May - June 2009
Travel with CW Fisk -- A Wedding Reception
Dr. CW Fisk is a remarkable man. He has been saved since 1960, and he has become one of the greatest soul winners in America. In 1994, when God directed my attention to ministry in the former Soviet Union, I went with Dr. Fisk on an evangelistic trip to Belarus. That trip helped me to see that God wanted me to be a missionary. Since then, I have traveled with him on several mission trips. In May and June, I was honored to travel with him again. I met him in Kiev, Ukraine, and he preached there for missionary Matt Hudson. Then we went by train to Oryol, Russia, where he preached for us. We flew down to Simferopol, Ukraine, where he conducted a soul winning conference for missionary David Sloan. We flew back to Kiev, and he preached there once more before he went back home. He was a great encouragement and example to the missionaries and the people in their churches.
Vlad started coming to our services in March of 2005, after he heard me speak to a class at Oryol State University. He was saved later that year. Irina came about a year later. She struggled with the idea of salvation, but she trusted Christ in November 2006. Vlad and Irina have been friends for a long time, and that friendship has progressed into love and marriage! They are a sweet couple, and they regularly attend our services. The Russian government only recognizes a city hall wedding, but Christians here often have a reception at church after the civil ceremony. Our people wanted to celebrate Vlad and Irina’s wedding, so we had a reception for them on a Sunday afternoon after church. Ruth made the wedding cake. I was pleased to see how many gifts the people brought. I preached a message on “God’s plan for the home”.
We have paid $38,150 for our church building, which is about 73% of the loan amount. You may want to help by sending a gift to: BIMI, P.O. Box 9215, Chattanooga, TN 37412. Designate it for “Ossewaarde - Project Russian Church Building”.
In the service of the King,
Don Ossewaarde