal us, but always we should pray, "Not my will be done, Lord, but YOUR will be done." One quote he made that I really liked said, "Faith is a channel of living trust between the creature and His Creator." Can I trust God even when circumstances seem against me and without a glimmer of hope of change? Will Jesus find faith on the earth when He returns?

After the service, Roma and Anton came over to my apartment for our "Iron Sharpening Iron" men's accountability group meeting. Peter is out of town, so it was just the three of us tonight. We fellowshiped, had dinner together, drank tea, shared what's going on in our lives, drank tea, read and discussed the scriptures, drank tea, shared prayer requests, drank tea, and then wrapped the evening up praying for eachother's needs. What an awesome time! I'm so thankful for my church family. (And I'll probably be running you know where all night from drinking so much tea!)

Most of the morning I spent catching up on e-mails.

I also learned today that pastor Jeff and his wife, Christina, will be leaving for the states on Saturday so that Christina can receive medical treatment for her injured back. The airline company will provide a stretcher for her to lie down on for the whole trip! This is good news. Thank you for keeping them in your prayers.

Today I'd like to share with you some of the interesting things about my flat. First is my washer/dryer all in one. It dries using heat and motion only - there's no "blowing" air so the clothes tend to kinda clump up. Takes about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish. Above the washer, on the wall, is the "kalonka" or, natural gas water heater. This is for all hot running water in the flat. The cold water runs into the heater where it passes through a radiator type mechanism that is being heated at high temperature by flames much as you would find in the bottom of your oven. The water is heated to boiling in seconds so there is no holding tank - you have as much hot water as you need!

Next is the radiators used for heating the flat. There is one in every room. The water is heated at a water heating plant in our city and then pumped out through huge insulated pipes to all buildings. It is constantly pumped from October through April.

Finally, the bathroom and WC (water closet or toilet) are separate in most russian flats. They have separate entrances. Notice the window above the shower that looks into the toilet! Strange, but it provides light in the toilet for saving electricity. Hope you enjoy the tour!

This morning our church administrator and I paid a visit to some of the neighbors next to our church building to find out if they are interested in selling their property to us. There are some christians in the states who are interested in helping to fund and build a larger hall for our church and so we are beginning by trying to aquire some land. The neighbors weren't home, so we will try again next week. Please pray that the Lord would give them the desire to sell if it is His will.

In the afternoon I headed over to the Fadness' flat to spend a little time with them before Jeff and Christina leave for the states in the morning. We had pizza together from the pizza cafe downtown before the Harb family,another american missionary family serving with us here in Vladimir, and Pam Bartlett, american missionary, also popped over for final goodbyes. The Lord has given us such a love for eachother as a missionary family. What a blessing! Later the kids and I watched "Toy Story 2" in russian on video. That was fun! Pam is going to be living with the kids while their parents away, which works out well as she also assists in homeschooling them.

Thank you for your prayers as we travel to Moscow tomorrow morning at 4 am. We took all the seats out of the church van and will put Christina on a mattress for the trip to the airport. One of the brothers from our church works with our local "911" service and he and some of his buddies offered to come in the morning and bring Christina down the four flights of stairs of their apartment building on a stretcher to the van. God is so good! I'll let you know how it goes!

Well, the trip to Moscow went off without a hitch! We brought Christina to the airport on a mattress in the back of our church van (with Jeff next to her!) and even had time to stop at McDonald's on the way. The van ride wasn't too bumpy.

When we got to the airport Jeff and I hunted down the first aide office while Christina waited in the van with our driver, Lyosha. Eventually, two guys with a gurney followed us out to the van and transported her to the first aide office where we had to wait for a few hours until it was time to board. They allowed us to stay with her and also did all their customs and registration there. At one point Jeff and I had to go upstairs for about an hour to check in their suitcases through regular customs. The Lord was good, as right at this time two sisters from our church in Vladimir, Sveta and Luba who now live in Moscow, came to say good bye to Jeff and Christina. So, they were able to stay and keep Christina company while we took care of the baggage.

Finally, around 11 am the guys came back to take Jeff and Christina in an ambulance directly to the plane to board. That's when we had to say good bye. It's so good to know that they are in the Lord's hands and that there are so many in LA who will help to look after them.

Lyosha and I headed back to McDonald's for lunch and then made a pit stop at Global U.S.A. on the way home. That's a big huge department store with products from the states. We ended up spending a couple of hours there trying on pants. Such great deals! I ended up with a shirt and pants for just over ten bucks. One last stop at McDonald's (a third one - no more, please!) and we were on the road home to Vladimir. It feels good to be home and I'm exhausted. But the Lord was good and blessed our day abundantly. Thank you for your prayers!

After our worship group rehersal this morning I was getting ready to head up to the third service when I received a phone call in the church office. It was Pam, one of our missionaries, calling to tell me that Baba Klava had passed away this morning. Baba Klava was a grandma that lived next door to where the Fadnesses used to live for several years. She was 85 years old and her health had declined quite a bit this past year. The timing is strange as Jeff and Christina just left yesterday for America. We all knew Baba Klava would possibly die soon, but this was so unexpected. A few minutes later, Pam came down to the church, we gathered the kids and told them, and then headed over to her flat to visit with her nephew, Kolya. He told us how he had arrived that morning and she seemed to be doing fine. She asked him to cook her some potatoes. He went to the kitchen and started preparing. When he came back to the living room he found her slumped over on the couch. She had already passed away. Baba Klava always worried that nobody would find her when she died, so it was a blessing that Kolya was there and that it happened so quickly.

We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to comfort Kolya and Baba Klava's long time friend and neighbor, Lida. Kolya, unfortunately, was already drowning his sorrows in a bottle of vodka when we arrived, but still, the verses we shared with him seemed to penetrate his heart. Later, after the morgue came and took away her body and all the necessary paperwork was done, I took Kolya home to his wife in a taxi. God also opened opportunity there to share with his family of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. It was an emotional and draining day. I'm so thankful the Lord is our strength.

This evening Pam called Jeff and Christina in the states to let them know. Of course, this is hard news to receive when you're so many miles away. Please pray that the Lord would be their comfort and strength. Russian custom is to have a special dinner the day of the funeral to remember and honor the deceased. This will probably be on Tuesday and we will most likely be asked to attend. Please pray that we would bring the light and love of Jesus to those who don't know Him.

Today was a day off, so I used the opportunity to catch up on e-mails and chat with friends on the phone. It's wet and icy out.

I decided in the afternoon to take a walk to get my hair cut. The elderly ladies at this particular barbers (very few men in Russia cut hair) always do a good job. In preparation for the teaching I will do at the Wednesday evening service, I asked the stylist, "What in your opinion is a christian?" She answered, "I haven't the slighest idea. But one thing I don't understand is why if God is up there watching He allows evil people to succeed and good people to suffer." This opened the door to share with her a little about the fallen nature of man and the justice God will enforce when Jesus returns.

In the afternoon I had a good workout. I'm trying to increase the weights a bit as the sets have become kinda easy. I'm on the lookout for a little heavier weights. I really enjoy exercising.

Sasha and Dima came over after the youth meeting tonight to say hello. Sasha K. needs prayer for his studies at the university. His future there is in limbo and the army awaits him. Dima and I prayed for him, that God's will would be done.

One of the readers asked to see some shots of Komi souvenirs, so I included a few of those in today's photos.

Christina is having her first exam today in the states. No news yet. Baba Klava's funeral will probably be tomorrow (Monday night your time). Please pray God would use us there.

We had all our regular Tuesday staff meetings this morning. Things went pretty smoothly, though we missed Pastor Jeff. We did find out though that Christina was able to see a chiropractor on Monday and has already begun therapy. No news yet on the results.

In the afternoon we attended Baba Klava's funeral and post funeral luncheon. First, we all gathered down at the city morgue to load the casket into the back of the bus. In Russia the bodies are loaded onto a special bus that has a rear door to load the casket. There are two bench seats facing eachother running along both sides of the casket. These seats are for members of the immediate family. In this case, Baba Klava's closet kin was her nephew, Kolya. The rest of the people sit in front of this rear section in regular bus seats facing the front. So, it's all quite cozy with the deceased and guests all riding to the cemetery together in one vehicle.

The cemetary is located about 30 minutes outside of town in the middle of the forest. We pulled in the main entrance and began driving through acres of tombstones. In Russia everyone has a standing tombstone with their photo encased in a glass frame. So, it's kinda strange to drive through and see a sea of faces staring back at you! We finally stopped at what we believed was the area where Klava was to be buried. We all piled out of the bus, unloaded the casket from the rear, and placed it on a special metal stand designed to allow for last respects before carrying the casket over to the freshly dug gravesite. As there were several dug up graves, we wondered which was Klava's. Soon we realized that no one in the party knew! After several minutes the grave digging crew came off their lunch break and told us we were at the wrong site. So, we put the casket back in the bus, all got back on, and drove a little ways further to the correct site. Mind you, the friends and relatives do all the lifting, carrying, and hauling of the casket.

After unloading the casket again and placing it on the metal stand, everyone gathered around to pay last respects. Some placed carnations inside the open casket, some just muttered prayers, some just stood and gazed at Klava. She had a special paper strip wrapped around her forehead which has something to do with the orthodox religion. Also, they had placed a crucifix and thin yellow candle in her clasped hands on her chest. I heard one of the kids whisper, "Is that a pencil in her hand?", and had to chuckle a bit as it did look like a pencil at first. Speaking of the kids, this was the Fadness children's first funeral in Russia, so they were all eyes and ears. We all felt a little unsure of ourselves as it's not everyday you go to a funeral and you feel a little concerned that you might not do something right. However, they conducted themselves very reverently and acted in love.

Now it was time to take the casket over to the dug out grave, but first, I was given the opportunity to share some scriptures from God's Word. As I shared, I sensed God's Spirit speaking through me and the hearts of the people tuned in. I shared of the believer's hope of a new body and a new home in heaven. I shared of how it is through faith in Jesus that we can all be saved from the second death. I concluded with a prayer and opportunity for anyone who desired to receive God's gift of eternal life. I heard some repeating aloud the prayer. Praise God.

Once the casket was brought over to the grave site it was less than a minute before the casket was dropped into the hole with a thud. The diggers quickly covered the whole with dirt as all those in attendance filed past and took turns throwing a handful of dirt into the grave. And so, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, Baba Klava's earthly tent is gone.

As we loaded back onto the bus we noticed that off to one side another funeral party was waiting for us to leave so that they too might bury their loved one. And beyond them were several other groups each waiting with their casket. You see, in Russia they bury the dead in a row one after the other so that later it is easy to find your love one by number and date. This makes for finding them easily but also often creates a traffic jam on heavy burial days like today.

We then were driven to a cafe not far from where Klava lived for the post funeral luncheon. This is also Russian tradition. A table is laid out with various luncheon meats, pancakes and honey, rolls, bread, and salads. And, of course, several bottles of vodka. All major events in Russia are accompanied by plenty of toasts and vodka to the honored one. Kolya was kind enough to provide us with juice for these toasts as he knew we didn't drink alcohol. It was a fairly somber meal. A few times someone would stand up, say some kind words about Klava, and then everyone would toast. On behalf of Jeff and Christina and ourselves, we also were able to share our impressions of Klava and of her faith in Jesus. We even were able to sing for them Baba Klava's favorite praise song, "Glory in the Highest". The Lord again gave everyone soft hearts to listen and ponder the words we shared. By the end of the meal, which included soup, chicken(?), and buckwheat, we were engaged in serious conversation with a few of the guests who had some honest questions about the Lord. One man even moved from his seat at the other end of the table to ask some questions. Thank you for your prayers! We saw the Spirit move on the hearts and we believe seeds were planted unto eternity. Kolya's son, Andre, and his wife, Olya, made plans to visit our church.

Pam, the kids, and I headed over to the Fadnesses afterwards for some fellowship and relaxing. It was good to think back on how faithful the Lord had been to us today and how He had been glorified through this funeral. Just as Baba Klava would have wanted it.

P.S. Caleb helped me tonight create a new banner for the site. I think it turned out really cool!

Today I was pulling my hair out trying to prepare for teaching at the evening service tonight. Everything was in my head, but I couldn't seem to organize it on paper so as to express it. I would write, scratch out, pray, write, scratch out, pray and so on for a couple of hours. I even had thoughts of calling Al and asking him to teach in my place. Finally though, I realized my mistake. I had been trying to squeeze something out of a passage that just wasn't in there. I decided to simply write out what I felt the Lord had been laying on my heart and built from there. Normally I dont' do well putting together topical teachings, but tonight I think that's how God wanted it. It turned out great.

It was communion service tonight, which comes once a month at our church on the last Wednesday of each month. The topic of the teaching was, "What is a Christian", which covered five foundational aspects of a Christian: Previously spiritually dead, forgiven, made alive, identified in Christ, and accepted by God. It focused more on what a christian is, rather than what a christian does. It was a good reminder for me that being a christian is not based on what I do or don't do, but rather it is a condition of the heart which comes as a result of what Christ did on the cross and in rising from the dead.

I'm really beat, so I'll say good night.

Today I visited with the Harb family at their flat. They live just a five minute trolley ride from my flat. When I got to their building entrance, I called them on the intercom so that they could buzz me in. When Susie answered and asked who it was, for a joke I said, "Jesus". Without missing a beat she exclaimed, "Hooray, everyone, Jesus has come back!...but He's standing downstairs at our entrance." When I got up to their floor it was nice to see how excited the kids were for me to come. We hugged and greeted and then went into the living room for some fellowship.

The main reason I'd come over was to bring Susie (Al's wife) a traction device for her neck, which has been bothering her lately. Al was gracious enough to be the first guinnea pig! :) The kids got a kick out of seeing daddy with this contraption on his head.

Soon it was time for me to leave and get over to my landlord's to pay for the next six months of my rent. That's always a momumentous occasion to part with that much money at once. Praise the Lord, she didn't up the rent.

Then, I got back on the trolley and rode the twenty minutes or so that it takes to get to the internet place to pay my monthly bill. As I waited in the lobby for them to open I was subjected to listening to the conversation of two teenagers also waiting. It was kinda interesting to hear the girl with streaks of bright pink colored hair "talk" to the boy with the big baggy pants. They had their own language of slang, much of which I didn't understand. By the looks of the woman sitting next to me, she didn't understand either! It reminded me of the youth evangelism this Saturday night. So many youth in our city are without purpose and just wander the streets. I pray the Lord draws them to Himself.

After paying the bill, I headed over to the Fadnesses for a visit. Pam was gone to the ladies night, so I made the kids some dinner - tuna and chicken salad burritos and green beans. Ice cream for dessert. It's always a blessing to be with the Fadness kids.

When I arrived home, there was no electricity in our building. That's why this entry is a little late. I lit some candles, prepared for bed, and read a bit from the Word. The Lord's mercy and grace know no end. In spite of my failings, He loves and accepts me just as I am and doesn't give up on me. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness to me.

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