Praise in Russia for Antioch Initiative

Jim Harris is Senior Pastor at Heritage Bible Church.  He recently join the Board of Directors of Praise International.  For many years Jim Harris has been an integral part of Slavic Gospel Association’s Antioch Initiative.  He is responible for the Antioch Initiative’s Tambov Russia.  He is the principle Bible professor in Antioch Initiative’s Pastoral Training School.  It is because of Jim Harris’s ministry in Russia that Praise International is able to sponsor many Russian pastors.

Below is a recent letter from Russian pastor, Sergei Stepanov. Sergei is a pastor a Spring of Life Church in Tambov. He serves with Pastor Anatoly Yarmolyuk, our Praise Country Leader.  Pastor Sergei also has internet radio ministry.

Our partnership with the Antioch Initiative allows the churches and pastors in the Tambov state to be more effective in their calling, to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In most small towns and villages in the Tambov state there is not a single orthodox church, let alone an evangelical church. Young and experienced brothers learn together which allows us to receive the knowledge we need for the ministry, and also share the experience in ministry. Now we get to do not just summer camps, but also winter youth and family camps. For Christmas we get to share the Gospel with children [through Slavic Gospel Association's Immanuel's Child] not only at churches, but also in orphanages. I’m very thankful for your partnership and for financial support. May the Lord bless you.

~ Sergei Stepanov

God at work in Russia

Here is a message directly from one of our Russian Regional Leader,  Anatoly Yarmolyuk.

We focus a lot on spreading the Gospel; we had five outreaches in 5 different locations (each was one week long). We went to the places that don’t have churches. 35 people came to God in the prayer of repentance. We are also involved in youth ministry. Your prayers and support help us serve for the glory of God and do not only the things I mentioned, but many others as well. May God bless you. 

~ Anatoly Yarmolyuk.

Possibly New Political Turmoil in Ivory Coast

This is a recent prayer request directly from Pastor Joseph OULAI, our Praise West Africa Director.

We thank the Lord for the relative peace we have in Cote D’Ivoire, The life is starting but the living condition is not easy now, even for our pastors. Pray for the political situation. The former president is now at the court, and the prime minister is also requested to be judged. We hear many rumors, news of fight amoung the rebel soldier called FRCI( Republican Force of Cote d’Ivoire). If the prime minister goes to court, he will denonce or expose the National President of Cote d’Ivoire, and probably some truth will come out, news that will trouble the stability of the country. Let pray that the will of God may be done and pray for the safety of God’s people.
Let ‘s also pray for Mali, so that God provide food for this year on. The lack of rain destroyed plantations and crops. They may be a need of food in few months.

God bless you as you pray for us.

~ Joseph

Russian Pastors

Let’s remember to pray for the people of Russia.  There is officially the freedom of religion, and yet in reality, if one is not Orthodox, life will be purposefully made more difficult for him.  Evangelical Christians comprise about 1.2 % of the population in Russia.  The Russian Orthodox Church weilds a big influence.  Ardent Orthodox church members put the heat on Russians who are not orthodox, particularly those who are evangelical Christians.

Mission Network News has a very interesting on the state of religious freedom in Russia. 

Operation World is a great source for how to pray more specifically for Russia.

Praise International has two Country Leaders in Russian.  Each of them have group of pastors whom Praise supports.

Nikolay Sobolev

Pastor Nikolay Sobolev, one of Praise's Country Leaders

 

Anatoly Svistunov, Victor Denisyuk, Sergey Krivashee, Andrey Korotchenko, Vladimir Zverev, Yuri Borodin, Viktor Velichko, Dmitri Velitchko, Pavel Musnitskiy, Vladimir Farzali, Nikolay Nasonov, Nikolay Molchanov, Viktor  Ivanov, Pavel Ponomarev, Alexander Astakhov, Leonid Popov, Viktor Lukashev, Sergey Kalishnikov, Alexander Sendetskiy, Gennadiy Rogotovskiy, Boris Tsygankov, Zuri Storozhev, Grigoriy Federov, Yuri Zhuravlev, Mikhail Malikov, Nikolay Katko, Vitaly Kunitsa

 

 

Pastor Anatoly and Vera Yarmoljuk Pastor Anatoly is one of Praise's Country Leaders in Russia.

 

 

Anatoly Yarmoljuk

Pavel Litvonov, Vadim Mikhalin, Anatoli Alipichev, Viktor Erasov, Shevnin Vladmir, Raphael Atikov, Alexei Silkin, Sergei Stephanov

Please pray for our Praise pastors in Russia, for their families, and pray for the people of Russia, that God would pour out His Grace upon them.

Cote d’Ivoire

Keep praying for Cote d’Ivoire.  It doesn’t appear to be getting better.  Au contraire, it’s getting worse, much worse!  

• Normally the world’s biggest producer and exporter of chocolate, now the export of chocolate in Cote d’Ivoire has virtually come to a standstill.  But worse that this are what the Ivorian people are experiencing.
• Hundreds of thousands of Ivorians are fleeing their country because of all the escalating violence. 
• Cote d’Ivoire is on the brink of civil war.  Some would say that Cote d’Ivoire is already in a civil war.  I would agree. 
• Close to 500 recorded deaths since the presidencial election that began this mess. 
• Now it is reported that hundreds of liberian “mercenaries” have gone on rampage of rape and looting in the region of Guiglo, in western Cote d’Ivoire.  That region of Cote d’Ivoire is a lawless zone, they say, because there are no functioning police there.
• In Abidjan, there are homeless children between the ages of 9 and 14 who wander the street, doing what they can to survive.  Sadly, what they have lowered themselves to do is give sexual favors with adults in exchange for a couple coins, a small bit of food or a piece of new clothing.

Life is extremely hard for Ivorians.  This is probably an understatement.  Pray for Ivorians.

Pray for Ivorian Christians.  I can’t help but think that the presense of Christians in a region like this should be an encouraging things.  Life is extremely hard for Ivorian Christians as well.  And yet, God can help these Christians surmont the difficulties and their testimonies can be an encouragement to many others.

Pray for Ivorian Christians concerning the Gbagbo – Ouattara debate.  Many Christian Ivorians had the sense that Gbagbo should have won, because they believed the Ouattara supporters had made death threats and had forced people to vote for Ouattara.  Gbagbo also happens to be from a “Christian” background, as opposed to Ouattara with his Muslim background.  So it has been hard for Ivorian Christians to know what stance to take.  Even in the evangelical churches, it was not easy because church members may have differing opinions about this subject.  Even to this day, it is still not easy for Evangelical Christians.

So please pray that God give Ivorian Christians wisdom and discernment, mercy and grace.  May these Christians be united, on the same page, like-minded, having one desire :  that God have His perfect way, that His love is demonstrated to the on-looking world and that He is glorified. 

Please pray for Praise’s 40-some pastors and their families.  That God strengthen them, that God will speak Truth through them, that His Grace would flow out from their words and behavior.

Thanks for your prayers for Praise International.

Moldovan Village Pastors in Poverty

At the end of our Moldovan Pastors Conference we prayed over each pastoral couple.

 

I was conducting a European Pastors’ Conference in Chisinau, Moldova. After our first conference, our mission team took a day-off before our second conference began. That day we visited an area about 100 miles northeast of Chisinau called Orheiul Vechi, where archeologists have excavated virtually the entire 13^th century city.  

There’s an Orthodox monastery, called Mănăstire în Peşteră, which had been literally carved out of a limestone cliff by monks.   We turned off the road a bit before we arrived to get a bird’s eye view of Orheiul Vechi at this secret look-out place that our guide knew about.  It was breath-taking. 

Heading back to the car, not to far away from that vista point, we saw a dirt field where an old Moldovan farmer was cultivating the soil with a cleverly conceived make-shift, horse-drawn plow. 

This Moldovan farmer was dirt poor but very industrious. It was so interesting to talk with him.

 He was dirt poor but industrious. We stopped a few minutes to watch.  He was wearing an old sheepskin cap, a wool vest and boots. When he got close enough, we tried to communicate with him through our translator.  The farmer, Vladim, speaking Romanian with strong Russian accent, snickered when he told us that his horse was older than him.  He was a bit shy but had a great sense of humor.  Posing for a photo  with one of the ladies on our mission team, he quipped, “Don’t let my wife see this photo.”   Farmer Vladim’s circumstances are not-at-all uncharacteristic for a typical Moldovan villager.  In this extremely poor country of Moldova, the villagers are the poorest of the poor. 



 Praise International supports national pastors who live and serve the Lord in the remote and undeveloped parts of Moldova.  I met Pastor Sergiu and Tatiana Rutcovschi when they attended one of my Moldovan Pastors’ Conferences.  Praise support them in their quite remarkable ministry.  They don’t fit any stereotype that one might have of a pastor, even for Moldovans.  Born with a serious physical disability, Sergiu could have chosen to live an isolated, sedentary life.  But Sergiu chose another completely different route.  Accepting a call into full-time ministry, he moved to Chisinau, went to Bible school and became a pastor.  He got married and had children. Not only did he begin a church, he also founded the Charity Mission for Disabled of Moldova, which has grown into a nation-wide to Moldovans with all kinds of disabilities.  As if this wasn’t already enough, he solicited additional support from Praise International so he could start an Internet Café in his village.  He wanted not only to better provide for the needs of his family, but also felt that this Internet Cafe would give his church more visibility and credibility, thus more effectively reach out to folks in the community.

 

Please pray for Sergiu and Tatiana, that God strengthen them and protect them.  They have huge responsibilities.  They are allowing God to use them to the max.  In spite the extreme poverty in Moldova, in spite Sergiu’s severe physical disability, they are making a gigantic impact on Moldova for the Lord!  I think that Sergiu would agree when I say that it doesn’t matter what the disability, when we put ourselves into God’s hands, HE IS ABLE to use us.  “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Romanian Pastor with a Heart for the Lost

Pastor Ion and Elena Vasile are sponsored by Praise International.  Ion has such a heart for the lost, a great vision for reaching his region, his country and beyond for Christ.  We has see people come to know the Lord and discipled them.  He has trained many young pastor who go out, win souls and start new churches.

Could you pray for an evangelistic event that they are planning for February 27.  They will call it the Pizza Night!  Members of his church will invite friends and family members who are NOT Christians.  Pastor Ion asks us to pray that God prepare them so they will be ready to open up their hearts to receive the Lord.

One of the pastoral couples that Pastor Ion and Elena have impacted is Marian and Coco Jipa. 

They have a small church that they started.  They start churches in Romania, as in many countries, by meeting in homes and inviting neighbors and friends into their homes.  Pastor Marian presently has 3 new home groups.  Pray for the young Christians in these house churches and for the non-saved people who attend.

The Jipas have a wonderful kids ministry.  I love to do camps for reaching kids.  They are organizing a camp right now and have 21 kids signed up to attend.  Pray for them as they run this camp and share the Lord with these children.

They want to start a mandolin orchestra for children.  They are giving mandolin lessons children right now.  Isn’t that a creative idea?  I’d love to hear this mandolin orchestra!

They are having car problems.  The have an old van that they use to pick people up and bring them to church and other meetings.  Presently they can’t use the van because they need to pay $420 for some taxes on the van.  The van also has need of some repairs.  I have driven on Romania roads many many times.  The roads are often full of potholes.  Often out in the back country, most of the roads are dirt and gravel with deep holes.  Vehicles get a lot of  wear and tear.  Please pray for this need concerning their priniciple vehicle.  It is essential for their ministry.

Would you pray that the Lord bless and encourage them.  The work is difficult.  Pastor Marian says that he wants to get more involved in missions and social outreach.  I’m thinking: isn’t he already very, very busy winning souls?  He says that there are so much pain and suffering around him, who need support and comfort.  What a heart Marian and Coco have for hurting needy people.  Pray for their ministry.

Compassion for the Poor

It’s a blessing to work at Praise International.  Every day I am reminded of how God works through these men of God, serving God faithfully in such difficult circumstances. 
 
It gives me pause. We have it so good here in the United States. It’s so easy to take it all for granted. This morning I read chapters Proverbs 18-21. There was a lot of encouraging things in there.  Concerning my work at Praise International, a couple principles caught my attention.
 
Proverbs 19:17 is the Praise International theme verse. 
 
“One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD
and He will repay him for his good deed.”
 
Wow! Showing compassion to the needy is like lending to Jehovah!!! Being merciful toward those in difficulty, as our Father in heaven is merciful, is an investment into God’s Treasuries. It has Eternal Dividends. That’s incredible!!! Praise International does this in regards to materially poor pastors and their families in impoverished countries of the world. I’m sure each of us can think of ways to personally apply this principle.
 
Another verse this morning was Proverbs 21:17a. 
 
“He who loves pleasure will become a poor man.”
 
Ouch! Loving pleasure brings neediness? I felt defensive. I don’t consider myself materialistic. Yet I do like things and activities that give pleasure. Is that wrong? I love and serve the Lord! Is enjoying pleasurable things really going to leave me wanting? … wanting, wanting.  Oops!  The word “wanting” ricocheted inside my cranium. It’s so easy to always want more, isn’t it?  To NEVER have enough, to never be really satisfied.
 
It reminded me of a conversation that I had with Samy, a young Romanian pastor and his wife, Tatiana, during a mission trip.
 
Samy spoke broken English.  Making conversation I asked, “What do you and Tatiana do for entertainment?”
 
Samy replied, “What is that word, entertainment?”
 
“Well, when you and Tatiana are tired and you want to do something fun. What do you do for fun?”
 
“What is that word, fun?”
 
“Well, it is something to do that gives you pleasure.” 
 
Before Samy answered that question, I knew what his response would be and wondered why in the world I had asked those questions.
 
“What is that word, pleasure?”
 
It dawned on me. Samy and Tatiana, like most pastors in these extremely poor countries, don’t have the notion we Americans have: “Now let’s stop [fill in the blank] for a while, relax and have some FUN.” After that rather awkward conversation, I was actually concerned that I had inadvertently injected a “pleasure drug” into Samy’s mind.
 
My devotions time was a warning: Don’t pendulum swing between lover of work and lover of pleasure, rather be a lover of God. Also, Don’t assume that people who have all the material things they “need” are better off than the materially poor people who supposedly “need” to have material things. 
 
Kandee and I are full-time missionaries with Praise International and we live solely on charitable donations.  Even though the monthly donations we have are not what we felt we needed, we must remind ourselves that God’s definition of need is much different than ours.
 
See what you think of this.  I think that our greatest need before God is to:
1) stop regularly and worship at Jesus’ feet, as Mary did …and all these things shall l be added to us; and
2) go and proclaim the good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, sight to the blind, and deliverance to the oppressed, as Jesus did …and we will receive Eternal Dividends. 

Thanks for your prayers for my wife and me.  More importantly, remember to pray for Pastor Samy and other Romanian pastors, also for all pastors who serve the Lord in impoverished countries, in difficult and often dangerous situations.

Persecuted Pastors in India

It seems like we hear more and more of the political unrest in countries across the world.  How many countries of Africa are in the news right now with alarming political circumstances?  Egypt, Tunisia, Somalia, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Gabon. Why am I even trying to list them?  There are too many.  Then in other parts of the world, there is Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. Again, the list goes on and on.  Think about how a country’s political unrest affects the citizens?  How does it affect the national pastors and their congregations.  These people desperately need our encouragement.  That’s what Praise International aims to do.

Take India for example.  Last week India’s Supreme Court rejected bail for Manoj Pradhan, the Hindu nationalist State Legislator in the Orissa district.  He was convicted of playing a “major role” in the murder of Parikhita Nayak, a Christian Indian.  

You may remember the tragic attacks of Christian Indian that happened two years ago. During those attacks about 600 villages were ransacked, about 5,600 houses looted and burned, more than 100 people were killed, including women, children, handicapped and the elderly, many others were victims of rape and other sexual assaults. Some 300 churches and 13 educational institutions were destroyed. Some 54,000 Christians were left homeless.

Pastor Anil is a Country Leader for Praise International in India.

Praise International assists a great deal of pastors in India. Pastor Anil Landge, one of Praise Internationals country leaders, told us recently that there is still a “state of lawlessness and utter fear” among Christians in India.  This is two years later!  They are still traumatized by those acts of violent discrimination.  Pastor Landge says that the persecution of Christians is still happening.  Many businesses owned by Christians have been boycotted. Some Christians are barred from drawing water from the public well. Christians are sometimes publically ridiculed. The police may pull someone over and charge him a fine for no reason except that he is a Christian. Christian cannot trust the police and local authorities.  Instead of righting the wrongs, they condone and even promote the wrongs.  [Contrast this with the Indian human rights organization that is presently protesting the abuse of terrorist prisoners.]

Please pray for Indian Christians. Pray for Indian pastors.  Pray for the national pastors who are supported by Praise International.

Thousands Protests in Egypt … and Ivory Coast

Egyptians are in protest against their president, Hosni Mubarak, in rule since the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981.  Pray for Egypt. Pray for a peaceful solution with no blood shed, or with the very least blood shed possible.

The solution is not that obvious. Electing a new president seems like the best of all solutions.  However, it would all depends who becomes the new president.  

There is a small, yet just the same, significant amount Christians in Egypt, as I wrote about in another PRAISE-worthy News blog, Copts Killed in Egypt.  The Coptic Church represents as many 8-20% percent of the Egypt populations. Some of the revolting Egyptians are Christians.  [1] [2] [3] The Muslim Brotherhood has also been involved in these massive protests.  If these protests dp bring down Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood may be the biggest winners.

Pray for all of the people in Egypt. Pray for the Christians.  It started out as a peaceful protest.  Now things are getting violent and out of hand.  Pray for a peaceful solution. 

And while you’re at it keep praying for the difficult political problem in Ivory Coast, a similar problem.  Laurent Gbagbo is still holding out.  Things don’t seem to be any better.  Maybe things are even a bit worse.

Last week the African Union discussed the problem and decided to make another diplomatic effort.  They are setting up a “high level panel” consisting of African heads of states.  Jean Ping, head of the African Union, said, “The winner of the election is clearly Ouattara, but we need to find a peaceful, negociated, political solution.”  Maybe he is envisioning some form of “bilateral” solution … or a share of power? Would do you think? How would this work?

Keep praying for Ivorians.  Pray for peace between opposing factions, between Muslims and Christians, between the north and the south.   A civil war would be terrible.  Pray for Joseph and Cristine Oulai, who lead Praise International in Ivory Coast and pray for all of the national pastors whose ministry we facilitate.

Praise assists Pastor Albert and Marguarite Kouassi as they serve the Lord in Ivory Coast.