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

The World needs the Word. Take God with you and spread the Word.

 

Summer Slips Away

Dear Friends,

Summer here in Siberia has gone, Fall has come, and Winter is just around the corner for us.  Things are going well here at the rehab center.  We've brought in the harvest on the farm and have piles of hay for the cows this winter.  The ministry is going slowly, but going well.  My kids are in school (and college) in the States.  Tonya and I are doing well here in Siberia. Blessings to all of our friends and supporters. We especially enjoy the teens that come to the local church and have gotten involved with a youth Bible Study.

The children's church is a blast!

The farm continues to be successful.  Of course, on a farm the work is never done. And renovations on the building is coming along.

We hope to get the concrete set before the frosts begin.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Blessings,

The Eshelman Family

On The Farm

Dear Friends,

You've probably heard it before, "on a farm the work is never done."  Well, work on the farm continues (garden, cattle herding, renovations, you-name-it).  The rehab is not financially self-sufficient, but is working in that direction.  And the spiritual atmosphere has become uplifting.  Summer is here, so we have the occasional cookout.  The residents of the rehab love a good cookout, and helped with the fire and the BBQ. 

We've seen improvements in several areas including the building renovations, spiritual atmosphere, quality of the food, fellowship, and organization.  What we find must exciting is the increasing interest in a Bible study and church attendance.  We're seeing intellectual development and improved planning as well.

The youth group at the local church is growing.  The local pastor and us have been organizing weekly youth meetings and occasional other activities, such as a trip to go swimming at a nearby lake.

It is neat that the kids take time to assemble at the rehab center for their own meetings.  While adults meet on the first floor, youth meet on the second.  We did a lesson on the importance of giving compliments and encouragement.  Part of the lesson was writing a compliment or encouragement on everyone else's back (everyone had a sheet of paper taped on their back).  It was a blast!

It is also exciting to us that one of the youth group who has grown up in an orphanage is headed to University.  Here is a photo of her with Tonya,

Things are calm here in Siberia, and thankfully everyone around us has been healthy.  Thank you for your prayers.  These have been times of peace and growth.  Oh, talking about growth, the garden is doing well and we have eaten some of the first-fruits already (radishes) with other veggies coming along.

We ask for prayers that these would be times of peace and health in Russia where God's truth would spread and all would be well.

Peace be with you!

 The Farm is doing O.K.  The guys who live here are part of a rehab, and things are going successfully.  Lives are being changed and straightened out.  Summer has set in and the garden is getting planted.  We're praying for a good harvest to help provide food for the winter.  The herd of cows is small, but doing well.

We have to be careful about doing anything publicly, but the local church was able to put on a Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames presentation that went well.  We were able to be of some assistance in transportation and such.  

Our kids are all in the States advancing on their education.  They seem to be doing well, and helping each other out while Mom and Dad are on the opposite side of the planet.

We've become involved with a youth group.  It is a real joy to be accepted by a bunch of teen-agers.  They seem to enjoy the Christian training along with the fellowship and activities.

Thank you for the prayers!

Snowy holidays

 We're not dreaming of a white Christmas, we're assured that there will be plenty of snow to play in.  We've already had plenty of white snow before Thanksgiving.  While Thanksgiving may not be a Russian holiday, our friends sure enjoy having a feast with us.

 The renovations on the rehab center continue, and it is becoming a nicer and nicer place.  The entire facility is now snug and warm and generally clean.  The program itself is making progress as well, with continual step-by-step improvements.  We enjoy working with the leadership here, they are good folks. The Kingdom of God moves forward step-by-step.  It is a joy to watch people's lives improve. Of course, living better lives is what this program is all about, and we hope the Lord is pleased with how things are going.

We are grateful for the support and prayers of so many people.  Blessings to all!

Back on the Farm

 We have made it back to the rehab center in Siberia.  We're still in jet-lag, but starting to do things.  The folks here are very glad to see us and have us back.  The building is in better shape than when we left (they kept working on it while we were gone).  The farm seems to be doing fine as well.

Coronavirus has changed the way some things are being done here, much like the changes in the States (mask are common, people are distancing, etc.).  

We're getting organized and oriented.  Hope to post some good news here soon.  Thank you for all your prayers, they seem to have gotten us through.

All our kids are in the States (going to school and working).  They seem to be fine, from what they tell us.

 We have gotten tickets to return to our work in Russia.  The first time we bought tickets the flight was cancelled, so we have had to buy tickets again.  Flights keep getting changed around, international travel is a bit messy right now.  Hoping things work out and we actually fly this time.  We'll try to stay in touch and let everyone know if we actually manage to make it back to Russia.  Please pray that everything works out this time. 

Still waiting to return

Dear Friends,

we continue to look forward to travel opening up so that we can return to Russia and the work that is waiting for us there.

So many things have happened and changed since the beginning of the year 2020, so many plans have been altered that it is hard to decide which one to begin with.

In January we were in the city of Novokuznetsk in sunny Southwest Siberia, involved in different outreaches and ministries, working together with the Russian Church building the Kingdom of God. One of our favorite outreaches was an evangelistic play “God Is Where Love Is” by Leo Tolstoy. Cecil helped to direct the play while Tonya and Diana performed with sisters and brothers from the adaptation center. Though for most of them it was the first time performing in a play, everyone enjoyed it, and it was successfully shown in nearby towns around Christmas, and the Gospel message preached. Our hope was to perform it in the orphanages as well, but the director of the orphanage did not give us permission. Please pray with us for God to open that door sometime.

Another delight for us was teaching a water baptism class for three new believers. They were a part of a larger water baptism group in January. The pastor wanted them to fully understand what they were doing beforehand.

On January 11^th, we conducted a small seminar for children’s ministry workers. It was entitled, “Ministering to a Hurting Child.” We met with wonderful dedicated children’s ministers who said the subject is very relevant and they would like us to do more seminars like that. Apparently, God is moving in their city bringing a lot of physically challenged children and their parents to church. It is a new field for them and they asked us for specific help and training. Maybe you have children’s ministers in your church who would like to share their experience or know of a good resource for parents and ministers of disabled children. If so, please let us know.

Well, in mid February we returned to the States to apply for a new visa for Cecil. The visa was granted, praise the Lord. Thank you for your prayers. But we were not able to fly back because international travel shut down due to COVID 19.

So three long stay-at-home-order months followed for us in North Carolina. If you know anything about missionaries, you must understand that it is hard for us to stay home. Yes, it was not easy, but we are grateful to God for providing a place for us to stay, for meaningful interactions with our now grown-up children and His “grace that is sufficient for us.”

We are thankful for your prayers and financial support during these challenging times. We have not given up hope to go back to Russia as soon as the borders open up again.

Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you while we are Stateside, of how we can best pray for you. You are in our hearts and prayers.

God bless you,

The Eshelman Family

Passion Week and God's Work

a note from Tonya:

Passion week has usually been one of the busiest in our missionary lives, a time of sowing, asking, and answering questions. I remember several years ago in Russia the Lord moved on our hearts to talk to the assistant director of an orphanage asking permission to talk with the kids about the death and resurrection of Christ. The assistant director, Tatiana Nikolayevna, hesitated for a while, but when I shared a story of a powerful emotional healing in one of the children a year before, she agreed. So, grateful for the opportunity, I got our “Resurrection Eggs” kit and went from class to class sharing the story of Christ’s resurrection with the orphanage children and staff. The Gospel presentations went very well, the children gave full attention to the story, and many people prayed with us afterwards. God gave us a word through one of our Russian sisters, Ogla, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Cor. 2:9

I was encouraged by His Word thinking that it was concerning the children's evangelism effort that was going so well. Little did I know that God had another opportunity for me that day. After speaking to all the classes in the orphanage, I stopped by Tatiana Nikolayevna’s office to thank her for letting us speak to the students. She asked me to close the door behind me and started to pour her heart out. She said she’s been an Orthodox Christian for years and followed all the traditions and rituals of the church faithfully, but could not understand why God was punishing her. At that moment her only son, who was 27 years old, was dying at the hospital from tuberculosis.

I had a long conversation with Tatiana that night, we cried together, prayed together, and finally she seemed to be feeling better and I went home. The next morning Cecil and I asked a Russian brother, Andrei, who had been healed from tuberculosis to visit the hospital and talk with her son. The same afternoon Tatiana’s son called her very excited. She was rather surprised because her son had been depressed for months. He said, “Don’t worry Mom, it’s going to be all right. A fellow came to my hospital room and told me I will live, and live forever, because Jesus forgave my sins and died for me. And Mom, could you bake me paskha?” Paskha is a traditional Russian Easter bread.

That story happened years ago. This passion week we are in the States restricted by the stay-at-home orders, waiting for the borders to open so that we can go back to Russia, the land of our calling. This story reminds us that God is still the same, He is not restricted, He still heals, saves, and surprises us because “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Let this time of social distancing and isolation be a time of waiting upon the Lord and expecting him to do great things.

Easter Blessings from Cecil and Tonya Eshelman

plans change

Dear Friends,

we are in the States for me to get a new visa to Russia.  That has gone well and the Russian consulate has issued me a new one.  However, the Corona virus has changed our travel plans.  We are in North Carolina waiting for things to normalize and for us to get tickets.  Thankfully a couple from church has given us a place to stay for a while, so we do have somewhere to rest our heads.

So we are in a wait-and-see mode before we can travel again.  Our leadership have advised us to stay in place until further notice and things are good for international travel.

We are all healthy and thankful for that.

We also thank our supporters for being patient and understanding that we can't head overseas right now, even though we have the documents we need.  I guess this virus outbreak has affected many people's plans.  While it has caught us by surprise, God has not been caught unaware.

I am thinking of a Bible verse that says, "For I know the plans I have you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future."

While I have been caught off-guard sometimes, I have never see God surprised.

We do look forward to seeing Russia again.

Blessings to you all!

Back for a new visa

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

M.I.R. completed

Dear Friends,

        our time as Missionary-In-Residence has come to an end, and we are making preparations to return to Russia.  We’re packing up the dorm room where Cecil has been living, and starting to make phone calls to arrange our speaking schedule.    It has been a good time interacting with the students at the Native American Bible College. 

  Our mission headquarters has instructed us to raise a little more financial support, so we will be scheduling services in churches, home groups, and anywhere else.  If you would like to have us come, please contact us soon!