Winter Update

[CarlaSun@aol.com]

Dear Prayer Partners,

It has been quite a number of weeks since we have reported to you praises and 
prayer requests from the CIS Field.  The holidays are very busy days and we 
praise God for what we have been able to do over the last few weeks.  

First the Praises...for there are many!

Christmas Services
Many of our churches experienced tremendous Christmas services.  Some 
celebrated on December 25 and some on January 7.  Jon Mowry reported that in 
St. Petersburg 175 people came to attend the Christmas service.  In Astana, 
Kazakstan they celebrated in the new sanctuary with 260 in attendance.  
Volgograd First Church had their first service in their new building.  They 
had a live nativity outside for days before the service and invited people to 
attend and the new building was full that very first day.  Kyiv First Church 
celebrated on January 7 with a standing-room only service.  Viazma Good News 
Church also celebrated on January 7, along with their one-year anniversary, 
and had standing-room only as well.  

Winter Camps
Children's Camps...The Churches in Kyiv had a camp for children which was 
held just outside of Kyiv during the Christmas holidays.  The camp was a 
great success and many children learned more about the Lord.  The Moscow and 
Viazma churches are holding a children's camp through January 9 out at the 
Youth Center south of Moscow.  We praise the Lord for the children and 
workers who have helped with these camps.

Youth Camp...The Kyiv young people also held a youth camp last week.  A great 
group of young people traveled to the Carpathian Mountains.  The only sad 
part is that the weather has been very mild in Western Russia and Ukraine so 
far this year, and there was very little snow (if any) for this retreat.  

We praise the Lord that through these retreats/camps 120 children and young 
people were able to learn more about Jesus and what Christmas really means!

Prayer Requests:
--A serious accident occurred during the Kyiv trip to the Carpathians.  One 
of the teenagers, Olya (14 yrs old), fell from a balcony and landed squarely 
on her back.  She is in a hospital in southwest Ukraine.  There were about 7 
young people standing on the 2nd-story balcony and the floor broke and she 
fell through.  She fell about 13 feet.  She cracked one of the vertebrae in 
her spine.  Praise God that was all.  It could have been so much worse.  
There were stones on the ground all around her and her head could have easily 
hit one of them or her back (spine) could have landed on one of them.  She 
could have been paralyzed or killed.  She has to stay in the hospital, flat 
on her back, for 2-3 weeks.  One of the youth leaders (Valya) has been 
staying with her until her grandmother gets there on Monday afternoon.   
Please pray for God's touch upon Olya during this time.  Olya has been 
showing good spiritual growth, attending youth Bible Studies and actively 
participating in the youth work of the church.  We also want to remember to 
pray for her father, Igor, who desperately needs to surrender his heart to 
Christ.  We pray that through this God can break through to him.

--Please continue to pray for our pastor in Mariupol, Ukraine.  His name is 
Andrei.  He is trying to close a deal on a building that will serve as their 
church.  There have been glitches and now that the New Year's/Christmas 
holidays are over, he may be able to get everything sorted out on this.

--Please pray for the work in Central Asia.  Government officials are 
considering a laws which will greatly restrict religious freedom and the 
ability of Protestant groups to work in these countries.  This is a serious 
threat to the work in these countries.  God has been working in a mighty way 
in this part of the world, especially with the Jesus Film Team.  Please pray 
for wisdom that we may be able to continue to the work.  

----Please pray for young (or old) men and women here in the CIS who will 
sense the call of God upon their lives and surrender themselves to whatever 
He has for them.  We need pastors, people who are called of God and wanting 
to serve Him.  Please pray that God will raise up such people.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  We are so very grateful!

The CIS Team