November Update

[CarlaSun@aol.com]

Dear Prayer Partners,

Greetings from the CIS where the weather is starting to get cold!  Linda 
Russell, from the Field Office is in Kazakstan this week.  She said she was 
not prepared for the moment when she stepped off the plane and it was -20C.  
We are grateful that we all now have heat!  

It's taken a while to get it up, and it is still under construction...but if 
you have the chance, check out our web-page at www.cispartnership.org!

God continues to work in the midst of difficult circumstances.  Tim Wetmore 
has been teaching Basketball to a group of children from a school in a small 
town about 5 hrs. east of Moscow.  Tim loves to work with children and has 
been willing to live in the school of this village for weeks at a time to 
minister to these children.  We believe, however, that the city 
administration has received pressure from the local Orthodox Church and that 
they do not want us around.  Linda Russell also teaches English in this town 
twice a month.  Tim and Linda were told that they could not write or say "God 
Bless You" to the children.  They were also instructed not to speak about 
religion or politics.  After Linda left, Tim found himself under 24-hour a 
day surveillance.  Even the cleaning woman would come in and check his 
garbage daily to see what he may have written!  Sometimes we think that there 
is religious freedom in this part of the world, and then we have reminders 
that some things haven't changed much in the last 10 years.  We still live 
with frequent document checks and people that think that we are a part of a 
sect or a cult.  They used to tell people over here that the Baptists eat 
their children.  Can you imagine what they think of us?

In spite of the difficulties, we ask you to pray for this small town.  We 
believe that God has called us to this place to work, and if it's His desire, 
we will be able to help people come to know Him!  

An article which will soon appear in "Christianity Today" mentions that 
probably the most credible way for Evangelical Churches to work in the former 
Soviet Union is through Compassionate Ministries.  It SHOWS these people that 
we are serious...and that we are different...that we love our neighbors.  

God has given us great opportunities for Compassionate Ministries in Ukraine. 
 We have recently received 5 containers of clothing and medical supplies in 
Ukraine.  We were even privileged to receive a large container of brand-new 
long-underwear.  This is a great commodity!  With these containers we have 
been able to reach out to the Northwest section of Ukraine.  The Lord is 
using this clothing as a way to open doors to ministry.  In the meantime we 
now have Ukrainian radio broadcasts into that section of the country and now 
we are going to begin to produce literature in Ukrainian, and not just 
Russian.  Please pray for this outreach to Northwest Ukraine, and for Bob 
Skinner and Cliff Wright as they lead this work, along with Sveta Kleschar, 
our NCM president in that country.  Volodymyr Massyuik is the "Voice of the 
Nazarene" in Ukrainian.  Please pray for him as he prepares these radio 
broadcasts.

As winter sets in we are again gearing up for feeding the needy.  Each month, 
through our local congregations, we are able to provide food for hundreds of 
needy individuals.  While the overall economy in some countries of the CIS 
may have improved, there is a wide gap forming between the rich and the poor. 
 We are attempting to reach the very poor and needy!  Please pray that God 
gives us wisdom in ministering to these people.

We praise the Lord for good news!  Recently our local staff in a town in 
southern Russia was asked to come to the city administration and meet with 
the Director of Religion.  They were concerned about this meeting but were 
surprised when the meeting became very pleasant.  They have discovered that 
since we have been able to legally register several churches in the area, we 
are being favorably received.  One pastor and his wife were even asked to 
help the city administration in planning a celebration event in the city.  We 
praise the Lord for this change of attitude.  It shows that it is possible.  
With God all things are possible.  (in Russian...s Bogom vsyo vozmozhno!)

We praise the Lord that Cliff and Heike Wright have been able to move into 
their apartment in Kyiv.  This has been a long time of waiting and we praise 
the Lord that they may finally become settled!

Please continue to pray for the Norris family.  This has been an extremely 
difficult year for them and there are days when it continues to be difficult. 
 They need our love and prayers through these days.  Lonnie and Connie were 
able to be in Volgograd in October.  They are dearly loved by the people 
there and their hearts are certainly in Volgograd!

Please pray for the staff on the Field.  We will all be celebrating 
Thanksgiving together at our annual Staff Retreat.  Please, especially pray 
for safety while traveling.  

Thanks so much for your prayers.  We are so grateful to be a part of a great 
church family!

The CIS Field Family