Remodeling the Center

For the last six months we have been remodeling the Light of Hope Children’s center. It had been a long time coming. The walls were starting to fall apart and the kitchen was not adequate. When we started the project we did not expect it to take so long, but it was hard to find reliable people to do the work, especially with our budget. We finally decided we will have to do it ourselves. I helped when I could, doing things like drywall, taping, wallpaper, and painting. Vanletine has done most of the work. He, with the help of Abner and me at times, did the ceiling, the plywood on the walls, the door trim, and so on. We have ordered and received our new kitchen cabinets, and soon Andrey will be putting them together and installing them.

Unfortunately we have not been able to receive kids during this time either. However we soon will be finished and be opening the doors to the kids in the area again. We used time to pray and reflect on how God wants us to move forward in our ministry at the center. And after much prayer and thought we have decided to restructure the entire ministry. We will no longer be focusing on the social-work aspect of the center as much. We have noticed that most of the kids no longer really need nor appreciate the material help we have been giving. When we started to realize and pray about this, Olga was given this verse

“Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul.” Psalm 142:4.

We realized that we had lost sight of what these kids and their families really need. More than material help, they need someone to care for their souls. Therefore, we will continue to help those families truly in need, while changing our focus to more spiritual needs. We will be trying to teach the kids skills for life as well as instilling in them a knowledge of Jesus, hoping and praying that this knowledge will grow into a personal relationship. Our hours will be different. We will be planning our time so that when the kids come we will be doing something, whether it be doing crafts, a bible lesson, teaching them how to cook, and so on. We are excited to see the fruit of our new direction. Thank you for your support and prayers. Please continue to join us in this much needed ministry. We need a lot of wisdom and guidance as we take on the spiritual battle for the souls of these kids and their parents.

New walls and ceiling :)

Here are some specific prayer requests:

• That we would have the wisdom to care for their souls


• That the kids would have open hearts


• That we would have the wisdom and discernment to help those in need


• That the Lord would bring us people who can volunteer and help with the kids


• That we would be able to also reach and minister to the kids’ parents


• That we would have the finances we need to run center, and the wisdom to know what to do with it

The new kitchen, I will add more pictures when they are up.

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More Knowledge About God

More knowledge about God. These are precious words to Alexey, Sveta, and me. The three of us just had the great pleasure of going to the city of Usinsk to do a seminar on the Inductive Bible Study Method. We left January 3rd and returned on the 12th. About thirty people showed up for the three day seminar. Among them was a young man, maybe in his twenties, with Cerebral Palsy. Everyone at this seminar was a blessing to get to know, but he blessed me the most. It was beautiful to see the joy in his face as we taught them how to study the Bible and discover the boundless treasures waiting for someone to dig them up. We did not get a chance to really get to talk, but I could tell, of all the people at the seminar, he was the most attentive and hungry of them all. During the seminar he diligently read and participated in every activity, though I did not see him write a single word. On the last day, as usual, we asked them to give us their feedback. I was a little surprised to see Maxim pick up a pen and touch it to paper. He managed, with great effort, to write these words.

Many people hunger for the word like Maxim and are not getting fed. Unfortunately pastors are not taught how to teach the word in Russia, and many parts of the world. Pastors get up, say some encouraging words, usually related to the Bible, and then step down, not giving anything of real substance for the believers in their church to grow. This isn’t entirely the fault of their own, they themselves do not know how to study and get deep into God’s word. The effect of this is that many people, though physically ok, are in some ways just as handicapped as Maxim. The worst part is they don’t even know it.

There is a lot of ripe fruit in Russia. People want hope, a reason to live, a new life, and the freedom to live it. This hope and new life can only be given through the freedom that comes with the knowledge of Christ. People are hungry for the word, and don’t know it. Our mission in ICM is to give people that freedom of knowledge, and heal the spiritually starving people of the world. This is the reason for the name Intensive Care Ministries.

The seminar was a great success! Sveta and I had a great time getting to spend more time with Alexey. And we really enjoyed taking part in leading the seminar. We were able to learn a lot from Alexey. Alexey says that I am able to teach the IBS method, but I just need to learn how to do it in Russia. I was able to explain the first task myself in Russian. It was hard, and the people were gracious, but we were able to understand each other. My Russian is getting a lot better, but there is still a lot of work to do before I will be able to teach and be completely fluent in Russian. At the end of the seminar everyone was blessed.

I thank the Lord that is looks like the Lord has blessed us with the possibility of traveling to do more seminars. I don’t know if we will be able to go every month, which would be ideal, but we will see how the Lord leads.

Here are some of the comments of the people who attended the seminar:

More knowledge about God. – Maxim.

We express our deep gratitude to Alex, Nathan and Svetlana for leading this seminar. The seminar was very user-friendly and helpful. We learned very much about studying the Bible. Thank you very much. May God guide and protect you! – Larissa Volkova, Hope Misheneva.

Dear friends, our brothers and sisters! Thank you so much that you bring people this knowledge. Thank you came to our snowy edge of the world. Thank you for simple and easy to understand explanation. This is the first seminar that I have been to where they taught me how to study the Scriptures and draw closer to God. I also want to gain strength and power through knowledge of the Lord and through the knowledge of His Word. Everything was very understandable and interesting. Be blessed! – V.N. Nitchenk

I learned many things. I really liked the life experiences. The process of observation, interpretation and application really allows you study the Scripture in a deeper way. – Alexander.

This is the second time I have been to your seminar and I can say that this is really informative. It really reveals the depth of God's word. Thank you very much. Thanks Nathan. We welcome you to visit again. Romman

This is a simple and understandable course on the study of the Bible and not very burdensome. Continue to not turn aside from the simplicity that is in Christ. Thank you. May God bless you. Anatoly.

I thank God for this opportunity that we have received. I have begun to pay more attention to details in the text which previously I had not paid much attention to. And because of this, I have begun to dig into the Word. Through these lessons the Lord has revealed more of Himself to me. Thank you very much. – Alexander Sadovaya.

Thank you for coming to Usinsk. Thank you for you doing seminars of this kind. This study method is very helpful to many people who have come to God. You guys explain the Bible very well. We liked it, and we listened with much care. Irina and Elena Shabelnikov.

Thank you for your service! What you are doing is very important for every believer who loves God's Word. Let the Lord bless you for your ministry and help you in your further work. Your work is not in vain! – Ivan.

Thanks so much for this seminar! I learned a lot from verses that it seemed I had known for a long time. I really like the practical involvement we had during the seminar. I really learned how to break down the word and pull out so much information from just one sentence. The Seminar was very helpful to me. Thank you! Come again! – Irina Melnikova.

Thanks so much for the understandable explanation of the method. At first it was difficult to grasp the material, but soon it became more and more interesting. This is a very useful seminar. May God bless your open hearts and give the spirit of wisdom to the knowledge of His Word and His glory! – Nataliya Andreychuk.

I thank the Lord that He brought you to us. For me this was a new step in the knowledge of God's Word, as well as the Lord himself. I have never thought so deep about the word like this before. The seminar is very understandable and easy to digest. I wish that the Lord will bless you in your ministry and your home. Hope to see you guys again soon. Be blessed! – Alex Camarin.

Thank you very much for this seminar. I really liked the whole thing, I learned many interesting things. I will definitely try to study the Word as you have taught us. Thank you. God bless you! – Ina Ctolyar

Thank you very much Alex, Nathan and Svetlana. This seminar was very interesting. It seems that in the three years I have been a believer, I have missed a lot. I thank God for this opportunity to be closer to the Lord. May God bless you in your ministry. Now I know how to effectively study the Bible. – Rustam Mansurov.

It is a blessing for us to be able to travel to these places and touch them with the word of God. Thank you for all that you do to make it possible to do this work of the Lord. Please continue to pray and support us at ICM Russia as the Lord leads.

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