The first part of this update has been on our website since we returned to Russia after our furlough last summer. In case you have not read this, we will leave it. The latest update is in blue text below.
Commissioning
One of the first events during our furlough was Sheri Medlock's service to commission her for mission work in Moscow. Sheri’s father, Ron, told the audience that Sheri talked about being a missionary when she was only three years old. Others offered encouraging words and expressed their thanks for her Godly example. The actual commissioning was done by the elders of College Heights Christian Church, who gathered around Sheri and prayed for her and the work she would do in Moscow.
The close of the service was made especially memorable by Sheri’s announcement of her engagement to Phil Cornett, whom she met through the church. Phil hopes to come to Moscow for a visit next spring; their wedding will be August 7 next year.
Sheri has already spent a year serving and teaching English in Moscow. After that, she returned to Joplin to work with the College Heights church and raise support for her work here. She is now living with us until she finds an apartment. This year she will teach English half time and also study the Russian language in addition to her working with the church and with a small group for young adults.
Church Visits
During our two months in America, we gave reports to eight supporting churches. The interest people have shown in our work is such an encouragement—people asked about the health and conditions of churches in Moscow and Russia. Several wanted to know about the government and political climate here, as well. What we see in Moscow is that some of the smaller churches are having more difficulty staying strong, but the larger churches (60 or more!) seem to be doing OK. The government does not hinder churches. The only opposition is from the Orthodox Church; for example, recently they tried to make it difficult for a Pentecostal church in Moscow to buy property. Generally the biggest obstacle to our work is the materialistic spirit of the people. Those living in the bigger cities and having well-paying jobs give little attention to their spiritual condition, which is much the same as the US.
During our church visits, we took along various directors from Gateway: Moscow. They had a chance to meet some of our supporters and hear our report. Likewise, the church people were able to get acquainted with them. Plus, it was a great time for us to fellowship with them.
We are pleased to report that our financial support has continued strong in spite of the economic recession that has affected giving for some churches. Praise the Lord for faithful supporters so that our ministry continues with adequate funding!
Reception at Missions House
While we stayed in the Global Outreach House (missions house) which our church, College Heights Christian Church in Joplin, Missouri, maintains, our directors helped us hold a reception. This gave the church family an opportunity to have a more personal visit with us. We were blessed with old friends and a few new acquaintances, too. We were grateful for the number of church elders who stopped by, in addition to several who had been to Russia or had some connection with Russian people.
A Fun Project
One of our director couples is Richard and Kathy Wright. Both work at Good News Productions in Joplin and Richard is also our forwarding agent. One Saturday while we were in the Missions House, they mentioned that they had bought 14 dozen ears of sweet corn to put up in their freezer. We knew that would be a pretty big project for two, so we volunteered to help. Of course with extra hands the work went quickly, and it was fun to help people who have made sacrifices for us. The work went so quickly that there was still time to fire up the barbeque and have a delicious steak dinner. Of course, sweet corn was on the menu, which we miss having in Moscow.
Church News
Although we just returned from the US, the Peace To Your Home church has continued on through the summer. One development is that our meeting place (an English language school) is being renovated this summer. The church has met various places, including our own apartment, since Sheri has been living here for the past month. Constantine (our pastor) has been refining his vision for the church for some time. On the 10th, he shared ideas on how the church could be more effective.
The day after we returned, we were able to meet with John and Constantine. John had researched and found a very nice piano keyboard that is big enough to provide the music we need for worship. It is also light enough for him to carry to church each Sunday. In addition we bought an inexpensive guitar that will be used by various ones to practice. The church has a very nice guitar for worship already. We are pleased that these instruments were priced well and should be adequate to assist our worship time.
Constantine traveled to Vienna, Austria, earlier this summer. He has finished his coursework there for a Masters of Divinity degree. He still has to write his thesis. His course work has been a wonderful resource for the life of our church.
Making New Friends
Before we left on furlough, we had two interesting encounters. First, Oxanna, a young lady who runs the pharmacy in our building, has asked Sue several times if Sue could tutor her in English. Just before we left, Oxanna invited us to her apartment to visit a little bit and to meet her husband. We had a great visit, complete with an elaborate table filled with fruits and nuts and tea. Her husband offered to prepare a special meal with food from his home country after we returned. We don’t have any idea what to expect, but we are eager to get back with them.
Natasha is a young teacher at our school. We invited her for an American meal the last Sunday before we left for our furlough. She graduated university a year ago and doesn’t know many young people here. We also invited John and two other Christian young adults for her to get acquainted with. She told us last year at our school that she is a committed Communist. After our Sunday meal, that gave us an “in” to talk about the Bible. We explained that in the Bible, it tells about Christians in Jerusalem who shared what they had when the church was just beginning. They were following the example of Christ and sharing willingly, not under the iron fist of a dictator. Natasha admitted that a truly Communist country exists only as a “utopia” and wouldn’t ever be possible in the real world. Nevertheless, this opened up a great time of questions and answers about why we believe the Bible is God’s unique word, and that Christ is the only way to eternal life. Natasha seemed to give careful thought to the answers. She kept saying, “Can I have another question?” We wanted to say, “Keep them coming!” Each of us had an opportunity to answer one of her questions, so she saw that everyone could talk about their faith and why they believe.
We are eager to get back with her once school resumes in September. We would love to continue presenting the good news message that is our daily hope and guide.
Family News
You probably have read that our two older sons both adopted little girls from China almost two years ago. Around Christmastime last year, our oldest son Chris and family returned to China to adopt a boy who is now ten, the same age as his new brother, Benjamin. Eric and Kate are waiting for travel approval so they can travel once again to China to get their second child, a little boy (Zane Leland) who will turn one on September 1. Kevin and Alicia announced this summer that they are taking the first steps toward adopting a baby. We are very proud of our growing international family!
Just before we left the US, we were privileged to attend the first baptism of one of our grandchildren. Johanna is Chris and Jocelyn’s second daughter. She had been thinking about this life-changing decision and asking questions for quite a while. The occasion was made more special because both sets of grandparents were able to attend. Paul and Ricky Clark, Jocelyn’s parents, were also on furlough. They are missionaries in Osaka, Japan.
We feel very blessed at our family continues to grow spiritually and in numbers.
Our furlough this summer has been a great time of renewal and encouragement for us. Thank you to all the churches and individuals who helped refresh our spirits. We are eager to continue serving the Lord here in Moscow.
Rex and Sue
UPDATE - February, 2010
Church Visitors
In recent months there has been a variety of visitors to church. Costya and Ira Nazarov have several neighbors who attended both the church’s Golden Autumn celebration and also our Christmas event. One neighbor had attended the Women’s Seminar and is a good friend of Ira’s. Ira also has gotten re-acquainted with an old friend from her public school days, Anya. She wants to move to Moscow but is still waiting to find a job. She is interested in the church and becoming a believer.
Sarah, one of the young adults who teaches English, has brought her roommate and a couple of students to visit our church. In addition, we had an American student, Nathan, who is studying at a nearby university. Finally, at our home group different ones have brought friends. New faces are always an encouragement to the regular ones.
Worship music
John was able to find a very suitable keyboard that the church purchased to accompany our praise time. Also the church bought a guitar, which is great since several members are willing to play. Even further, Sarah has learned several worship songs which she plays on her violin occasionally. Finally, Costya is our resident cellist. We appreciate getting so many people involved.
Zane Leland Wolfe was added to the family of our second son, Eric, and his wife Kate, and big sister Elle. He just turned one when they went to China to bring him home around the first of September. In December he had surgery to repair a cleft palate and lip. Now he is doing fine and is exhibiting a natural talent to eat and eat!
Rosa, our representative in Kyrgystan, continues to send favorable reports. She is an employee of a university there and works closely with the students. In March, she will sponsor a seminar for the students at a nearby retreat center. She is already having an outreach in this Muslim country.
Women’s Seminar
The women's seminar, held on the first weekend on November, provided a great blessing for those who attended. Two women shared that the teaching led them to a “changed spirit.” One of the ladies, Lena, has attended church each time we meet at the Nazarov’s.
Sue’s eye
For at least two years, Sue's left has given her some problems. She had it checked two years ago by a specialist who said there was nothing wrong. We went to two specialists around Thanksgiving time here in Moscow, and both diagnosed macular degeneration. One doctor advised her to make an appointment with a surgeon for laser surgery. Sue made the decision to fly back to the US to get another opinion, plus she wanted to be available to help Eric and Kate after Zane’s surgery. It turns out that the diagnosis lost something in the translation and was not as we thought. She was able to see a specialist in Columbia, Missouri, who told her that it was not macular degeneration : ), but there is a problem with the vision which needs to be watched. If it gets worse, surgery will be needed then. All in all, this was good news! No surgery was needed, and there was lots of time to be with family during the holidays. It was awful being away from each other for 5 1/2 weeks!
Congratulations to Costya Nazarov who receives his Masters of Divinity from TCM in April. He will fly to Vienna, Austria, to participate in the graduation ceremony. Also Ira is making plans herself to take classes with TCM later this year.
Children’s Summer Camp
Costya has attended a camp seminar recently to get training on conduction a summer camp for children. Our tentative plans are to host the camp in June. More to come later.
Phillip Cornet, Sheri’s fiancé, stayed with us for a couple of weeks as he and Sheri did some sight-seeing and learning about the conditions of life in Moscow. They plan to be married in August and live in Joplin for a year before making a decision about future service.