New Stuff Going On!

Dear Friends,

       This newsletter has more explanations than our usual letters and there are several reasons why.  As you know, a year ago we left Russia and for a year we have been hoping and praying that the war between Russia and Ukraine will be over.  Most of this time we have been ministering at Lumbee River Christian College, an AG Bible school associated with Assemblies of God Home Missions, and we were thinking about transferring from World Missions (AGWM) department to the Home Missions (AGUSM) department of the Assemblies of God. 

       Quite unexpectedly Global University, a ministry of AGWM’s International Ministries, extended an invitation to Tonya to join their team at Central Asia Theological Institute (CATI).  CATI is a project of Global University based in Kazakhstan for training ministers and pastors of many house churches in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.  Since most of them speak Russian (as well as thousands of Russians getting away from the war and going to Central Asia) a significant amount of training in CATI is done in the Russian language.  So, Tonya will be translating and editing Global University materials to equip Russian speaking people for ministry, including church-planting and to serve as missionaries in addition to growing existing churches.  Since this is part of Global University, the reach of the translation work will circle the globe, reaching and equipping Russian speakers wherever they live and serve.  The reach will be beyond one country, or even three countries, it will be global.  This is a tremendous open door in a part of the world where there is a clear move of the Holy Spirit in the timing of God.  We are appreciative to be on the “ground floor” of what God is doing in Central Asia, and you too are on the ground floor of what God is doing in Central Asia as we partner together in the gospel.

       For years Tonya has been in a support role translating for Cecil's preaching and teaching.  Now, Cecil has chosen to support Tonya in her calling.  This is the reason AGWM is having us send an updated/new pledge form that has a new account number.  Our old account will be closed soon.  You may ask why the name Tatiana is on the new pledge form that will be sent out, that is because it is her full formal and legal name (Tonya being her nickname). 

        In Russian tradition, most people have two names:  a formal one and a shorter one for friends and family.  So, when we started the Eshelman Exploits newsletter more than twenty years ago, Cecil introduced his new bride as Tonya to his friends and family.  

       So, we will still be serving with the Assemblies of God World Missions and sending you our missionary newsletters. 

Now we would like to include a short story of what the Lord has done in the last year here in the United States:

          Mariam is 18 years old.  She is from Cuba and has been in the U.S. for several months and has not been to church until recently.  It was our privilege to invite her to attend a Christmas service with us.  Our friend gave her an English-Spanish bilingual Bible as a gift.  And now Tonya is studying the Gospel of John with her.  We also meet with students from the Bible College (Lumbee River Christian College).  

            Grace and Blessings to you!

 

           Cecil and Tonya Eshelman

Back in the U.S.

 Dear Friends,

we no longer see much future for our work in Russia, although we still have good memories of the ministry and fellowship we had there and are able to occasionally send books and such to believers there.  We are back in the U.S. and working at Lumbee River Christian College doing some teaching, building repairs, grounds work, updating the computer lab, and leading some student activities.  It is a good place, and if you would like to visit you would probably think of it as a good place to study.

We are in the process of transferring from International Missions to Home Missions.  It is a change!  There is a process involved with all the details and paperwork. 

Our children are doing well and continue their college studies.  Tonya and I look forward to their graduations.  They are not married so we don't have any grandchildren yet, but no hurry there.

We are thankful that the Lord has kept us safe and sound throughout the entire process.

God bless you!

Cecil & Tonya

New plans (and transition)

 Dear Friends,

we have returned to the U.S. from Russia.  It seems we will be staying in the U.S. for quite a while.  The situation had become complicated.  I'm sure you've seen some issues on the news.  God has kept us safe and given us open doors just as we needed them.  Thank you for your prayers!

We plan to work with and assist at Lumbee River Christian College.  I've interacted with them in the past and we get along well.  I really enjoy the campus and the students and staff there.  We will still be with missions, but there is a process to transfer to U.S. missions.  The transition takes time and paperwork.

New plans always involve transition.  Transition isn't the easiest thing, but we are safe and sound.  We are also very thankful to the support we receive from so many individuals and churches.  We do hope you will continue to be able to support us as we start a new direction of ministry.

Please pray for us during this time of change.

Our own children are doing well and continue to develop their education and make plans for the future.

I hope we can stay in touch with all our friends and supporters.  It is so good to have friends, and we have them all around the world!

Blessings to all!

Sincerely,

Cecil & Tonya

Changes and travels

 Dear Friends,                                                                                       March 2022

   not long ago we sent you an email update saying that we were in no danger in Siberia and were planning to stay and minister there. A lot of things have changed since then. Because of sanctions, it became nearly impossible for us to bring the support money into Russia to continue the ministry.  Cecil’s medication, which is produced in Germany, was no longer available at the local pharmacies.  Most important, though, the Russian Government limited travel out of the country for Russian citizens and it was possible that Cecil and Tonya would get separated because of that. Taking into consideration all the above, we consulted our leadership and it was decided that we needed to leave Russia as soon as possible.
          On March 4th we headed to the local airport and were informed by the official that all flights abroad were cancelled for that day. We started to drive to the closest border with Mongolia.  Half way there we found out the check point crossing was closed to private vehicles and open to commercial trucks only. So, we rerouted our trip to the Kazakhstan border where the Russian border patrol officers did not allow Tonya to leave the country because of “COVID” regulations. They told Cecil at the same border crossing that because he was a foreign citizen, they had no right to stop him from leaving the country, so he was free to go.  Cecil decided not to leave Russia without his wife.
           At that point we felt exhausted, confused, and cornered. So, we prayed and returned to the hotel, not knowing what to do next. That evening we found out there was a whole security committee with our leadership in Springfield brainstorming ways to get us out of the country. They found a flight from the closest international airport to Dubai, purchased on-line tickets for us, and were praying that the airport border officers would let Cecil and Tonya fly out of the country TOGETHER. We drove for 6 hours to Novosibirsk, spent the night with Russian friends, and then flew to Dubai on March 8th.
             We had mentioned in our previous letter that the 8th of March is widely celebrated in Russia as International Women’s Day and asked you to pray for the outreach we were planning that day in Taizhina.  Sadly, the outreach was cancelled that day.  But thank you for your prayers for us.  As our friends were driving us to the airport, we watched Russian men walking through the blizzard carrying traditional gifts to their loved ones - tulips and roses carefully wrapped in paper.  Tonya said she thought that most of them and their families were grateful that they were not marching on the fields of Ukraine carrying guns that day. She was also especially thankful to God for the best 8th of March gift ever…  a flight to safety for her husband and her.
   We spent a few days in Dubai with a friend, recovering from all the stress, and on the 12th of March, flew to US and landed in DC area where a friend met us.
                   Please pray for:

- God to give peace to Ukraine and Russia

- Russian brothers and sisters to continue God’s work in Taizhina while we are gone
- for the young Russian men who are not willing to fight, yet can be drafted any time

- for God’s guidance and direction for us while here in the US

   Blessings to you,
   Cecil and Tonya Eshelman

Happy Thanksgiving

                                                                                               November 25, 2021

Dear Friends,

thanksgiving is one of the favorite holidays in our family.  In 25 years, no matter where we were, in the middle of Siberia, in the Far East of Russia, or in the Republic of Georgia, we tried our best to find a turkey, cook a big meal and come up with a few things to thank God for.  Since most of the time our extended family was overseas, we always prayed for God to send some people to share the meal and the meaning of this wonderful celebration.

          This year is different.  Because Cecil’s visa regulation changed, we ended up in the United States around Thanksgiving and we are spending it with our family, which we are especially grateful for.

          When we came from Russia a couple of weeks ago, though unusual for the U.S., shortages of supplies and workers seemed not a big deal, compared to other countries where we have been.  We think the United States is still a country of abundance and the attitude of gratitude still prevails in our land (at least in the month of November).

Here is a photo taken of us last week with some friends in North Carolina.

          We thank the Lord for each one of you who pray for us or support us in spite of COVID related difficulties, and who believe with us that God can accomplish great things in Russia and around the world.

 

                                                          May God bless you,

                                                          Cecil & Tonya Eshelman

 

P.S. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A couple of interesting links

We are back in the States for a little bit to keep my (Cecil's) visa good and legal.  We really enjoy being in Russia and hope to return in a little while.

Here are two recent links about us in Siberia you can check out:

Facebook

CL Siberia 02'21 VMT | Facebook

Enjoy!

Back and forth.

We are back in the States making sure that we keep our visa legal.  It is good getting to see family.  We look forward to returning to Russia sometime.

Until then we will be meeting with family and working on some projects and preparing for the return trip to Russia.  Our list of resource materials continues to grow, so that we'll be equipped for the work when we return.  Good Christian Russian language books, movies, and such are helpful to the church and rehab center there.  We keep looking for more materials, so if you have any suggestions, just let us know.

It is so good to see loved ones after being apart for a period of time.  Our children seem to be making progress on their education.  My (Cecil's) mother is doing well and hosting us for a while.  Tonya's folks in Russia also seem to be fine.

So far as we know we are COVID free.  We get our shots as the doctors recommend.

By the way, here is a short (17 minutes) but good video to watch:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2NRzOOvwvk

Please pray for good travels and open doors and the anointing of the Spirit for us.

Blessings,

Cecil & Tonya

Exploit: A bold or notable deed.

 

                                                The Eshelman Exploits                   August 2021   

Dear Friends,       

          hello from Siberian Russia.  By the grace of God and your generous support we have managed to be in Russia and go through some open doors of ministry.  In August we hosted a youth event in our place on the farm.  Having teenagers in our house has kept us busy. 

The big event recently was an evangelistic outreach in the local community.  We hosted a team of twelve young people on summer break from local churches who wanted to be involved in ministry.  The pastor suggested doing an outreach, and they were interested.  The young ladies slept in our living room and guest bedroom while the guys stayed downstairs in the men’s center.

This team does cleanup in town to create a good name for themselves during the morning, and then do street evangelism in the afternoon and youth activities in the evening (games, sports, and campfires).  Everything went well until we did a quest game named “Keys to the Kingdom” which is an outdoor game where the kids find keys through games and Bible discovery.  Some of the parents complained to the mayor, but she allowed us to continue provided we not be radical.  In the long run some of the kids did end up attending church events.  Your generosity impacted both the youth that attended the event as well as all the youth they meet as they did outreach on the streets. 

Another highlight of the summer was a three-day church camp for families who have children with disabilities.  With your support we helped to sponsor the event so it could be held in a nice retreat center.

          The farm rehab center where we live continues to go well.  The men in rehab are busy with farm work, such as tending cows and working the garden.  As they say, “on a ranch the work is never done.”  There is also a lot of renovations on the building taking place (electric work, roofing, painting, and some plumbing issues).  I must say the building is becoming a nicer place to live. 

          I was recently asked to make criteria of success for our events, I said an activity can be called a success if:

1.     Nobody got hurt.

2.     Nothing got broken.

3.     The gospel is presented.

4.     Everyone wants to come back again.

So far, we consider our events to have been successful!

          You can continue to send financial support to:     

                   Assemblies of God World Missions

                   1445 North Boonville Ave.

                   Springfield, MO 65802-1894

          And put 292481-9 on the memo line (to insure it is assigned to our ministry account).

                                      Thank you so much for your support!

                                                                   Sincerely,

                                                          Cecil and Tonya Eshelman