On field since:  2006
From: Wertheim, Germany

Erika grew up in Kazakhstan in a Russian German family.  There she received Christ as a child.  When she was 15, the family moved to Germany.  They lived in Detmold and went to a typical Russian German church for new immigrants.  Harald grew up in the south of Germany near to the town of Wertheim in a small village.  He became a believer when he was 15.  He was well prepared because his parents where Christians as well.  At a vacation bible school, he got a call to become a missionary a few years later.  He went to Brake Bible School in Lemgo to study God's Word.  There we met and decided to become missionaries in Russia.  After graduation, we got married and had a 5-year preparation time for the mission field.  In 1996, we left Germany for our first term.  After a two year Russian language study in the Ukraine, we went to Krasnoyarsk, Russia in Siberia.

 

As Krasnoyarsk needs many more churches, we want to start a church like we did in our previous terms.  For this term, we not only want to be involved in a church plant but also want to coach other church planters.  This includes evangelism, outreach, and teaching the Bible to nonbelievers as well as those who are Christians already.  This also means working in a home study group and helping people grow, multiply, and finally grow to a full church with services and ministries.  On the other hand, we will come alongside and mentor someone who will go through this process of starting a church the first time.  This means helping a young church planter (or even a team) to start well, do the right things at the right time, help channel his power and enthusiasm into the right direction, and finally to multiply himself as a church planter.  We pray that our Lord will use us for HIS glory.