Moscow Forum 2011

From September 13 to the 17 Svetta and I were in Moscow at the annual ICM conference where everyone who shares with our mission in one form or another gathers from all over Russia and the Ukraine for a three day seminar. These are people who at one time might have helped do seminars, want or try to do seminars, or are pastors that teach inductively, or support us in prayer and, when possible, financially. Every year we are joined by a team from Northern Ireland, and for the last few years they have been leading us through John Maxwell’s Million Leader Mandate handbooks, training us how to be better leaders and raise up better leaders. We are a motley crew of Russians, Armenians,
Ukrainians, Americans, and Northern Irish. It is always good to get together and spend time with these people and encourage each other in the Lord to go out and continue in ministries.

Svetta and I drove to Moscow with Svetta’s mom on the thirteenth. We dropped Svetta’s mom off at her aunt’s where she stayed while we went to the seminar. Svetta and I had a great time at the seminar. We enjoyed the fellowship with all our friends from Russia, and the Irish. Svetta and Igor took turns translating as the Irish took turns taking us through the book and giving some messages separate from the book. It was a great encouragement. We learned a lot about ourselves and what we need to do in life and ministry. Lewis, the pastor of Jordan Victory Church in Northern Ireland, taught about the importance of showing love, how to show love, and the importance of encouraging people with our words. We also spent a lot of time in prayer and worship. The team from Northern Ireland loves to pray for people and speak words of encouraging prophecy. This demands as many translators as possible. So, Olga Prokopiev, a man from Vologda named Alexey, and I were all called upon to help translate. I am not yet comfortable
translating since my Russian is still not very good, but I did my best and tried to get the point across. This encourages me all the more to learn Russian, and I would appreciate prayer for that. Pray that the Lord would give the ability in the Spirit to learn quickly, and to have the motivation to study harder. By next year I would like to be able to translate better.

Everyone left the forum encouraged and ready to show people love in our ministries. Please keep us all in prayer as we seek the Lord and try to apply what we have learned. Loving is hard, but in the Spirit all things are possible.

After the seminar was over, Svetta and I spent the night at Svetta’s mom’s aunt’s apartment and drove home on the seventeenth. Please keep us in your prayers as now we are tackling the cumbersome job of working, remodeling our apartment, filing for my permanent residency, and somehow fit in ministry. In a week or so I should be able to give an update on the residency process, and the apartment, so stay tuned. Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers.

Click here to see more pictures