Matthew 9: 37-38 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.
Here is another great way you can help send laborers into His harvest in Kamchatka.
Joel Strahan, former pastor of Ingram Baptist Church and now singer, songwriter, missionary has written 10 songs that are being released this month. While in the states I obtained a copy of the CD from Joel and it is an awesome CD. Listening to the CD will challenge you through song and worship to “GO”, pray for God “To Stir These Waters” and for the Church to “Arise.” If you like contemporary style Christian Music you will be very pleased with this CD. Now, here is the great part. All the proceeds from this new album will be used to send teams to Kamchatka. Here is some information from Joel about the CD:
Hey Guys,
I just wanted to let everyone know that I am ordering a batch of CD's that will be here in two weeks. If you would like a CD, please go to the following link to reserve your copy. This will help me know how many we need initially. Remember, the profits from the CD sales are used to send short-term mission teams to Kamchatka, Russia. The first team leaves on July 8. If you reserve a copy through this website, you will get your CD for $12 (12% discount). http://www.thenowweekly.com/reserve-a-cd.html
The following link will give you a short overview of the songs on the CD if you haven't already heard them: http://presskit.weebly.com
Thanks,
Joel
Family: WOW….I am writing a newsletter that covers February and March. In February we traveled to the states for visa renewal and some vacation time. It was great to see our family and friends despite having the H1N1 virus, better known as swine flu. I guess the Lord knew I (Marty) needed some rest and the only way I would slow down was to put me to bed. Lee also had a smaller case of the virus and Suzanne was sick on the return trip and is just now reaching full recovery. Thanks for praying for our health.
We were very excited to be able to speak in 11 different locations about what God is doing in Kamchatka. A very special thanks to all the churches who hosted us, to all the people who came to our aid, offering vehicles, gifts, attending birthday parties and joining us as new prayer partners for Kamchatka. We are truly blessed to have faithful “Rope Holders” like you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We returned to Kamchatka almost running…in fact we had to run through every airport and missed a flight on the trip to the USA and also on the return trip due to weather and late planes. We are very thankful to be back in Esso and as soon as we returned we had ministry opportunities awaiting us.
Ministry Opportunities: Once we landed in PK and spent one night there with the Putnam’s we made the drive to the village and got our registration processed the next day. We arrived in the village on Monday and Saturday made a 150 mile drive to the village of Milkovo to join Team PK and Emmanuel Church in an evangelism project. While in Milkovo Mesha, the young man being baptized that many of you saw on the slide show while we were in the states, led his first person to the Lord on the streets of Milkovo. Praise the Lord! ONE + WON = MULTIPLICATION.
Here are a few stats from the Milkovo project.
Total
Total People Engaged 69
Received Bible – for the first time. 32
Heard Full Gospel Presentation 31
Accepted Christ 3
Blow Offs – would not listen. 16
We joined the Church in Milkovo for Sunday services and had a great time of worship. After the service many of the church members went back out on the streets with us to experience street evangelism first hand. By the close of the evening Sasha had gone back to the church and trained many of the people in evangelism. Pray for this church as they seek a pastor. Pray also they will continue to reach out to the people in Milkovo with the Gospel Message.
We left Milkovo on Sunday evening and made the drive back to the village. Early Monday morning we began to prepare for the Spring Camp in Esso. The teens from Village “A” arrived in Esso on Monday evening. One of our prayer requests has been for God to open a door of ministry to us in Village “A.” There is currently no church in that village. Seven of the native teens in that village contacted Zhenya and wanted to have camp in Esso during spring break. We went to work to make it happen. The Putnam family made the drive to the village to help us with this camp. There were seven great youth who came and attended the camp. We built relationships with them throughout the week and on Thursday night four of them gave their lives to Christ. Praise the Lord! How great is our God! We took the teen’s home on Saturday and they called us on Sunday still excited about camp. We are seeking a place and time to start meeting with them soon. Pray for the new believers as they return to their village to face many obstacles that could hinder their faith. Pray for open doors as we attempt to pursue opportunities in that village.
I, Marty, am writing this newsletter late Sunday night March 28, 2010. On Monday the 29th I will leave the village again and drive to PK to catch a flight to Vladivostok on Tuesday. I will be in Vladivostok for a week attending a team strategy leader training meeting. We will have one day focused on ministry to engage people on the streets of Vladivostok. Pray for open hearts to hear the Gospel, an effective meeting, safe travel, and for my family while I am away.
Language: As some of the “old timers” use to say, “We just keep plugging along.” Suzanne and Marty study with a tutor 3 hours a day, 3 times a week. Our tutor has also started staying late and helping Lee and Emma for an additional 30 minutes each day. While in the states, we purchased several new Russian workbooks that we believe will strengthen our language abilities. Pray for us as we continue to study language.
School: Once we returned to Esso Lee and Emma buckled down once again and even studied on Saturday and Sunday before camp so that they could be servants. Lee did an awesome job leading music, playing the guitar and sharing time day and night with the campers. Emma also served helping with scrapbooking, cooking, cleaning and just being the smiling, laughing, servant hearted child that she is.
Lee’s favorite subject is guitar and geography. Emma has a love for science and history. She loves turning our kitchen into a science lab. Pray for them as they study. Suzanne has the remainder of the year scheduled and the kids are anxious to finish school so that they can be fully involved with the mission teams that will be coming to Kamchatka this summer.
Prayer Request:
If you are not receiving our Thursday prayer updates please let your prayer representatives at your church know this and he or she can forward them to you.
-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 TSL meeting in Vladivostok and the day of ministry there.
-Pray for the new believers in Village “A” and for an open door in that village.
-Pray for Zhenya and his family as God continues to use him in Esso and the surrounding villages.
-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!)
- Pray for the summer mission teams coming to Kamchatka this year. The teams are already processing paper work and spiritually preparing for their trip.
Thank you for holding the rope!!! We would love to hear from you!
