Down the tracks

Dear Friends,

CHRIST IS RISEN! Today is Easter Sunday in Russia. On Easter this is the traditional greeting in Russia. It went out of style during the communist reign, but now it is coming back. RISEN INDEED, ALLELUIA!

Cecil is really excited because his Russian Language Teacher accepted his invitation to church on Easter. She attended this morning and seemed to enjoy it. Please pray for her that she will come to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.

Two weeks ago we traveled by train to Novi Orgal and visited with a church called "Church of Christ the Savior." I found out that there is a road to Novi Orgal during the winter, but it is not passable once the rivers start to melt in the spring (no bridges). The church there has started work on a building. This will be the first church building in this town of about 10,000. This church has prayed several years for a building, and finally were able to begin. Unfortunately they reached the limits of their financial ability, but fortunately, a church in the States heard about it and have send financial assistance. Now work will resume as soon as the weather is warm enough.

The building is located on the edge of town, within walking distance of many people.

The most affordable building material is railroad ties, which are produced in this area. So that is what they are building with, you can see the pile of ties in the foreground.

Here inside the building is the bishop of this region, Cecil, and the pastor of the church. In front are two Eshelman kids trying to look cute. That is a bit of snow on the floor, but by next winter it should be warm and dry. The building will seat about sixty.

It was the first time the kids have traveled on the famed Trans-Siberian railway (think "Dr. Zhavago"). It was only a 15 hour ride each way (it is seven days to Moscow) but we had a grand time in our little room on a Pullman car. We plan to head back to Novi Orgal this summer and get another report.

We managed to have the car re-registered without any hassle. Cecil is now registered at our new address (a small hassle). Paying Russian taxes has been more difficult than we expected. After visiting six different offices, we now think we know what needs to be done, but aren't sure if it is possible to file them by the deadline, which is the end of April. Getting Vera's photo placed in Tonya's passport has turned into a problem, with two different government offices telling us that the other office is the one that should do it. Since we hope to travel outside of Russia at the end of May, we need to get this resolved. Your prayers are appreciated.

Cecil continues to test the limits of his Russian. He even went to a barber shop without a translator and came back looking better than before.

By His Grace,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

papers & places

Dear Friends,

this afternoon we are leaving to visit a town called Novi Orgal. By car you cannot get there from here. There are no roads to that area. So we are taking a train. It sounds like an adventure, but really everything is rather safe and settled. Novi Orgal is a major producer of railroad ties. There is a church there that has been building their own building (the local authorities would deny them the ability to rent a theater or gym for their services, so this is very important to them). They started construction but finances were a problem. A church in the States heard about it and have provided the money to finish the project. So were are going there to visit, take photos and encourage them.

Tonya was very busy a week ago translating for the local Bible School. They meet for a month in the spring and an month in the fall. Most of the students are already involved in ministry and want to have a Biblical Education as well. Cecil stays busy in class studying the Russian language (so much progress has been made, but oh, so much more to learn). He also has been working on the electric system in the apartment (it's not exactly up to American standards).

We would ask you to pray for God to solve some problems we are having with documents. We've managed to keep everything legal, but the Russian red tape is amazing. Cecil wants to pay his Russian taxes, and has until the end of April to do it, but the process of just finding where to pay is not yet complete. Vera also needs her photo placed in Tonya's Russian passport, but one office will send us to another and so on. Cecil's address registration needs to be redone and the car reregistered. Maybe God's Angels can guide us through it with no more hassles.

Or, we could send Vera-crocodile to eat them all.

Also, please pray for Cecil's Russian teacher and his classmates. Some of them have shown interest in spiritual matters, and he has even had a long, meaningful discussion with his teacher.

There is always time for playing in the park.

Blessings,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Spring in the Snow

Dear Friends,

sorry this letter has taken so long to get out, but we've been a little "snowed under" with all the things going on. The new apartment that AGWM helped us purchase is a great blessing, with lots of room, but it has also kept us busy with lots of little things that need to be fixed up. And just as we started to learn where things were we moved here to a different part of the city and are learning the location of stores all over again.

We have taken family time, going for walks and such. We took a few photos just before they started to take down the ice carvings as the weather warms up (today was the first day with the high above freezing). Here are Timothy, Vera and Tonya behind one of the carvings.

The water situation in Khabarovsk has returned to normal. The pollutants have all passed downstream or evaporated. The city has installed a massive charcoal filter at the place where water is taken in from the Amur river, so the water quality now is even better than it was before the accident in China. The swimming pools, which had been closed since the chemical spill, have reopened and Timothy has started his swim lessons again.

Last Sunday Timothy's Sunday School class went on a picnic. They had a Bible treasure hunt and we cooked hot dogs and ate crackers. Here is Tim and his class on the Bible treasure hunt.

Here is Jason helping to get the cooking area ready for hot dog roasting.

Tonya has made friends with several unbelievers since we have come to Khabarovsk. Some of them have receptive to the gospel and made decisions for Christ. A few weeks ago two of them took the step of water baptism. I'm glad to say it was in an indoor swimming pool. One of them has been meeting with Tonya weekly for mentoring/discipleship. Her name is Zhenya. We are so delighted to see the changes the Lord is doing in her life. She has been such a dedicated student of the Word, and today she stated that she wants to help lead a Bible study to help lead others to know the Lord.

March 8 was International Women's Day. Vera's Kindergarten held a special activity to honor the mothers, and Vera recited a poem.

There is a Bible Institute in Khabarovsk that holds sessions for four weeks every Spring and again in the fall. Classes for the spring session start on Monday. The regular translator may not be able to translate, so Tonya expects to be translating for the teacher next week. Today we picked the teacher up at the airport and spent some time with him. Please pray for them as they instruct their eager students this coming week.

Cecil was able to get a new one year visa without even leaving the country. Getting a visa can be a problem, so we praise the Lord for this.

Please pray for Cecil's language learning, as he continues to try to understand new grammar systems and memorize new words. He will study full time until this summer, then he plans to focus more on the work we came to do. Also pray for us to have God's direction as we make more detailed summer plans.

Please also pray for us as we try to fix up numerous things in our new apartment.

God bless you.

In His Service,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Back On-Line In Russia

Dear Friends,

We're back in Russia, but we had a great time in the States. After the World Missions Conference we spent some time with Cecil's folks in Colorado.

Things were great in the States, but it is good to be back in Khabarovsk. When we got off the plane and walked across the tarmac to the building, a stiff breeze at 17 degrees below zero Fahrenheit helped remind us where we were. The trip went without a hitch and we are now back to work.

We are living in our new apartment. We have gotten a phone installed. As you can tell we now have internet access. There are a number of things that need to be fixed up and those projects are progressing. Please pray for Tonya since we don't have a kitchen yet (meaning our kitchen only has bare walls), we need to re-do the plumbing in that room. She's been cooking on a hot plate in the living room.

Jason arrived on schedule with no problems, so our team is growing. We took him out to see some of the local sights. He found an ice carving that he really liked.

Jason is living in a dormitory at a local University, studying Russian and doing outreach among the students. His first night in the dorm most of the students on his floor came to talk with the American. Curious to see if he could read Russian they grabbed a piece of paper sitting on his desk and asked him to read from it. It "happened" to be an invitation to the evangelical church that he had "happened" to pick up on Sunday morning after the worship service. This led to some quality conversation. He says that two students plan to come to church with him tomorrow (Sunday). Please pray that the Lord would continue to give Jason favor and that God would use Jason to bring many students to Himself.

While we were in Colorado we were able to attend a Rodeo. It was the first time for Tonya, Timothy & Vera to see a Rodeo. In January we partnered with some Baptist workers here and are showing a Billy Graham movie production titled "Rodeo" in orphanages. The showings have gone very well so far. If you get a chance to see it, we know you would enjoy it.

A special note of joy. One of the first friends Timothy made when we came is named Vita. Timothy has faithfully prayed for him almost every evening while saying bedtime prayers. Two weeks ago his grandmother and he came to church (the first time for either of them). After Cecil spoke Vita's grandmother came forward and made a decision to follow Christ. She attended again last week and plans to attend with us tomorrow.

Here we are with Vita and another friend Vania. If you've never played with ice carvings during a snowstorm you ought try it.

Oh, we managed to mail out our newsletter in January. It can also be found on our web site at:
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~tonya.eshelman/NL%202006%20Jan/NL2006Jan.html

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera

To Khabarovsk

Dear Friends,

tomorrow we will by flying back to Russia by way of South Korea. We've had a great time here in the States for the last month with the World Missions Summit and spending time with family, but it is time to get back to Khabarovsk. Since the new apartment we will be living in does not have a telephone yet, we do not know when we will be able to send out our next email update, but we pray that it will be soon.

Cecil helped write an article about a post-prison ministry that is located near Khabarovsk. It was published in December. Contact us if you would like a copy. We hope you enjoy reading it.

Please pray for Jason Bicket, who is coming to live and work on campus in Khabarovsk. He was not able to accompany us back to Russia, but will be leaving out on Feb. 2nd. Pray that everything would go smoothly for him as he takes care of those last minute details and then travels to join us.

The Peace of the Lord be with you.

Sincerely,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

World Missions Summit

Dear Friends,

We're presently in the States. Our flights went well, and it was fun crossing the international date line going East-ward for the first time (arriving in the States earlier then when we left Asia). We spent Christmas at Cecil's brother's house while recovering from the jet lag.

The World Missions Summit was incredible. There were almost 4,000 students and endless activities. Cecil was asked to dress as a Russian Orthodox Priest and to take a part in the "Eurasia Experience." It was a one hour presentation that introduced students to various cultures and countries of Eurasia using sights, sounds, smells and more. They also got a chance to see those countries through the eyes of missionaries and to hear what it is like from those who have lived it.
Here is Cecil walking through the crowd.

The Eurasia Experience was presented six times to about 150 students each time. We also helped man the Eurasia information booth, join the large group gatherings, celebrate new years with the students, worship, pray with students and more. A big high-light of the Summit for us was the Meal-with-a-missionary. For four meals we sat at a table with students and talked about important issues relating to preparation and ministry on the field. It was absolutely delightful to converse and share our hearts with the young people there. We felt energized all over again. Here are photos of two of the groups we interacted with.

(Oh yes, that is us in the Russian costumes)

Please pray for those young people that the Lord of the Harvest would show them where they fit in his plans for the harvest. There is nothing better than being where God wants you to be and doing what God wants you to do. We pray that some of those young folks would come work with us for a time in Khabarovsk.

If you want to check out some more information about the World Missions Summit you could look at the Eurasia web sites: http://www.eurasia.blogs.com/ and http://www.eurasiacommunity.org/

I can't forget to mention that Vera had her birthday on New Years Eve. Since Tonya and Cecil were going to be at the Summit we held the party a little early, and that way her cousins were able to attend (since we had all gotten together for Christmas). It was a birthday fit for a princess.

Blow those six candles out Vera!

For those of you who were praying about the situation with the chemical spill in the River, we day we flew out of Khabarovsk we heard from the "official" channels that the toxic spill had reached the city. We had bought our tickets before the spill, and are amazed at the timing. We will return to Khabarovsk on the 21st of January, and most of the spill will have passed. While we are gone for the worst of it, many of our friends are now having to suffer from the problems of unsafe water. Please pray for the populace along the Amur River, especially that the children will be protected from any long-term problems.

Also, don't forget Jason. If his visa processes properly he will be going with us to Russia and be joining in the work there. Please pray that his visa will process and tickets be available so that he can accompany us as we return to Russia.

God bless you all.

In Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Cold Days, Warm Hearts

Dear Friends,

Tim is learning how to take pictures. Here's one he took of Dad.

On Saturday we moved into our new apartment. It is spacious and warm. Tonya has been working hard to get it fixed up the way she wants it. We envision doing a lot of ministry out of our home. Hopefully we won't have to move again for a long, long time (other than when on furlough in the States).

On Wednesday we will head to the States. We'll leave in the afternoon, change planes in South Korea, change again in Chicago and arrive in Pittsburg in the evening the same day (strange thing that international date line). We'll spend Christmas with Cecil's brother and then go on to the World Missions Summit. Please pray that thousands of the students attending the summit will hear from God about their place in missions and in the Kingdom of God.

Cecil finished his finals today. He's enjoyed the challenge of studying with smart University students who are about half his age. His grades are good, but most importantly he is speaking Russian much better than before. He has high hopes for what he will learn next semester. His plan is to study for one more semester (until May) and then devote full time into the work here.

One of Khabarovsk's winter specialties is ice carving. They take big frozen chunks of ice, set them up and carve them in parks and other public areas. Right now most are still in the starting stages.

I took these pictures at noontime. The sun doesn't get very high in the sky this time of year.

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

They didn't take the ice from the Amur River this year because of the toxic chemicals spilled in the river in China. You would be amazed at all the rumors and information and misinformation that is spreading even faster than the pollution. However, the official word is that the main slick is passing through the Jewish Autonomous Republic right now and will reach us in a few more days. It seems we keep hearing that the poisons will reach us in "a few days." I guess they are flowing down the ice-covered river slower than expected. We had been told that our new apartment is in a part of the city that gets its water from a well, but we've found that too was not correct (we are just next to that part of the city). But we had stored up large quantities of water, so we've been using that for washing and such. But it looks like we'll be out of town when the worst part of the toxic spill arrives.

Tonya formed a friendship with a lady and has been meaning to invite her to church since this lady was interested in spiritual things. With all the activity going on with the apartment purchase, moving in, preparing for a trip to the states, etc., Tonya didn't get around to inviting her. But on Saturday the lady called us and asked if she could come to church with us. Sunday she came and after the sermon she decided to make a commitment to follow Christ. God is so good.

We thank you for your prayers, because of them there is fruit.

Blessings to you all,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera

Water of Life

Dear Friends,

On Saturday afternoon we went to an interdenominational prayer meeting being led by pastors of various churches. This is a fairly new thing here in Khabarovsk. The Spirit was very present and the two hours felt like a few minutes. One elderly pastor was to lead the prayers for healing of the land. He read from the Bible where God uses Moses at Meribah to heal the waters and make them drinkable. Then he knelt and as he began to pray I felt a brokenness in my spirit as I have not felt in a long time. Many of those present began to cry. Sometimes it takes the consequences of sin to cause us to see our need for God. If so, perhaps the Lord can use this poisoned slick of water that is approaching the city to awaken some people to their need for him.

The water in the city is still on. Every day the governmental leaders were making television announcements that the water was still safe, until two days ago. There have been no announcements in the last two days, which many people here interpret that as meaning the water is no longer safe but they don't want to turn it off. Harbin was without water for five days, but the toxic spill has spread out and may take much longer to pass us. Perhaps the authorities fear that turning off the water would cause a greater sanitation problem (toilets don't flush, etc.) We never did drink the water here, but now we have stopped taking baths and stopped washing our clothes.

Good news: we have finalized the purchase of an apartment. We are fixing it up and hope to move into it in mid December. Some more good news: the water in that part of the city comes from a well and will not be effected by the chemical spill. The apartment is spacious, warm and in a nice location. It has made us a bit busy as we are now trying to fix it up, get moved in, still do some ministry and have Cecil prepare for finals before we head to the States on December 21 to attend the World Missions Summit.

Thank you so much for your prayers for wisdom and guidance. This is the first time we purchased property in Russia, but all went well.

Two weeks ago Cecil and the kids went to see the Amur river. Here is Tim standing on the bank and throwing chunks of ice trying to find the thin spots. He wanted to play at the river before you weren't allowed to touch the water.

On Friday last week we want with a fellow named Dmitriy to visit a children's home for babies whose mothers are in prison. Dmitriy leads the prison ministry in this area. He will very familiar with the prison system since he was a resident of it for over twenty years. Now that he follows Jesus he is no longer the same man, but he goes back to visit the same prisons. His work has won official recognition from the regional government. More important than human recognition is God's blessings, and God has been using Dmitriy to bless many others. As the Apostle Paul says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

At the children's home we delivered some children's clothing. The director here became a believer not long ago. Dmitriy had been witnessing to her for three years before she decided to follow Christ. She showed us the facilities and let us meet the children. Their mothers are allowed to see them for one hour a day. There is a child by the name of Camellia that we prayed for especially. She is kept separate from the other children since her mother has AIDS and they are not sure if she has it too.
We know that God has a plan for Camellia's life. She has a hope and a future.

Thank you again so much for your prayers.

God Bless You,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera