October/November 1997
Dear praying friends,
The “harvest months” have been fruitful ones for us as our deputation ministry continues. All of October was spent in Michigan, presenting our burden for Russia to many wonderful churches there. The incredible fall colors we saw while traveling made us marvel at the beauty of God’s creation.
The Lord has abundantly blessed us, especially with traveling mercies. We have safely traveled over 30,000 miles since January 1st. Since our motor home cannot function properly in the cold northern winters, we began “flying south for the winter” in November. Our meetings took us to Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas. We were able to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her family near Dallas.
We praise God for souls saved in our personal soulwinning. One fellow in Tennessee was a lonely retiree that was glad to be saved. It seemed that he was just waiting for someone to come tell him about Jesus. I often preach about those in Russia who are waiting for the Gospel, but I am convinced that many here in America are also waiting for someone to tell them how to be saved. Those who tell us that “Americans today are not interested in the Gospel” are probably not busy seeking the lost. All of us are surrounded by a mission field!
The new legislation in Russia [restricting religious freedom] is apparently not being enforced… yet. Dr. C.W. Fisk conducted an evangelistic crusade after the law was passed, and over 700 people were saved in two weeks! All of this activity was in violation of the new law, but Dr. Fisk says he was not stopped by the authorities or harassed in any way.
Continue to pray about the legal situation. Some missionary friends of mine report that the police [KGB] have started coming to their church services. This is a disturbing sign, but for now it seems that they are just monitoring. Pray that these policemen will be touched by the message of the Gospel as they come to church!
Several churches have recently started supporting us. We now have nearly 40% of the support we need to leave for the field. It would be wonderful if we could be ready to leave for the field by next September. We would like to start in language school at the start of the fall semester. Even if the restrictive laws are enforced, we should have no trouble getting into the country as language students. Please pray that many of the churches we have visited will be able to take us on by then.
In the service of the King,
Don Ossewaarde