ch-russia

We are home!

"America and Russia - friends forever!"

These final words were shouted by our Russian hosts as our train pulled out of Kursk late last Sunday night. Through lots of tears, smiles, and hugs, we said goodbye to our dear friends we made in Russia.

The bond we feel to the Russians is strong and deep. It is a gift from God, and is proof that God is drawing our people and our churches together. It is exciting to experience the power of God at work in spite of political, cultural, and geographic differences.

The videos and testimonies on our site will give you a taste of our ministry in Russia.

Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers for our team. Please look forward to a Friday or Saturday night in mid-November when we are planning to have a party to thank you and share with you in-person the
wonderful things that happened on our trip!

Thanks again, and God bless!

Pastor Jim

Video and Pictures from a Rehab Center in Kursk

Hello Friends!

First off, thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. I have been tracking your comments and relaying them to team members. It's awesome to know that we have such a great support network between our churches, family and friends.

I am posting a video and some images from a drug rehab center we had a chance to work with. The experience was life-changing for our team and I hope these images and this video will show you some of that. The impact that this center is making on the lives of those previously addicted to drugs and alcohol is remarkable. I cannot explain it in words.

We are looking forward to our return home. Know that God has richly blessed every one of us and your prayers and support have made a huge impact on the people of Kursk.

Pray for safety as we look forward to our return home.

-Matt B.

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Rehab Center in Kursk from First and last name on Vimeo.

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New Video : Saint Peter's New Church Building

On Tuesday we visited the church building owned by Saint Peter's. It is located in the heart of the neighborhood. It's a great location as it is a hub of the public transportation system.

Although the building has been owned for years, they have been unable to secure the proper permits to complete the interior, to make it habitable. There have been many discouraging delays in this process.
Several of us listened to Pastor Yuri share his burden and vision for the people of Kursk. He expressed an intense sense of urgency to complete the building. He wants to scale back on the design to the bare bones minimum, This should expedite the approval process and will reduce the cost. It's not just about bricks and mortar. They currently meet in the rented basement of a Pentecostal Church Having their own building would allow them to expand their ministry and reach more Russians for Christ. It would be a huge encouragement to our brothers and sisters here in Kursk. Pastor Yuri shared his belief that revival is coming soon to Russia and he is convinced that it will start in Kursk. We need to pray with them and partner with them. It was a humbling experience to see their deep gratitude for what God has given them. They are expressed great thanks and gratitude for the financial help from Canyon Hills.

Prayer Requests - approval of the plans, funding for the construction, encouragement.

-Randy T.
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A Rainy Day in Kursk from First and last name on Vimeo.

Pictures from an Orphanage

Hello friends.

Yesterday we visited an orphanage about 2 hours outside of Kursk, which was an amazing experience. Below are just a few glimpses of our experience.

Thanks for reading and check back soon for a new video and more thoughts and reflections from our team.

Keep praying for our safety and our team.

Thanks, Matt

Video from Kursk - Our arrival and first couple days

Hey friends!

I am posting a video to recap the past couple days in Kursk. Highlights for me were our arrival (Pastor Yuri and his team are amazing!), worship on Sunday and getting to know our interpreters.

Check it out and keep an eye out for more soon.

-Matt B.

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Kursk Sunday and Monday from First and last name on Vimeo.

Video From Our Day in Moscow

What a great day! We wanted to share some of the sights we saw with you. It was a great day to get familiar with Russian culture and history as we look forward to working with our Russian friends in Kursk.

Enjoy!

-Matt

Our day in Moscow:

Day in Moscow from First and last name on Vimeo.

A video greeting from Pastor Jim:

Untitled from First and last name on Vimeo.

Pictures from Moscow

Greetings everyone! After a trek around downtown Kursk, I was finally able to find some "higher-speed" internet access in a local mall food court. Our translators, both local students at the University here in Kursk, have been helping me search all over the place so we can get some updates back to our friends at home.

Thanks for reading and check back soon for some videos and fresh photos from Kursk.

-Matt

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Without further delay, a couple shots from Moscow this past Saturday, including our visit to Red Square, a couple parks, a sculpture garden, and a few other spots:

Arrived in Kursk

Hello friends.

Our team arrived in Kursk at 6:30am today after a nine hour overnight train ride from Moscow.  We settled in to our rooms, met our interpreters, and attended church at St.Peters.  It was a three hour service, with the highlight being a video taken of about eight baptisms from yesterday.  Pastor Yuri and his family are doing well.  The team is doing well.  God is so good.  Thank you for all your continued prayers.  We have some videos and photos to add to this site after we get to a place with high speed internet access. 

God Bless-

Pastor Jim

Arrived in Moscow, Safe and Sound.

Greetings everyone! We arrived safe and sound in Moscow this morning around 10am Moscow time. The flight over was smooth, but we did temporarily lose some luggage between Atlanta and Moscow, 9 bags total. As many of us waited outside of baggage claim, part of our team prayed that God would make our bags "appear" and within an hour or so, we received news that the bags were in the system and didn't make it on the plane due to weight issues. What a quick answer to prayer!

After around an hour bus ride from the airport to the hotel, we got everyone checked in and settled for a day of travel recoup. The team is trying to stay awake through the day, so we can adjust to the time change and jet lag.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we have a day in Moscow set up and then board the train for Kursk. Pray that God would continue to keep us safe and that He would provide constant opportunities for us to share Christ.

Thanks for reading,
-Matt

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Here are a few shots from today:
Pic 1: The team waiting for the bus
Pic 2: Team member Olga met a Russian man at the airport and became quick friends
Pic 3: A shot of our hotel (notice the "flea market" on the far left!!)
Pic 4: A couple of us went to visit the neighboring flea market
Pic 5: Our bus
Pic 6: The "Flea Market"

Thoughts from Bill Fanning

I first thought, why go? Just send a check.
Strange, the thought that came next.
If I were in a foreign land and there was little hope,
Would I want a person or a simple friendship note?
No matter what you send or what excuse you make,
Nothing takes the place of sitting face-to-face.
Once upon a visit to a land far away (Russia).
I sat with a lonely woman as we began to pray.
She had never read the Bible, maybe opened it once or twice,
But because I sat before her, she accepted Christ.
Upon leaving, she asked for a picture of my wife and me,
I told her I would mail it; one, two, maybe three.
Her words I still remember and her face I still can see,
“I don’t want you to mail it, please bring it back to me”.


We can send checks, letters, and presents and yes they touch peoples’ lives. But when we sit face-to-face we touch peoples’ hearts!

Please pray for the Russia Team and the people of Kursk, Russia. And, if I may ask, say a special prayer for me!

The team lifts off from SeaTac at 6:00 AM in the morning. We fly to Atlanta and depart for Moscow at 6:00 PM. We arrive in Moscow at 10:30 AM Friday morning. We depart from Moscow (by train) at 10:30 PM Saturday night bound for Kursk. We arrive around 6:00 AM in Kursk. It’s like coming home!