Back in Russia

Dear Friends,

our adjustment back to Russia has gone well.  The most wonderful discovery for us is that the ministry team here doubled the Life Skills lessons to two classes a week (younger and older) while we were gone, so we now have more orphanage students then ever before. Once again God is in charge, and we're just trying to keep up.

Ministry at Hope Center continued without us as well; which involved multiple churches and other ministries.  The Fall session of the Bible School took place in October!  The walls even got painted while we were gone, and it wasn't even our idea.  This is a very nice change from when everyone was looking to us to make the decisions and get things done.

We've got snow on the ground, too.  Definitely going to be a white Thanksgiving this year.

Please pray, we're planning on hosting a Thanksgiving feast at the homeless shelter.  There are presently 130 people living there. This is another ministry that just keeps growing.  I preached there Wednesday evening, and we had a great time together.  I was encouraged to see the work they are doing.  Anyway, we'll need more help than ever before to prepare the meal.

And, talking about the Lord of the Harvest sending workers into the harvest field, we have a group of students from Southeastern University making plans to come to Khabarovsk this summer.  We're very excited about this, since not many people come all the way from the States to minister here.  Please pray as we make plans and they start raising funds and getting passports.

Winter has come to Khabarovsk.  Russians are some of the most experienced winter drivers in the world, but here is a video from our city that might make you wonder. http://globalnews.ca/news/961394/video-icy-roads-in-russia-cause-cars-to-slide-out-of-control/

Blessings From Russia,
Cecil, (Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Diana, too)

Arrived

Dear Friends,

on we have arrived back in Khabarovsk, Russia.  All went well on the flights, all our luggage arrived with us, and we feel pretty well (except for the jet-lag).  Thank you all for the prayer support.

During the landing the flight attendant made an announcement in Russian, saying, "Welcome to Khabarovsk, the weather is pleasant today with a temperature of minus 14 degrees Celsius.  We hope you have had a nice flight."

Welcome Home!  A bit of a weather change from the Carolinas.

We'll try to catch up on sleep, organize ourselves, and jump back into ministry here. We arrived on Tuesday, and yesterday (Thursday) we attended a Life Skills lesson our ministry team was leading.  They did a great job, it was so good to see how the ministry has continued without us. 

Russians are some of the most experienced winter drivers in the world, but here is a video from our city. http://globalnews.ca/news/961394/video-icy-roads-in-russia-cause-cars-to-slide-out-of-control/

Blessings From Russia,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Diana

Countdown to departure.

Dear Friends,

once again we are counting down to a departure to the Far Side of the Planet.  Good thing it's not for the far side of the moon.  We have tickets to fly to the Russian Far East on the 10th of November.  So right now we're packing and putting things away.  What doesn't go into our suitcases or our 5 by 10 foot storage unit will have to go to the thrift store.

Please pray for us to have peace as we try to finish off the check list of things to do.  And for us to not forget anything too important (let's see, where is my passport... ).

We are looking forward to jumping back into ministry and seeing friends.

Our latest newsletter.  It was written by the kids. They got put in the mail today.  I mean, the newsletters were mailed today.  I'll post it on our web site soon!

We will write again from the other side!

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Diana

Ahhh, America the land of travel and adventure

Dear Friends,

ahhh, America.  The land of travel and adventure.

In July we spoke in 11 different churches.  So many friends in so many places!  We're half way though August now, and only spoken in two churches so far this month, but we also helped out with General Council in Florida.  We spent most of Council in the Eurasia booth, speaking with many interested folks; some of those folks are interested in coming to help us in the Russian Far East.  Please pray for us that the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers into the harvest field.




Do you know anyone who is called to this part of the world?  If so, let us know!

While driving up from General Council, we were able to hit the beach in South Carolina for about an hour.


We've been blessed to see the Atlantic Ocean more than once this itineration.  In July we spoke at a church on Ocracoke Island, and were able to stay an extra day.  Our kids got to make new friends and had a great time.


Here's some of those friends on Ocracoke Island.  Can you tell which ones are Eshelmans?

Most of our time in the States has been spent traveling, speaking, contacting pastors and filling out reports.  If you'd like us to come to your church and speak, just contact us.  Don't worry about the traveling and filling out reports part, we'll do that ourselves. 

Oh, did Diana turn into the Cat in the Hat?


Please continue to pray for the ministry in Russia.  The Lord has given us a wonderful team of volunteers who continue the work while we are Stateside.  After all, this is the Lord's work and doesn't belong to any single person.

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Diana

On The Move

Dear Friends,

we're on the move again, speaking in churches (and wherever folks invite us).  From the islands of the Outer Banks of North Carolina to the Smoky Mountains and back, we've been traveling.  While we were going through Missouri on our way to Missionary Renewal, we even got some of our faces in a local newspaper, standing next to a statue of a dog named Old Drum.  We'll try to scan it sometime and share that story with you.

During Missionary Renewal, the kids got to make new friends and meet old ones among the other Missionary Kids.  The MK program run by the Assemblies of God World Missions is a really good one (the summer program is called ISMK - International School of Missionary Kids).  So they had a great time.


Diana got to sit over the dunk tank during a party.
 

This year our kids got to enjoy Independence Day in the States.  We made a cake and went to a party.





This is the second of our three mini-itinerations.  Cecil can't be outside of Russia for more then six months, or he will lose his resident permit, so we've plans to go back to Russia in November.  Until then, we will visit as many churches as possible.  If you'd like us to come to your church or home group, just let us know.

Please pray for the volunteer team back in Khabarovsk, as they continue to minister without us.  And please pray for us as we travel and raise funds to live in Russia.

Blessings!
The Eshelman Family - Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera & Diana

Stateside

Well, we arrived back in North Carolina all safe and sound.

Long flight.  Changed 15 time zones.  Jet lag. 

Off to Missionary Renew (School of Missions) in Missouri.

Love,
The Eshelman Family

Russia - we'll see you again this Fall.

Dear Friends,


we're working to head back to the States.  We've tickets to fly out at 8:45 am on the 16th of June, spend 28 hours in transit, and arrive in North Carolina at 9:44 pm the same day.  Ahh, the wonders of time travel, or, err, traveling across time zones.

We're trying to get everything ready for departure.  Packing up bags, turning over the ministry to our Russian co-workers, staying in touch with churches where we will be speaking, arranging for someone to live in-and take care of-our apartment here.  So many details.  Please keep us in prayer.

One of our praise reports is for Diana's visa.  Since her adoption, we still haven't been able to get her U.S. citizenship (the application is still processing).  So we applied for her to get a six-month visa for this trip to the States.  The U.S. consulate issued her a three-year visa for no extra cost!  We had to go to the consulate in Vladivostok for the interview.  So we spent two nights on the train, and most of one day sight-seeing.

We thank the Lord for putting together a good ministry team to work with.  Life Skills classes will continue (after a summer break).  They really are a blast.

Never used an electric mixer?  Hey, it's easy.

But spreading the batter might get a little bit messy, especially if your cooking teacher is a little bit silly.

What is this?  Eating lessons?  A lesson in manners?  Maybe an illustrated sermon?

And this one?  Well, you'll just have to guess.

But, occasionally, when we have a guest speaker, a little seriousness breaks out.

Please pray for the ministry team, especially while we are away.

We also participated in the annual "March for the Family" event that churches here put on.  It went well.  Tonya and I are holding a banner that says, "preserve the family, preserve Russia."

Tim was there too, running around with his own banner.

Diana graduated from the 4th grade this week.

Can't forget, Tim had a birthday.  He's 15 now, the big boy.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  God bless you!

Your missionaries to Russia,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Diana

To Moscow and Back

Dear Friends,

we had a great trip to Moscow where we worked with the "Russia Without Orphans" conference.  We met a lot of people who truly have a heart for helping orphans.  Much of the conference was dedicated to learning how to work alongside the Russian government.  Five ladies from Khabarovsk went with us, giving good representation to the Russian Far East.  We were delighted to see a pastor from a city north of Khabarovsk also attending.

Here is one of our team members involved in a presentation.


While this conference won't immediately effect the work we are doing, we learned a number of things, made good contacts with others, and hopefully will leave a good influence with future government relations.  Since all the orphanages in Russia are government run, this is very important.  It was also a good time of relation-building for our ministry team.

As we mentioned in our last update, here are some photos of the lady and baby who stayed with us.



Timothy also got a chance to help.


The ladies have returned to their apartment now that some of the big brothers in the church "talked with" the people they were afraid of.  Things seem fine right now.

Anya (an orphan graduate who we also mentioned in our last email update) has been released from jail.  She has been staying with the Hinson family (the other A/G mission family in Khabarovsk) and will soon move into a Christian rehab center in the city.  It's been good to see a team working together to help someone in need.  Please pray for Anya that she could find a job (to pay off her restitution costs), and especially for her walk with the Lord.  She's just now getting a start in life.

Life Skills continues.  We have another orphanage interested in sending children.  Please pray that we can form a good relationship with them, and that the Lord would use this program to touch the children's lives.  We also pray for the food before we eat it, and, so far, so good!


One of the big needs in our neck of the woods (meaning the Russian Far East) is for more training of pastors.  Next week the first seminary level classes for protestants will begin.  This will be under the direction of Kiev Theological Seminary.  Two professors with be staying at our place next week, and will be teaching the first group, which is mostly pastors.  Tonya will assist some with translation.  There are sure to be some unexpected difficulties, so please pray for the teachers, the students, and the translators.

Cecil has been working on our latest newsletter.  Take a sneak preview at http://101649.agwebservices2.org/SiteFiles/101649/Content/Newsletter/Newsletter%202013%20April.pdf

We are making plans to come to the States this Summer/Fall for another mini-itineration.  We're in the process of trying to get Diana a visa to the States.  We still wait for her to get an immigrant visa to become a U.S. citizen.  It's sure to happen, but the immigration services have a big load.  Please pray for our documents to all be in place at the right time.

Web sites to check out:

Information about Khabarovsk Krai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kthJpz8Eutg&feature=endscreen

A more on-the-ground, but, ahh, somewhat less professional video of Khabarovsk City:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqotquyUDtc

10 wonders of the USSR:
http://englishrussia.com/2011/05/25/7-abandoned-wonders-of-the-ussr/

Some information about the orphan situation in Russia:
http://www.bigfamilyministry.org/russian_orphan_information.html

How much do you know about Russia?  A quiz:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2012/0202/Do-you-know-anything-about-Russia-A-quiz/City-I?nav=650541-csm_article-bottomRelated

AGWM has created a web site where donations can be made to our ministry.  If you feel lead, you can check out this web site as well:
on-line giving:
http://s1.ag.org/eshelman

Say, we're always looking for folks who want to join the team.  If you know anyone who would like to come to Khabarovsk and minister, just let us know.  Maybe it will be you!

From Russia with Love,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Diana

Trips & Babies

Dear Friends,

now that Tonya is back home safe and sound, we're about to leave on another trip together.  Tonya and I will go to Moscow for a "Russia Without Orphans" conference (if you read Russian, you can read more about it at http://rossiabezsirot.ru/ ).  We will leave tomorrow and spend two packed days in the meetings.  Several Russian members of our ministry team will be coming with us.  Please pray that we will learn a lot, make good contacts with other ministries, and become even better equipped for the Lord's work here in Khabarovsk. 

The last couple of weeks have been filled with unexpected ministry.  Anya attended our life skills classes last year.  Last summer she graduated from high school (and her orphanage) and was planning to enter a technical college to become an architect.  She didn't pass the entrance exams, but hid that fact from her teachers at the orphanage.  At the age of 18, the orphanage stopped receiving government funds for taking care of her.  They asked her to get a job, but instead she left the orphanage.  When she left, she stole 4,000 rubles (about $135.00) from a teacher.  We didn't know anything about this at the time.  Later, two other students in our life skills class came to us telling that Anya was in trouble with the police and needed help. 

For more than a month we've been staying in touch with her (sending packages to the jail, trying to find a helpful lawyer, one of our team members got jail visitation rights and saw her).  It was quite an adventure to Tonya to discover how the Russian criminal justice system works.  Tonya attended two court hearings and found out that there are other cases against this girl.  On the 22nd of March she is to be released on probation.  We've made arrangements for her to stay at a local rehab center.  Please pray that Anya would start walking with the Lord, would stay at the rehab center, and stop stealing.  We praise God for team members that will meet and help Anya when she is released, since Tonya and I will be at the conference in Moscow that day.

Also!  Galya is a 23 year old who graduated from an orphanage seven years ago.  Several months ago she told one of our team members - Katya - that she is pregnant with no husband and no place to live.  Galya said she wanted to keep the baby, but felt she might have to give the baby to an orphanage because of her living conditions.  Katya got some help from her church, and by their help she was able to get a government provided dormatory room for Galya.  Katya even moved into the room with Galya to help her take care of the new-born baby boy. 

After a week of them staying in that room, a criminal group began to threaten the girls.  They wanted to take the room and furniture that the church had provided.  So we had them come live in our home for a week while some of the men from their church tried to deal with the criminal situation by "talking" with the gang (yes, things work a little differently here that what you may be used to).  It was our joy to see Galya growing as a new Christian and a first-time mother.  Our kids also learned a bit about taking care of a little baby.

Please pray for Galya.  She has never had a role model for motherhood.  She is trying so hard, and doing well so far.  Please pray for their safety as well. 

We'll try to send photos when we get back from the trip.

Blessings,
Cecil & Tonya

Ministry continues

Dear Friends,

Tonya has taken a short trip to her parent’s home so as to gather some documents we need.  Russia does seem to be the land of documents, and American requires some too.  However, it means Tonya gets to see her folks, and she hasn’t seen much of them for quite a while.  So maybe it’s a good thing (a God thing) that she needed to take a trip to Novokuznetsk.  Novokuznetsk is about half-way from Khabarovsk to Moscow, which means it’s about 2,000 miles away from here.  Russia sure is a big country.

Even without Mama being around, ministry continues.  Attendance last week for “game night” was just about an overflow crowd.  The fellowship was great.  We had a good mix of orphan graduates, foster families, and helpers.

Life Skills classes continue as well.  Despite some difficulties, orphans continue to come to the lessons. 

Knowing how to prepare fish is an important life skill, don’t you think?

Team assignments help too.

We’ve even taken a “field trip” to another location and had a different set of skills developed.  Below you see a lesson on how to work with and cut glass.

It’s been a bit strange jumping into full time ministry work just a couple months ago, and now needing to prepare to return to the States this summer.  Please pray that we can get all the details straight.  One of the details that we’re needing to take care of is getting a visa to America for Diana.  We’re still working on getting her U.S. citizenship (quite a slow process), so we’ll need to get her a visa to the States before she can come.  Please also pray that our speaking schedule at churches will be full, and that there be clear communication with the churches as well.

We’ve been having some problems with links to our web site.  For now the link is http://101649.agwebservices2.org/

Here’s a few other interesting links:

A really good short film from the Russian Orthodox point of view.

http://shortfilmsin.com/video/15594/Christian-Short-Film#

Meteorite over Russia

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/russian-security-footage-reveals-curiosity-then-chaos-as-meteor-strikes/story-fnd134gw-1226581601250

World opinion of the U.S.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/01/11/who-loves-and-hates-america-a-revealing-map-of-global-opinion-toward-the-u-s/

Russian Internet responses to…various things…kinda different…

http://english.ruvr.ru/radio_broadcast/36172287/105383430.html

Russian car cams

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/feb/15/russian-roads-dash-cams-video

May the Lord be with you!

In Christ,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Diana

Merry Russian Christmas (& Ministry)

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas.  Yes, today – January 7^th - is Christmas in Russia.  After opening presents, we went to the church we attend here and had a great Christmas Service.  We invited a number of friends who attended with us.  So, Merry Christmas!!!

Since arriving back in Khabarovsk four weeks ago we’ve been adapting.  First, to the time change (we’re 15 hours ahead of North Carolina).  Also, the temperature change (highs of about zero F the last few days).  And doing front line ministry, rather than speaking in American Churches.  So far, so good.  We’re definitely not in North Carolina any more.  Here’s a photo of us in the snow in front of an ice sculpture at a nearby city square.

We took some orphanage graduates that we know to visit the square, also.  We had a great time.

Since schools and many businesses have been closed for New Years (Christmas is a minor, one-day holiday in Russia, but schools close for about ten days for New Year’s Day), we’ve been going into a nearby orphanage and playing table games with the kids.  A team of volunteers from the churches has been helping us. 

Our Life Skills classes continued while we were in the States, being led by the volunteer team.  It was good to join back in.

 

Oh, we can’t forget to mention, Vera had a birthday.  Now we have another teenager in the family. Oh, my.

It’s good to be home again.  We thank God that doors remain open to minister in the orphanages.  Hope Center is doing well. 

Please pray for us to have wisdom.  There are several opportunities to expand our ministry, but we want to do it in the way that will bring long-term results.

Please also pray for our health.  It’s been a challenge going through the adjustments.

Oh, yes,… Happy New Year!

From Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Diana