Having Fun in Colorado

We are now on the last leg of the journey here in the States. We have spent the last three months in Gardnerville, Nevada, and are now in Cortez, Colorado. Next week we will be off to Colorado Springs and Denver until we leave on August 17th. The date of our departure is quickly approaching, but not before we have some fun in the sun with family.

My aunt and uncle (Tara and Chip), with their two children Zenda and Alex, have moved from Idaho to the ranch house in Cortez. This is good for us because we were not able to spend much time with them when they lived in Idaho because it was so out of the way. They will be taking over the property and turning it into quite the little farm with cows, chickens, gardens, and so on. You can keep them in prayer that their business will take off in this area.

We have been here for almost a week and are having a good time. My cousins are 12 and 9 years old and are good kids that are fun to be around. We are really enjoying our time with them and their big beautiful dog Balla. She is a Great Pyrenees. We have spent a lot of time working, but have also made sure to have some fun. One day I decided to try to make something I saw online called a Swedish Stove. Basically it is a stump split only about three quarter of the way down with wedges in it. You start a fire on top and as it burns it starts to burn down the middle of the stump and you have a little stove-top. I didn’t do it quite right and split the log the whole way, but it was still fun playing with fire and making smors. On Thursday we all went out on Tara and Chip’s boat. Svetta really enjoyed it because when she was young her family had a boat and used to go hunting and fishing on the boat all the time. It brought back some good old memories.

Tuesday we will be heading up to Colorado Springs with my aunt Lisa. We will be meeting with her church up there and hopefully that will turn into a close and fruitful relationship. You can keep both the traveling mercies and church meeting in prayer.

I can’t believe we will be leaving soon, but I am excited to get to ministering in Russia! I know the Lord has good things in store for us and the ministry in Russia. Thank you for all your prayers and support, without which we would not be able to minister. You are a crucial part of our ministry team and an example of the body of Christ working together for the kingdom. Please continue in your ministry to us as we continue in our ministry in Russia.

I rescued this humming bird from
the garage and nourished it back to
life with sugar water.





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IBS Seiminar at High Sierra Fellowship

One of our goals as we come back to the States every year is to do Inductive Bible Study seminars. So we were happy to be able to do a seminar at High Sierra Fellowship June 21-25. I believe what the church in general needs is to really start studying God’s word. The reading and studying of the Bible is not solely given to pastors and teachers, but God desires to speak to all people through His world.

It was a great time as about 15 people gathered for the seminar. We had a great time of fellowship and growing in the understanding of the Bible. I hope next year, and the following years, that we are able to do many more seminars like this. Now, as we approach our departure date, our thoughts are again turning back towards doing seminars in Russia. Please pray that the Lord would open doors for us to do seminars in Russia, and that He would lead and guide us as we seek His will. Also keep in prayer when we come back next year that the Lord would also prepare us, give us wisdom, open doors, and bless us in our ministry. Thank you, may the Lord be with you.

Our Wonderful Wedding

May 28, 2011 was the happiest day of my life and the beginning of a lifelong journey for me and my wife Svetta. We had been waiting for a little over a year to get married, because of some issues in Russia. But the year of bitterness made the day we finally were able to pledge our lives to each other that much sweeter.

About 120 friends and family gathered to celebrate with us at High Sierra Fellowship in Minden, Nevada. It was a fun and casual wedding, with a potluck reception right after. Svetta looked so beautiful as she walked down the aisle with her “American father” Glen Shore. Glen and Svetta developed a close relationship after meeting in Russia when Svetta translated for Glen on a mission trip. Since then Glen and his wife Arla Dell have become sort of segregate American parents to her. This is a day we will remember and cherish for the rest of our lives. I am excited to say that this blog will now show Nathaniel and Svetta Houlmiere at the top.

Now we are free to move forward in our ministry, and I can wait to see what the Lord has in store for us. Our desire is to start traveling around Russia doing seminars and teaching people how to get into God’s Word in a way that will change their lives and the lives of those around them. We will also be heavily involved with Light of Hope Church and Children’s Center, and all the ministries ICM (Russia) is involved in.

Please keep us in prayer as we get started on this journey. We have a lot to do to get started in our ministry together. The last two years I have been getting settled in Russia, and now I am looking forward to moving forward more in ministry. We need a lot of prayer for wisdom, guidance, and leading of the Holy Spirit. And if you feel lead by the Lord, please help us by becoming a part of our ministry either through prayer or financial support. If you would like to receive our newsletter, be on our prayer update, or send support send us an email and check out the information on the right. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Taking communion for the first time as husband and wife :)
The gang.
Us, my sister Jennifer, my brother Marcus, my mom Edwina.
Us with Garritt and Wendi.
Us with Rich.


My mom, Svetta, and I. My dad couldn't make it.
Now the real fun begins! :)

Friends Visit From Severodvinsk

This last week we were blessed to receive a team of our friends from Severodvinsk to our Light of Hope church. We had a great time!! We have a great and close relationship with the church there going back many years. The team consisted of their worship team, dance team, Alpha team leaders, and pastor Victor. The alpha team leaders lead a seminar on the Alpha program and we hope to start using in to evangelize and disciple new believers. On Sunday the worship team lead us in a time of deep, exciting, and Spirit filled worship, and pastor Victor lead us through the parable of the sower and the different type of ground in Mark 4, teaching how , as Christians, the fruit of the Kingdom of God can be produced more abundantly in our lives. Monday was a holiday and no one worked, which allowed Victor to continue teaching about what the true fruit of the Kingdom of God is. The church was full and people were blessed by Victor’s deep yet simple and understandable teaching of God’s word.
I am continually blessed when I get to spend time in fellowship with Victor and the people from his church. It is a great example the effect the solid, balanced, and inductive teaching of God’s word can have on people. The people in his church are strong, well founded, understanding, and fruitful children of the Lord. This example is encouraging to me and is what I hope Light of Hope will become for the city of Cherepovets. People are hungry for this kind of teaching of God’s word. Teachings like freedom in Christ, Grace, true fruit, true worship, and the basic foundations of the Faith, are in really short supply! People are beat up and tired from the legalism and unbalanced teaching that is prevalent in Russia today. However the people’s faith is strong, real, and waiting to be fanned into life by the Spirit moving through the word of God!
Sunday night we had a great time of fellowship as the team form Severodvinsk and many people from Cherepovets, totaling about 28 people, crammed into my apartment for a time of tea, fellowship, conversation, and even an impromptu worship season. We were able to put together a full band. I found a transformer for my amp, which we were able to use to plug in a base guitar and a small drum machine, once Alexey was able to rig us a way to plug it in. We had a guitar player, base, drums, a shaker (made from a plastic water bottle filled with rye grains), and I played the spoons. It was a great time. We partied way into the night as only good Christian folks can.
I look forward to more times like this as we work together to further the Kingdom of God. Please keep both churches in prayer that the Spirit would continue to work through His word. Pray that we would be able to implement the Alpha program here in Cherepovets. Join us in praising the Lord in all He has done for us, and ask that we would be open and responsive to His boundless grace. Thank you!

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Christmas Celebration in an Orphanage

Every year the Light of Hope children’s center goes to some of the nearby orphanages to do a Christmas celebration on the 7th of January. This year a team of both Light of Hope Children’s center workers and people from the Light of Hope church went the orphanage in the nearby town of Suda. There was a short skit about how every New Year brings changes in our lives, and how those changes are brought by miracle of Christ’s birth.

We have been going to this orphanage and the children have been listening to the story of Jesus’ birth for several years. Every year they are filled with joy and excitement to remember this miracle and to spend time in fellowship with us. After the skit we spent time playing several games with the kids and handed out presents. The time was fun and filled with laughter.

We are thankful to the Lord for the privilege of sharing a little piece of our hearts with these kids as we bring them the good news and love of Jesus. We are blessed to be able to take part in the lives of these kids. Thank you for making it possible for us to minister to these kids through your prayer and support. Please join us in prayer for the souls and hears of these children abandoned to the care of the state. The Lord desperately desires that every one of these kids would come to a saving knowledge of Christ; that is what we hope to give these kids.



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