Ten Years Together

Dear Friends,














Ten years ago tomorrow, October 26, we were married on a beautiful snowy day in Siberia.
















And so we began a Russian-American adventure.




















And the adventure continues.

Thank you all so much for your prayers regarding the pastor's conference. There were so many details to take care of. Yet everything went so well. Omar, our main speaker, wonderfully encouraged and edified the leaders. We also spent time in worship, fellowship, prayer and volleyball. There were over 70 in attendance. They expressed their gratitude for this chance to be refreshed. We in turn want to thank all of those who supported this event financially or in prayer. It has truly been a highlight.

We took an opportunity to share a word just before serving communion during the conference.

Today was the second time we were able to speak to a group of orphans who we mentioned in our last email update. God has really opened a door for us there. The Lord has such a way of bringing things about. We just stand amazed.

Tonya was able to find time to host a ladies meeting in our home. It is a very large apartment by Russian standards. Since God has blessed us with such a place we desire to see it used as more than just a dwelling for our family. Besides, Tonya loves having lots of people around.

In November Cecil will be doing quite a bit of traveling. Please hold him up in prayer.

We give thanks that ten years ago the Lord established our family. We look forward to the next ten.

Sincerely,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

A Little News

Dear Friends,

 

God continues to provide divine appointments.  On Wednesday last week we went to speak to a group of students at a school for those with learning disabilities.  This school also has an orphan division within it.  We were hoping to someday gain access to the group of orphans, but one must be careful here about how you approach such things.  After speaking with a class we were headed out of the front door.  A lady there asked who we were and struck up a conversation.  She immediately invited us to come and speak to the group of orphans.  She is the assistant director of that division, and she has given us free reign to speak about whatever we want.  We're scheduled to go next week.  Praise the Lord.

 

Yesterday the Pastor's Conference began.  It has been a wonderful time of worship, fellowship and hearing from God's word.  Please pray that these wonderful servants of the Lord will be refreshed, encouraged and strengthened.  Many of them labor in difficult fields.

 

We want to pass on to you a praise report.  You may remember a special article Cecil wrote that was published in Russian Evangelism.  It was about the Christian Adaptation center for men released from prison here.  They are building their center and we hoped the article would generate some financial help for them.  Demitrei, the director, had used every available resource he could find, but two weeks ago the money ran out.  After church he gathered the men together and told them they still needed at least $12,000 to finish the work, but the only recourse left was prayer, so they had a prayer meeting.  What he didn't know was that at that very moment we were informing his pastor that the appeal had generated over $13,000 for the center.  This is the largest offering that Russian Evangelism had ever received for an article. 

 

It's official:  Russia is now the number one exporter of oil in the world, pumping more oil than even Saudi Arabia.  With all that oil wealth flowing into the government coffers (and private pockets) you would think the Russian people ought to be prospering and the standard of living ought to be rising, and yet the only thing that seems to be rising is the prices.

 

Hey, here are a few other statistics:

 

Russian Population:       143.5 million

Of these:

There are 10 million drug addicts or 7 % of the Russian population.  Almost half began abusing drugs at the age of 13 or 14 years old.

Forty percent of the male population of the country are alcoholics, and the average age that they begin drinking has gone down to 12 or 13 years old.

There are 1.1 million prisoners.

There are 11 million invalids, of them 80% are in the first or second group, which means they cannot work.

There are 37 million pensioners.

There are 2 divorces for every 3 marriages.

There are 2 abortions for every live birth, or 3 million abortions a year.

There are 4 million abandoned kids and 10 million children living with a single mother.

The population of Russia decreases by roughly 700,000 people a year.

 

President Putin in his "State of the Country" address mentioned the problem of the declining population.  He mentioned three causes:  low birth rate (many families have only one child), shorter life span (due to high alcohol and cigarette use), and emigration.  He wanted to increase government assistance to mothers so that they would have more children.  I didn't really catch what he wanted to do about alcohol and cigarette use.  And he wanted to encourage immigration to Russia.  The last point sounded really good to us, since it might make getting a Russian "resident permit" easier (at least that's what we'll pray for).  He also mentioned the need for Russian families to adopt children rather than leave them in orphanages.  He said, "It seems to me that foreigners adopt more Russian children than Russians do."

 

We do regularly pray for President Putin and for the country of Russia.  We thank you for your prayers as well.

 

Again, please pray the next few days for the conference.

 

Shalom,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy and Vera

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Things

Dear Friends,

We were recently invited to an orphanage where we've never been before. The young lady who invited us told us that she would arrange everything and we could just go along and meet a class. At the last moment she told us that the guitar player wasn't coming so we would have to do the program. So on the fly we did a program we've done before at another orphanage. The kids were very responsive and we had a great time. We now plan to go back regularly. Here's a photo of us with them.











We've had some divine appointments in the last few weeks. We went to a little restaurant where we had never been before and got in a conversation with the lady who runs it. She is Chinese but speaks some Russian. We found that she leads a small congregation of Chinese Christians who live in Khabarovsk. She has been saved only three years, and feels inadequate since she has never had any theological training. She wanted to take the congregation through an "Alpha Course" but thought it wouldn't be possible since she thought it was only in English and Russian. Cecil has and Aunt and Uncle who are involved with Alpha and found from them that it is indeed available in Chinese. We're placing an order for the course and making plans to do a Chinese "Alpha Course" outreach right in this lady's restaurant. Please pray for everything to come together for this. It is estimated that there are over 30,000 Chinese in the city of Khabarovsk.


Sergei, who used to be our driver, is busy leading the new homeless shelter. When they started the shelter a few months ago they prayed for twenty homeless people to live there. Now they have thirty. They've acquired a big used military tent and have filled it with beds. Everyone rises early every morning to their assigned tasks as they live in Christian community with one another. They help each other live a new, clean life. Every evening they hold a one-and-a-half hour worship service (and attend a regular church service on Sundays). They've begun work on the foundation of a new building, doing most of the work themselves. God has provided, but please pray that finances will become available to finish enough of the building to be able house the women before the winter gets too cold.

We praise the Lord that he has provided Sergei with a pledge for a small income (for his work with the homeless). This came quite unexpectedly and he is very grateful.

Right now our biggest prayer request is for a pastor's conference we are hosting October 11-14. We expect over 60 to be in attendance. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up and things to be organized. Please pray for us to have clear minds, for the Spirit to guide everything, and for these precious servants of the Lord to be refreshed and encouraged.

Oh, some personal news. Vera has started first grade. Timothy has moved up to second. The first day of school in Russia is a big deal, everyone gives flowers to their teacher and there is a big assembly. Here is Vera on her way to class with her new classmates.














May the Lord bless you keep you,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

To See the Sea

Dear Friends,

We mailed out our latest (snail-mail) newsletters in mid-August. They should be arriving in U.S. mailboxes about now. If you aren't on our mailing list you can still check it out on our web site at http://hqmail.agmd.org/~tonya.eshelman/NL2006Aug/NL2006Aug.html

One person highlighted in our newsletter is Sergei and the center for homeless he helped open this summer. He regularly worked for us as a driver, but he recently gave us notice and now is busy at the new center. This is a big step of faith since they do not have funds to pay him a salary. The homeless have been staying in tents, but have now begun construction on a building. Please pray that they would get enough built for the women to move inside before the end of October (when the Russian winter arrives). Also, please pray for Sergei and his family as they step out in faith.

At the end of August we took a family trip to the Sea of Japan. Russia is broken up into territories, much like the States is broken into states. This was our first time to Primorski territory (near Vladivostok), which is south of Khabarovsk.
















We stayed in tents and discovered the pristine nature along the Russian coast. It was a very refreshing time for the family.

Vera found a sea star ( and put it back )



















Tim enjoyed rock climbing (he just loves to climb).




















We traveled with a group, most of whom are not believers yet. We've invited them to our place for a get-together on Saturday and hope to continue planting seeds.

We expected to get back just in time for school to start, but that has been delayed in Khabarovsk due to an outbreak of meningitis. Apparently things have improved because school will start on Monday. Timothy will advance to 2nd grade, and Vera will start 1st. Wow, the kids are growing up.

We thank you for your prayers for us to make contacts with the right people. One by one connections are being made and plans are becoming clearer for our work among the orphans here. We praise God that he continues to give us favor.

We are preparing to host a pastor's conference October 11-14. There are many organizational details, and organization in Russia has some special challenges. Please pray for us to have wisdom and for all the lose ends to come together.

We so much appreciate the prayers of you all. We know that without them we could do little of value here.

Because of Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Two very different camps

Dear Friends,

Youth camp was a blast. We spent seven days on Rabbit Island, it is a Russian island located in the river that is the border between Russia and China. We stayed in tents. Tonya and Cecil helped to lead a group of boys. One of the boys had never been to church before. It was the first time he had every really heard about God. The third day of camp a big storm was rolling in and threatened to cancel swim time and he suddenly decided we should pray about it, so we told him to go ahead. He prayed his first prayer and asked God to make the storm go away. The storm went away. After that he prayed quite often.

Here is Tim with his best friend Vania making bows and arrows at camp.



















Here is Tonya in the craft tent.














You can see the back of Vera (on the right) during an evening worship session. That's Jason in the back playing the tambourine.




















There is a campfire of a different type that we sat around on Tuesday night. Sergei (who drives for us) and Eager, started a homeless shelter one month ago. It was a natural follow-up to an outreach their church had started in Spring by feeding homeless at two locations every Saturday. They had no funding and a few canvas tents. They set up tents near the church and prayed that the Lord would send them ten homeless people who wanted to change their lives and follow Jesus. In three weeks they had ten.

On Saturday they had several people at the first location (the train station) who wanted to live in a tent at the shelter. They put them in the cars and went to the second feeding location (the trash dump). Several people there also wanted to come, but the cars were full. Sergei told them he would come back after church the next day and get them. That night one of those people walked a considerable distance to the shelter to the tents. The people he was with had gotten some vodka and started drinking. He told them if they drink it they won't be ready to go the shelter the next day. They didn't listen so he walked all the way on his own.

One of the ladies who came to the shelter a couple of weeks ago had infections in her legs, so bad you could see worms in them. They were very swollen. They bandaged them very tightly and prayed for her. On Sunday morning while she was in Church singing a worship song her bandages fell down to her ankles, the swelling had suddenly gone down. Her legs were healed except for some scars.

Every evening they sit around a campfire, sing praise songs, study God's word and pray. Tuesday we joined them. There was such a wonderful spirit there. Three hours passed by and felt like only a few minutes. We are barely involved with this work, so we can just praise God for the changed lives we are seeing there.

Please pray for this new ministry. They will need a more permanent place to stay for the winter than tents.

Tonya is very involved with organizing a pastor's conference we hope to host in October. A huge amount of planning is being done right now. Communication here is not as simple as in the States. Please pray that all the aspects of the conference will come together.

May the Lord shine his face upon you.

In Christ,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

God Answers Prayer

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow we will start a week of camping on an island located between Khabarovsk and China. It is the same island we camped on last year, but the China/Russia border has moved and we will be even closer to China this time. This camp is organized by the church here and Tonya and Cecil will be counseling a group of boys (all energy). Timothy will be with a different group of boys. Vera will be camping too, but since she is too young to join a group she'll be staying in a tent with a young lady who will be watching her. The camp goes for one week. Please pray for our energy, and for every child at the camp to draw near to God.

There is a young lady named Zenia whom Tonya has been discipling. She has been coming to our home one evening a week this year. After meeting with Tonya for a while she decided to put her faith in Jesus, and later was baptized. She was doing very well until her brother died and she started drinking again. While we were in Novokuznetsk for two weeks she dropped out of church. Her home is a small house in the southern side of Khabarovsk, about an hour's drive from our home. One week we drove there, praying we would catch her at home (they don't have a phone). We found her awake and sober, she admitted that she had been drinking with her sisters constantly for the last two weeks, but now they were out of money. She came home with us. Two of the guys from a Christian rehab center happened to come to our home to help Cecil with a repair project that day, and we got them talking with Zenia. She visited their local center and talked with some folks there. She was willing to go through the program (it is like a Teen Challenge). When we went to get her things from her home her sisters tried to talk her out of it, but she remained committed (thankfully her mother was at work at that moment). On Thursday she got on a train (with one of the workers) and headed to a center in a different town that had an opening. We ask that you would pray for Zenia.and the center where she is (called "House of Life"). She has taken a big step, but the hard work is still ahead.

On the Sunday before we went to Zenia's home we were talking on the phone to a church that supports us. Well, we talked with the pastor while the congregation listened. It was 2:15 a.m. for us, but during the regular worship time for them. We mentioned Zenia's situation to them and they prayed. Afterward everything went so smoothly, I'm still amazed. Not every time that you pray for your missionaries do you see such an obvious answer, but know that your prayers for your missionaries are indeed answered.

Speaking if prayer requests, we've had several different sources ask about possible short-term missions teams coming to the Russian Far East. We are starting to explore some options, so please pray that the Lord would guide us in what kind of teams should come and how to host them so as to most effectively build the Kingdom of God here.

In addition to prayer requests, we also praise the Lord. He has been so good to us, and it is an honor to serve him.





















Tim and Vera by a village well.

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Novokuznetsk: vacation ministry

Dear Friends,

right now we are in the city of Novokuznetsk. It is Tonya's home city, and the place where we were married. We've been here almost two weeks now. Officially we are on vacation, but after arriving we received several ministry invitations. Cecil has preached six times and we've done a presentation at an orphanage. We tried to take photos of ourselves ministering, but the camera stopped working.

But God has blessed our "working vacation." We were able to take the train to Novosibirsk and visit with the Matthes family. They are good friends of ours and also work with AGWM. We went to the zoo together. Here is a photo of our kids.

They shipped a container of personal goods to themselves (furniture and such). After more than ten months it has finally arrived. Now they are processing the documents to get it released by the custom's department. Please pray that everything would go smoothly and they would get their stuff without any further hassles.

One of Tonya's cousins got married while we were here and we were able to visit the wedding. We skipped the after wedding activities since there is generally heavy drinking following a wedding. Many wedding parties in Russia end in fistfights. The bride's father (Tonya's uncle by marriage) has never had someone in his family die a natural death, all his relative's deaths have been alcohol related. However the wedding ceremony was quite nice. Tonya's grandfather came, wearing the medals he earned during World War II.


Before leaving for vacation we were hard at work doing summer-type repair and renovations. Summer is short in Russia, so there is no time to waste. Here is a photo of Cecil, Tim and Vera painting the metal frame around our garage door.


The vision the Lord has given us for work among the orphans as they graduate from the orphanages has become more and more clear, however, the situation is more complicated than we originally expected when coming to Khabarovsk. There is a law forbidding Bible instruction in orphanages, however, each orphanage director interprets it differently. Thus, each orphanage requires a separate approach. We need to develop relationships with orphanage personnel over time, so that they come to trust us. We write this simply to let you know how much we appreciate your support and to ask for prayer as we shift from “settling in” to reaching out, from preparing for ministry into ministering. We are so much in need of God’s wisdom and guidance at this time. May the Peace of the Lord be with you.

Because of Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

School's End

Dear Friends,

The first photo in our last email update was of our new kitchen. So here it is again. Near the end of the school year Cecil invited his class from the University to visit and have some hamburgers. We figure the reason God gave us the apartment was for ministry anyway. Even thought Cecil will not be continuing in full time language study anymore, we hope to continue building on the relationships we've formed so far. The class includes Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. Some of them have expressed some spiritual interests, but the language barrier has been, indeed, a barrier (we are unable to find literature in Korean or Vietnamese locally). The lady center left is our instructor, and the one American in the group is behind the camera.

Timothy finished the school year with good grades (we're very proud of him). One the last day of school, called "last bell," there is always special presentations. Here is a photo of Timothy (wearing his favorite tie) participating in an activity during "last bell." That is his teacher on the left. The headbands have the name of the school on them, which translated is Rhythm.

Just after Tim's school year ended, we went to a conference in Greece where we involved in training, planning and other meetings. It was attended by AGWM workers from around the C.I.S./Baltic's. It was good to see Greg and Tammy Jenkins, who we worked for several years ago while we were living in Georgia (the one just south of Russia, not the state next to Florida). Our time in Greece proved to be refreshing, encouraging and strategic in nature. That's Greg and Tammy to our left.

The day after returning from the conference Cecil took his finals at the University. His brain was still off by the eight hour time change, but he somehow managed to ace the comprehension test. Grammar? Well, he got a "B." Our work here will be going through a major change now that his full time language studies are over. We will begin focusing on developing programs in the orphanages and finding what will be successful. One thing we have already discovered from the ministry we've done so far is that things will be far more difficult than we originally thought. However we know that God has called us here and he has a plan. Please pray that the Lord will guide us and open doors and give us favor with those in authority and favor with the youth as well.

ALPHA. Ever heard of the Alpha course? It is a wonderful outreach and discipleship program developed in England. It has been translated into Russian, and in May some Alpha trainers from Western Europe hosted a conference in Khabarovsk. Tonya translated for the keynote presentations. Many churches of different denominations attended from all over the city. In fact, it was the best attended interdenominational activity ever done here, several hundred in attendance. We are excited to see the Lord raising up this ministry here, not in one, but in many locations.

Here is a photo of the monument we mentioned in our last update. That is Jason with Tim and Vera. This monument is a short walk from our home.

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera