Moving Forward

     We've been evaluating our lives and ministry lately, wanting to make the most of each day, of each minute.  This life is short, and yet what we do (or don't do) here has eternal significance.  Oh, how we long to invest in God's kingdom!  Leif was encouraged by a sports' camp he was a part of that cast the vision to local believers to go into the world instead of expecting people to come to us.

 

     Since this camp, we have seen some of the college-aged kids in our church reaching out more to the students who come to our English Club.  We see them wanting to free up time in their lives to invest in friends who don't yet know Jesus.  This is encouraging!

     And while there are exciting things happening, we are seeing that the purpose we came here for- to reach the Buryat people with the good news of Jesus and to start churches where they can worship their creator.... hasn't made too much headway.  Jesus talks of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation gathering before His throne, praising Him together.  He also tells us that before the end of the world "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations".  We know that this whole group of people- the Buryats- are so dear to the Father. How we want them to know Him!  A couple of weeks ago, Leif invited Misha (a Buryat believer that Leif met years ago in an English club before Misha was a Christian) to speak at our church.  It was encouraging for us to hear his heart and passion and to reflect on what the Lord has done in his life!

Chingis, teaching small children a knife-throwing game.  =)

     It was also good for our hearts to get together with Chingis's family  (Leif's good friend that he  met 15 years ago, also through an English Club).  Chingis was a brand new believer when they first met and is now a pastor. 

     And one more super-encouraging meeting was with this family.  Sasha, was also from that English Club from years ago and is also now a church leader.  This dear family lives in a village on the outskirts of our city (they drive into the city for church throughout the week).  The area where they live is full of new little homes from people who are moving in from the villages- from Buryat villages!  Most of these people don't know anything about Jesus, and there is no church in this place (just as there isn't in most villages!)  Sasha and Yulia want to reach out to their neighbors.  They want to start a home group and church here, and they need help!  Many of these people are hungry for relationships, as they've recently uprooted their lives.  Our vision is that these people will come to know the Lord and take the news back to their friends and families in the villages they moved from!

     We have seen that for whatever reason, the Lord has blessed Leif and me with being able to meet new people, through English Clubs and such.. and many of these people are Buryats.  We are thrilled at the idea of joining with a couple who's gifts would compliment our own, who could help lead these friends to the next level.  We'd love to see some Buryat churches started.

     So, currently, we are praying about this:  About moving to this village and starting a church.  We appreciate your prayers for God's guidance!!

     We have been a part of a lot of great things here, and we see the Lord at work.  We don't want to lose sight of our goal, though- to bring the news of Jesus to Buryats and to see these dear people praising their Creator in their own culture and language.  Our director showed us this great clip from a dog competition recently.  You can click on it to view it:

   Dog Competition

     While the golden retriever is totally lovable and hilarious, he's not focused on the main goal- running straight to his master.  He's distracted by many good things.  We don't want to be like this (except for maybe the lovable and cute part)  ;)  We can't do this alone and are dependent upon your prayers!!