November 09

Luke 2:10-11 and the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Praise the Lord for the Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus came for ALL.

We want to say thank you to all the people who pray for us on a regular basis. We could not live here without the support of prayer partners like you. Also, there is the reality of giving that keeps us on field. Without the funds that are made available to us through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering we could not live where we live and serve the Lord in Kamchatka. The Christmas season is the time of year that the majority of our supporters will give to International Missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Last year the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering did not reach the set goal. In fact the LMCO was short several million dollars. Because of the decrease in budget many changes have occurred over the past year and many people who feel called to the foreign field will be unable to go. The task at hand is larger than any one person but with a combined effort and the guidance of our Lord and Savior we can reach the ends of the earth. Please take time and ask the Lord how you can pray, give and go to help spread the Gospel around the world.

Here are a few statistics from our European Affinity Group:

EUROPEAN AFFINITY STATISTICAL HIGHLIGHT

Total population 778,795,029
Unreached People Groups (UPGs) 662

Unreached Population 636,552, 281

Unengaged UPGs, over 100,000 population 41

Mark Edworthy, leader of the European Affinity, states to the missionaries across Europe, “While we are certainly facing a difficult year ahead, there is also much that should encourage and embolden us. Earlier this month, we shared with trustees our annual report on the previous year’s work. Last year, you and your national partner’s implemented church planting strategies among 1,159 people groups and 208 major urban centers. 93 people groups and 34 urban centers were newly engaged during the year. Particularly encouraging were reports of more than 11,000 new outreach groups, more than 500,000 baptisms, and more than 24,000 new churches!”

The holiday season is here. We want to take a moment and wish everyone a Merry Christmas Season. The Thanksgiving festivities have ceased and Emma and Suzanne are ready to put up our Christmas tree. I expect that to take place later on today, December 1, 2009.

Family: It seems as if this month has “flown” by. That is probably due to the traveling that we had to take part in to renew our visas and get driving documents in order. We traveled to Seoul, South Korea and received our new Russian visa, spent 2 nights in Vladivostok, Russia, 2 nights in Petropavlovsk, Russia and traveled to and from the village. We were back in the village only a couple of days when Marty had to take the bus back to the city to get our vehicle documents in order. Praise the Lord after 2 weeks of traveling we are back in the village with ALL documents in order. I honestly believe one must live here in order to understand all the paperwork that must be done. This is certainly one of my (Marty) struggles that you can pray about. I don’t enjoy the document processing and being very dependent on a Russian native to help with the processing.

We had a great time celebrating our first Thanksgiving in Esso. We managed to find a turkey in the city and bring it back to the village for our traditional meal. We had turkey, dressing and all the trimmings including many Russian dishes prepared by our friends. We had 15 people crammed into our living room/dining room for our meal. A great time indeed!

Everyone always wants a weather report especially if they are from MS. So, how’s the weather in Esso? We have plenty of snow and more will come, temperatures are usually high 15 below zero and low 35 below zero. The lowest temperature we have experienced thus far 37 below zero. Weather that cold is very strange to a MS boy especially when his mustache freezes on his face.

Ministry Opportunities: During our travels this month we were able to share the Gospel in Seoul, South Korea, join a small group Bible Study in Vladivostok and in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka, preach and teach in Esso and have dinner guests in our home. Our territory was wide spread and God used us where we were for His purpose. Praise the Lord for opportunities.

Language: Suzanne and I take 9 hours of language a week. 3 hours a day, 3 times a week. We have come a long way in 2 years but still have a long way to go in the language learning process. Please continue to pray for our language ability.

School: Lee and Emma are doing very well in their studies. Emma has found a new love for science and each week our kitchen turns into a lab for the latest experiment. Of course, Suzanne also loves science and this makes for a great class. Emma also loves geography and can name the 50 states and capital cities of each. Lee has maintained a great GPA this term and is really enjoying the Bible program. He is using a DVD program with books and enjoys the majority of his teachers. His guitar ability has flourished this year and he now plays the guitar at all of our worship services in the village.

Prayer Request:
Please take time each day and pray for the new law that is being pushed through Russian congress. Pray for the speed and spreading of the Gospel. (You can read more about this law on our blog at http://robertsinrussia.blogspot.com)
-Pray for {Путь к Источникy (Poot k Ee-stoch-ne-koo) - The Way to the Source Baptist Church} a church plant happening in the village of Esso.
-Pray for Edict and Eger. They have both heard the Gospel many times. Pray for their salvation.
-Pray for Sergei and his family of 4. (A new family visiting our fellowship in Esso.)
- Pray for the many visa struggles throughout Russia.
-Pray for Zhenya and his family, our Russian partner in the village. Zhenya is now working 2 jobs plus working in the church.
-Pray for Alexander (Sasha) and his family as God continues to use him in Petropavlovsk.
- Pray for the new believers in Kamchatka as they continue their walk with the Lord.
- Pray that we will be faithful to serve the Lord on a daily basis in the midst of __________ (just fill in the blanks).
- Pray for laborers. (We invite you to join us physically in the work – for more information about bringing a mission team to Kamchatka…..just ask!)
Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear from you!

October 09

Please allow me this month to take a brief moment to update you on the happenings in Esso and our family. My desire is over the next month you will focus on the prayer request that takes up the majority of this month’s newsletter. Thank you so much for partnering with us through prayer. Holding the Rope is a vital part of our team. Thanks!

Family: The family is doing great and getting excited about the snowfall. Lee and Emma are anticipating the day they are able to strap on the snowboards and take off. If the snow keeps falling like it is today it will not be long. Lee has constructed a snowboard ramp in the side yard and looks forward to using it. Pray for no broken bones and teens to show up and use the ramp.
Nov. 11 we will be flying to Seoul, Korea for visa renewal. Please pray that our travel and re-entry are normal and without problems.

Ministry Opportunities: Please continue to pray for us as we learn how to minister to people in the village during the winter months. Winter creates shorter, colder, darker days. Many people are not out and about much during the hard winter. Pray that we will find creative ways to meet people during this time.
The construction continues on the church in Esso. Please pray that we will have the upstairs opened with heat installed before the hard weather. We continue to meet in a home every Sunday for worship.

Language: Suzanne and I study language 3 hours a day, 3 days a week. Just when you think you understand a little more….well, I (Marty) usually find a setback. Pray for our language skills to continue to develop.

School: Lee and Emma are doing very well in school. They both have made awesome grades and are ahead of schedule. They are looking forward to some ½ days of school while in Seoul for visa renewal.

Prayer Request:
-Pray for {Путь к Источникy (Poot k Ee-stoch-ne-koo) - The Way to the Source Baptist Church} a church plant happening in the village of Esso.
-Pray for Edict and Eger. They have both heard the Gospel many times. Pray for their salvation.
- Pray for the many visa struggles throughout Russia.
-Pray for Zhenya and his family, our Russian partner in the village. Zhenya is now working 2 jobs plus working in the church.
-Pray for Alexander (Sasha) and his family as God continues to use him in Petropavlovsk.
- Pray for the new believers in Kamchatka as they continue their walk with the Lord.
- Pray that we will be faithful to serve the Lord on a daily basis in the midst of __________ (just fill in the blanks).
- Pray for laborers. (We invite you to join us physically in the work – for more information about bringing a mission team to Kamchatka…..just ask!)
Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear from you!

Please take time each day and pray for the new law that is being pushed through Russian congress. Pray for the speed and spreading of the Gospel.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2
(1) Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.
(2) And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

We have been asked to enter into prayer and fasting with the Russian Baptist Union regarding new legislation that is being pushed through Russian congress. Please pray that it will not pass into law. If it does, our missionary activities and the regular Christian life of Russian Baptists will be severely restricted:

1. Children under the age of 14 would not be allowed to attend church without express written permission of parents.

2. Missionaries would be restricted to preach/teach only within Baptist church buildings with a letter of permission from sending and receiving organization for the specific dates he is to preach.

3. Rehabilitation centers would be shut down. No Baptists could work in orphanages or other places of ministry outside the church building.

4. Baptist churches would not be allowed to offer ESL classes, VBS, or any other social work.

5. Preachers will have to monitor the way invitations are given so as not to appear influential.

6. Foreigners who come to be involved in any way at any time in missionary activity would have to ONLY have religious visas, not tourist or any other.

7. Even a simple Baptist church member witnessing to someone inside a public building would become a crime.
Russian Baptist reaction to new draft legislation on missionary activity

M o s c o w -- New draft legislation introduced by the Russian Ministry of Justice on 12 October will, if it becomes law, greatly curtail religious freedom in Russia. On 20 October, the “Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” (RUECB) published an open letter signed by its President, Yuri Sipko, and addressed to Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation. The letter states: “We observe with alarm and puzzlement the development of church-state relations. Planned changes in the law on freedom of worship will reduce that freedom to a declaratory level” present only on paper. This new legislation intends to exacerbate the already-restrictive current law “On the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” of 26 September 1997. Sharper legislation had been proposed previously – the present proposals are in some instances a milder form of those initially introduced in 2006.

Baptist leadership is also offended by the fact that government representatives at a roundtable of religious leaders in the Justice Ministry on 18 September, which Yuri Sipko attended, did not reveal all segments of the new draft legislation. Yet Baptists understand that the new legislation of 12 October already enjoys the approval of Russia’s four official, “traditional” religions: Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. They are defined as such by the legislation of 1997. Rev. Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB’s “Director of External Church Relations”, believes the new laws are directed above all against Roman Catholics and Protestants – those without their own geographical territories in Russia.

This new legislation will attempt to register and regulate all forms of mission activity while also determining how it is to be carried out. Mission activity must occur without psychological pressure or the offering of material gain. Activities to the contrary will result in fines.

Proposed changes

The new draft legislation stipulates that only religious groups registered in Russia for at least 15 years will be allowed to apply for permission to engage in missionary activity. Only members of a religious organization will be allowed to evangelize, and the individual’s sponsoring body will also be held responsible for any infractions the missionary commits. But one church organization may officially delegate a member to work for another church body.

Persons excluded from engaging in missionary work include anyone ever sentenced for engaging in extremist activities and foreigners in Russia on a temporary (for ex. tourist) visa. Missionary activities must exclude all “offers of material, social and other benefits” while avoiding “any threat of physical violence, psychological pressure and manipulation of consciousness”.

Mission activity shall not occur in hospitals, orphanages or homes for invalids or the aged without the approval of government and institution officials. Such efforts may also not take place within or on the grounds of government buildings, nor in the vicinity of a religious structure of another faith. The journalist Roman Lunkin (Moscow) notes that this requirement should also trouble the Orthodox, for they have several chapels within government buildings in Moscow.

Central to the draft legislation is the stipulation that minors may not be present at religious activities – nor may they be given printed, audio or video materials - without the express permission of their parents or guardians. The Baptist response points out that requiring pastors to turn away the young flies in the face of Jesus’ commandment to “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them“ (Mark 10:14). The absurdity of such a law is backed-up with an example: “Ill-wishers can send minors to a church service and law enforcement will then fine the church for their presence. This will be a convenient and profitable way to ruin a congregation and supplement the city budget. Why should the pastor need to serve as policeman?” The paper continues: “Why should a teenager need parental confirmation to attend church when the same is not demanded from cinemas, stadiums and discos? Is a place of worship more dangerous than a secular location? This legislation wants to define religious organizations as harmful, and that is clear discrimination.”

Baptists resent being placed in the same category as foul language and property damage. The paper asks: “How can unauthorized religious activity be more malicious than a drunken uproar?”

According to the draft legislation, fines could run as high as 15.000 rubles ($517 US or 349 €) for organizations. The average Russian salary presently consists of 24.600 rubles ($848 US, 572 €) per month. The paper assures that a curtailing of missionary activity will also negatively affect the social work of Protestants. “Without missionary activities, drunkenness and the abuse of narcotics will only increase. Protestants have been involved in the rehabilitation of alcoholics and addicts with very good results. If the state begins to destroy the social ministry of churches, it will be forced to build more prisons.”

Protests against ambiguity

Baptists are worried by the ambiguity of these legal proposals. In a society known for its tendency towards anarchism, growth in the quantity of laws will generally only contribute to greater abuse of the legal system. Their statement asks, for ex: What is meant by forbidding churches to offer “other benefits” beyond material and social ones? Promising an alcoholic sobriety through church attendance could also be listed among “other benefits”. In addition, the paper states, “virtually any discussion could be defined as a form of ‘psychological pressure’”. Roman Lunkin adds that a sermon on the Last Judgment and the necessity for the forgiveness of sins could be defined as “psychological pressure” and “manipulation of consciousness”. The fine for that is 5.000 rubles ($172 or 116 €).

Baptists note that the bill does not distinguish between professional missionary activity and the conversations held by laity in the course of living their daily lives. “Practically all believers will become susceptible to penal sanction” – any one of them could be legally punished whenever the need might arise. Parallels are drawn to the cult of denunciation from the terrorist year of 1937: “The murky formulation of legislation will bring to full bloom a fat tree of possibilities for the denunciation of Christians by hostile neighbors, colleagues and acquaintances.”

Generally, the Baptist statement believes the introduction of such legislation would lead to a further moral decline of Russian society. It would also lead to greater alienation between the privileged and the non-privileged faiths, for it offers no guarantee against the renewed religious persecution of minorities. After all, in the 140 years of the Russian Baptist movement, Baptists “have experienced hardly more than 25 years of freedom”.

Not least of all, according to the Baptist paper, this new legislation would “contradict the Universal Declaration on Human Rights accepted by the United Nations and ratified by Russia”. It clearly impinges upon the freedom of the individual to believe as he or she feels fit. Such legislation would “damage the international authority of Russia”. “There is no objective necessity for a new law on missionary activity,” the paper concludes. “There is enough legislation already in place to deal with those who deceive law-abiding citizens.” On the topic of extremist and terrorist groups it adds: “We doubt that any changes to existing law will be a serious obstacle to their activities.”

Vitaly Vlasenko assures: “The RUECB is not against regulation of missionary activities per se, but we are certainly against their prohibition.” The Union will be asking its 1.750 congregations and groups to “unite for prayer and fasting”. Foreign churches are also welcome to participate. He adds that his church is interested in foreign legal expertise and would like to hear from churches who have had similar experiences in their relations with the state. Letters of concern addressed to Russian embassies worldwide are always welcome.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB

September 09

Please take note of our new home phone number. Our internet is very slow and our Vonage phone will not work. If you would like to talk to us please buy a calling card or call us on our house phone from Skype for 2 cents per minute. We would love to hear from you. If you call from Skype you do not need to dial the 011-7, just select Russia in the country section. When you call please remember the time difference. We are 18 hours ahead of MS time.

Genesis 12: 1 Now the Lord said unto Abraham, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.

Well, we are not the Abraham family but that is exactly how we felt several years ago. We knew the Lord was calling us out of our comfort zone to another country. We were ready but where would the Lord lead. He placed a people group on our hearts that are called The Small People of the North. They are the native peoples of Kamchatka. God has taken us on a long journey that contained many twists, turns, and learning curves to bring us to the place where we now live.

We have arrived in the northern village of Esso located in Kamchatka, Russia. We have rented a small cabin to live in and we are learning to live as the village people live. We still have much to learn about the place, people, their culture etc... However, we do feel at home. We have a peace about us that can only be explained by the peace that the Father gives. Please pray for us as we minister and proclaim the true Gospel message too many that have never heard or had an opportunity to respond to the Gospel. Please ask the Lord to give us wisdom in developing strong relationships with our new friends and neighbors.

Family: Our family is happy and healthy. We are enjoying the fresh mountain air and quietness of village life. Our kids are getting to experience the way of living as some of you might call the “old days.” Since we have been in the village we have picked an assortment of wild berries and made jam, jelly and syrup for the winter. We also have caught, canned, pickled and frozen salmon for the upcoming winter. We store all of our root vegetables in a root cellar. Our root cellar is accessed through an entry door in the floor of our home. We have a couple of green houses on our property where we can grow tomatoes, cucumbers, etc… Each day we walk to the small store and buy fresh baked bread. There are about 5 small stores in the village. Each store is about the size of an average American living room, around 250 square feet. Each store has its own special product it sells. Most of them will have several of the same things but you usually visit one store for meat, if they killed a hog that day, another for bread, another for household supplies. We praise the Lord for the experience that our children are getting. It is a great way to live for us. Pray that we adjust to the village life and learn to live as they live.

Emma Grace absolutely loves playing outside with her dog Deek now that we have wide open spaces. She and Lee take a ride on their bikes each evening across the creek and up one of the many trails. We also go swimming a couple of times each week in the hot springs. The center of the village has a rock hewn basin that is naturally fed with hot water from the thermal waters produced by the volcanoes. We enjoy a late evening swim and relaxation in the hot water.

Ministry Opportunities: Since our last newsletter we have had several opportunities for ministry. We have preached in the city and in the village. We were blessed to be able to travel back to the city and take part in baptismal service in the Pacific Ocean. This month in the city 4 believers were baptized by the church plants happening there. I am not sure but I think the water was around 45 degrees and the air temp about the same. It was cold but awesome!

Village – We have started a regular meeting in the home of Zhenya in the village. We will soon be moving our Sunday worship service to an adjacent cabin that will be used as the new church. We are planning the opening service to be held the second Sunday in October. Please pray as this takes the turn from a meeting to a church plant. Please pray for Zhenya as we help encourage him to take the lead in the new church plant.

Marty has been able to take part in some physical work/ministry this month. He has enjoyed doing AOK’s (acts of kindness) for new friends and neighbors in the village. Marty has been able to use some gifts that had been put on the back burner due to city life. Just a few hats Marty enjoyed wearing this month: mechanic, carpenter, welder, plumber and fisherman (yes you can use fishing as ministry and an act of kindness). Always be grateful for the knowledge the Lord has given you and be ready to use for His honor and glory.

We have also started a Friday night fellowship time in our home. It is a time for friends to gather, eat, discuss life, play games, laugh, pray and encourage one another. Please ask the Lord to bless this time on Fridays.

Laborers Together: We want to give a special “thank you” to all who pray for us on a regular basis. Please continue to pray and share with others about the work God is doing in Kamchatka. Take a moment to pass on our blog address and/or email address to others. You can view our blog at http://robertsinrussia.blogspot.com or email us at going.east@hotmail.com please remember that we are always excited to hear from you and answer any questions you might have about the work in Kamchatka.

Volunteer teams are needed. If you have any interest in physically joining the work in Kamchatka you are desperately needed. We already have teams that are preparing for their trip here next summer. Please know that it is impossible to plan a trip to Kamchatka in a short period of time. We suggest a year of planning and at least six months of preparation. If you are interested in how you can come to Kamchatka, help in what God is doing and are willing to have your life changed for your investment in the Kingdom don’t hesitate to contact us. The time for planning is now.

Language: Suzanne and I have resumed our structured language study. We currently have 9 hours of class time each week. We meet with our teacher in our home on Monday’s, Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 hours each day. Please pray for us as we continue to learn a very difficult language. Pray that our pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar abilities will increase. Also pray for Suzanne as these 3 days are especially long for her. She teaches the kids school from 8 am until 2pm and then has language class from 3 to 6pm.

School: Please continue to pray for Lee and Emma. They are full swing in their home school curriculum. Lee and Emma have started the year off very well. They have had several tests and have good grades thus far. Pray for Suzanne as she teaches a 4th grader and 9th grader.

Prayer Request:
-Pray for {Путь к Источникy (Poot k Ee-stoch-ne-koo) - The Way to the Source Baptist Church} a church plant happening in the village of Esso.
-Pray for the discipleship of new believers.
- Pray for the many visa struggles throughout Russia.
-Pray for Zhenya and his family, our Russian partner in the village.
-Pray for Alexander (Sasha) and his family as God continues to use him in Kamchatka.
- Pray for the new believers in Kamchatka as they continue their walk with the Lord.
- Pray that we will be faithful to serve the Lord on a daily basis in the midst of __________ (just fill in the blanks).
- Pray for laborers. (We invite you to join us physically in the work – for more information about bringing a mission team to Kamchatka…..just ask!)
Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear from you!

August 2009

Prayer request from last month’s newsletter: Please pray for us specifically as we attempt to seek out a place to rent so that we might live in the village over the next 1 ½ years before we come back to the states on our state side assignment. The village is made up of about 3,500 people and will be the strategic place to live as we reach out to other adjacent villages. The village is made up of primarily small wooden houses or log cabins. Therefore, it has proven difficult for us to find a place that is for rent. The majority of the places that are open are for sale only. At the present time due to the shortage of last year’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering buying or building is not an option for us at this time. Please pray that the Lord directs us to the person of good will that will help us in locating the exact place in which the Lord would have us to live for the next 1 ½ years. Thank you so much for making this a matter of specific prayer.

Thank you so much for praying over this matter. We made the trip to village “E” in order to continue to look for a place to move. We had looked at a couple of places earlier but they did not seem to have great potential. We simply trusted the Lord and headed north over the dirt, rocky, mountain roads. God heard your prayers and gave us a person of good will. We arrived in the village late Friday evening and prepared to sleep. We were sort of camping out there. Saturday morning with some of our Russian believers we loaded up and drove to another village north of village “E.” We slept there Saturday night and held Sunday services in that village. Sunday night we returned to Village “E.” By Monday evening we had received word that one of the houses we had looked at that was for sale might have an option to rent. Tuesday we went to meet with the owner of the house. It was as if God had already planned everything for us. The time frame, price, and all other logistics just fell into place. A special thanks to each one of you who made this a matter of special prayer. We will be traveling to Seoul, South Korea the middle of August to apply for a new Russian visa. We should return to Petropavlovsk around the 20th and then start packing up to head to the village TO LIVE the first of September. Please continue to pray that all travel, document and moving logistics will be routine.

Family: Our family is doing well and we are getting excited about moving to the village. Emma Grace asked over a year ago for a bike, a dog and her own room when we moved to the village. I know that she prayed for this more than once. God is so great that He even takes care of the minor details. As soon as we returned to the city with the assurance of moving to the village in September we went to the sport’s store in the city and purchased Emma a new bike to take to the village. Now wait, that is not the end of the story. While we were looking at the house to rent in the village and had started finalizing all the logistical matters, the owner of the home had one more question. The lady that owns the house will be moving to the city to live close to her grandchildren. She looked at Emma and said, “I want you to meet someone.” She called and around the corner came Deek, a black beautiful spaniel. Deek is 4 years old and when he rounded the corner Emma kneeled down and Deek ran straight to her. Our landlady asked Emma if she could take care of Deek. She seemed to think that he would not like the city and should continue to live in the village. Emma’s face lit up and a big smile went across her face. She said, “Mom and Dad, I got all I asked for, my own room, a dog, and maybe a new bike.” Of course she got the new bike, her own room and a black 4 year old spaniel named Deek. I was reminded of an old children’s song: “Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

We also received 4 heavy boxes from the states this week. Each box was packed full with Lee and Emma’s home school books for next year. They may not have been as excited about the books as they were the village house and moving. Take a minute and pray for their school year and their home school teacher, Suzanne.

Ministry Opportunities: We were able to travel to the villages this month. It was a great time. We visited with several people in different villages. We held services in village “K.” We met with believers in village “E.” Also, in village “E” we were able to visit a few homes and share the Gospel. One lady, I would guess in her upper 60’s maybe early 70’s, prayed to receive Christ. She had been raised in the Orthodox Church and knew about Jesus but had never understood how to have a relationship with Christ. We spent a couple of hours with her and toward the end of our meeting she said, “I want that.” She prayed and gave her life to Christ and the smile that came across her face was larger than the smile on Emma’s when she saw Deek.

We also invited Mesha, Lee’s Russian friend, to tag along with us on this trip. We were able to help do some minor construction work on the youth camp in the village, work on a future neighbors roof, and help repair some of the water lines. Mesha proved to be a hard worker.

The follow up contacts from the mission teams in the city of PK are underway. Please pray for Mesha and Tanya, Russian nationals from Emmanuel Church, as they continue to make follow up contacts this month. Pray for Sasha and his family who are out of PK at this time on vacation. They will be gone for another month. Pray that they returned refreshed.

Laborers Together: We want to give a special “thank you” to all who pray for us on a regular basis. Please continue to pray and share with others about the work God is doing in Kamchatka. Take a moment to pass on our blog address and/or email address to others. You can view our blog at http://robertsinrussia.blogspot.com or email us at going.east@hotmail.com please remember that we are always excited to hear from you and answer any questions you might have about the work in Kamchatka.

Volunteer teams are needed. If you have any interest in physically joining the work in Kamchatka you are desperately needed. We already have teams that are preparing for their trip here next summer. Please know that it is impossible to plan a trip to Kamchatka in a short period of time. We suggest a year of planning and at least six months of preparation. If you are interested in how you can come to Kamchatka, help in what God is doing and are willing to have your life changed for your investment in the Kingdom don’t hesitate to contact us. The time for planning is now.

Language: Praise the Lord!!! We passed our language exam and have been released from full time language. We will continue our language classes three days a week once we are settled in the village. Pleas pray and ask the Lord to direct us to the teacher we need in the village.

Prayer Request:
-Pray for us as we pack and plan for life in the village.
-Pray for the discipleship of new believers.
- Pray for the many visa struggles throughout Russia.
-Pray for Alexander (Sasha) and his family as God continues to use him in Kamchatka.
- Pray for the new believers in Kamchatka as they continue their walk with the Lord.
- Pray that we will be faithful to serve the Lord on a daily basis in the midst of __________ (just fill in the blanks).
- Pray for laborers. (We invite you to join us physically in the work – for more information about bringing a mission team to Kamchatka…..just ask!)

Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear from you!

July 2009

Как вас зовут? (Pronounced - cock vas za-voot). This short phrase in Russian translates in English as, what is your name? But when you literally translate this statement it asks the question, how are you called?

Over the past couple of weeks I have given much thought to this statement. How are you called? We had the opportunity to travel to Athens, Greece for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) with International Mission Board (IMB). It was a time of praise, worship, meetings, and giving. I am proud to share with you that your missionaries serving across Central and Eastern Europe gave over $80,000.00 to overseas missions through our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

One evening we had the opportunity to walk the streets of Athens and see some of the ancient structures that remain there. I thought about Acts 17 when Apostle Paul visited this very same city. I thought about all the gods and “unknown gods” of the world that are leading so many people astray. I thought about how Apostle Paul referred to himself throughout scripture. Here are a few words that Paul used when identifying himself: bond-servant, apostle, servant, steward of the mysteries of God, prisoner, minister, child of God and the list could go on and on.

Now take a moment and think of some of the ways that Jesus referred to himself. Words like: Son of Man, The Vine, The Door, The Light of the World, The Bread of Life, Living Water, and certainly this list could be expanded for pages and pages.

Acts 19:15 “and the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?’”

A thought to ponder with me: If you had to honestly, truthfully, describe yourself in a few short words……..How are you called? Как вас зовут?

Family: It seems as if the past month has been made up of only a few days. We said good-bye to our last mission team from the states and then had to immediately prepare for our 11 time zone flight to Greece. We spent ten days in Greece and then whirled back to Petropavlovsk to deal with re-registration, and the beginning of new paperwork for our next visa run which will take place in August. Please pray as these documents are being prepared.

While at AGM we were ministered to in our heart language. Please never take for granted the ability to worship with fellow believers in your heart language, your mother tongue. While at AGM, Lee was able to take part in MKR. MKR is best explained as youth camp for all the MK’s (missionary kids). Emma Grace along with her age group was provided the opportunity to take part in VBS each day, The Boomerang Express. It was a great time for our kids to worship with peers and celebrate Jesus together with their friends. Both Lee’s class and Emma’s led us in a time of Worship and celebration one night. It was awesome to see 300 youth and kids lifting up the name of Christ together. A special thanks to all the volunteers who came from the states to help lead our children during this time.

Also, while at AGM Lee and Emma were both given their achievement tests for 2009. We are very proud to report that both Lee and Emma scored in the upper percentile on a national level. In many areas Lee, our 14 year old son, was ranked at college level. We are very proud of our children not only for their test scores but how they live their lives and see themselves as a vital part of the work that God has called our family to. I am also very proud of their home school teacher, my wife, Suzanne. She fills so many roles in our family. Thanks honey!

Ministry Opportunities: During the short amount of time between the mission teams’ departures and the leaving for Greece we were invited to preach at the small church located in Yeililzo. It was an opportunity to simply brag on Jesus about the recent work He did in PK and to challenge the believers to continue to stretch their faith. Also, working with Team PK and Emmanuel Church the follow ups on the contacts made through the mission teams from the states are underway. Please continue to pray for Sasha and Emmanuel Church as they work on making contacts, setting up meetings and Bible studies. Pray that God will do a great work in Petropavlovsk during this time and give everyone the wisdom needed in taking the next steps.

Please pray for us as we will leave in the next few days on a village run. We will travel to village “E.” This trip will be the 800 mile round trip with the majority being on dirt and rock mountain roads. Please pray for us specifically as we attempt to seek out a place to rent so that we might live in the village over the next 1 ½ years before we come back to the states on our state side assignment. The village is made up of about 3,500 people and will be the strategic place to live as we reach out to other adjacent villages. The village is made up of primarily small wooden houses or log cabins. Therefore, it has proven difficult for us to find a place that is for rent. The majority of the places that are open are for sale only. At the present time due to the shortage of last year’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering buying or building is not an option for us at this time. Please pray that the Lord directs us to the person of good will that will help us in locating the exact place in which the Lord would have us to live for the next 1 ½ years. Thank you so much for making this a matter of specific prayer.

Laborers Together: We want to give a special “thank you” to all who pray for us on a regular basis. Please continue to pray and share with others about the work God is doing in Kamchatka. Take a moment to pass on our blog address and/or email address to others. You can view our blog at http://robertsinrussia.blogspot.com or email us at going.east@hotmail.com please remember that we are always excited to hear from you and answer any questions you might have about the work in Kamchatka.

Volunteer teams are needed. If you have any interest in physically joining the work in Kamchatka you are desperately needed. We already have teams that are preparing for their trip here next summer. Please know that is impossible to plan a trip to Kamchatka in a short period of time. We suggest a year of planning and at least six months of preparation. If you are interested in how you can come to Kamchatka, help in what God is doing and are willing to have your life changed for your investment in the Kingdom don’t hesitate to contact us. The time for planning is now.

Language: Praise the Lord!!! We passed our language exam and have been released from full time language. We can now begin looking for a place to live in the village and start planning a move in God’s timing. We will continue our language classes three days a week once we are settled. Pray that God reveals to us exactly where and how we are to move north. Also, pray for us that we will be diligent to study the language on our own until we are settled in our new location.

Prayer Request:
-Pray for us as we seek housing in the village.
-Pray for the discipleship of new believers.
- Pray for the many visa struggles throughout Russia.
-Pray for Alexander (Sasha) and his family as God continues to use him in Kamchatka.
- Pray for the new believers in Kamchatka as they continue their walk with the Lord.
- Pray that we will be faithful to serve the Lord on a daily basis in the midst of __________ (just fill in the blanks).
- Pray for laborers. (We invite you to join us physically in the work – for more information about bringing a mission team to Kamchatka…..just ask!)

Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear from you!

June 2009

Spurgeon once wrote, “Jesus Christ is the light to the eye, honey to the taste, music to the ear, and joy to the heart.”

Over the past three weeks we have engaged many people on the streets of Petropavlovsk and asked the question: (Кто для вас Ййсус?) Who is Jesus to you? Take a moment and ask yourself that same question. To YOU who is Jesus? I could write pages on the different answers we received. I pray that you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and have a growing relationship with the King of Kings.

We want to give a special thanks to all of you who faithfully hold the rope for us in prayer. God used you in the preparing of good soil and many of you joined the work in Kamchatka the past few weeks in a special season of prayer. Thank you! You will never know this side of heaven the impact of your prayers.

I do want to take this opportunity to invite you to join us physically in the work here. We are in desperate need for laborers to come around the world on short term and long term trips. If God has stirred your heart in this direction please contact us and let’s begin planning a trip for you. It will not only change the lives of many in Kamchatka but it will change your life as well. We are praying for laborers.

Family: Since our last newsletter we have traveled to the states for some vacation time and visa renewal. The time we had in the states with our family, friends and prayer warriors was a blessing from God. As soon as we returned to PK we started preparing for the three weeks of teams that were on the way from the states. We were blessed to be a part of this. We worked with the Putnam family and the teams from Ingram Baptist Church and Oak Hill Baptist Church. We praise the Lord for those who came and invested their time in Kamchatka: Joel, John, Patricia, Holly, Danielle, Greg, Kaila, Jeremy and Joe, thank you guys and gals for allowing the Lord to work through you in Kamchatka.

Ministry Opportunities: We joined together with Team PK and the mission teams from the states for a city wide evangelism effort. We saw God do some might things in just a short period of time. Here are the stats from the past three weeks:
Total people engaged on the streets of PK: 1,328
Total people who would not listen to the Gospel: 620
Total Bibles given to those who never had a Bible: 190
Total people that heard the true Gospel: 708
Total people who want to meet and discuss the TRUTH further: 151
Total people who prayed to receive Christ: 124
Please pray for those who heard the Gospel and did not respond. Ask the Lord to continue to speak to them. Pray for the people of Emmanuel as they contact those who prayed and those who want to meet for further study.

Below are three stories from the past few weeks:

Joel Strahan, pastor of Ingram Baptist Church, wrote:
Imaging this place and seeing it are two different things entirely. As we walked the streets of Petropavlovsk speaking the truth into people’s lives, it became apparent to me why God chose to send us to this place. The people of Kamchatka are living in such darkness that is difficult to describe. After three days I said, “This is what it looks like when you live under the rule of Satan for so long.” The city looks, smells, and feels depraved. The people don’t smile, they don’t initiate conversation, and they don’t have hope for anything better. I praise God for sending the Roberts and the Putnam’s here to live! This is a picture of God’s grace. However, the two families are praying for more workers to come sow God’s Word. I want to encourage everyone to pray for the salvation of these people. Pray for more money to be given to foreign missions long enough for God to tell you to give. Pray for missionaries long enough for God to call you to go.

Joe Veal, evangelist and founder of “U Turn” ministries, wrote:
In a land of volcanoes and vodka we saw God moving. My friends the Roberts have been called by God to move to this cold yet beautiful land, not so unlike the people we’ve encountered here. As spring moves in God’s “SUN” warms the earth and new life buds across Kamchatka. As we spread the warmth of God’s “SON” we saw eternal life spring up. What a privilege to see people come into the kingdom.
In a land where we take freedom for granted we need to pray for the Roberts by name: Marty, Suzanne, Lee and Emma Grace. Thank God for His passion for the people of Kamchatka and for His passion that flows through the Roberts’. This land is consumed and controlled by alcohol. I pray for a great reversal that Jesus would replace the temporary high and they would receive the “Most High.” As we walk the streets of Petropavlovsk the volcano looms in the distance occasionally the earth shakes or smoke rolls from the top. By and large people ignore or take for granted its presence. At anytime this awesome power could erupt. How similar to our attitudes towards God. He’s coming! Do we really live like it? God help us.

Suzanne, serving in Kamchatka, writes:
WOW! Our God is an awesome God! I have been allowed the privilege of feeling His power and protection, wisdom and love, mercy and grace like never before while sitting in a Russian police station. Because of Satan’s desire to keep a stronghold on the peoples of Kamchatka he brought opposition to the spreading of God’s Word. Joe, a fellow laborer for Christ, and myself along with our translator, (a Russian Believer) were taken in for questioning for sharing the Gospel of Christ with teens on the streets of PK. An off duty officer overheard the message and became offended and very angry. He made a phone call and in a matter of minutes we were being carried into a precinct at the end of town. In my opinion, Satan’s attempt to halt the Gospel only backfired because three men and one young lady who may never have heard the Truth were presented the Gospel many times. Praise be to God and may He change their lives forever. Even though I was nervous I was never “afraid” because I knew God was on my side. He allowed me to share my faith with boldness and confidence in the face of opposition. “In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56:11
God intervened and sent us a Christian lawyer who know the Russian law well. After two separate trips on two different days to the station, ten hours of “interviews” and waiting we were found to have done nothing wrong.

Language: Praise the Lord!!! We passed our language exam and have been released from full time language. We can now begin looking for a place to live in the village and start planning a move in God’s timing. We will continue our language classes three days a week once we are settled. Pray that God reveals to us exactly where and how we are to move north.

Prayer Request:
-Pray for the discipleship of new believers.
- Pray for the many visa struggles throughout Russia.
-Pray for Alexander (Sasha) and his family as God continues to use him in Kamchatka.
- Pray for the new believers in Kamchatka as they continue their walk with the Lord.
- Pray that we will be faithful to serve the Lord on a daily basis in the midst of __________ (just fill in the blanks).
- Pray for laborers. (We invite you to join us physically in the work – for more information about bringing a mission team to Kamchatka…..just ask!)
Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear from you!

May Prayer Calendar

Please join us this month in specific, daily prayer for the peoples of Kamchatka. The prayer calendar is also available to you in calendar format. Just send us an email and request the May prayer calendar and we will email it to you.
Thanks for praying with us,
The Roberts'

The Month of Prayer for Kamchatka
May 2009



May 3 The Future
Please pray for these future church leaders in Kamchatka who have yet to receive Christ:

Misha-drunk, wife
and kid beater
Boris-scam artist
Michael-atheist
Andre-active in the
occult


Jesus said “Look!! The fields are white for harvest!”

May 4 Yelizovo
Pray for lay leaders Sasha, Sasha, and Anatolli as they grow in leadership during their pastor’s extended absence. Pray that the necessary resources will be available so the volunteer builders from America will have a successful summer completing the next phase of the church’s facilities.

May 5 New Churches
Please pray that new churches with an intense love for God and a vision for seeing Kamchatka come to Christ will be planted in each of the 31 districts in the city. Currently, there is one new church plant. We’d love to see the number double annually.

May 6 Emmanuel
Emmanuel is the new church plant in PK which is serving as the model for more churches. Please pray that Jesus will be first place in all they do and their love for Him will lead to obedience. Ask the Lord to allow the roots of this church to grow deep in Him resulting in much fruit that lasts!

May 7 Good News
Good News is the oldest Baptist church in Kam-chatka celebrating over 40 years. Pray that the 40 people who make up the church will develop a heart for the Lord and His ways.

8 Open Homes
Due to shortage of available land and astronomical building prices, there is little hope of reaching the masses of Petropavlovsk through churches that meet in buildings. Please pray that God will lead us to people who want to open their apartments as meeting places!

May 9 Goodwill
Pray for people of goodwill to be placed in the government positions that have influence over our lives in Kamchatka. We need government favor in order to maintain a long-term presence on the peninsula.


May 10 Tribal
Please pray for the salvation of the Native Russian tribes located in Kamchatka—the Eveni, the Koryak, and the Chukchi.

May 11 Mil’kovo
The church in Mil’kovo is with-out a pastor but has 6 faithful ladies who continue to meet regularly. Pray that the Lord will raise up leadership. Pray for strength and encouragement for the women there.

May 12 Village E
Pray for the handful of believers in Village E and that a church will form there. This village will serve as a great point from which to launch church planting in many villages.

May 13 Village K
Pray for the church in Village K that they will thrive and grow spiritually in the midst of the harsh climate and isolation.

May 14 Village A
Jesus purchased people from every tribe to make up His kingdom. The
people-group in this village have only a few known followers of Christ. Pray for a vast spiritual awakening among them!

May 15 Village S
Village S is located along the N/S road in Kamchatka and is a popular stop for travelers. Ask God to save people in this village and use them to share his message that could be carried across the peninsula.

May 16 Village R
Located not too far from Petropavlovsk, this village has potential for a new church plant. Pray that God will raise up national leaders to embrace this vision and for ready hearts to receive Him.


May 17 Sasha & Tanya
Pray for Sasha as he leads Emmanuel church, trains Russian leaders, and supply preaches—all in addition to working full-time. Pray for Tanya that God will heal her (illness unknown) and restore her so she can fully support Sasha in the ministry and raising their 3 small children.

May 18 People of Peace
Pray for God to lead us to people of peace who would be willing to open their homes for Bible studies throughout PK.

May 19 Putnams
Pray for the Putnam family that they will experience His grace as they lead in church planting and leadership training in the city. Pray for strength as they renew visas every 90 days, and for God to show them a way to live long-term in the city.

May 20 Roberts
Pray for the Roberts that they will locate a great place to live and transition smoothly to the village to begin reaching the tribal peoples of Kamchatka. Pray for God to provide a way for them to live long-term in the village and for strength as they travel every 90 days for new visas.

May 21 Valodya
As Valodya seeks to lead the Good News church, please pray for an increasing love for God in his heart, a clear under-standing of the Word, and the ability to com-municate the Word clearly to the church.

May 22 WANTED
Wanted: Volunteers

Ask the Lord to send short-term laborers from around the world into the fields of Kamchatka to help with:
*evangelism
*construction
*extreme wild-
erness camps
*ESL classes

May 23 WANTED
Wanted: Full-Time

Ask the Lord to send full-time laborers into the fields of Kamchatka to help with:
*evangelism
*logistic coord.
*church planting
*village sports
evangelism


24 Volunteer Teams
The first of 2 volunteer teams arrived yesterday from North MS. Please pray for quick adjustment to the time and culture. Please pray for safety as they travel around the city engaging in evangelism and Bible distribution. Pray for safety as they return Saturday and the 2nd team as they depart the States on June 4.

May 25 Appointments
We are looking for open hearts and open homes. Please pray for divine appoint-ments with people who are ready to be saved and willing to open their apartments to study the Bible.

May 26 Translators
Please pray that the translators that will be helping our teams will accurately communicate the gospel and will be faithful in serving in this role.

May 27 Weather
Ask the Lord to provide nice sunny days that will bring lots of people outside while the volunteer teams are here.

May 28 No Trouble
Ask the Lord to shield and protect the volunteer teams from any trouble from local opposition.

May 29The Multitudes
Please pray that God will save the multitudes! Please pray that churches will be planted across Kamchatka and many strong followers of Christ will emerge!

May 30 The Vision
As the volunteers return to America, please pray that they will spread the vision of world missions!

Thanks for holding the rope!

March 2009

Charles H. Spurgeon once stated, “God the Holy Spirit writes our prayers, God the Son presents our prayers and God the Father accepts our prayers. And with the whole Trinity to help us in it, what cannot prayer perform.”

Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Dear ROPE HOLDERS, (Prayer partners); thank you so much for being so diligent in your prayers for the peoples of Kamchatka. Thank you for being an offering before the Lord. Please continue to be ferverent in your prayers as travel plans and summer mission teams begin to take shape. Pray that many will respond to the clear Gospel message in Kamchatka.

Featured question(s): This is a new section of our monthly newsletter where we would love to answer your questions. Please email your questions to us throughout the year at going.east@hotmail.com and each month we will feature a few questions in the newsletter.

Question submitted by Sherry (Union Ridge Baptist Church - Missouri) What is the main social problem in Kamchatka?The main social problem in Kamchatka would certainly be alcohol abuse. In the city there are several small wooden stands much like a small ice cream stand in the states. Instead of selling ice cream the stands here sell beer, draft beer by the cup. People will buy the beer and stand there while they drink a cup or two or ten. It is not unusual to see men starting their day at 8:00 am at the beer stand. Also, Russia is known for vodka. Daily we see men and women on the streets drinking from a liter bottle of vodka. They do have laws in Russia against drinking and driving but as far as I can tell if you are walking you can drink openly.

Tanya, one of the members of Emmanuel, recently found a new job (an answer to prayer). Oh, by the way she worked six months without pay just to get this job. She is now employed, with pay, by the police agency in PK but would be considered a social worker in the states. She has told many stories of alcohol abuse and the many problems that go along with it. During the long winters of the north many people attempt to deal with winter depression by consuming enormous amounts of alcohol which often lead to suicide.

Family: Our family is doing well. Would you like to see for yourself? We will be traveling to the states in April for visa renewal plus a little vacation time. We can’t possibly visit everyone, so we want to invite you to a pot luck gathering outside by the lake at Suzanne’s parents house in Sherman, MS. We will be outside by the lake May 2, 2009. We will start around 4 pm and hang around until the fire pit burns out. What do you need to bring? If you play an acoustic instrument bring it. We are not professionals but enjoy picking around the fire pit. You will also want to have your lawn chair and possibly some bug spray. If you would like bring a dish of whatever, by all means do so. We are excited about getting to see everyone.

Ministry Opportunities: We had several opportunities this month to minister to others. We were able to make the trip north to village “E,” approximately 650 miles on snow/ice covered dirt roads. We had the opportunity to share in two services there: one on Saturday night followed by a Russian meal and one on Sunday morning where we observed the Lord’s Supper with the handful of fellow believers there. It was also refreshing for us to be in the villages once again. The small group of believers in village “E” continues to pray for and desire a great movement from God. We hope to soon be moving north where our work can expand there. Please continue to pray for those in the villages. Many have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel.

Praise report: Emmanuel’s evangelism training and broad sowing of the Word is bearing fruit. Praise the Lord, His Word never returns void. This month Tanya, the wife of Sasha, the house church leader, was able to lead her first person ever to the Lord. She used the simple evangelism plan that had been taught over the past few months at Emmanuel. She was able to share the Gospel with her brother-n-law Nicolai. He listened as she shared the Gospel and before she could go through all the verses she had been given during evangelism training, Nicolai said, “I want that!” “Want what?” Tanya asked. “Forgiveness,” said Nicolai. During the next few minutes Nicolai prayed to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior. Just a few days later Tanya was at her mother-n-laws house. The mother-n-law gave her a small gift and Tanya reached into her purse and handed Nadegda a New Testament. She turned the conversation to spiritual matters and praise the Lord for answered prayers, Sasha’s mother, Nadegda, prayed to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior. Please pray for Nicolai and Nadegda as they begin their walk with the Lord.

It was also a joy this month to have 2 of our teen agers take the leadership role in Bible study. Misha, a 15 year old Russian, who was saved in June 2008 has a desire to study the Bible and has begun to lead out in Bible study. He led one of our Friday night Bible studies this month. Continue to pray for Misha as he grows in his relationship with the Lord. Lee, our son, also led his first Bible study in Russian without a translator. We are very proud of him. Lee led one of the Friday night Bible studies also. It is a great time to see the teens of PK taking part in Friday night Bible study (their choice of nights by the way) and also leading.

Language: As we stated last month, we are soooo ready to be out of full-time language. On April 9 & 10 we will be taking the test that determines if we get to become part-time language students or have to remain full-time language students. This is a HUGE test covering Russian grammar, writing abilities, listening and comprehension abilities and speaking abilities. We are excited and nervous at the same time. Please be in prayer for us.

Prayer Request:
-Pray for the Putnam family as they return to Kamchatka on April 3, 2009.
-Pray for Ingram Baptist Church (Baldwyn, MS) as they prepare to send two mission teams to Kamchatka this summer.
- Pray for the many visa situations throughout Russia.
-Pray for Alexander (Sasha) and his family as God continues to use him in Kamchatka.
- Pray for the new believers in Kamchatka as they continue their walk with the Lord.
-Pray for the folks at Emmanuel as they take part in Street Evangelism Training and Application..
- Pray that we will be faithful to serve the Lord on a daily basis in the midst of __________ (just fill in the blanks).
- Pray for laborers. (We invite you to join us physically in the work – for more information about bringing a mission team to Kamchatka…..just ask!)
Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear from you.

February 2009 Newsletter

Charles H. Spurgeon once stated, “O people of God, be great believers! Little faith will bring your souls to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your souls.”

Romans 10:17 so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Please continue to pray that God’s Word will be spread throughout Kamchatka and Russia so that those who have not heard might hear and believe and heaven brought to their souls. Pray for Ingram Baptist Church as they prepare to send two teams to Kamchatka this summer. Ask the Lord to guide their steps, to prepare them for their time overseas, for support and encouragement from their fellow church members, and for heaven to fill their souls. What we are full of will naturally flow from our lips and lives.

Featured question(s): This is a new section of our monthly newsletter where we would love to answer your questions. Please email your questions to us throughout the year at going.east@hotmail.com and each month we will feature a few questions in the newsletter.

Question submitted by Keith (Wheeler Baptist Church - Mississippi): How will the Roberts family continue to live in Kamchatka? What is the current visa situation?
Visa Update: We are currently in Kamchatka on a 90 day visa. We are officially registered in the city. That simply means that we have permission to live in Petropavlovsk – Kamchatka until April 28, 2009 and then we must leave again. We praise the Lord for this door that is opened for us to return. Please continue to pray that we fully understand God’s plan for long term living in Kamchatka. Pray for us as we continue to seek out a way to live in Kamchatka for longer than 90 days at a time.

To be very honest we have more questions about the current visa situation than we do answers. Until there is a change in the government in Kamchatka or until we discover another avenue to try we will continue to do 90 day visa renewals. We have attempted other avenues such as work permits and temporary residency permits. On both occasions we have been denied because we are in Russia on a religious work visa. In short, that simply means that every 90 days we must leave Russia. In our case the closest and most economical place for us to travel out of country is Seoul, South Korea. Of course this is very expensive and time consuming. At this time this is the only open door that we have and will continue to do this until change occurs. Pray that God would change the heart of the “powers that be” in Kamchatka so that we could re-apply for a temporary residency permit.

Remember our “Holding the Rope” check list? It is found in Colossians 4: 2-5 (2) Continue in Prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; (3) Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: (4) That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. (5) Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

•Join with us this month and pray through this passage with us and for us:
Pray that we would:
o Be diligent and purposeful in prayer
o Give thanks daily (that our attitudes are correct)
o God opens the door for us to speak of Jesus and His love
o We would make every decision with wisdom from above
o We would redeem the time

Question submitted by Sherry (Union Ridge Baptist Church - Missouri) What is the health care system like in Kamchatka?The health care system in Kamchatka is a social medical system. Basically if you are a Russian citizen you are assigned a doctor at birth. This person is your doctor and your first point of reference for medical needs. If you need to be refereed he or she must do that. Most Russians believe that their medical system is expensive. In comparison to the medical system in the states it is much cheaper. We recently had to have a chest x-ray for TB. This test was required in order for us to submit documents to live here. The x-rays for a family of 4 were about $30.00. However, in most areas their medical system is older and dated. For example: Suzanne and I had to have blood work done for some more document purposes. Praise the Lord the kids did not have to have this done. We went to the place called the lab and waited in a small room with several people in it. You just waited your turn and went after the one you followed came out. No appointments, no name calling, you just had to know that it was your turn. It was finally our turn. We stepped across several big holes in the buildings floor, and watched a dog and a cat trot up and down the hall. I sat down and looked into a metal bowl of clear liquid, alcohol I suspected; upon further inspection I notice several razor blades. The nurse entered without a smile, sat down and began to unwrap a long glass tube. I had flash backs of a trip to Dr. Moonies as a child. (You will have to talk to my Mom about Dr. Moonies. I have tried to forget!) She, the very focused, eye browed clinched Russian nurse, proceeded to get her razor blade so I went ahead and yelled before she ever cut me!!! She finally gave me a little smile….I closed my eyes and she drove that double edged razor into my finger and proceeded to take this 2 foot long glass tube with a black bulb on the end and squeeze my finger and suck the blood into this tube and then place it in another blood tube. The medical system in Kamchatka is very different from the states. We have only been to the Russian Social Government clinics when we needed medical work done to apply for Russian Documents. Any major medical stuff that can wait will be done in another place.

There is a place here that is a little more modern. It is independently run and we would use that clinic if we needed medical attention. However they can’t do the test needed for documents. The apteka ( Russian word for pharmacy) has basic meds that you can purchase over the counter. We are very grateful for Suzanne’s nursing abilities and her 15 years of service as a RN. She is now the Roberts’ family official medical provider. We are blessed to serve with the IMB because if we have major medical issues they have medical plans in place for us and we would be sent to places with up to date medical facilities.

Family: This month we had the joy of celebrating Suzanne’s second birthday (Feb. 19) in Kamchatka. Emma Grace’s birthday is soon approaching (March 11) and she reminds us each day on the official countdown of days until her birthday. It is great to have special days such as these to celebrate.

As long as we are talking about aging I guess I will confess. No, I did not have a birthday this month but I did have one day that I really began to feel old. I watched Lee as he shaved for the first time. What!!!? That’s Lee, could he really be shaving, almost 6 feet tall and 175 pounds. Yep, that explains my gray, thinning hair. I thank the Lord for my family and the lessons that He is teaching us together by living overseas.

We enjoyed one day on the ski slopes and invited our language teacher to tag along. She would not ski downhill but did some cross country skiing. Lee and Emma continue to improve on their snowboard abilities. We also were able to spend a few evenings cross country skiing.

The kids continue to good in their home school curriculum. Both Lee and Emma’s grades would make the honor role at Wheeler. We are very proud of both of them and their study habits.

Ministry Opportunities: We were very blessed this month to have several opportunities to share the Gospel with people. We were also able to give Bibles to several people who have never had a copy of God’s Word in their home. We were also able to host a Russian family in our home as dinner guest and discuss evangelism plans for Kamchatka. On February 8 we traveled to Yelizovo and Marty was invited to preach. Lee played the guitar and Suzanne sang a solo. The following Sunday Marty was invited to preach at the Central church in Petropavlovsk. Lee also played the guitar at that service and Suzanne and Emma sang a duet. Please continue to pray for us and our language abilities. Pray that our language would continue to increase and that we will be faithful to use what we know.

Language: We continue to strive to learn more and more of the Russian language. We have language class for 3 hours a day Monday – Friday plus homework. Lately our language classes have been a struggle. To say the least we are ready to take a break from formal language study. We have spent many hours, many days in full time language. We are ready to be considered part-time language students and full time language users. Pray that we stay focused and finish our language studies well. We are in our final book at this time. There could be light at the end of the tunnel.

Prayer Request:
-Pray for the Roberts family as we plan to travel to some of the northern villages in March. We plan to travel March 12-16. Most of this travel will be on snow and ice covered dirt roads. We will travel approximately 1100 - 1200 KM or 750 miles.
-Pray for the Putnam family as they continue the paperwork process to return to PK.
-Pray for Ingram Baptist Church (Baldwyn, MS) as they begin the paperwork process to send two mission teams to Kamchatka this summer.
- Pray for the many visa situations throughout Russia.
-Pray for Alexander and his family as God continues to use him in Kamchatka.
- Pray for the new believers in Kamchatka as they continue their walk with the Lord.
-Pray for the folks at Emmanuel as they take part in Street Evangelism Training and Application..
- Pray that we will be faithful to serve the Lord on a daily basis in the midst of __________ (just fill in the blanks).
- Pray for laborers. (We invite you to join us physically in the work – for more information about bringing a mission team to Kamchatka…..just ask!)Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear what is happening in your ministry.

January 2009 Newsletter

2 Corinthians 4: 5-7 for we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of the God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Continue to pray that we will be reflectors of Light in a dark world, that we would always give all praise and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ and be humble followers where He leads.

Featured question(s): This is a new section of our monthly newsletter where we would love to answer your questions. Please email your questions to us throughout the year at going.east@hotmail.com and each month we will feature a few questions in the newsletter.

There were no questions submitted this month. Please send us your questions for this section of the newsletter to work. Our desire is to provide you with information of interest.

Family: We were able to celebrate New Year in Kamchatka. It is amazing on how many fireworks the people in Kamchatka shoot each year at this time. We stood in the apartment with our heads hanging out the window and saw a great display. We splurged with a crab meal and movie night.

This month has been a time of hurry up and waits for the Roberts family. We seemed to be in a constant rush after the New Year to get all the stuff done needed to head to Seoul, Korea for visa renewal. Once we arrived in Seoul and mailed our package of documents we began the waiting mode. On the day before we were to fly out our documents returned to us in order. Praise the Lord, He is always on time.

I believe that Dorothy once made the statement, “There is no place like home.” That is so true, even when you return to 5 feet of snow. We had a blast in Korea while waiting. The kids were able to catch up on fast food favorites, and even took in their first ever adventure theme park. It was much like Disney World with Korean flair. The kids loved it and maybe mom and dad also. Before our waiting period was over we were ready to get back to the place where God has called us. We did not want to leave our new friends but it was time to return. We were blessed with a refreshing time in wait.

Maybe, if we all just took a little time with family and few more days on occasion to simply wait and listen we could be refreshed. Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Ministry Opportunities: God’s plan always overwhelms me when I can look backwards and see his handy work. When the Roberts family was blessed to serve as pastor at Wheeler Baptist Church we were able to meet several exchange students that church members would bring in to their home each year. One young lady, YeEun, came to live in the Fairs home. Over the next year we were able to develop a relationship with YeEun. God has now expanded our territory to where we have been able to share with her family on three different occasions in their home in Korea. Our God is a big God and builds big bridges.

We were also able to celebrate the Korean New Year holiday with YeEun and her family on the lunar holiday January 24. It was a great time spent by all. We ate traditional food, played traditional games, and Emma Grace even was adorned with traditional Korean dress. Thank you Han family for being special friends of the Roberts family.

We also were able to meet the Holyfield family while in Korea. They are our colleagues and serve in other parts of our world. They were home folks. I don’t just mean brothers and sisters in Christ, I mean Mississippi home folk. They understood fried food, southern accent, and they especially understood the calling we have on our lives. Praise the Lord for such a time of fellowship with them. They have 4 children: 2 of them in college and 2 that our kids loved to hang out with. We look forward to spending more time with them. Please pray for Patsy. She underwent back surgery while we were in Korea. The surgery went well and she was definitely an encouragement to our family the way she handled the process. They will be traveling back to the field soon. Please pray for speedy healing and a comfortable travel back home. They are still in wait!

While in Korea we were able to have several spiritual conversations with folks we had previously met and also strangers. God is doing a great work in Seoul.
Marty was invited to preach at Central church in Petropavlovsk. Praise the Lord for opportunities with believers in the city.

Language: We enjoyed a few days off of formal language study while we were in Korea. Our current language curriculum consists of 3 books. The 3rd book has book A and book B. Before we left for Korea we completed book 3A. Continue to pray for us as we strive to build our language skills and complete this final book.
Visa Update: We have returned to Kamchatka with another 90 day visa. We are officially registered in the city. That simply means that we have permission to live in Petropavlovsk – Kamchatka until April 28, 2009 and then we must leave again. We praise the Lord for this door that is opened for us to return. Please continue to pray that we fully understand God’s plan for long term in Kamchatka. Pray for us as we continue to seek out a way to live in Kamchatka for longer than 90 days at a time.

Prayer Request:
-Pray for the Putnam family as they begin the paperwork process to return to PK.
- Pray for the many visa situations throughout Russia.
-Pray for Alexander and his family as God continues to use him in Kamchatka.
- Pray for the new believers in Kamchatka as they continue their walk with the Lord.
-Pray for the folks at Emmanuel as they take part in Street Evangelism Training and Application..
- Pray that we will be faithful to serve the Lord on a daily basis in the midst of __________ (just fill in the blanks).
- Pray for laborers. (We invite you to join us physically in the work – for more information about bringing a mission team to Kamchatka…..just ask!)
Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear what is happening in your ministry.