the documents for the Ministry Center have been finalized and we took possession of the property this week. This is very exciting for us. It is a great answer to prayer. It also means that it is time for the real work to begin. The purpose of the center is to reach the people of Russia with the love of God. The building won't do that by itself, it is merely a tool. Soon we will start the remodeling and then begin doing ministry.
Here is the first gathering we had, the day we got the keys. We started out with a prayer meeting.
Unfortunately all the beautiful plastic paneling no longer meets fire codes, so we'll need to strip it all out. We'll also need to move some walls to create a classroom for the Bible Institute. The windows are old but mostly in usable condition. It's not a bad view from the sixth floor.
Thank you so much for your prayers for the purchase of this property. It is centrally located and will be greatly used by the local churches.
The month of March has been a good month: we attended an excellent training retreat in Egypt, we got back home and into routine, I received my resident permit for Russia, the kids basketball teams are doing well, Tonya has been able to start some outreach in a nearby orphanage, I had my birthday, and we received possession of the property for the ministry center. So all of March has been one praise report after another.
Tomorrow, Timothy and I will be participating in an evangelistic outreach with our church. It is tied with the Easter theme (this year Easter is the same day in both Russia and the States). Please pray that many are drawn to the love of Christ.
Amazed by His goodness,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna
