March - April 2011
Unsaved Visitors
(Alexei and his sister Larissa)
(Larissa and her friend Lena)
Lately, we have had several visitors who are not saved, but they keep coming back to learn more. Alexei is the husband of our friend Yulia, the professor at the State University. They are both unsaved, but Yulia has studied with us for a long time. Alexei has always talked like he is not interested, but he started attending services recently. Larissa is Alexei’s sister, and she has come to several services. She brought her friend Lena, who has had cancer and chemotherapy. Larissa and Lena listen very attentively, and they want to know more about the Bible. Pray that the Lord will soften these hearts and bring conviction.
Dmitry is still coming to our Thursday Bible study. He says he is searching for God, but he is not yet convinced that he has found the truth. He wants to know more. He started taking yoga classes to lose some weight. I warned him that yoga is far more than just a form of exercise; it is a spiritual activity that can open up the soul to dark spirits. Pray that he will see the truth in God’s Word.
We gave a Bible to Luba’s sister Tamara, who was in the hospital after an accident. Tamara was very grateful, and she came to a service to thank us. She has been coming regularly ever since then. She was saved many years ago, but has not been in church.
We have completed about 100 Bible lessons about Israel in English on Thursday nights, and we are up to the time of King David. You might want to look at these lessons on our website. They may be useful for Sunday school or family Bible study. On Wednesday nights, we are studying the book of Revelation.
Ruth’s mother is now in a nursing home in Indiana, since she is too frail to live at home anymore. She celebrated her 90th birthday in March. We and our Russian friends had a special party here to honor her.
We have now paid $54,552 on our church building loan. We hope to pay off the remaining balance, about $7000, by the end of this year. 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