Steps of Progress

Dear Friends,

the progress of the ministry center continues to take much of our time and energy. So many materials, so many interested people, so much accounting and red tape! Much of the work has been waiting until new windows could be installed. This week they are going in.

Walls have been started. We pray that there won't be any high winds and rain at the same time before the windows are finished.

Once the center is ready, several churches and ministries will be using the facilities. We personally have plans for some outreach projects here. One of them involves day activities for young people graduating from the orphanage system. Please pray for God to build up a team to minister to orphans and young people once the Ministry Center is opened.

We've been going to a nearby orphanage to do a birthday party once a month. Please pray that everything will go smoothly and it will have a lasting impact. The kids enjoyed looking over our Speed-The-Light van and getting their photos taken.

Here's one of our helpers (on the right) with a girl from the orphanage.

"Take my photo too."

We've also been showing Christian movies in our home every Saturday night for youth groups at attend. It's been a barrel of laughs as well as stimulating some meaningful thought. Last week we watched The Hiding Place about Corrie Ten Boom who lived through a concentration camp during WW II for hiding Jews in her home. Not sure what we'll watch tomorrow.

Tonya wants to mention that her Mother's Group is has grown, both in numbers and in depth of meaning. Now four mothers and eleven children are showing up for the meetings once a week. They've started calling each other for prayer and such. Please pray that these good things will continue.

"Following the controversy over the American woman who sent her adopted son back to Russia, the Washington Post ran a compelling op-ed on the plight of orphans in Russia. The author, chief of pediatric cardiology at the University of Massachusetts, Darshak Sanghavi, does an excellent job explaining why debates that focus narrowly on potential problems with international adoption miss an issue of far greater importance to most Russian orphans: the reality faced by children in Russian orphanages every day." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/23/AR2010042302223.html

Very insightful article about the Russian economy can be found at:

http://www.nytimes.com/external/venturebeat/2010/06/06/06venturebeat-investing-in-russia-better-hire-body-guards-41250.html?pagewanted=1&dbk

I've been trying to put together a newsletter to mail out for several weeks now. So many distractions, interruptions, and other things to do. Please pray that I can get it put together, printed and mailed in short order.

God bless you.

Your Missionaries to Russia,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

So little time, so much to do.

Dear Friends,

I've gone far too long without sending an update, and God has opened many doors for us. Actually, it's been a bit too busy, and we're hoping things slow down a bit.

The biggest project on our plate is the Far East Ministry Center. Renovations have begun, and due to the new and rather stringent fire codes we need to strip all the old paneling and coverings and wooden framing out. So we're underway with that, and the old materials will be used in other buildings belonging to other ministries where it is still O.K.

I just couldn't stand by and watch other people use their tools without taking mine out. Here I am removing one of the doors. We will be able to re-use the doors once we put in new walls.

Something completely new has developed, and that is possibilities for cross boarder ministry with AGWM workers in China. We hosted a couple of our folks from China and visited Blogaveshensk, a city on the Russian side of the Amur river that is a overnight train ride from Khabarovsk. I won't post any photos of our team from China, but here from Blogaveshensk you can see China just on the other side. Some ideas for cooperation are under development.

We also went to a Nanian village, and visited with the only known Nanian church in the world. The Nanian are a small people group that is mostly unreached with the Gospel. There are about 120 believers in Russia and 30 in China, most of whom attend a Russian language church or have no church to attend. Despite this one church only having a couple dozen members, they already have plans to reach out on both sides of the border. We hope to come alongside them and help them out. It was neat getting to listen to them sing a worship song in the Nanian language.

The Lord has opened doors for us to reach out at a local orphanage. We invited a local Christian music group to perform and share with the kids. They did a great job.

We have plans to go back tomorrow and put on a party for the kids. God has given us great favor with the leadership here. Please pray that this door would remain open and that the Holy Spirit would guide us in how to minister to the kids and staff. Here's a photo of Tonya mixing with the kids after the concert.

Jason has been with us for a total of three and a half years in Khabarovsk. It's been a blessing having him around, but he feels lead to return to the States and advance his ministry by study in a Seminary. He left in early May, and here's a photo of our kids and Jason playing around on a local monument just before he left.

We continue to pray that the Lord of the Harvest send workers into the harvest field. God is faithful and is sending. The Hinson family plan to come to Khabarovsk in late August or early September. They plan to stay long term and will start with language study. They have three children, but we'll introduce them another time.

After Easter, Deanna asked her first grade teacher if she could give an Easter presentation. Her teacher agreed, and so Tonya and Vera went to the class to help Deanna explain what Easter is. They used a dozen plastic eggs (colored eggs for Easter is a Russian tradition) with different items that symbolize things about the passion and burial of Christ, with the last egg being empty as a symbol of the empty tomb. While Tonya was speaking about it, she glanced at the teacher and saw the teacher was crying. Afterward, the teacher invited Tonya and girls to come back, which they did several times.

Tim's birthday was on May 3rd. A great time was had by all. He is now 12 years old and taller than the average adult.

Adoptions from Russia by Americans was in the news when an American lady who had adopted a Russian boy returned her son to Russia. That, of course, was not the right thing to do. I worked for over three years with the Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina (an excellent organization) before I became a missionary, and I know that there is help available for those kinds of situations. One of the results of this situation is that Russia has temporarily suspended adoptions by Americans. There are more than 740,000 children without parental custody in Russia, according to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. And placing children inside Russia remains difficult. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8684093.stm

Human trafficking within and from Russia continues to be a problem. If this is of interest to you, we were shown some information about this at the following web site: http://www.demokratizatsiya.org/issues/winter%202010/mccarthy.html

Also, it is fascinating what is hidden in the historical archives of Russia. We have personal friends here who have found some amazing things. Even Mikhail Gorbachev may have some interesting things there. Check out http://www.city-journal.org/2010/20_2_soviet-archives.html

Every once in a while we get to see some very interesting translations into English of various things. This web site has become one of our favorites with some very interesting international funny signs. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/11/travel/funny-signs.html

I'm not only behind on my email updates, I'm behind on my newsletters as well. Please pray that I can get a newsletter written and mailed in the near future.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Sincerely,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

One Big Praise Report

Dear Friends,

the documents for the Ministry Center have been finalized and we took possession of the property this week. This is very exciting for us. It is a great answer to prayer. It also means that it is time for the real work to begin. The purpose of the center is to reach the people of Russia with the love of God. The building won't do that by itself, it is merely a tool. Soon we will start the remodeling and then begin doing ministry.

Here is the first gathering we had, the day we got the keys. We started out with a prayer meeting.

Unfortunately all the beautiful plastic paneling no longer meets fire codes, so we'll need to strip it all out. We'll also need to move some walls to create a classroom for the Bible Institute. The windows are old but mostly in usable condition. It's not a bad view from the sixth floor.

Thank you so much for your prayers for the purchase of this property. It is centrally located and will be greatly used by the local churches.

The month of March has been a good month: we attended an excellent training retreat in Egypt, we got back home and into routine, I received my resident permit for Russia, the kids basketball teams are doing well, Tonya has been able to start some outreach in a nearby orphanage, I had my birthday, and we received possession of the property for the ministry center. So all of March has been one praise report after another.

Tomorrow, Timothy and I will be participating in an evangelistic outreach with our church. It is tied with the Easter theme (this year Easter is the same day in both Russia and the States). Please pray that many are drawn to the love of Christ.

Amazed by His goodness,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

There And Back Again

Dear Friends,

another title of this update would be "One and a Half Praise Reports." But before I tell you what that means, let me first say, "Praise the Lord, we're home." Yes, we're back in Khabarovsk and glad to be here. We've been doing a lot of travelling, and while we enjoy it, we'd rather take a rest from travel for a while.

In Moldova we continued in the ministry of preaching until the end of February. Since most Moldovans understand Russian, Tonya was able to translate for me. On the pulpit in the photo it is written in Russian, "We Preach Christ."

At the end of February we left Moldova. Here we are saying good-bye at the international airport in Chisinau, Moldova. Our kids enjoyed getting the know the other MKs there.

After leaving Moldova we went to Egypt for the annual conference and training for AGWM workers in Russia. Russia is so big that this is really the only chance we have to get to know the rest of the team that works in Russia. The time was very helpful in coordinating our work, getting some teaching, making plans and evaluating things. It was also refreshing, and we had a chance to visit Cairo and see the ancient pyramids.

Timothy and I were even able to go inside the Great Pyramid. It was amazing to me that Moses would have seen this structure as he lead the Israelites out of Egypt so many years ago. But from Egypt we headed back home, spending half a day in Moscow. This was the first time our kids walked on Red Square. That's the Kremlin behind us.

And then on home to Khabarovsk. We are so glad to take a break from travel. And our first Praise report has to do with that. I have received my Resident Permit for Russia. That means I can now live in Russia. I no longer need a visa. This is a major thing for us, a big answer to prayer, and will save us a lot of time and money.

The half a praise report is also a prayer request. The ownership documents for the minstry center continue to process with the government real estate registration office, but there has been a delay. They requested that some additonal documents be submitted, so the process has been held up. Right now we expect that the national church in Khabarovsk will be able to take possession of the property on March 29th. Please pray that there will be no more delays. The property will host several ministries.

Our plans for the next several weeks include lots of meetings with our ministry partners, that is the Russian churches and minstries that we work with here. It is so delightful to be able to make plans with the expectation that I won't have to leave the country again any time soon. Please pray that all our plans will line up with God's plans, and that the Lord would give us wisdom as we move forward.

Oh, after we got home we took a walk and visited a playground here where there are some ice carvings. The sign behind us says Welcome!

From Our Hearts to Yours,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

Leaving Moldova

Dear Friends,

our time in Moldova is coming to a close. The end of this month we'll be going to Egypt for the annual retreat/training for AGWM personnel serving in Russia. We'll be in Egypt for one week and then on our way back home to Khabarovsk. Yes, home sweet home.

Today we received some good news about the purchase of the property in Khabarovsk for the ministry center. Payment has been made and the pastors have submitted the documents to the real estate registration department. We are to get them back on the 16th of March. Then the property will belong to the national church of Khabarovsk Krai. Renovations will begin as soon as we take possession of it.

This property is in downtown Khabarovsk, which is the capital of Khabarovsk Krai (a Krai is like a province). Khabarovsk Krai is about twice the size of France. This will be a wonderful resource for churches both in the city and all across Khabarovsk Krai. We praise the Lord that this center is becoming a reality. We thank you for your prayers.

We haven't heard anything yet about my resident permit in Russia. We're continuing to pray that it will be ready when we get back to Khabarovsk in March. I have another 90 days on my Russian visa, so it is important that the permit be ready before that time runs out.

We continue to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into the harvest field of the Russian Far East. One possible way the people can come and serve with us is the StudyRussianDoMission program. Come to Russia, study the language, and work alongside a missionary. If you are interested, our StudyRussianDoMission team put together a website to help you get started: http://sites.google.com/site/studyrussiandomission/ and another at StudyRussianDoMission http://101649.agwebservices2.org/SiteFiles/101649/Content/Study%20Russian.pdf

A new bill has been submitted to the Russian Duma (parliament) by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation to regulate religious freedom and religious organizations. It deals with three issues:

1. People under age being involved with religious groups. 2. Control of religious groups. 3. Regulation of missionary activity. It would make it illegal for a church to allow a child under the age of 18 to attend a service or activity without parental permission, require the name of every person attending a service to be recorded, require any person doing evangelism to have a permit, and things like that. Please pray that this would not become legislation.

An interesting talent that we saw on the internet was a sand drawing done in the Ukraine. As we watched this video it touched us deeply, because Russia continues to be effected by the repercussions of World War II, when a large portion of the population was lost. It uses popular music from that time period, and the lyrics draw on strong emotions. Take a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOhf3OvRXKg&feature=player_embedded

We've heard that you folks back in the States have gotten some snow in the last few weeks. If you wonder what Russians think about this news, check out the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/weekinreview/14levy.html

While we've been here in Moldova we've continued to be invited by churches to preach.

We also have gotten out and made friends. In one village they took us for a sleigh ride.

Jingle Bells!

God bless you, every one,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

More Adventures in Moldova

Dear Friends,

we are doing well here in Moldova. Deanna had her birthday and is now nine years old. They don't have a McDonald's in Khabarovsk, but they sure do here in Moldova. So Deanna was delighted to have her birthday party at McDonald's.

How did she make so many new friends in just one week? At church!

Tonya has been delighted to discover that most Moldavians speak Russian as well as Romanian. So she's been able to talk with people. Actually, the local pastors have kept us rather busy with invitations to preach (seven times in the last week). Here we are at a small village church where we spoke, they have an amazing painting on their wall:

I was even invited to speak at a funeral for a man I'd never met in a village I'd never been to in a language I don't know (Romanian). Beforehand, I asked a local pastor about funeral traditions here in Moldova. It turns out that you aren't expected to talk about the deceased. The sermon should be of an evangelistic nature, usually something about the afterlife. So I spoke from Revelation 20:11 to Rev. 21:4 (He will wipe away every tear.... ). A young lady (high school student) translated for me into Romanian. The funeral was outdoors at the person's home. After I preached, the the funeral procession left his house and we walked all the way to the cemetery (about a mile). A man with a large cross lead the procession. A choir from the Pentecostal church walked and sang Psalms. There were several pastors there, so several times along the way we stopped and one of them would preach a short sermon for the villagers to hear. When we reached the cemetery there was another sermon, the casket was nailed closed (they actually used nails) and lowered into the hole. Then we walked back to the house and had a meal.

The whole experience was like something I read in a book about peasant life long ago. There are wells in the villages here where people gather. As we would pass by the wells everyone would stop and be quiet, the men would often doff their hats. Some folks joined us. The family felt very honored that an American pastor would come and speak at the funeral. So I was very excepted.

During the church services the kids had my camera and took a bunch of photos. Some of them turned out pretty well (if you take a hundred photos...). Let me show a few to you:

Even while we are not in Russia, things are going on in Russia. The national church is waiting on a document from the Russian government to allow them to make a bank transfer to buy the building in Khabarovsk. The Seller is unhappy about the delay, but there isn't much we can do about it. We're praying that things will move forward quickly, and the purchase will soon be completed.

Our plan at this time is to continue whatever kind of ministry we can do in Moldova until the missions retreat at the end of February. We'll attend the missions retreat (the training will be in Egypt this year) and then return to Khabarovsk. We pray that my resident permit will be approved by then.

Everything is in the Lord's hands, and we're learning to be content in all circumstances.

The Lord richly bless you.

In Christ,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

Guidence in the Midst of Chaos

Dear Friends,

right now I'm on a jet flying over the Ukraine from Moscow, Russia, to Chisinau, Moldova. This is my second trip to Moldova, but this time I am travelling with my family.

I arrived back in Khabarovsk on January 7th in time for Christmas (in Russia Christmas is January 7th!). It was a wonderful reunion, and I brought presents from my trip to Moldova. We also opened some gifts that had been mailed to us.

Our hope was that my resident permit would be approved by this time, but it was not. Since visas to Russia (other than student visas and work visas) require you to be out of the country for 90 out of every 180 days, I've needed to leave Russia again. Once I receive my resident permit, that will no longer be a problem.

The annual training for the AGWM Russia team will be held in Egypt this year, February 28 to March 7th. So we've decided to stay in Moldova and go straight to the training before we go back to Khabarovsk. This will be more cost effective. We'll be involved in ministry in Moldova mostly in the same way I was doing ministry my previous trip, by preaching and doing a bit of handy-man help around the Home of Hope. Russian is commonly spoken in Moldova, and we're ready to help out however we can.

During the last few days I was able to work out some of the last details in the purchase of the property for the Far East Ministry Center. The legal details have been rather complicated, making sure everything is done right by both Russian and American law, and learning the Russian side of the law has been an education to me.

God has really amazed me with how sovereign his guidance is even when I have felt clueless and ignorant. We scoured real estate listings and looked at over thirty properties, but the one we settled on we found through a "chance" encounter with a pastor who has just "heard" about a property that was going to be listed. I have no control over the visa situation, but the Lord is able to use it. When I purchased tickets for my first trip to Moldova, I had a long lay-over scheduled in Moscow. Just before the trip I discovered that some legal documents would need to be taken care of in Moscow, and so during the lay-over I was able to take care of those. Actually, it took longer than expected and I would have missed my flight but the departure was delayed, and so I was O.K. Then after returning to Khabarovsk I found out that I needed to have the local church union make an official vote on the matter (since it is being put in their name). Their official business meeting just happened to be scheduled during my short stay in Khabarovsk, but I didn't know that when I arranged my schedule. The Lord really is Lord, even of all our human doings. Proverbs 3:5-6 is so true.

A few days ago we sent the kids - Tim, Vera and Deanna - to go buy themselves a treat at the store. The weather was kinda cool, about minus 10 degrees F, but not unusual for January in Khabarovsk. They ate their treat as they walked back from the store, so we asked them what they had gotten. When they replied that it was ice cream, I asked why they didn't wait until they were home to eat it. "Well," said Tim, "we were afraid it would melt." Tonya and I laughed so hard it hurt. It was a good break from the tension of packing.

We also took a family day and had a picnic and went skating and cross country skiing with some friends at an outdoor rink. And yes, Tim is taller than his mother (he's not standing on anything).

Yum, yum. There's nothing like a winter Russian bar-bee-que.

Another thing we did while I was home was print our latest newsletter. A friend is to drop in the mail for us, so if you get our snail mail newsletters, you should get yours soon. I've posted a copy of it in pdf format.

The girls want me to share this picture that Deanna took of Vera and one of their Christmas gifts: a guinea pig. They named him Teddy.

Today is January 16th. I don't have any internet connection right now, and I'm not sure exactly when I'll get one. I'll post this entry as soon as I'm able.

Peace to All of You,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

In Moldova

Dear Friends,

I am in Moldova right now. I was invited by some missionaries to come for a little. The folks here are friendly and the pastors I've been getting to know are wonderful. For those who don't know, Moldova is a part of the former Soviet Union, located between the Ukraine and Romania. You can find out more about it at http://www.moldova.md/en/start/ if you want to.

I'm in Moldova because my Russian resident permit has not yet been approved, and I have limited time on my Russian visa. I have a one year religious worker visa for Russia, but Russian visas (other than student and worker visas) require that you be outside of Russia for 90 out of 180 days. I've used up most of my legal time in Russia for this 180 days. I have tickets to return to Russia on January 6th. If my resident permit is ready, then I can just stay there, if not, I will need to leave the country again within the week. In mid-February a new 180 day period starts, and then I get a new 90 days to be in Russia. However, if my resident permit is approved, I can just stay there and live. As you can see, this is a big prayer concern for us.

On Sunday just before I came to Moldova, I received a call from the FSB (they used to be called the KGB) on my cell phone. I was invited to come to their office in Khabarovsk and answer some questions. So the next day I went and met with a polite young man who had many questions for me. He mentioned that this was part of the process for me to get my resident permit.

Later that day (Monday) Tonya went to meet with the Director of Migration for Khabarovsk Krai (a Krai is like a State, and Khabarovsk Krai is about twice the size of France). When greeting his secretary, Tonya said she had some questions about the application for a resident permit for her husband who is American. The lady, who didn't even look away, said, "Eshelman?" I guess I'm the only American applying for a resident permit there right now. The lady explained that everything was ready except for approval from the FSB, and there was nothing they could do about that. So please pray that the FSB would make quick process of my permit's approval.

Things are going smoothly in regards to the purchase of a place for the ministry center. Without me there, the local church leaders are moving the project forward pretty much on their own. They are buying some space in a commercial building downtown. Here you can see the front entrance of that building and some windows to what we are acquiring (on the 6th floor).

This is a really good thing for the Bible Institute and the churches here. This building is in an excellent location next to a bus stop with routes all over the city. Please pray that everything continues to go smoothly.

One of the greatest needs we have is for more workers to bring in the harvest. Our master has told to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into the harvest field. Please pray that more people would come an join us. More people are needed to spread the good news. One of our missionaries has put together an excellent video to give a taste of ministry in Russia. All the photos were taken by workers in Russia. Here is a link to the presentation http://animoto.com/play/HqQ2IbmqddcHdB0YrWNaMw?utm_campaign=share_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_email Please take a look, I think you'll find it fascinating to see the diversity of Russia and the people we minister to here.

One last prayer request. Please uphold my family in prayer as I am in Moldova and they are still in Khabarovsk. While the ministry here is good, I'd rather be with them, and they would rather be with me.

In His Service,

Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna