The
Eshelman Exploits in Russia
February 2020
Dear Friends,
Greetings from the
snowy north. There has been a lot going on, first let me tell you
that we have been shoveling a lot of snow here, but that is nothing
new to Siberia.
We were recently
asked to lead a baptism class for three people at the center (two
residents and one of the workers). There is a Russian holiday on
January 19 that can be translated as the Day of our Lord’s
Baptism. So we covered ten lessons in advance, and they were
baptized that day by the local pastor, along with 29 others from
the church.
Thankfully, the water in the
baptismal pool was not frozen (not saying it was warm, either).
One of the
highlights of December was a Christmas play put on by the church
plant that we are assisting. It is a play based on a classic
Russian story written by Leo Tolstoy titled, “God Is Where Love
Is.” Tonya, Diana, and some of the members of the adaptation
center participated. Cecil advised with the directing. A number of
new people attended just to see the performance, so it was a good
outreach.
We recently led a
seminar on ministry to children who have experienced trauma.
Those who are doing orphanage ministry and those who work with
special needs children found the information to be helpful. We were
asked to do more training for volunteers who are working with
special needs children and their parents. If you know of someone
qualified to teach or train in this sphere of ministry, please let
us know.
Renovations
of the ministry center in Tiagina continue (mostly inside this time
of year). So Cecil gets to use his construction skills. We will return to the States on a short trip to get Cecil’s new
visa to Russia. Please pray.
Sincerely,
Cecil & Tonya
Eshelman
