news http://www.send.org Copyright 2012 SEND. All rights reserved <![CDATA[First Winter Youth Camp]]> Our first winter youth camp at Transformation Christian Center (TCC) was from January 1-5. The reports I got were very positive with the exception of having limited space, which meant having to turn people away.  Since only the first floor is heated, 50 people made use of every available space while the dining hall quadrupled its functional use. The new sewer line got its first test and everything worked.

The weather wonderfully allowed ice skating, sledding, building snow sculptures and various games, with temperatures right around the freezing mark. There were 10 people at camp who either trusted Christ for salvation or rededicated their lives to Christ. On the last evening, 20-25 kids stood in front of everyone else and solemnly vowed to serve Christ. Please thank the Lord for His work during winter camp and pray for the teenagers who made life-changing decisions. 

The teenagers who went to winter camp also attend weekly HiBA (High School Born-Againers) Clubs in their churches.  Here, they are being challenged to live for God and for others, and not for themselves.  Many of them are having a daily quiet time with Bible reading and prayer, and also overcoming the fear of being identified with Christ in front of their friends.  There is a meeting planned for the Tambov HiBA Club leaders on Saturday (2/4) to equip them with materials for their groups this month, to train them, encourage them, and to provide fellowship with each other. Pray for these HiBA Club leaders to effectively bring their youth to a deeper relationship with the Lord.

-Rick Kirschman

]]> Fri, 3 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[Please Visit Our Ministry Website]]> We post prayer requests on our ministry website, you can subsribe to email updates there too.]]> Sun, 1 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[Updates from Tambov, Russia]]> Peace to you our dear praying friends!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We can’t believe that this year is over. It went by so fast…

 

We want to Thank You for your faithful prayers for our ministry here in Russia. God is doing amazing things and in this letter we want to ask you to praise God with us for what He is doing.

 

Youth Camp

Thank you for praying for Lighthouse of Hope Camp. The 10-day session began with very warm and sunny days and finished with three days of rain and cool temperatures. However, the rain was not consistent and did not stop any activities from happening outside. Even the rainy days didn’t hinder the Lord from working in the hearts of the campers.  Of the 80 teenagers from the Tambov and Lipetsk provinces that were in attendance, 30 prayed to receive Christ. Praise the Lord for providing a good harvest at camp and please PRAY for the follow-up work with the campers.

 

Drug Rehab Ministry

The drug rehab center is running smoothly. There are several people who have gone through the program and started a new life with Christ.  In the midst of the joy over these new brothers and sisters, there is also heartache as there are some who have left the program and returned back to their old life. But we haven’t given up hope for these souls. We are still keeping contact with them and praying for them. Our center is one year old and 48 people have already participated in the program.  About 30% of them have begun a new life in Christ. The center ministers to people from all walks of life, and from all regions of Russia.  Recently, we had a good illustration of the reach and the need for this ministry.  You can see God’s hand at work in the life of Nikolai, one life that is now on the road to recovery.

 

One Life on the Road to Recovery

At a recent youth ministry conference in Tambov, we had a guest speaker from a nearby city, Saratov.  After the first evening of the conference, as we were visiting in our home with Vitaly, the guest speaker, he got a phone call from an acquaintance in Saratov.  Nikolai was a very powerful member of the Russian mafia during the 90s. For the more than two decades, he has been in and out of prison, drinking and abusing drugs.  He called Nikolai to say goodbye and thank him for his friendship, as he was preparing to kill himself.   We spent many hours calling back and forth to talk with Nikolai.   In the end, he agreed to order a taxi that would bring him the 500 kilometers to Tambov.  When he arrived in the morning, we continued to talk with this hurting man.   We realized that he was ready to make a change and David took him straight to the drug rehab center at TCC (Transformation Christian Center).   Two weeks have past. Nikolai has overcome withdrawal, and is reading the Word of God, praying and considering what the Bible has to say about life.  He is very grateful that he has finally found a way out of his former life of addiction.  Please pray for Nikolai, that he will complete the 2 month program and give his life to Christ.

 

Discipleship Youth Camp

On New Year’s Day, winter youth camp will begin at TCC. This five day camp is geared toward discipleship for those who have already accepted Christ. Youth from all over the Tambov oblast will come to this annual camp and be challenged in the areas of evangelism and ministry.  Praise God that we were able to finish putting a new sewer system before this winter session. Please pray for these new believers as they are challenged to serve Christ in their schools and towns.

 

At Home

Our family is doing great! This year,  Edward, our middle son, is returning to Russia for three weeks over Christmas. We are so glad to have him back in Russia after a one and a half year absence. The next six months are the last in Russia for our youngest son, Erik. Alesya’s 2 nieces and 2 nephews are coming from Ukraine and Moscow to see the boys. We will have nice reunion of cousins for Christmas! 

Because of Him,

David and Alesya Andrusyak

]]> Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[A still small voice]]> Was God in this? There I was sitting on this plane from Moscow to London - and I asked the lady next to me "can I help you with your landing card?" Turns out she is a  Russian going to Toronto to learn English. But even beyond that, she is a Buryat from Ulan Ude, where SEND has a big team. Buryat people look Chinese but they are a ethnically Mongolian tribal people that the Russian Baptist Union asked to reach with the gospel.

A 64 year old, this woman has a scholarship to a school in Toronto.

“Where will you stay?” I asked.
"Don't know - do you know of a cheap hotel?” she answered.
"Who's meeting you?” I said.
"I don't know," she replied.
“Hmmm,” I thought, “I don't want to get too involved here.” So I shared info about a hotel at Merton and Eglinton, near her school. Then I tried to drift off to sleep, but a little voice inside said 'You prayed for open hearts didn't you - maybe this is an answer to that.”

Now, I'd already shared that I was a Christian, had friends in Ulan Ude, and she already had been given a Russian tract with an Ulan Ude phone number on it. As a Buryat she was a Tibetan Buddhist, so I'd shared a little about the 'Living God"  that I worship. But I had to do more.

I turned to her again. "Here is my card and some change for the phone if nobody meets you. Please let me know if you have difficulties or need help. I have friends who speak Russian if necessary." Now I had peace - I finally felt more like the Good Samaritan I should be, rather than the Levite who passed by on the other side.  I think that God was certainly speaking to me that evening. I called the school today and found that she was in class so she'd made it OK.

But I learned a lesson to listen to the still small voice. God did lead us on this recent trip to many Chinese in Russia who were open to the gospel and nineteen people responded; several were baptized in Vladivostok.

And one Russian Buryat woman on a plane found that Christians don’t walk by on the other side.

]]> Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[Winning the Hearts of the Community]]> This summer our team was hoping to do a project together and the last three days was the culmination of all the ideas and plans. A member of our team, Inka, is helping to plant a church in a village that is about 45 minutes outside of Ulan-Ude. As a way to reach out to the community, her Russian co-workers suggested building a sports court/field that could be used both formally and informally by the community. We were not sure how many days it would take, so we brought tents and took over Inka's yard! As most of her yard is taken up by a vegetable garden, we were tightly packed in!

The village had agreed to clear a spot for us, although as it turned out we did need to do some makeshift leveling of our own. The field is set on a hill, so it was difficult to get it totally flat.

Our whole team (those currently in Ulan-Ude) was able to participate, for at least some of the time. We even had the help of three Russian friends (who happened to be off work that week), some neighborhood children (who were very curious about all these foreigners in their village), and of course the church planter, Valeri, who was giving us all directions.

Our son, Matthew, had a very specialized role. It was soon discovered that each hole that we had to dig for the posts was exactly the same size as Matthew! What at first started as a joke, soon became a very serious job (at least for him). He waited patiently as each hole was dug and then would jump down into it and declare it either "complete" or "not complete" depending on whether he could see out or not. Of course, he always needed a little help getting out.

There were 32 holes to dig, each one being "one Matthew" deep (120 cm). Then each hole was filled back in with a large post, rocks, and dirt. Then a fence was built all around leaving openings for a gate and two goals.

All in all, we got quite a bit accomplished in three days! Pray with us that it will be a blessing to this community!

]]> Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:03:00 EST <![CDATA[Russian Team Engages Mongolian Kids]]>
One young girl attached herself to me the second day of camp and made it her mission to teach me Mongolian. She was very sweet and gave me a photograph of herself and a picture that she drew of everyone on our team on the last day. I love how people can be so open and generous if you show them some care and love.

We were blessed with a great place for this day camp too. We were outside most of the time, but on the second day it rained and the school where we were holding the camp let us move everything inside their gym. The youth leader from the Mongolian church we worked with was the speaker that week. His great passion for God and for the kids blessed everyone at the camp.

The biggest encouragement for me was seeing the hard work and sacrifice of my Russian teammates and our Mongolian coworkers. They were all so ready to serve and try to do all that they could. They really blessed us and I know that God will use them to do great things. There was even one young man helping out who had attended a camp last summer that this Russian team had put on. He gave his life to Jesus and is following Him. The church started a youth ministry following last year's camp and this young man has been very active in that. The church has also helped him through some amazingly tough times including dealing with the murder of his father. I am always amazed when I see someone who has gone through such a difficult thing, who is so filled with love and joy and is ready to move forward in life.

The team did a great job, and I was so excited to see them grow in their understanding of working with people from a different culture. I think this will help even in reaching out to and understanding the other cultures that live here in Russia.]]> Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:46:00 EST <![CDATA[A Spiritual Family Tree]]>
When Vadim Mihalin came to camp the summer of 1998, he was 19 years old but already trapped in addiction to hard drugs.  He knew that he wanted to change his life but felt real spiritual oppression from Satan.  After four days of camp, Vadim repented and received Jesus Christ as his Savior.  His spiritual freedom produced physical fruit as well—Vadim suddenly lost his desire for tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.  Vadim’s camp counselor, Dima, began discipling him and as he grew in the faith, Vadim had a developing passion to reach youth with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today, over 18 years since Rick arrived in the CBSR, the story continues.  Dima is the director of a Christian rehab center where he ministers full-time to drug addicts.  Vadim went to seminary, became a youth pastor, and is now the senior pastor of the Truth Baptist Chruch in Tambov, Russia.  Rick is the team leader of SEND International’s missionary family in the CBSR and director of TELA, a ministry branch of SEND that evangelizes and disciples Russian youth into followers of Jesus Christ.  Rick’s initial investment into Dima’s life has impacted hundreds of lives as Vadim now pastors the largest church in Tambov.  This happens to be the church Rick now attends. 
]]> Fri, 5 Aug 2011 04:29:00 EST <![CDATA[Tambov News]]> July 2011

Peace to you, our dear friends,

Our summer schedule is again very full with a variety of special ministries while continuing some of our usual commitments.  We realize we can only accomplish what God enables us to do in His power.  Please pray that we are careful to depend completely on Him.

Thank you very much for praying for our travel to the SEND family conference held in Germany. We had a very blessed time together with our family, reconnected with other missionaries and most importantly we had very good spiritual food. One of SEND’s regional directors led us in Bible study through 2 Corinthians each morning.

We came back to Tambov on June 16 and June 18 went to TCC (Transformation Christian Center) in Lipetsk Province 130 km from Tambov to prepare rooms, tents and grounds for the Tambov Province Family Camp.

Thank you very much for praying for this camp. It was a very blessed week. God provided very good weather in spite of a forecast, which promised rain every day. We had some rain, but it never interrupted our program. To God be the Glory!!!

The Family Camp was from June 20 to 25. Families from several churches in the Tambov Province spent time together in a warm family atmosphere. Parents attended daily seminars where they got healthy spiritual food. During this time kids had their own program. There were games and crafts in which the whole family could participate. The goal of these activities was to provide opportunity for families to be more united, as they helped each other and worked together in different activities. They had a lot of fun. Some of the activities included volleyball, horseback riding, sport games and a climbing wall and the forest provided a nice atmosphere for walks.

A couple of new believers brought their non-Christian spouses and children. We wrote in a previous letter about Andrey Tkachev, who started attending Church last fall after the music concerts with the worship team from Alabama.  He became a believer just a month ago after attending church services and David’s Home Bible Study group for several months. Praise the Lord that his wife repented at the family camp!

  • PRAY for the Tkachev family as new believers, and that their three small children would know Christ at an early age.
  • PRAY for Christian families to be strengthened; for the church families to have more love for one another; and for more unbelieving spouses to come to Christ.

On June 26, a basketball team from Community Baptist Church of San Jose, CA arrived to help us do a sports outreach in Tambov. They made many contacts with locals on the outdoor basketball courts.  A tournament was played on Friday for guys 17 and under with 10 teams competing for first place.  There was a great environment and everybody had a lot of fun.  On Saturday, there was a tournament for guys 18 and older, and many of the younger guys who played on Friday came and watched.  The weather forecast again did not look good.  We prayed every day and instead of the thunder showers that were predicted we had blue skies and white clouds. The games and tournaments went on without interruption.  Praise the Lord!! All of the participants were invited to attend a special closing event on Sunday evening at the Central Church. The program included games, testimonies, songs, a slide show of the tournaments and a gospel message.

  • Praise God for another miracle. Many of the basketball players and some of their parents came for the first time to the church and had opportunity to hear the Word of God and we got to know each other better.  God is working to build trust in the minds of unbelievers toward believers who are of the Baptist church. 

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.  We value your partnership with us to realize God’s work in the lives of the families at Camp and the young people and their parents during the Basketball Evangelism Outreach.

Please now pray with us for the upcoming events:

  • July 4 –July 16 -  Evangelism in Mordovo (Church planting)
  • July 19 – 30 Evangelism events in Rzhaksa (Church planting)
  • July 25-August 5 – Lighthouse of Hope youth camp
  • August 11-14 - Tent Evangelism in Kirsanov (Church planting)
  • Aug 18-21: HiBA Club Leaders Conference

Family News:

On Sunday, July 17, our youngest son, Erik, will be baptized here in Tambov along with others from our church, Truth Baptist.  We praise God that He provided for David to travel to California to attend Emik’s and Edward’s baptism in June.  We are thankful for our boys and the work of grace that God has done and continues to do in their lives.  Please continue to pray for each of them as they seek God’s wisdom from His Word and our advice as they are becoming young men learning to make good decisions and choosing what is best in their personal lives in order to glorify God with their whole life.

Thank you for your love, prayers and support. May you know God’s richest blessings in your life!

Gratefully,

The Andrusyaks

David and Alesya (Emik, Edward and Erik)

]]> Sun, 10 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[Basketball Outreach Draws Many]]> Basketball was definitely in season this past week in Tambov. A church from San Jose, California sent a short-term basketball team here and they engaged in making lots of contacts with locals on the outdoor basketball courts. A tournament was played for guys 17 and under with 10 teams competing for first place. There was a great environment and everybody had a lot of fun. The next day there was a tournament for guys 18 and older, and many of the younger guys who played before will come and watch. The weather forecast called for thunder showers, but we had blue skies and white clouds in Tambov, 2.5 hours before game time. 

All of the participants were invited to attend a special event Sunday evening at the church, which included games, an NBA player's testimony on video, songs, a slide show of the two tournaments, and a gospel message. Pray for the kids and parents who attended the event at the church, for good receptivity of everything that happened during this event called "House Ball." Pray that kids and parents will respond positively to the gospel presentation.

-Rick Kirschman

]]> Thu, 7 Jul 2011 04:15:00 EST <![CDATA[Family Camp Blesses Many]]> The camping season at Transformation Christian Center kicked off last Monday with a family camp, a first for TCC. Families spent time together, the men enjoyed afternoon naps, children played with each other, women did crafts and drank tea. Volleyball, horseback riding, and a climbing wall offered other fun activities. The forest provided a nice atmosphere for walks. A daily seminar provided healthy spiritual food. All of this happened in a warm family atmosphere for the churches of the Tambov Province. A couple of new believers brought their non-Christian spouses and children. Friday was the final day, and everyone left on Saturday morning. I'm thankful to the Lord for providing TCC as a place where this kind of ministry can happen. PRAY for Christian families to be strengthened; for the church families to have more love for one another; and for unbelieving spouses to come to Christ.

-Rick Kirschman

]]> Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:26:00 EST <![CDATA[The Impact of 50 Cents]]>

As Anna and I (Olivia) were standing at a bus stop coming home from a friend’s house, a drunk man came to the same stop.  What struck me about this particular man was that he had blood on his nose.  As I watched, it became clear that he also had little to no money.  I wanted to help, but, being a single young lady, I could do nothing.  Our bus came, we got on, but I could not forget that man.  I felt guilty for not helping, but knew I could not have done anything.  At the next stop, a woman got on and paid, but a few minutes later she commented that she had paid less than the amount needed.  The bus driver graciously said that he had thought she could not pay more and had not asked her for it. A few bus stops later, a boy around seventeen got on the bus.  He was not able to pay even half the bus fare so the driver told him to ride for free.  I sat very uneasily thinking of how I had the money with me to pay the young man’s fare of about fifty cents, and that the generous driver should not have to take a pay cut for this young man.  I counted out the right amount, but still delayed handing it to the young man.  I knew it was right, but fear of using improper Russian to tell him to take the money as bus fare made me hesitate.  I finally gave it to him and he gave it to the driver.  He got off the stop before I was getting off.  I will never forget the look of gratitude he gave me when he left the bus.  When I got off the bus, the driver smiled at me, which rarely happens here.  I told him thank you and he said it was his pleasure.  On the walk up to our apartment, I thought how wonderful my God is.  He saw that I wanted to help, but was unable, and gave me a situation to help where I was able. When I return to the States, I will miss the bus rides and the opportunities they provide for me to reach others for Christ.

–Olivia Blaker

]]> Mon, 6 Jun 2011 10:09:00 EST <![CDATA[Vietnamese in Tambov, Russia - May 2011]]>
Saturday the 28th is the monthly youth event called "Alterations" (in English).  It is hosted by the Central Church.  I am hoping that some of the girls from my neighborhood who frequently come to my home will come with me to this evangelistic outreach.  There is usually lots of music, games, tea and opportunities to make friends and hear the gospel. Please pray that the Christians who attend will be ready to take those opportunities and have the joy of sharing Jesus with the unbelievers who come.

Sunday the 29th will be what has become the weekly gathering in my home of the Vietnamese men from the shoe factory.  This week both Rick and Gabe are out of town, but Hai, the university student who is able to translate for us when he comes, said he will definitely be here so we'll see.  We have been treated to a few very delicious Vietnamese dishes prepared by one of the men who is a trained chef.  This week I hope for some real traditional spicy Vietnamese cuisine from Bot and I will add
homemade pizza to the menu.  Most of the men are under 30 and two of them started kindly calling me Mom.:-)   The chef is 37. He has some knowledge of God from his younger years.  The others, well
interestingly, God has brought them to Tambov and into our lives so they have the opportunity to hear the Gospel.  Of course, we do not speak Vietnamese so we are grateful for Hai.  However, many times when we get into a conversation about God we end up talking directly with him.  He forgets to translate for the others sometimes so we have to remind him. Hai speaks Russian (he has studied here at the Tambov university for 6 years) and English in addition to his native language. He is not only a great help to us but he has also endeared himself to us as we have been able to communicate more freely with him. Sadly, he is leaving us in July as he will finish his university courses in June.  Please pray for
this young man's salvation.  And pray that God will provide another translator so we can continue to build our relationships with the others and share more about Jesus with them.

When these guys are in my home, and I look into their faces, I am amazed! Truly amazed!!! What a God we serve!  Here I am, a country girl from a small village in the mountains of Maine, already amazed that He would send me to Russia and then while here, He brings into my life young men from Vietnam.  Russia and Vietnam - two countries I feared, most of my young life.  Two countries, along with Japan now for many years, too,  now so dear to my heart because of the people that are in
my life from each of these countries.   "God so loved the world....." I'm grateful that God is constantly changing my heart to see his world from His view and feel something of the compassion he has for these dear people.  Please pray with me for many in each of these countries to come to repentance and know God's salvation, forgiveness, healing, comfort, and grace.  Pray for the Christians in Vietnam.  There are thousands today in prison for their faith.  My prayer is that some of these young
men will return to their country with their names written in the Lamb's book of Life and the name of Jesus in their hearts and on their tongues.

I am grateful for my home church in Maine which has committed themselves to helping me finish the paint job on my parents' home.  Tomorrow, the 28th, is their first work day.  Their goal is to scrape the entire house.  Please pray for safety on the staging and ladders.  Phase 2 will involve another day of repairing the wooden clapboards and any scrapping they could not finish tomorrow.  This house project also involves my home church in NJ.  They are sending a team of workers up to Maine in August to, Lord willing, paint the rest of the house from where I left off in the fall of 2009.  This is a great provision from my Heavenly Father!  I'm thrilled that for the first time my two home church families will meet and work and fellowship together for a week.  I'm praying that my family and neighbors will see Jesus in each life and be open to hear words of testimony throughout the week.

June 8-14 the Eurasia Regional Conference will be held on the campus of Brake Bible College in Lemgo, Germany.  All our missionary units from Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia will be attending.  Please pray for safety in travel and time of real refreshment from the Word.

My spring and summer weeks are very focused on working with a team of nationals who have various responsibilities in preparing the curriculum plan for 2011-12 HiBA groups for 2 Provinces.  Please pray for grace, humility and wisdom for each of us.  We desire to pull together a teaching plan that glorifies God and provides good teaching and training for those who lead and attend the HiBA Groups.  Please pray by name for Vadim, Sasha, Inna, Olya and me.

Thank you for being there and keeping us before the Lord in your prayers.
]]> Wed, 1 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[News from Tambov, Russia]]> May, 2011

Peace to you our dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

Finally summer is here. We are praising God for a lot of sun and longer days. (We will rest from 6 months of winter:).  We use this time for evangelism, youth outreach, Church planting, and Christian camps.

More than a year we have been working in the town of Mordovo which is located 90 km from Tambov and Rzhaksa which is 120 km from Tambov. These are two of the towns where we are planning to plant new churches. We are visiting them every week for Bible study. This summer we will go and do some social work, like repair a fence, fix toilets (outhouse) put new wallpaper, clean house, etc. We will work during the day and will have Christian concerts and Bible study in evenings.

We were praying this whole year to find the family who can live in Mordovo  full time. We found an Ukrainian family who were church planters in Uzbekistan and because of pressure from the Muslim government they are escaping to Russia. They are coming to live in Mordovo and planning to come in July. Please pray for this family for their transition as they will continue the ministry we started.

June 20-25. For the first time in Tambov region we will have a family camp. As missionaries, we were asked to help organize this camp. We expect up to 25 families, some of them are not Christians. Please pray for us and pastor Vadim as we prepare the program.

June 25-July 5.

A basketball team is coming from Chinese Baptist Church of San Jose, CA. We will have street evangelism using basketball.  They will play ball in different locations in the city of Tambov with local teams.  We will be prepared to share the Gospel in each location. Please pray ….

On Easter Sunday our Vietnamese friends were hosted in a home where they watched with great interest the “Jesus” film in their own language. It was the first time for some of them to hear about Jesus.  They had good questions after the film ended. The first thing they wanted to know was if we really believed that this Jesus existed and did we believe he did all these miracles.  What a blessing to share more personally with the men the Good News of the Gospel. They continue to meet every Sunday. Please pray for the salvation of the one young man who serves as a translator.  His name is Hai.  He is finished with university as of this June and will return home to Vietnam in July.  Please pray….

Here is a list of some of our Summer ministries:

June 7-14 -  Family conference for Eurasia SEND missionaries.

June 20-25 -  Family camp for Tambov region

June 25- July 4 - Sport evangelism with Basketball team from the US

July 3 – 8 Children’s Camp

July 7 - Family from Uzbekistan coming to Mordovo

July 25-August 5 - Christian youth camp

August 11-14 - Tent Evangelism in Kirsanov (Church planting)

August 17-21 - Discipleship camp

Thank you again for your love and support!

David and Alesya Andrusyak

]]> Mon, 30 May 2011 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[More Than Conquering a Mountain]]>
We set up camp a few miles in from the road. As is often true, the campfire created a great environment for talking and sharing with each other. We had some times where everyone shared and where we all listened to some of the guys give their life testimonies. But there were also a lot of great informal times for laughing, sharing about life, and talking about our wonderful God who made the amazing world around us! This was refreshing for me to talk with people who seemed very open and ready for deep conversations. On the hike there were 15 people, and only 5 Christians.

We ate a lot of sausage, cheese and crackers. I thought it was great, but it seemed like the Russians really got tired of the crackers. They usually don't go a meal without bread, and crackers just weren't the same for them.

After we woke up the first day, we hiked up a ways to get used to the elevation and to do some training on what to do if you fall on the snow and ice. People did great and had fun with all of this.

Then the big day came and we made our push to the top. Just like the day before, God blessed us with amazingly beautiful weather. Gardner and others have had to turn back on previous trips because of weather.

It was so nice and mild that we just hung out at the summit for a while. It was great to see that all 15 people made it to the top! This is the first time they have had the entire group make it to the top which is a testimony to God's grace and the great team that we had!

Please pray that this would not just be a conquering of a mountain, but that there would be great spiritual victory here too. God is at work, and it is wonderful to be in the midst of Him working!]]> Thu, 5 May 2011 09:21:00 EST <![CDATA[A Little Plastic Goes a Long Way]]>
The illustration used by Oksana, the lady who taught the lesson, was “air.”  We can’t see the air, but we feel it as wind. Also with God, we cannot see Him but we know He is there.  We brought a craft that went with the theme, parachutes.  Each child was given a part of a trash bag, two pieces of dental floss, and a stick.  They enjoy the parachutes and understood that God is real even if we cannot see Him.

We need to remember that too, God is real even when we do not see Him!]]> Thu, 28 Apr 2011 04:28:00 EST <![CDATA[Andrusyaks updaes from Tambov, Russia]]> Peace to you our dear friends, brothers and sisters!

Christ is Risen!!!! He is Risen indeed!!!!

What a Jo to have a living God who is a always with us.

We can see His work in our live and in the lives of our children every day! Thank you our dear friends for bringing us before Him.  Our family is doing great. All of our boys will be baptize this summer; Emic and Edward in Sacramento, CA and Erik here in Tambov, Russia! It will be sad for us not to be with older boys in the US. However, it is exiting for us to see our kids dedicate their lives to God.  We are praising God for our boys and for all of you who are always praying for our family.

More exciting news…. two Sundays ago one girl, Tanya, repented and decided to follow Jesus. She was at the music concert when the worship band from Alabama came last fall and started to visit our Church. Her father is not very exited that she is going to a Baptist Church. We meet with her on a regular basis; she has a lot of questions.  Please pray for her that she will grow in Christ and, by her example, her parents will follow Christ, too.

Andrey Tkachev was also at that concert and now he is coming to church regularly and attends our Bible study group that meets in our home every Tuesday. He still has some doubts. Please pray that his faith will grow and he will know the Truth. We started the Bible study group for new believers and for others who are interested in the Bible.  

In an earlier letter we spoke about a group of Vietnamese people who came to our Church in Tambov because they wanted to learn Russian.  They are working in a shoe factory here in Tambov.  At this time our co-workers, Rick Kirschman and Gabe Garrison meet with them every Sunday afternoon to build friendships and to teach them Russian.  This Easter Sunday afternoon the Vietnamese group is invited by our coworkers, to watch the “Jesus” movie in their own language and dialect.  We are glad that they can hear the message of Hope and Life in their own language. Please pray that the seeds of truth that will be in their hearts will grow in God’s timing. 

 

We have good news about our support also.  In our last letter we reported that we needed to receive $780 more per month to reach full support.  We give thanks to God and to those who responded to this need.   We are praising the Lord for you.  Currently we need only $420 per month.  Please continue to pray with us about this need and if any of you are able to help us at this time please contact us or direct your donation to SEND International for “Andrusyak account #160367.”

 

Wishing you a blessed Easter,  

David & Alesya Andrusyak

]]> Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[TELA Staff Members]]> Delinquency came early for Sasha after the death of his father. By seven he was already smoking and drinking. He and his friends were breaking into cars and homes, and hiding the stolen goods in their apartment building basement. Sasha’s reputation was so bad that when adults saw him, they would yell obscenities and beat him. He wanted to be a good and respectable person and longed for somebody to be his example. At thirteen, Sasha and his mother moved to her birthplace of Morshansk. As a girl, his mother went to church with her mother, so she decided to start taking Sasha to church as well. But church was not the place where he wanted to be, so he continued spending most of his time outside with friends.

Pasha Litvinov (former TELA staff) invited Sasha’s Sunday School class to attend his weekly Bible study. Sasha wondered if this was the person he could look up to as a role model. He went to the Bible studies and spent much time with Pasha. After being challenged to know Christ as a real person and not just a Bible lesson, Sasha repented at fourteen. Two years later he was baptized and became very active in youth ministry. He dedicated his life to serving the Lord and also graduated from the CBSR Biblical Training Center.

Inna comes from an entirely different background. Growing up in Odessa, Ukraine, she went to church most of her life. As a university student she was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. During a Campus Crusade mission conference in South Korea, she decided to be a missionary. Her heart for Russia took her to Tambov on a summer mission trip in 2007. That’s when she met Sasha, and they were married the following year. They decided to live in Odessa for two years in order for Inna to finish college, and during that time found a small church where they worked with the youth. However, their commitment to serve the Lord in Russia was never forgotten, and in July they moved to Tambov. Now they are TELA staff members working with the HiBA Club ministry. Sasha is the field coordinator, overseeing the groups and training the leaders. Inna is the administrative assistant and handles all of the logistics to keep the ministry going. They have much to contribute to the HiBA Club ministry and to the discipleship of Russia’s youth.

-Rick Kirschman

]]> Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:35:00 EST <![CDATA[Outreach climb on the peaks of Siberia]]>
I would like to ask you to really pray for this trip - this is a great outreach opportunity as about half of the people going are unbelievers.  Many of those unbelievers are from Buddhist backgrounds, and many of them have already heard the gospel numerous times.

    1. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will greatly be at work as we spend the next five days camping, hiking and freezing together. Pray that the Holy Spirit will open the eyes of unbelievers to see the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done for them, and they will realize their need to accept this truth as their own.
           2. Please pray that the believers on the trip will be a light and testimony as we interact with each other on the trip. We all will be sharing in the group how God has impacted our personal lives - pray for clarity as we share (especially for the foreigners in a different language) and for the Holy Spirit to speak through us.
        3. I would like to ask you to pray specifically that God connect me with at least one unbeliever going on this trip.  I'm not very good in big groups - I love one-on-one, so I'm praying that God will give me someone that I can connect with on this trip and give me opportunities to personally share Christ with.
        4. And I'm sure this goes without saying, but please pray for safety.  We are climbing one of the highest peaks in the area, it will be cold and icy, and, as with any camping trip, there are parts that could potentially be dangerous.

Thanks for your prayers!  It's cool to see how God has already answered our prayers in allowing us to get permission to go!  I am so thankful for this opportunity to see God's amazing creation and spend time with friends (old & new to come)!]]> Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:00:00 EST <![CDATA[School, Siberian style]]>
Art and Lisa Blaker are teaching a "one room school" for SEND children in Ulan Ude, Russia. Art reflects on their first winter of teaching,

"First, cold weather or snow days do not cancel school otherwise school would not meet most of January and February. There have been days when the temperature was -40 in both Celsius and Fahrenheit, which we had calculated but had never experienced before now. The children walk about three hundred meters to school even in cold weather. We teachers ride a bus for ten minutes, then walk two or three minutes further to arrive at school. We have become used to the temperature and prepare for it with appropriate clothing.

"Second, We are team teaching. Most days very well but every now and then it takes an adjustment. Lisa has been doing well with all the language arts, since that is not Art’s great love. Art enjoys teaching math, science and history. We teach in two separate rooms and shift 4th and 6th graders back and forth between us. We do have different gifts, preferences, teaching styles, and practices. It is working well so far.

"Third, missionary children are a little different than average American students. Our students are wonderful but they have grown up in Russia. They do not automatically know U.S. culture so phrases from commercials or movies sometimes make no connection for them. They also speak Russian better and more naturally than we do after our two years of study. Awkwardly, at times when a Russian speaker stops by the students understand what is being said better than their teachers. At this point, we swallow our pride and go on!"

SEND has opportunities for teachers all over the world. If you are interested and have questions, go to http://www.send.org/long-term-opps/ and put in "teachers".]]> Tue, 8 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST <![CDATA[New CBSR Training Center website]]> click here)! Join with this ministry in prayer and giving to equip and provide theological training for leaders in the CBSR!]]> Sat, 5 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST