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The News from Here – January 2006  Greetings, to you, from solidly frozen Ivanovo, Russia. I hope this newsletter finds you healthy and enjoying His blessings in you life. It has been while since I have written, I know. Life has been filled with a lot of work, which is good.    

CHRISTMAS IN RUSSIA As you know, Russian Christmas is January 7th. This year we joined with the city administration, to present a Christmas program for the entire city. We had a program on the 7th for the area orphanages as part of our social work outreach, and one on the 8th for the general population. We were able to transport close to 500 children and adults to the theater for the program. We also invited the orphans for the orphanages we work with to our building and gave them a Christmas party. They played games, sang and had a Christmas meal. One of them commented it was the first time he’d been to a restaurant! Through the donations given to this ministry, we were able to help in both these programs to reach out to these so young children for the orphanages and hospitals of our city. Thank you for your giving.   At the Christmas program for the city, I took part in the opening as a toy soldier that brought the “toys” used to decorate the stage to life. (In reality, they were the drama team. These “toys” in turn went into the theater and led 60 children carrying candles to the stage for the opening song. I also did and interpretive dance as the angel telling Mary about the child she would conceive. As the closing of the program, I did the mime piece “Dream” where we dropped balloons on the audience. The sound of the “oohs” and “ahs” gave me cold chills as they realized the message of the piece that The Lord Jesus has given them a dream and direction for their lives.    

PRACTICE BEGINS We have begun practices for our annual outreach to the city. I have 22 dancers and mimes getting ready. We hope to present the program near the end of June. Our plan, this year, is to present the different pieces as one continuous piece. We will have the main character come to the front center of the stage and mime walk through the scenes. As he “walks”, the members of each individual piece will “slide” onstage (or offstage) behind him and come to life as the main character enters the scene. The Lord has already begun the work of giving new pieces and I feel this performance/ministry is going to be very special. Since we did our five year program last year with “all the best” of the previous years, we have to come up with all new pieces for the 1 ½ to 2 hour show.    

ANOTHER MILESTONE On the 31st of January, I reached the 50 year mark. I know it’s hard to believe. Some friends got together and gave me a surprise party and the youth surprised me at our Friday night meeting. One extra special gift they gave me was a photo album where each youth designed one page with a photo and some words about what I meant to them. It is such a keepsake for me as I read about things they see or have heard form me and how it affected their lives. I am truly a blessed man.    

WEDDING PLANS CONTINUE The wedding plans are progressing. We have fulfilled all the necessary governmental requirements for our date, the invitations are being given out and the plans for the reception are coming together. It is an exciting time for me. I found myself walking the streets of Moscow trying to find the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in -30 degree weather with a strong wind and I wondered to myself how many men would endure that for the woman they love.    

THE WEATHER Speaking of the weather, it has been bitterly cold here, as I’m sure you may have read or seen on the news in America. I think this is the coldest winter I have been here. I am so thankful to the Lord Jesus for giving me such a warm place to live. When I think about some of the places I have had and how cold they were, I realize how much He has done for me.    

THE YOUTH We have begun having our Sunday evening prayer time in the new youth center. The center is nearing completion. We just need to finish the concessions area and build the stage for the praise and worship team, and everything will be ready to begin having all our youth gatherings there. The youth say it is the best room in our entire building and it is so good to meet with them there and worship and pray.    They are also continuing to grow and lead the church. Our entire usher team, with the exception of one man, is youth. The Praise and worship team, with the exception of 3, is all youth and they make up a large percentage of teachers in our “School of Leaders”. Words cannot express how proud I am of them and their growth. They are such and example to the body of Christ, here.    This past Friday evening and into Saturday morning, we had a night of prayer. At open point, we had the adults there to come to the front and the youth stood around them and prayed for them and their success in the Kingdom of God. Then, the youth went to them individually and prayed for their needs. Our main pastor and the members said it was the most anointed time of the evening. I think I will always remember when, just before they started to pray, they began to sing “Jesus, Friend Forever”. There was such a presence of the Spirit of God as everyone fell silent.    

PRAYER REQUESTS Please be in prayer for Luda and I as we begin our new life together. If you would like to give a gift, we ask that you would send an offering to the ministry because of shipping costs, erratic delivery of packages here and the need for us to pay duty sometimes on packages delivered. Also, we will need to buy furniture for the apartment. Living alone, I have no problem sitting and sleeping on the floor, but I don’t want to bring my new wife into that situation. Please continue to pray for the youth. I know nothing happens without prayer backing and these young people are giving of their time and even their finances sacrificially. Pray for the members of the outreach team as they begin this time of preparation for delivering the Gospel message through the arts to our city.    

IN CLOSING Thank you for waiting patiently for this newsletter and for your prayers, support and well wishes for this new time in my life. Without you standing with me, supporting me and praying for me, none of the news of these newsletters would be written. I realize the reports I give are simply letting you know what you are doing has fruit here on the mission fields of Russia.    Keep the Faith,  Randy