Some Happenings

Dear Friends,

as we write this letter is Christmas afternoon for us, but for some of you in the States it is still Christmas eve. And yes, we are having a white Christmas here in the Russian climate. It warmed up to about 25 degrees Fahrenheit last week and snowed.

We wanted to share with you how the Lord answered your prayers and the stolen truck was returned. The church received a phone call telling them where to put the money if they wanted the truck back. Sergei (who leads the homeless ministry) and the Pastor wrote a letter explaining that the truck belongs to God and explaining what kind of ministry it was doing, such as building the house for the homeless, and left it there instead. This began a back-and-forth bartering where the thieves kept offering lower amounts to return the truck. Sergei kept answering that the church was praying for the them, and they were asking the Lord not to bring judgment on those who had stolen the truck. Also, Demitry, who leads the prison ministry, contacted the criminal authorities and asked them to let these young thieves know that you shouldn't steal from God. Finally the thieves asked, "can't you give us anything for the truck?" The answer was no. Later the church received a phone call telling them where the truck was parked, so they were able to go and get it. All we can say is, "Praise the Lord!"

It about that time of year here where they start setting up blocks of ice and carving them.

Here's the family by an "ice castle" at the central square.

We praise the Lord for Jason's safe return to the States. He left on December 15 and is now at his folk's house for Christmas. We look forward to his return to Russia next year.

A couple weeks ago we concluded a series on the Ten Commandments at the orphanage. To celebrate the event we had a competition quizzing the kids about different aspects of the commandments and the final task was to write all ten of them from memory. Here are two teams during that final round. All the teams successfully recalled all ten of the commandments.

Vera recently participated in her first gymnastics competition. Despite some initial stage-fright, she did well. Here is a photo of her during the floor routine.


Over the next several weeks we are planning to visit all the orphanages in Khabarovsk and show a movie from the Billy Graham Foundation. We are doing this as a joint outreach with another group. Please pray that doors will open and the Lord would give us favor in every one of the orphanages.

On Thursday Cecil cooked a great big beef stew and we went to the homeless shelter that a local church operates. There we served a whole meal and told the Christmas story. Meat is a rather rare treat there, and we were well received. We told the Christmas story (from Matthew and Luke). It was the first time that some of the folks there had ever heard that story.

We thank you so much for your prayers. May the Lord richly bless you and yours in this season of the Christ Child.

In Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Ice cream, Trans-Siberian railway, and Ulan Ude

Dear Friends,

The advent season has arrived and we're not wondering if it will be a white Christmas. It's been a winter wonderland here for a while. The last several days when Cecil has gone out to start the car the temperature has been at -21 degrees Celsius (what is that in Fahrenheit? Something like -6?). Even though we use Celsius here Cecil still likes Fahrenheit. The encyclopedia says that Mr. Fahrenheit developed his temperature scale when he discovered how to use a mercury thermometer, but further investigation reveals that he chose 0 degrees since that is the lowest temperature you can reach by mixing salt and water, hence the optimal temperature for the manufacture of homemade ice cream. Mr. Fahrenheit liked ice cream, and so does Cecil. Now, 0 degrees Celsius is the freezing point of water, and frozen water is O.K. But really, what do you prefer, frozen water or frozen ice cream?

Cecil has been on the road for a while, and it sure is good to get back. He took Jason to Ulan Ude for the Assemblies of God Siberia team meeting. Tonya and the kids couldn't go because school is in session. Ulan Ude is over 50 hours on the train from Khabarovsk, one way. This was Jason's first time on the Trans-Siberian railway. As Cecil said,"the first several times on the Trans-Siberian is very exciting, but after about the 14th time?" Anyway, here's Jason by the train.

We were in car number 11. Can you see it back there? (About half-way back the train)

The team meetings had wonderful worship and good fellowship, but we also did some business. Cecil will be helping to lead a new project to help the national church in the Russian Far East. Their most commonly stated need is for a building to house the Bible Institute as well as a headquarters to organize outreaches and churches across the Far East. While this project is now in the "serious initial discussion" stage, we expect things to develop. Please pray for us to have wisdom and make right decisions regarding this project. We're not sure how this project fits into our long-term goal of helping orphans as they leave the orphanages, but we strongly feel the Lord leading us to do this project.

Ulan Ude also has the largest head in the world.

Lenin looks a little cold there, with snow on his eyebrow.

As an aside, Cecil met some Mongolians at church who were also visiting Ulan Ude. He was very excited to use his long-dormant Mongolian language skills. He admits that after about two minutes he had to change languages, and found they didn't speak Russian, though one of them spoke English. Anyway, it was the first time in ten years he got to speak Mongolian.

Before the trip we had and early Thanksgiving celebration with some friends. The Americans who came brought an apple pie; the Ukrainians who came brought a Karavi (a spiced fruit bread). Both were delicious.

And the rest of the feast was pretty good too, even though we couldn't find a turkey. Afterwards we read the story of the first Thanksgiving and wrote down what we were thankful for.

While Cecil was gone Tonya continued the lessons with the orphans. She's been going through the 10 commandments. When she taught on "Honor your Father and Mother," she prayed a lot beforehand since she didn't know how they would respond. It turned out they were very interested and responded very well. Please pray that we continue to have favor and that these orphans will be set free of whatever emotional hurts they carry with them. Please pray that the Lord will build up a team to work with us in the orphanage ministry.

We've received a lot of interest regarding the homeless ministry here, so we thought we'd mention it again. We are barely involved with this work, the local Russian church is in charge. We just help out from time to time in minor ways. They are doing a great job. They are presently housing about 40 people in a big tent. The tent has now gotten rather cold, and they continue to build a house as funds become available. Mostly the local church is raising the funds themselves, with the homeless doing much of the labor. Here is a photo I took on Sunday morning (December 3rd). The walls are up, floor is not quite complete, and the roof is not yet begun.

The church recently purchased a truck for this construction project, expecting to use it in future projects as well. It was stolen last week and they received a "ransom note" demanding money for the return of the truck. Please pray that the truck will soon be returned without any loss to the church.

There is a couple planning to come to Khabarovsk in April to work with us for a year or so. Please pray for Aaron and Beth as they prepare for this big step. Pray that funds are raised quickly, that believers would commit to pray on their behalf, and that the many details involved with moving across an ocean would all work out.

Also, please pray for Jason as he will be returning to the States in ten days. He plans to return in February. So pray that he makes it home and makes it back.

We want to thank you all for your many prayers for us.

We've also received several requests lately for maps showing where we are located. You can find some maps on our web site, as well as some other interesting stuff. The address is http://hqmail.agmd.org/~cecil.eshelman/khabarovsk_region.htm

Giving thanks,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

On the road again (with Thanksgiving)

Dear Friends,

Cecil recently returned from a trip to Moscow where he attended a conference. The subject was how to help orphans transition into independent living upon graduation from their orphanage. Studies show that only about 10% of orphans in Russia successfully navigate this transition. Quite of lot of information was presented, and Cecil found it very helpful in understanding the problems, and possible ways of helping. The situation is more complicated than we originally thought. We continue to seek the Lord in regards of how to implement our ministry to the older orphans.

While Cecil was gone Tonya continued to visit one of the orphanages where we have an open door. Right now she is teaching on character development with a spiritual emphasis. We've been forming relationships with the kids (and the staff). We plan to become their friends and remain in touch with the orphans after they graduate.















Tonya also translated for a team of Americans who came to encourage the village churches. Two members on the team were in their 80's. One of them would tell stories from his experiences in the battle on Okinawa during World War II. Sometimes his stories became so humorous that Tonya couldn't stop laughing and the audience had to wait a while to get the translation. They were very, very well received.

Just before his trip to Moscow Cecil accidentally pressed a button on his cell phone that caused it to "lock" and require a four-digit code to "unlock" it. We couldn't find a code number with the paperwork so we went to the store that sold it to us. They tried to unlock it but were unable. They said there was a place with a computer that could unlock it, but they didn't know where that place was. Completely stymied, Cecil said,"Oh Lord, what can we do? I don't have time to try every four-digit number there is." He then entered the first four-digit number that came to mind, and the phone unlocked. He immediately memorized that number for future reference. Thank you to whoever was praying for us that day.

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving with some friends here. O.K., we know we are a few days early, but Cecil and Jason will be getting on a train tomorrow morning and going to the city of Ulan Ude. The trip takes 52 hours. They will be meeting with other members of the AGWM team who serve in Siberia. Tonya and the kids will stay in Khabarovsk since Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Russia, and schools will be in session.

Snow now covers the ground here. It won't melt off until March. If you like winter, come give us a visit. No need to hurry, we will have another winter next year. But actually, we recommend Russia in the summer.

Thinking of Russia in the summer, we are in the planning stages to have a team come to Khabarovsk. If you are interested in a summer mission trip, let us know. We can send you more information.

Please pray for Cecil and Jason's trip, for open doors for ministry, for the summer team, and for some folks who are making plans to come to work with us long-term.

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy and Vera

Ten Years Together

Dear Friends,














Ten years ago tomorrow, October 26, we were married on a beautiful snowy day in Siberia.
















And so we began a Russian-American adventure.




















And the adventure continues.

Thank you all so much for your prayers regarding the pastor's conference. There were so many details to take care of. Yet everything went so well. Omar, our main speaker, wonderfully encouraged and edified the leaders. We also spent time in worship, fellowship, prayer and volleyball. There were over 70 in attendance. They expressed their gratitude for this chance to be refreshed. We in turn want to thank all of those who supported this event financially or in prayer. It has truly been a highlight.

We took an opportunity to share a word just before serving communion during the conference.

Today was the second time we were able to speak to a group of orphans who we mentioned in our last email update. God has really opened a door for us there. The Lord has such a way of bringing things about. We just stand amazed.

Tonya was able to find time to host a ladies meeting in our home. It is a very large apartment by Russian standards. Since God has blessed us with such a place we desire to see it used as more than just a dwelling for our family. Besides, Tonya loves having lots of people around.

In November Cecil will be doing quite a bit of traveling. Please hold him up in prayer.

We give thanks that ten years ago the Lord established our family. We look forward to the next ten.

Sincerely,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

A Little News

Dear Friends,

 

God continues to provide divine appointments.  On Wednesday last week we went to speak to a group of students at a school for those with learning disabilities.  This school also has an orphan division within it.  We were hoping to someday gain access to the group of orphans, but one must be careful here about how you approach such things.  After speaking with a class we were headed out of the front door.  A lady there asked who we were and struck up a conversation.  She immediately invited us to come and speak to the group of orphans.  She is the assistant director of that division, and she has given us free reign to speak about whatever we want.  We're scheduled to go next week.  Praise the Lord.

 

Yesterday the Pastor's Conference began.  It has been a wonderful time of worship, fellowship and hearing from God's word.  Please pray that these wonderful servants of the Lord will be refreshed, encouraged and strengthened.  Many of them labor in difficult fields.

 

We want to pass on to you a praise report.  You may remember a special article Cecil wrote that was published in Russian Evangelism.  It was about the Christian Adaptation center for men released from prison here.  They are building their center and we hoped the article would generate some financial help for them.  Demitrei, the director, had used every available resource he could find, but two weeks ago the money ran out.  After church he gathered the men together and told them they still needed at least $12,000 to finish the work, but the only recourse left was prayer, so they had a prayer meeting.  What he didn't know was that at that very moment we were informing his pastor that the appeal had generated over $13,000 for the center.  This is the largest offering that Russian Evangelism had ever received for an article. 

 

It's official:  Russia is now the number one exporter of oil in the world, pumping more oil than even Saudi Arabia.  With all that oil wealth flowing into the government coffers (and private pockets) you would think the Russian people ought to be prospering and the standard of living ought to be rising, and yet the only thing that seems to be rising is the prices.

 

Hey, here are a few other statistics:

 

Russian Population:       143.5 million

Of these:

There are 10 million drug addicts or 7 % of the Russian population.  Almost half began abusing drugs at the age of 13 or 14 years old.

Forty percent of the male population of the country are alcoholics, and the average age that they begin drinking has gone down to 12 or 13 years old.

There are 1.1 million prisoners.

There are 11 million invalids, of them 80% are in the first or second group, which means they cannot work.

There are 37 million pensioners.

There are 2 divorces for every 3 marriages.

There are 2 abortions for every live birth, or 3 million abortions a year.

There are 4 million abandoned kids and 10 million children living with a single mother.

The population of Russia decreases by roughly 700,000 people a year.

 

President Putin in his "State of the Country" address mentioned the problem of the declining population.  He mentioned three causes:  low birth rate (many families have only one child), shorter life span (due to high alcohol and cigarette use), and emigration.  He wanted to increase government assistance to mothers so that they would have more children.  I didn't really catch what he wanted to do about alcohol and cigarette use.  And he wanted to encourage immigration to Russia.  The last point sounded really good to us, since it might make getting a Russian "resident permit" easier (at least that's what we'll pray for).  He also mentioned the need for Russian families to adopt children rather than leave them in orphanages.  He said, "It seems to me that foreigners adopt more Russian children than Russians do."

 

We do regularly pray for President Putin and for the country of Russia.  We thank you for your prayers as well.

 

Again, please pray the next few days for the conference.

 

Shalom,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy and Vera

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Things

Dear Friends,

We were recently invited to an orphanage where we've never been before. The young lady who invited us told us that she would arrange everything and we could just go along and meet a class. At the last moment she told us that the guitar player wasn't coming so we would have to do the program. So on the fly we did a program we've done before at another orphanage. The kids were very responsive and we had a great time. We now plan to go back regularly. Here's a photo of us with them.











We've had some divine appointments in the last few weeks. We went to a little restaurant where we had never been before and got in a conversation with the lady who runs it. She is Chinese but speaks some Russian. We found that she leads a small congregation of Chinese Christians who live in Khabarovsk. She has been saved only three years, and feels inadequate since she has never had any theological training. She wanted to take the congregation through an "Alpha Course" but thought it wouldn't be possible since she thought it was only in English and Russian. Cecil has and Aunt and Uncle who are involved with Alpha and found from them that it is indeed available in Chinese. We're placing an order for the course and making plans to do a Chinese "Alpha Course" outreach right in this lady's restaurant. Please pray for everything to come together for this. It is estimated that there are over 30,000 Chinese in the city of Khabarovsk.


Sergei, who used to be our driver, is busy leading the new homeless shelter. When they started the shelter a few months ago they prayed for twenty homeless people to live there. Now they have thirty. They've acquired a big used military tent and have filled it with beds. Everyone rises early every morning to their assigned tasks as they live in Christian community with one another. They help each other live a new, clean life. Every evening they hold a one-and-a-half hour worship service (and attend a regular church service on Sundays). They've begun work on the foundation of a new building, doing most of the work themselves. God has provided, but please pray that finances will become available to finish enough of the building to be able house the women before the winter gets too cold.

We praise the Lord that he has provided Sergei with a pledge for a small income (for his work with the homeless). This came quite unexpectedly and he is very grateful.

Right now our biggest prayer request is for a pastor's conference we are hosting October 11-14. We expect over 60 to be in attendance. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up and things to be organized. Please pray for us to have clear minds, for the Spirit to guide everything, and for these precious servants of the Lord to be refreshed and encouraged.

Oh, some personal news. Vera has started first grade. Timothy has moved up to second. The first day of school in Russia is a big deal, everyone gives flowers to their teacher and there is a big assembly. Here is Vera on her way to class with her new classmates.














May the Lord bless you keep you,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

To See the Sea

Dear Friends,

We mailed out our latest (snail-mail) newsletters in mid-August. They should be arriving in U.S. mailboxes about now. If you aren't on our mailing list you can still check it out on our web site at http://hqmail.agmd.org/~tonya.eshelman/NL2006Aug/NL2006Aug.html

One person highlighted in our newsletter is Sergei and the center for homeless he helped open this summer. He regularly worked for us as a driver, but he recently gave us notice and now is busy at the new center. This is a big step of faith since they do not have funds to pay him a salary. The homeless have been staying in tents, but have now begun construction on a building. Please pray that they would get enough built for the women to move inside before the end of October (when the Russian winter arrives). Also, please pray for Sergei and his family as they step out in faith.

At the end of August we took a family trip to the Sea of Japan. Russia is broken up into territories, much like the States is broken into states. This was our first time to Primorski territory (near Vladivostok), which is south of Khabarovsk.
















We stayed in tents and discovered the pristine nature along the Russian coast. It was a very refreshing time for the family.

Vera found a sea star ( and put it back )



















Tim enjoyed rock climbing (he just loves to climb).




















We traveled with a group, most of whom are not believers yet. We've invited them to our place for a get-together on Saturday and hope to continue planting seeds.

We expected to get back just in time for school to start, but that has been delayed in Khabarovsk due to an outbreak of meningitis. Apparently things have improved because school will start on Monday. Timothy will advance to 2nd grade, and Vera will start 1st. Wow, the kids are growing up.

We thank you for your prayers for us to make contacts with the right people. One by one connections are being made and plans are becoming clearer for our work among the orphans here. We praise God that he continues to give us favor.

We are preparing to host a pastor's conference October 11-14. There are many organizational details, and organization in Russia has some special challenges. Please pray for us to have wisdom and for all the lose ends to come together.

We so much appreciate the prayers of you all. We know that without them we could do little of value here.

Because of Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Two very different camps

Dear Friends,

Youth camp was a blast. We spent seven days on Rabbit Island, it is a Russian island located in the river that is the border between Russia and China. We stayed in tents. Tonya and Cecil helped to lead a group of boys. One of the boys had never been to church before. It was the first time he had every really heard about God. The third day of camp a big storm was rolling in and threatened to cancel swim time and he suddenly decided we should pray about it, so we told him to go ahead. He prayed his first prayer and asked God to make the storm go away. The storm went away. After that he prayed quite often.

Here is Tim with his best friend Vania making bows and arrows at camp.



















Here is Tonya in the craft tent.














You can see the back of Vera (on the right) during an evening worship session. That's Jason in the back playing the tambourine.




















There is a campfire of a different type that we sat around on Tuesday night. Sergei (who drives for us) and Eager, started a homeless shelter one month ago. It was a natural follow-up to an outreach their church had started in Spring by feeding homeless at two locations every Saturday. They had no funding and a few canvas tents. They set up tents near the church and prayed that the Lord would send them ten homeless people who wanted to change their lives and follow Jesus. In three weeks they had ten.

On Saturday they had several people at the first location (the train station) who wanted to live in a tent at the shelter. They put them in the cars and went to the second feeding location (the trash dump). Several people there also wanted to come, but the cars were full. Sergei told them he would come back after church the next day and get them. That night one of those people walked a considerable distance to the shelter to the tents. The people he was with had gotten some vodka and started drinking. He told them if they drink it they won't be ready to go the shelter the next day. They didn't listen so he walked all the way on his own.

One of the ladies who came to the shelter a couple of weeks ago had infections in her legs, so bad you could see worms in them. They were very swollen. They bandaged them very tightly and prayed for her. On Sunday morning while she was in Church singing a worship song her bandages fell down to her ankles, the swelling had suddenly gone down. Her legs were healed except for some scars.

Every evening they sit around a campfire, sing praise songs, study God's word and pray. Tuesday we joined them. There was such a wonderful spirit there. Three hours passed by and felt like only a few minutes. We are barely involved with this work, so we can just praise God for the changed lives we are seeing there.

Please pray for this new ministry. They will need a more permanent place to stay for the winter than tents.

Tonya is very involved with organizing a pastor's conference we hope to host in October. A huge amount of planning is being done right now. Communication here is not as simple as in the States. Please pray that all the aspects of the conference will come together.

May the Lord shine his face upon you.

In Christ,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

God Answers Prayer

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow we will start a week of camping on an island located between Khabarovsk and China. It is the same island we camped on last year, but the China/Russia border has moved and we will be even closer to China this time. This camp is organized by the church here and Tonya and Cecil will be counseling a group of boys (all energy). Timothy will be with a different group of boys. Vera will be camping too, but since she is too young to join a group she'll be staying in a tent with a young lady who will be watching her. The camp goes for one week. Please pray for our energy, and for every child at the camp to draw near to God.

There is a young lady named Zenia whom Tonya has been discipling. She has been coming to our home one evening a week this year. After meeting with Tonya for a while she decided to put her faith in Jesus, and later was baptized. She was doing very well until her brother died and she started drinking again. While we were in Novokuznetsk for two weeks she dropped out of church. Her home is a small house in the southern side of Khabarovsk, about an hour's drive from our home. One week we drove there, praying we would catch her at home (they don't have a phone). We found her awake and sober, she admitted that she had been drinking with her sisters constantly for the last two weeks, but now they were out of money. She came home with us. Two of the guys from a Christian rehab center happened to come to our home to help Cecil with a repair project that day, and we got them talking with Zenia. She visited their local center and talked with some folks there. She was willing to go through the program (it is like a Teen Challenge). When we went to get her things from her home her sisters tried to talk her out of it, but she remained committed (thankfully her mother was at work at that moment). On Thursday she got on a train (with one of the workers) and headed to a center in a different town that had an opening. We ask that you would pray for Zenia.and the center where she is (called "House of Life"). She has taken a big step, but the hard work is still ahead.

On the Sunday before we went to Zenia's home we were talking on the phone to a church that supports us. Well, we talked with the pastor while the congregation listened. It was 2:15 a.m. for us, but during the regular worship time for them. We mentioned Zenia's situation to them and they prayed. Afterward everything went so smoothly, I'm still amazed. Not every time that you pray for your missionaries do you see such an obvious answer, but know that your prayers for your missionaries are indeed answered.

Speaking if prayer requests, we've had several different sources ask about possible short-term missions teams coming to the Russian Far East. We are starting to explore some options, so please pray that the Lord would guide us in what kind of teams should come and how to host them so as to most effectively build the Kingdom of God here.

In addition to prayer requests, we also praise the Lord. He has been so good to us, and it is an honor to serve him.





















Tim and Vera by a village well.

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Novokuznetsk: vacation ministry

Dear Friends,

right now we are in the city of Novokuznetsk. It is Tonya's home city, and the place where we were married. We've been here almost two weeks now. Officially we are on vacation, but after arriving we received several ministry invitations. Cecil has preached six times and we've done a presentation at an orphanage. We tried to take photos of ourselves ministering, but the camera stopped working.

But God has blessed our "working vacation." We were able to take the train to Novosibirsk and visit with the Matthes family. They are good friends of ours and also work with AGWM. We went to the zoo together. Here is a photo of our kids.

They shipped a container of personal goods to themselves (furniture and such). After more than ten months it has finally arrived. Now they are processing the documents to get it released by the custom's department. Please pray that everything would go smoothly and they would get their stuff without any further hassles.

One of Tonya's cousins got married while we were here and we were able to visit the wedding. We skipped the after wedding activities since there is generally heavy drinking following a wedding. Many wedding parties in Russia end in fistfights. The bride's father (Tonya's uncle by marriage) has never had someone in his family die a natural death, all his relative's deaths have been alcohol related. However the wedding ceremony was quite nice. Tonya's grandfather came, wearing the medals he earned during World War II.


Before leaving for vacation we were hard at work doing summer-type repair and renovations. Summer is short in Russia, so there is no time to waste. Here is a photo of Cecil, Tim and Vera painting the metal frame around our garage door.


The vision the Lord has given us for work among the orphans as they graduate from the orphanages has become more and more clear, however, the situation is more complicated than we originally expected when coming to Khabarovsk. There is a law forbidding Bible instruction in orphanages, however, each orphanage director interprets it differently. Thus, each orphanage requires a separate approach. We need to develop relationships with orphanage personnel over time, so that they come to trust us. We write this simply to let you know how much we appreciate your support and to ask for prayer as we shift from “settling in” to reaching out, from preparing for ministry into ministering. We are so much in need of God’s wisdom and guidance at this time. May the Peace of the Lord be with you.

Because of Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

School's End

Dear Friends,

The first photo in our last email update was of our new kitchen. So here it is again. Near the end of the school year Cecil invited his class from the University to visit and have some hamburgers. We figure the reason God gave us the apartment was for ministry anyway. Even thought Cecil will not be continuing in full time language study anymore, we hope to continue building on the relationships we've formed so far. The class includes Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. Some of them have expressed some spiritual interests, but the language barrier has been, indeed, a barrier (we are unable to find literature in Korean or Vietnamese locally). The lady center left is our instructor, and the one American in the group is behind the camera.

Timothy finished the school year with good grades (we're very proud of him). One the last day of school, called "last bell," there is always special presentations. Here is a photo of Timothy (wearing his favorite tie) participating in an activity during "last bell." That is his teacher on the left. The headbands have the name of the school on them, which translated is Rhythm.

Just after Tim's school year ended, we went to a conference in Greece where we involved in training, planning and other meetings. It was attended by AGWM workers from around the C.I.S./Baltic's. It was good to see Greg and Tammy Jenkins, who we worked for several years ago while we were living in Georgia (the one just south of Russia, not the state next to Florida). Our time in Greece proved to be refreshing, encouraging and strategic in nature. That's Greg and Tammy to our left.

The day after returning from the conference Cecil took his finals at the University. His brain was still off by the eight hour time change, but he somehow managed to ace the comprehension test. Grammar? Well, he got a "B." Our work here will be going through a major change now that his full time language studies are over. We will begin focusing on developing programs in the orphanages and finding what will be successful. One thing we have already discovered from the ministry we've done so far is that things will be far more difficult than we originally thought. However we know that God has called us here and he has a plan. Please pray that the Lord will guide us and open doors and give us favor with those in authority and favor with the youth as well.

ALPHA. Ever heard of the Alpha course? It is a wonderful outreach and discipleship program developed in England. It has been translated into Russian, and in May some Alpha trainers from Western Europe hosted a conference in Khabarovsk. Tonya translated for the keynote presentations. Many churches of different denominations attended from all over the city. In fact, it was the best attended interdenominational activity ever done here, several hundred in attendance. We are excited to see the Lord raising up this ministry here, not in one, but in many locations.

Here is a photo of the monument we mentioned in our last update. That is Jason with Tim and Vera. This monument is a short walk from our home.

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Victory Day

Dear Friends,

this springs seems to have been so busy we can't even keep track of what we're doing. One thing that seems to take up all our extra time has been fixing up the apartment we purchased in December. It wasn't in terrible condition, it's just that it takes lots of time to paint, wallpaper, hang lights, change clogged pipes and then clean up afterwards. However we do feel a great deal of process has been made. Now that we have the kitchen installed Tonya doesn't need to cook on a hot plate in the living room, like she did for the last three months.
Feel free to come visit and fix up some food.

Cecil has been busy with language study. In less than a month Cecil will be finished with his Russian language studies at the university. He still wants to keep learning that language, but he'll be putting his main energies into the work we came here to do.

Timothy has been buys with school and has taken some piano lessons in addition to swim lessons. He will be finishing classes next week and is ready to go on summer break. We've finished the work on Vera's room so she was able to move into her own room last week. Sure beats sharing a tiny room with her brother.

Tonya has continued to develop secretarial skills in working with officials and dealing with government documents. Everything has gone better than we expected, since we had a number of things we needed to process. We praise the Lord for having given us so much favor with officials. They were unusually helpful. Our kids should be issued their Russian passports this week.

Tonya has also continued to form connections with orphanages. Last week we took a puppet team to one of the orphanages. They were received very well. In the past the director of that orphanage has been against any form of spiritual message. Please pray that this door will remain open and that we will be able to do more ministry there in the future.

The 9th of May is one of the biggest holidays in Russia. We call it V.E. Day in the states, but they simply call it Victory Day. It is the day the Nazis surrendered after the capture of Berlin. Almost every family in Russia lost someone during that war, and it is really a big deal. We went to see the parade.

They really like to show off military hardware during parades. Like this rocket launcher.

In the last three weeks we also printed and mailed out our latest newsletter. We have over 350 on the mailing list, so takes a while to all mailed out. We've placed a copy on our web site at http://hqmail.agmd.org/~tonya.eshelman/NL%202006%20May/NL2006May.html

The work on the church in Novi Orgal continues to progress. The pastor spend a few days at our home last week getting supplies. It costs less to buy them here and ship them on a baggage car.

Near our home is a memorial to some sailors who were jailed and executed during the 1930's and then many years later declared innocent. Their entire boat was placed in the park. It has become a favorite object to climb on.

The weather has turned warmer in the last two weeks. We went for a picnic on a steep bluff above the Amur river. From the picture you can't hardly see that we are about 350 above the water.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

His Servants,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Down the tracks

Dear Friends,

CHRIST IS RISEN! Today is Easter Sunday in Russia. On Easter this is the traditional greeting in Russia. It went out of style during the communist reign, but now it is coming back. RISEN INDEED, ALLELUIA!

Cecil is really excited because his Russian Language Teacher accepted his invitation to church on Easter. She attended this morning and seemed to enjoy it. Please pray for her that she will come to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.

Two weeks ago we traveled by train to Novi Orgal and visited with a church called "Church of Christ the Savior." I found out that there is a road to Novi Orgal during the winter, but it is not passable once the rivers start to melt in the spring (no bridges). The church there has started work on a building. This will be the first church building in this town of about 10,000. This church has prayed several years for a building, and finally were able to begin. Unfortunately they reached the limits of their financial ability, but fortunately, a church in the States heard about it and have send financial assistance. Now work will resume as soon as the weather is warm enough.

The building is located on the edge of town, within walking distance of many people.

The most affordable building material is railroad ties, which are produced in this area. So that is what they are building with, you can see the pile of ties in the foreground.

Here inside the building is the bishop of this region, Cecil, and the pastor of the church. In front are two Eshelman kids trying to look cute. That is a bit of snow on the floor, but by next winter it should be warm and dry. The building will seat about sixty.

It was the first time the kids have traveled on the famed Trans-Siberian railway (think "Dr. Zhavago"). It was only a 15 hour ride each way (it is seven days to Moscow) but we had a grand time in our little room on a Pullman car. We plan to head back to Novi Orgal this summer and get another report.

We managed to have the car re-registered without any hassle. Cecil is now registered at our new address (a small hassle). Paying Russian taxes has been more difficult than we expected. After visiting six different offices, we now think we know what needs to be done, but aren't sure if it is possible to file them by the deadline, which is the end of April. Getting Vera's photo placed in Tonya's passport has turned into a problem, with two different government offices telling us that the other office is the one that should do it. Since we hope to travel outside of Russia at the end of May, we need to get this resolved. Your prayers are appreciated.

Cecil continues to test the limits of his Russian. He even went to a barber shop without a translator and came back looking better than before.

By His Grace,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

papers & places

Dear Friends,

this afternoon we are leaving to visit a town called Novi Orgal. By car you cannot get there from here. There are no roads to that area. So we are taking a train. It sounds like an adventure, but really everything is rather safe and settled. Novi Orgal is a major producer of railroad ties. There is a church there that has been building their own building (the local authorities would deny them the ability to rent a theater or gym for their services, so this is very important to them). They started construction but finances were a problem. A church in the States heard about it and have provided the money to finish the project. So were are going there to visit, take photos and encourage them.

Tonya was very busy a week ago translating for the local Bible School. They meet for a month in the spring and an month in the fall. Most of the students are already involved in ministry and want to have a Biblical Education as well. Cecil stays busy in class studying the Russian language (so much progress has been made, but oh, so much more to learn). He also has been working on the electric system in the apartment (it's not exactly up to American standards).

We would ask you to pray for God to solve some problems we are having with documents. We've managed to keep everything legal, but the Russian red tape is amazing. Cecil wants to pay his Russian taxes, and has until the end of April to do it, but the process of just finding where to pay is not yet complete. Vera also needs her photo placed in Tonya's Russian passport, but one office will send us to another and so on. Cecil's address registration needs to be redone and the car reregistered. Maybe God's Angels can guide us through it with no more hassles.

Or, we could send Vera-crocodile to eat them all.

Also, please pray for Cecil's Russian teacher and his classmates. Some of them have shown interest in spiritual matters, and he has even had a long, meaningful discussion with his teacher.

There is always time for playing in the park.

Blessings,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Spring in the Snow

Dear Friends,

sorry this letter has taken so long to get out, but we've been a little "snowed under" with all the things going on. The new apartment that AGWM helped us purchase is a great blessing, with lots of room, but it has also kept us busy with lots of little things that need to be fixed up. And just as we started to learn where things were we moved here to a different part of the city and are learning the location of stores all over again.

We have taken family time, going for walks and such. We took a few photos just before they started to take down the ice carvings as the weather warms up (today was the first day with the high above freezing). Here are Timothy, Vera and Tonya behind one of the carvings.

The water situation in Khabarovsk has returned to normal. The pollutants have all passed downstream or evaporated. The city has installed a massive charcoal filter at the place where water is taken in from the Amur river, so the water quality now is even better than it was before the accident in China. The swimming pools, which had been closed since the chemical spill, have reopened and Timothy has started his swim lessons again.

Last Sunday Timothy's Sunday School class went on a picnic. They had a Bible treasure hunt and we cooked hot dogs and ate crackers. Here is Tim and his class on the Bible treasure hunt.

Here is Jason helping to get the cooking area ready for hot dog roasting.

Tonya has made friends with several unbelievers since we have come to Khabarovsk. Some of them have receptive to the gospel and made decisions for Christ. A few weeks ago two of them took the step of water baptism. I'm glad to say it was in an indoor swimming pool. One of them has been meeting with Tonya weekly for mentoring/discipleship. Her name is Zhenya. We are so delighted to see the changes the Lord is doing in her life. She has been such a dedicated student of the Word, and today she stated that she wants to help lead a Bible study to help lead others to know the Lord.

March 8 was International Women's Day. Vera's Kindergarten held a special activity to honor the mothers, and Vera recited a poem.

There is a Bible Institute in Khabarovsk that holds sessions for four weeks every Spring and again in the fall. Classes for the spring session start on Monday. The regular translator may not be able to translate, so Tonya expects to be translating for the teacher next week. Today we picked the teacher up at the airport and spent some time with him. Please pray for them as they instruct their eager students this coming week.

Cecil was able to get a new one year visa without even leaving the country. Getting a visa can be a problem, so we praise the Lord for this.

Please pray for Cecil's language learning, as he continues to try to understand new grammar systems and memorize new words. He will study full time until this summer, then he plans to focus more on the work we came to do. Also pray for us to have God's direction as we make more detailed summer plans.

Please also pray for us as we try to fix up numerous things in our new apartment.

God bless you.

In His Service,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Back On-Line In Russia

Dear Friends,

We're back in Russia, but we had a great time in the States. After the World Missions Conference we spent some time with Cecil's folks in Colorado.

Things were great in the States, but it is good to be back in Khabarovsk. When we got off the plane and walked across the tarmac to the building, a stiff breeze at 17 degrees below zero Fahrenheit helped remind us where we were. The trip went without a hitch and we are now back to work.

We are living in our new apartment. We have gotten a phone installed. As you can tell we now have internet access. There are a number of things that need to be fixed up and those projects are progressing. Please pray for Tonya since we don't have a kitchen yet (meaning our kitchen only has bare walls), we need to re-do the plumbing in that room. She's been cooking on a hot plate in the living room.

Jason arrived on schedule with no problems, so our team is growing. We took him out to see some of the local sights. He found an ice carving that he really liked.

Jason is living in a dormitory at a local University, studying Russian and doing outreach among the students. His first night in the dorm most of the students on his floor came to talk with the American. Curious to see if he could read Russian they grabbed a piece of paper sitting on his desk and asked him to read from it. It "happened" to be an invitation to the evangelical church that he had "happened" to pick up on Sunday morning after the worship service. This led to some quality conversation. He says that two students plan to come to church with him tomorrow (Sunday). Please pray that the Lord would continue to give Jason favor and that God would use Jason to bring many students to Himself.

While we were in Colorado we were able to attend a Rodeo. It was the first time for Tonya, Timothy & Vera to see a Rodeo. In January we partnered with some Baptist workers here and are showing a Billy Graham movie production titled "Rodeo" in orphanages. The showings have gone very well so far. If you get a chance to see it, we know you would enjoy it.

A special note of joy. One of the first friends Timothy made when we came is named Vita. Timothy has faithfully prayed for him almost every evening while saying bedtime prayers. Two weeks ago his grandmother and he came to church (the first time for either of them). After Cecil spoke Vita's grandmother came forward and made a decision to follow Christ. She attended again last week and plans to attend with us tomorrow.

Here we are with Vita and another friend Vania. If you've never played with ice carvings during a snowstorm you ought try it.

Oh, we managed to mail out our newsletter in January. It can also be found on our web site at:
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~tonya.eshelman/NL%202006%20Jan/NL2006Jan.html

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera

To Khabarovsk

Dear Friends,

tomorrow we will by flying back to Russia by way of South Korea. We've had a great time here in the States for the last month with the World Missions Summit and spending time with family, but it is time to get back to Khabarovsk. Since the new apartment we will be living in does not have a telephone yet, we do not know when we will be able to send out our next email update, but we pray that it will be soon.

Cecil helped write an article about a post-prison ministry that is located near Khabarovsk. It was published in December. Contact us if you would like a copy. We hope you enjoy reading it.

Please pray for Jason Bicket, who is coming to live and work on campus in Khabarovsk. He was not able to accompany us back to Russia, but will be leaving out on Feb. 2nd. Pray that everything would go smoothly for him as he takes care of those last minute details and then travels to join us.

The Peace of the Lord be with you.

Sincerely,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

World Missions Summit

Dear Friends,

We're presently in the States. Our flights went well, and it was fun crossing the international date line going East-ward for the first time (arriving in the States earlier then when we left Asia). We spent Christmas at Cecil's brother's house while recovering from the jet lag.

The World Missions Summit was incredible. There were almost 4,000 students and endless activities. Cecil was asked to dress as a Russian Orthodox Priest and to take a part in the "Eurasia Experience." It was a one hour presentation that introduced students to various cultures and countries of Eurasia using sights, sounds, smells and more. They also got a chance to see those countries through the eyes of missionaries and to hear what it is like from those who have lived it.
Here is Cecil walking through the crowd.

The Eurasia Experience was presented six times to about 150 students each time. We also helped man the Eurasia information booth, join the large group gatherings, celebrate new years with the students, worship, pray with students and more. A big high-light of the Summit for us was the Meal-with-a-missionary. For four meals we sat at a table with students and talked about important issues relating to preparation and ministry on the field. It was absolutely delightful to converse and share our hearts with the young people there. We felt energized all over again. Here are photos of two of the groups we interacted with.

(Oh yes, that is us in the Russian costumes)

Please pray for those young people that the Lord of the Harvest would show them where they fit in his plans for the harvest. There is nothing better than being where God wants you to be and doing what God wants you to do. We pray that some of those young folks would come work with us for a time in Khabarovsk.

If you want to check out some more information about the World Missions Summit you could look at the Eurasia web sites: http://www.eurasia.blogs.com/ and http://www.eurasiacommunity.org/

I can't forget to mention that Vera had her birthday on New Years Eve. Since Tonya and Cecil were going to be at the Summit we held the party a little early, and that way her cousins were able to attend (since we had all gotten together for Christmas). It was a birthday fit for a princess.

Blow those six candles out Vera!

For those of you who were praying about the situation with the chemical spill in the River, we day we flew out of Khabarovsk we heard from the "official" channels that the toxic spill had reached the city. We had bought our tickets before the spill, and are amazed at the timing. We will return to Khabarovsk on the 21st of January, and most of the spill will have passed. While we are gone for the worst of it, many of our friends are now having to suffer from the problems of unsafe water. Please pray for the populace along the Amur River, especially that the children will be protected from any long-term problems.

Also, don't forget Jason. If his visa processes properly he will be going with us to Russia and be joining in the work there. Please pray that his visa will process and tickets be available so that he can accompany us as we return to Russia.

God bless you all.

In Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera