A New Semester

A New Semester

Our team gathered this morning for a first and a last.

It was the first real staff meeting of the semester. It was also the last time our team, in its current format, will meet this year. Dan and Rachel are heading back to the U.S. for a few months as they wait for the birth of their next child, affectionately and temporarily named "Blueberry". They get back in mid-May, but Kim leaves for furlough in early May. So, as crazy as this sounds, this is the last time all of us will be around for a staff meeting this year.

Despite the nostalgia of "one last time together" we were able to hammer out some plans for the semester and I'm really excited about them. Whether you are a student involved in our English clubs or one of the several people who pray for us, or just some stranger that stumbled upon this blog I'm excited to share the plans we have for the Spring Semester.

English Clubs

We're going to continue with our English Clubs. It was a hit last semester and we want to grow in depth and breadth this semester. We brainstormed some topics to touch on and came up with some really exciting ideas. We hope to talk about things like authentic masculinity; romantic relationships and marriage; developing a career; what is right, wrong and just different; justice and maybe more. We also hope to bring in some guest speakers and recruit a few students to take up the mantle of leadership this semester. Like I said, we're excited to see it grow.

Dan talking about the Christmas story during our latest English Club

Civic Assistance

Personally, my favorite thing we did last semester was partner with a local non-profit called Civic Assistance http://www.refugee.ru/ and http://kids.refugee.ru/ (it's all in Russian, but google has a widget that can translate for you). We wanted to connect the students we were working with at the English club to the refugee children who receive tutoring from the volunteers at Civic Assistance. We hosted two different events, one focused on nutrition and healthy-food choices, the other on self-esteem and who we are as individuals. The third event was a New Year's Party that was pretty hectic and crazy, but still fun. One of the big goals in every event we did is that we don't want to patronize the kids, we want to empower them.

One of our students dressed as "Ded Moroz" at the New Year's party

This is derived from the very way that Jesus served us. He didn't pity us and just give a handout then walk away. No, he got his hands dirty and entered into relationships with people, giving of himself rather than giving spare change. Sure, material things are needed sometimes, but that doesn't affect a life in the long-run, only relationships provide the avenue for life-change. That's what we're hoping for. We want to empower, not entertain; restore dignity, not enable. I think the kids we worked with were responding to that. At least I hope so. It's still in its infancy stage, it's a trial run, so we'll see how we develop it this semester. I'm also really excited about seeing where God takes us in this relationship this semester.

Projects

We are also hosting a couple special projects this spring and summer. A group of students from the University of Utah are coming in March and a larger group from all over the US are coming for a month in June. These always take a lot of work on our part in set-up, visa applications, housing, etc. But, they are a lot of fun once they get going. The students bring a fresh perspective and refreshing energy with them that is always well-received. We're currently thinking of ways to best use their talents and time when they come. It should be great.

The Coats family during a Christmas party

Personally

We've lived in Moscow for three years and have hardly taken advantage of the theatrical offerings the city holds. It is one of my hopes for the semester that I make time to go see the play "Uncle Vanya" by Chekov. I've read it in English and liked it, but it seems like it's a classic play that I need to see. So that's on the list. I'd also like to take in a ballet showing this spring if we can afford it and maybe even a hockey game.
Of course, we both want to deepen our relationships with our friends here and the students we work with. That's a major focus for the semester: investing in people, building relationships, loving others like God loves us.

On a final note

As alluded to in our latest newsletter, we know that change is coming for us. Over the last several years I (Dave) have gravitated more towards mercy ministries and administrative roles. I've found that I can exercise more of my spiritual gifts (mercy, administration, teaching) and strengths (arranging, significance, activator) when serving in those capacities. What that change is exactly (in terms of a new role) we're not sure and where that might take us in the long-run we don't really know yet. We are open to whatever the Lord might have for us and are praying about it. We want to invite you into this and pray through this with us. We do know that our "calling" hasn't changed. That calling is to love God and love people by living intentionally and building God's Kingdom using all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. That's not changing. We are asking God what changes He might want to bring our way this new year. We'll see where we go from here.

Thanks for reading and thanks for praying!

  

Beginnings

A couple of months ago I had the honor of being present when a student prayed to place his trust in Christ for his salvation. It was a moment I'll never forget; a sheer pleasure to be present to witness somebody become fully restored to his creator. It's moments like this that I live for.

Over the next several weeks this student and I have met frequently to talk about what it means to have this new relationship with Jesus and this new life. What I love about this guy is that he is so sincere and deeply hungry to grow in this relationship. He trusts us because we consistently tell him not to just believe what we say, but to read the Bible to check our words against the Bible. His questions are genuine and his sincerity is obvious. Like I said, it's been a pleasure to work with him to teach him more about Jesus and see his life change every week. 

I also experienced life change recently. My son was born to us in March and life is totally different. Every morning is like Christmas, I don't know what to expect next from our little boy. This morning when I got out of bed he and his mom had been up for a little while. When I walked in he looked at me,  puzzled at first, then when I spoke he broke into a huge smile, then looked at his mom then back to me. He recognizes my voice and my face and it delights him! No one could ever have explained to me how wonderful it feels to have your child respond to you like that. 

Seeing my son grow and develop is a lot like seeing my new friend and follower of Christ grow in his relationship with God.

This week we celebrated the fact that our son rolled over for the first time. He's 4 months old and this was his first roll, we were pretty excited about that. We didn't frown at him and say, "Come on, now get up, get that soccer ball and juggle it like Ronaldo."That would be absurd to expect a 4 month old to develop that quickly. Instead we get to celebrate every new thing; whether it be a first step, tooth or word we celebrate with him.

I feel the same way with my friend. We celebrate every small step. When we meet together he's usually smoking a cigarette and it's usually late in the afternoon or evening because he's been up all night before playing in his heavy rock band. In Russia those might preclude one from being a Christian (at least culturally), but he doesn't know that yet. He's sincere in his faith and desires to know Jesus more. That's more important to me than pretense so I don't bring it up. If God wants him to stop those things he'll tell him through the Holy Spirit when he's ready. Until then I'll keep pointing him to Jesus trusting God to do the rest.

When we meet we usually sit down, open up the scriptures and talk about what it means to be loved by God and how that changes our lives. If I opened up the Bible and began to talk with him about the dialectical presence of scripture or transubstantiation that would be over his head and a waste of time. It would be the equivalent of me telling my 4 month old to juggle a soccer ball.  Instead we talk about the basics and soak that up. When he gets something for the first time we celebrate that.

This is the first time in a while that I've discipled a brand new believer. I'm consistently encouraged by the joyous truths of the basics of our faith. God loves this guy, God sent his son to die for him when he was still an enemy of God, God raised his son from the dead, God has invited him to join the trinity in the eternal dance of celebration...and I get to watch and dance with them. 

A new life is an amazing thing to be a part of. Thank God that he celebrates every small step, every roll over, every new epiphany with us. What a good father we have.

So I know it's been a long time since we've posted on our blog. It's been even longer since we've posted with any frequency (6 months?). Here's to hope springing eternally and ambitious summer plans.

For those of you who know us and use this blog as a means of keeping up with us (aside from our monthly newsletters) you might know that a few things have happened in the last six months or so.

1. We took our first furlough, which sounds to me like a French or Olde-English way of saying "a sabbatical from the mission field". Usually you get one month for every year. If a child is due you get enough time as you need to safely return to your home country, push-em-out-shove-em-out-way-out! (as Bill Cosby would say), get the official travel and birth papers you need and return to the field. Usually 3 - 4 months. These two factors combined with the dead ministry season that is December in Russia and my brother's college graduation meant that we were allowed to leave a little early and spent 5 months in the U.S.

Jess 6 months prego AND Recruiting Students to join us, wow!

If that seems like a long time to you it seemed the same to us. Yet, we knew that we had a lot of fundraising to do, some churches we wanted to visit, and a lot of recruiting to do for the Summer Project and for future Stinters and Staff. We also had some much needed rest to take and we had a precious one on the way. Looking back our time was filled with really important things. We weren't as busy as we usually are while we're on the field, but our time was well spent and encouraging for us and hopefully those that we got to spend time with.

Furlough was good, but I'm glad we're back in Russia, back to work and back to helping to reaching the people here so they can go and reach others.

2. The other thing that happened, and this might be a surprise, is that we had a child! Charles Fyodor Coats was born to us on March 20th, 2012. For more than just practical ministry reasons it was a great thing we came back to the U.S. when we did. When the doctor checked Jessica a month before Charles was due she said "this baby could come any minute, I mean he could be here by the end of the day." That was mid-April, he wasn't due till March 20th! Jess's labor was short (3 and a half hours) but we like to say that she was in stage 1 labor for a month before that.

Before Charles (Charlie to us) was born I was fearful about being a father. I would ask myself, "how do I do this? I don't even know how to change a diaper without hurting someone! Will I know how to play with him?" All kinds of thoughts like that ran through my head. Then, when he was born, it was the most natural thing in the world to hold him, to coo with him, to feel rapture and joy at a simple smile he might flash at me.

that smile gets me every time

Jess and Charlie playing at a wedding in Moscow

Being a dad is easily the greatest role I've ever held in my life and I'm so happy we didn't wait any longer to have kids.

Charlie's first day, Dad is melting

3. We also spent some really good time with our families in Texas and in Colorado. One of the drawbacks of being on the mission field, even with facebook, skype and all the rest, is that you miss those subtle interactions, those inside jokes and the familiarity that you grow to appreciate about your family as you get older. It was great for us to spend extended, quality time with many members of our family and have lots of great laughs along the way.

Charles Blake, Charlie's namesake

We also came back to Russia for our third year on the field. It's hard to believe that we've been here for only 3 years, it seems like a lot longer to me. Maybe that's because our Russian friends are so good at making us feel like we've known them for years, or maybe a Russian winter is so long it actually counts as two, or maybe something else. I'm not sure.

Being back in Russia with a newborn isn't as scary as I imagined either. The metro is a kinder, softer place when you have a defenseless child and a large stroller. The old ladies downstairs who harass us out of their xenophobia are now de facto grandmothers who ask why we let our newborn go outside naked (by naked they mean with pants, shirt, socks, shoes but NO hat). It's the same old place but with a gentler twist.

I know this doesn't replace 6 months worth of blogging or ministry updates or insights to Russian culture or even a good conversation over a cup of coffee, but this is the latest with us. We'll try to blog more this summer (among other grandiose summer plans) and we'd love to hear what's new with you too.

'Till then!

-Dave and Jess

A little update on us.

For those of you who have been following our blog, getting our newsletters or seeing us on facebook you might be wondering where we are and what we’re up to.

This past fall and winter have been crazy for us with visa trips, a seminary class that we hosted in Moscow, an orphanage trip we planned and then preparations for our first furlough, oh and on top of that we’ve been doing our regular ministry with the students of Moscow. Like I said, a little crazy. The dust is finally settling so I thought I’d give a brief update for those of you who were wondering and wanted to pray for us and hear from us.

We are in San Angelo, TX now and will be here until late April. Our organization gives us two months of furlough (sabbatical and fundraising time) for every year that we are on the field. We’ve been in Russia for two years so we are here for four months plus an extra one for the birth of our first child.

The first month in America was great but also busy. After praying our passports through Immigration Services in Moscow where they extended our 3 month visas into year-long visas (praise the Lord and thank you again!) we got our passports in hand and then jumped on a plane bound for the US 18 hours later. Another close call, but close calls seem to be the norm for us so we’re getting used to it. We made it to the US on Dec 15th, in time to see my youngest brother Andy graduate from CSU. Way to go Andy - we’re proud of you, bro!

 Us goofing off in Steamboat with my family

After that we had some much needed and well-spent time with my (Dave’s) family in Colorado. We celebrated the holidays together and found out on Christmas Day that our little expectant bundle of joy is going to be a boy! What a thrill that was.

After the holidays we flew down to Fort Worth to do some recruiting at the annual Red River Winter Conference. It was a great time for us to reconnect with some of our good friends on Staff with Cru and to see and catch up with the students who have come on previous Summer Projects to Moscow. We were able to join forces with those former S.P students and recruit current students to take a leap of faith and come to Moscow for the summer and maybe for a year on STINT. The recruiting was a lot of fun for us because we were able to cast a vision to the numerous students we talked to and we got to see former students talk about how great of an experience it was for them.

After the conference we stuck around the Dallas/Fort Worth area to reconnect with some of our ministry partners and to do a little fundraising. We were blessed to get to stay with some of our best friends, Jack and Emma Murphy (check out her stunning photography blog http://pherophotographyandpoetry.blogspot.com/) and their amazing little boys: Jackson and Jonah. It was a great week for us and we loved the memories we got to build with them.

Jess 6 months pregnant

After our time in Dallas, Jess and I parted ways for a couple of weeks. Jess went to San Angelo to be with her family and to rest up - the holidays, recruiting and fundraising while 7 months pregnant can be a little exhausting. I went back to Colorado to do some more fundraising and to visit with my family and friends a bit more. One of the small perks of being in Colorado these past two weeks was I got to sneak in a day at Winter Park with my family and experience a great day of skiing. The snow was soft, the sun was bright and my legs remembered how to ski like I was 22 again. The only difference from my early 20’s was that this time at the end of the day I needed a couple bags of ice, some Ibuprofen and a hot tub.  

Now we’re both back in San Angelo and will be here until a month or so after the baby is born. If you’re in West Texas we would love to see you. Shoot us an e-mail or call us. We’ll be in Colorado again in late April/early May and would love to see you if you’re there also.

For now please pray for us as we rest, raise support and prepare for life to completely change. Jess is due in 7 weeks and we’re on our way to a life-changing experience. We’re pretty excited. 

Trinitarian or Monadic Monotheism

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Albania for a seminary class that I took through Cru. The premise of the course was fascinating to me and the location of the class was another attractive draw. I’ll break this blog post up into two segments, one will be on the class and the other on the country of Albania. I hope you enjoy them both.  

The Class

The class was about contrasting Trinitarian Monotheism with Monadic (think mono - only one) Monotheism. Most of the world religions that believe in a god believe in Monadic Monotheism. That is to say they believe that God is one and only one and that there is no distinction within God. Islam believes in this as do Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. Christianity is unique in many ways, but notably in its understanding of the nature of God. In Christian theology God is one...in three persons. There is only one God, but he exists eternally in a triune relationship consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each member of the trinity is distinct yet all three are one God. When we contrast the Monadic God with the Triune God the differences are enormous and have major practical consequences in matters of doctrine and practice. 

This is what the class was about and I can’t tell you how enjoyable it was and how much I learned about God as a result. It left me worshiping the Father, Son and Holy Spirit more and marveling in his nature.

The teacher of the course was a godly man whose ultimate aim in the course was to lead us into deeper worship and love of God. The thing that most blew my mind was when he pointed out the logical conclusions of what happens depending on what is believed about the nature of God. If God is only one, he cannot eternally possess the attribute of love. The reason for this is that in order to experience love there must be the lover and the beloved. If there was nothing for God to love before the creation of the world then he does not eternally possess the attribute of love, therefore it is not a character trait of God. Thus, a Monadic God is not a loving God. 

On the other hand if God is eternally triune, as Christians believe, then one could argue that he was in a relationship with himself before the creation of the world. That relationship is marked by a self-giving, concern-for-the-good-of-the-other love which overflows into the creation of the world. Because God has always expressed, received, given and observed love from before the creation of the world it can be said that a Triune God really is loving. 

The consequences of this are amazing. If love is not an attribute of God, merely an action he sometimes uses then his love is arbitrary and unreliable. Likewise if mercy, goodness, justice and wrath are actions or characteristics he sometimes employs then they are not always employed by him and he cannot therefore be described as merciful, good, just or wrathful. 

Yet if he possesses these characteristics or the potential for them as attributes since the foundation of the world then he can be described as merciful, good, just, wrathful and so on. The result is either a God whose will is capricious and arbitrary or a God whose will is based on his nature and is reliable and trustworthy even if it doesn’t seem that way.*

*(I recognize there are some flaws in this logic and I’m doing my best to paraphrase the ideas taught in class, if you’d like to help me refine this reasoning I’d love your feedback.)

Albania

This is part two of a two part update on a recent trip I took to Albania. Here I talk about how great Albania and Albanians are.

The Country of Albania

The class was amazing and I learned a ton about God, Islam and Christianity, but what I enjoyed the most was the staff I got to meet in Albania and the city of Tirana. For years I had heard about the great things that are happening with the Church in Albania and I’ve always wanted to go and see it for myself. Now I finally had a chance to shake the hands of some incredible saints and hear their stories.

Let me give you some context first. Albania is a tiny country that was under control of the Communists for several decades. It completely outlawed religion of any kind even though it produced one of the greatest saints of the 20th century, Mother Teresa. Today it is religiously tolerant with Muslims making up the largest percent, followed by Catholics and then Protestants bring up with the rear with a tiny percent of the country describing themselves as Evangelical. Even though it is a majority Muslim country most of them are secular. 

As soon as I left the airport I was struck by how warm it was. I flew in from Moscow at the end of October equipped with a down vest and a ski jacket to keep me warm. When I arrived I had to take both off and walk around in my shirtsleeves because it was a warm 70ºF. I loved it! Then I noticed the people. Afrim, the staff member who picked me up from the airport said that Albanians are known for being really friendly. He had studied at Dallas Theological Seminary for a couple of years and knew how friendly Texans were. He said that he thought Albanians were sort of like the Texans of Europe, really friendly, really hospitable and would go out of their way to help a guest. That made me chuckle, but it really was true. I was constantly surprised by how friendly everyone was. From taxi drivers, to vendors to the staff we met and hung out with during our classes everyone was eager to please and easy to talk to.

I had the privilege of getting coffee with the Campus Director of Tirana. He was my age, about my height and of similar temperament. As we talked I realized that he easily could have been a good friend from a summer project or a buddy of mine from my college days. Even though we grew up in very different cultures and had different life experiences he wasn’t all that different from me. This has been of the most surprising reoccurring discoveries for me as we live and work overseas: people really aren’t that different from each other no matter where they are from or how they grew up. Yes, there are cultural differences and differing values and stronger characteristics in some cultures than in others, but largely we are the same and want the same things, dream the same dreams and need the same savior. These were some of the things my friend Gusti (short for Augustine) and I talked about over coffee one warm Tirana afternoon.

We also talked about where they could go as a ministry. Currently they have about 130 students coming to their weekly meeting. 130 students! I don’t think I’ve met 130 Christian students in the four years we’ve worked in Russia. I couldn’t believe it. Then he asked me what I thought they should do next and how to expand. I didn’t know how to respond, I haven’t seen that many students at a weekly meeting since I visited CU - Boulder in the early 2000s. I told him about what we were trying to do in Moscow. Basically we let the students run everything and we coach and train the main leaders so that they can be more effective. We push leadership down to the lowest levels so that everyone can buy in someway or another and train the leaders in a way that they can turn around and train others. At least that’s the idea, we haven’t gotten really far with it yet. But, that’s why we pray and work hard and trust God for the rest. I hope that God gives Gusti and his team a unique vision as to how to expand their ministry and influence and train others to be disciplers of others. Whatever happens, we know that God is good in all of it, because that’s his nature.

There are a couple other things worth mentioning. The food there was really good and affordable. I think I put on five pounds in the eight days I was there. The staff who have been there from near the beginning are some the heroes of the faith to me. They’ve dealt with some frustrating and difficult circumstances but have also seen God do some amazing things. They have done a great job of being responsible and visionary with the talents and fruit that God has given them. I pray that the same would be true of us as the staff in Moscow and in Russia. 

All in all my trip to Tirana was great. The teaching, the people and the experiences there were fantastic and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to go and see what God is up to there and learn more about him in the process. If you have the chance to visit Tirana I suggest you do it. It’s not at all like the rest of Europe, but it is worth the trip. Also if you want to read more about the differences and similarities between the Christian and Muslim God I suggest reading “Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammed” by Timothy George. Another one worth reading, but reading closely and critically is “Allah: A Christian Response” by Miroslav Volf. Lastly read Ida Glaser’s article. 

The Shalom Project

This is the longer version of our recent newsletter. Overall I would say our Shalom Project was a success. We didn't have as many students as we had hoped for and Moscow still seems to be the same way it was 31 days ago. But numbers and big change aren't what we are after right now, we want to be faithful and do what God leads us to do. The results, we hope, were pleasing to him. Read on to find out what this summer looked like.

Seek, pray, find. These are the commands that God gave the Israelites who were exiled in Babylon. He told them not to isolate from the city nor to assimilate. Rather he told them to move in, to seek the prosperity of the city, to seek its “shalom”.

A couple moving toward the pain and the brokenness of the city; being light in the darkness and a city on a hill within the larger city.

This summer we embarked on a mission to do the same. The US students who were here for the summer felt at times like they were exiles. The Russian students in Moscow are torn between their love of God and the temptation to love the world and as a result feel like they are exiles as well. We, the staff, feel like exiles, especially when we were are sweating over our visas and the increasing cost of living in Moscow. This whole concept of being an exile and still seeking the peace of our city was definitely relevant to all of us.

We began with prayer and studied God’s commands in the Old Testament (2 Chronicles 7:13,14; Jeremiah 29:11-14) regarding prayer, fasting and repentance. That following Saturday we gathered at the overlook to pray for the city and repent on its behalf. The US students and Russian students joined us as we stood in the gap on behalf of Moscow. It was a moving experience.

The next week we talked about the Prince of Peace and how in the process of sharing his good news we find our shalom - our peace - in him. I’ll bet you can guess what we did that following Saturday. For a couple of our Russian students it was the first time they had ever stepped out in faith and talked with others about what they believe. It was a wonderful time and they walked away filled with faith and joy.

students talking with other students about the peace and hope they have in Christ.

The following week we talked about serving the least of these and explored the balance of helping the poor but not enabling them either. This was perhaps the tensest yet most rewarding week. Jesus and Moses (in Deuteronomy) said that the poor will always be among us. That does not mean that we shouldn’t serve them. That also means we shouldn’t enable them in their sinful habits. Students were visibly frustrated that there was no tidy bow to put on this sticky issue, they left with more questions that night than answers - which was a sign to us that they were beginning to own the problem. The next day a few of us volunteered with the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy and served poor pensioners a free hot lunch. This was humbling but also eye-opening for us. Saturday we donated clothes to a local refugee center then went to a nearby grocery store, bought food and then engaged with the homeless at a train station. This was definitely the most challenging day of the project for many involved, myself in particular.

Lastly, we concluded the month-long project with a night of worship - dreaming of what God’s homecoming would be like. We reviewed what we had done in searching for the shalom of Moscow and talked about how to continue loving our city. The students who participated (7 total) said that they had never connected the need to love their city with their desire to follow God and that this was a major step in them moving in that direction. We hope that this continues and that the students involved pass on the idea and encourage others to seek, pray and find. Thank you for praying with us as we seek the shalom of Moscow.

Russians discussing the history of Russia (both good and bad) and how it influences today's culture and how to pray for its future.

Opening doors

The US project has been in country for nearly two weeks now. God has been doing some pretty cool things with them since then. Consider this:

-Two Universities where we have been trying to get traction have suddenly opened up to us and say that they want us to lead English Clubs at their schools.

-One University which we have been visiting and praying for is hopefully going to let us show a movie for their students and discuss its themes and spiritual significance afterwards.

-20 Russians students, most of whom are not Christians, showed up for a picnic on Saturday to talk with our summer project more about what they believe in and why they are who they are.

-We have identified two Russian students whom we are pretty sure are believers and seem interested in helping their friends know God.

This is incredibly encouraging for us, especially in light of the frustrating and slow winter and spring we had this year AND in light of the fact that most of our student leaders are graduating this year. It seems that your prayers for us and our prayers for the students in Moscow are being answered in conjunction with the summer project’s presence. Coincidence? Probably not.

The project has about 10 days left until they go to St. Petersburg for a few days. Pray with us that God uses them in increasingly great ways and that more doors open up for us as a result. Exciting things are happening and we can’t wait to see what God is going to do next.

Could it possibly have something to do with the Russian student summer project called “Shalom” that is starting this Thursday? We sure hope so. We are praying for 10 Muscovite students to join us for four weeks of loving their city and seeking the peace and prosperity of the city in which many of them feel like exiles. We hope this wave that US project is riding right now continues on to the Muscovite students and that they can continue to ride it as long as God wants. Pray with us for this. We’ll keep you posted.

Trusting God, Bearing Fruit

“Abide in me and I in you…”

“God, where are they?” We asked in desperation, “Where are the men you have prepared to lead these movements?” This was the cry of our hearts as we prayed as a team earlier this semester.

For the past year we have hit the campuses weekly in search of men who would be willing to lead a movement at their universities. Thankfully this has not been as big of a concern among the women because so many great girls have responded warmly and openly to the idea. Unfortunately, among the men the story has been quite different.

A few guys would come to an English Club or would stop and talk to us as we surveyed students about their beliefs and dreams. However, very few responded with interest and even fewer wanted to lead a movement. This is why we shouted for joy when we met Christian, a study abroad student from Spain. He had been involved in a campus ministry before and had dreams of building one here. Our dreams were combining and we began to pray and plan for ways to start a men’s movement.

Christian leading us in a game of pictionary

“Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.”

On a cold, wintry Friday night in late February my teammates Dan and Chris and I met with Christian and we planned out what would be a 5 part series on discussing what it means to be a man. The first event was going to be “Banya and Bibles”. We invited all the guys we knew and told them we were renting a banya – which is a very Russian thing, kind of like a private sauna – and told them to come and be ready to talk about what it means to be a man. The invitations were sent, the plans laid out and we were ready for something great.

 The day before the main event we took count of who would be there. To our sadness and shock we realized that not a single person said that they would make it.

No one was coming.

“Apart from me you can do nothing…”

That Friday Dan, Chris and I gathered around a pizza rather than a banya and talked about what else we could do. We were discouraged to say the least. At our staff meeting the next Tuesday the women on the team lamented with us and we cried out to the Lord on behalf of the male students of Moscow. “God where are they? Where are the men you have prepared to lead this movement? God we cannot do this, only you can, please raise them up.”

We prayed that morning, we prayed that day at one of the most male-dominated schools in Moscow, we prayed again the next week. We were coming to the realization that the only way we were going to see a movement among the men was if we prayed. If God was going to gather the men and raise up leaders he would do it in a way that would give him the glory and not us.

 Dan and I praying outside of a university

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Imagine our surprise and our joy when two weeks later 14 men gathered in an apartment to hang out, talk and seek the truth of what it means to be a real man. God is in the process of answering our prayers. Committed Christians, agnostics and devout secular humanists were all present, discussing the common struggles and joys of manhood. Believers were being challenged to grow and the lost were engaged with the Gospel on a new level. Dan, Chris, Christian and I left that night thanking God for the work he is doing.

 Andrei and I after playing a game where we searched for M&Ms in bowls of flour

like real men!

But, we’re not there yet. We still have a long way to go. Men need to step up and begin to lead movements on their own. They need to accept responsibility and stop trying to hold on to their adolescence. They need to take that step of faith and trust God for the ridiculous. They need to be willing to be ashamed for the sake of the Gospel.

Pray with us! Pray that God would specifically raise up men to lead movements everywhere in Moscow, so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus Christ. This is the cry of our hearts, right now. This is what we are trusting God for. Pray and fast with us to this end!

“By this my father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” John 15:4-8

Come and worship with the nations! The Area of Affairs Staff Conference

Imagine with me what Heaven will be like upon the triumphal entry of Christ when all the nations of the earth gather at his feet to worship. People from all over the world - every tongue, tribe and nation - kneeling before the Lord and singing praises to him. Imagine the sight of the hundreds of flags of the nations bowing to the Lord in submission. Can you picture it? Can you hear the collective voices singing “Come, let us worship”?

We were able to catch a small glimpse of that heavenly moment at our most recent staff conference. As the opening night began we started to sing “Come, now is the time to worship / One day every tongue will confess you are God / One day every knee will bow..” As we sang flag bearers from all of the countries in Eastern Europe and Russia made their way forward, waving their flags and worshiping God.

The nations had gathered to bow before Jesus.

As we sang and saw the flags swinging with pride and glory our eyes swelled with tears. This is what we are working towards, this is what we are praying for, this is why we are here! That small glimpse of Heaven was for us a moment beyond words. It was like reading a sentence from the last chapter of God’s great book. I wish you could have been there with us.

The conference was incredibly insightful. We were able to hear about the great things indigenous leaders are doing in countries like Albania, Romania and Ukraine. In Hungary the government came to the high school ministry and asked them to repeat an outreach they did for all the high school kids in the second largest city in the country! If only Russia would do that with us. Could you imagine?

We also were able to catch up with friends we had not seen in many years. From friends who have been in this part of the world for 20 years to friends who just moved here 4 months ago it was like a big family reunion. In fact it was 6 years ago at this very conference when we were Stinters that Jessica and I first caught the vision for coming back. We also caught glimpses of each other and that seemed to work out pretty well.

One of the highlights for the both of us was hearing from the main speakers. Dr. Douglas Moo from Wheaton College spoke about Romans and the need to guard the orthodox (as in traditionally held views, not Eastern Orthodox) doctrine of justification and sanctification. Then we heard from John Lennox, a professor of mathematics at Oxford University. He has debated with athiests Richard Dawkins and Sam Hitchens and is an astute apologist with - as my friend called it - some iron in his spine. We really enjoyed hearing from him and think you might as well. His website is www.johnlennox.org check it out.

Another big highlight for the Russian staff was the announcement of our new Country Director! His name is Misha Goz and he’s been on staff for nearly 20 years. His story is pretty incredible. A Campus Crusade Summer Project came over in the early 90s and decided to play baseball in order to attract Russian students. Misha was a student at the time and saw these loud Americans playing this crazy game. He just had to check it out. The more he hung out with them the more he heard about the Gospel. Eventually he placed is faith in Christ. One summer he was able to get a job as a raft guide with Noah’s Ark in Buena Vista, CO and grew in his relationship with Christ while he was there. He has been a great leader in Russia for the past several years and we cannot think of any one else we would rather follow than him as a Country Director. We’re really excited that a local Russian has taken over leadership of the ministry and cannot wait to see how God is going to use him in the future of the ministry.

In the meantime keep praying for us. We are back in the swing of things. Jess is in full time language school and Dave is in part time language and part time ministry. He is also writing the content for our ministry’s website www.moscowfocus.com.

We continue to have visa woes and would much appreciate your prayers for that. We found a new lawyer recently who is helping us get our documents in order to appeal the earlier decision to deny us visas for 2011 and hope that this will help the immigration officers see that we have much to offer Russia. Pray with us that we would get this visas and that we would have patience in the meantime. As the proverb says “a hope deferred makes the heart sick.” We can only take so much “heart tylenol” before we have to figure out a solution. Pray with us toward that end.

Finally, we want to extend a big and hearty thank you to all of you who gave and helped make these conferences a reality. We could not do this without you and are so grateful for your help and encouragement. God bless you and we’ll keep you updated!

Warmly in Christ,

David and Jessica

Summer Project in Full Swing

It's been a week already. The Summer Project complete with 32 students from OU and Texas Tech, 8 staff and 3 kids have invaded Moscow with more energy than a Russian Circus. It's been exciting. When they first got here we briefed them for a few on days on culture, safety, language and methods for sharing our faith and building the local movement. Then we let them loose and sent them to the campuses of Moscow.

Four days a week they are on campus for several hours just meeting students and talking about life with them. I've been so impressed with their initiative and eagerness. The conversations haven't been the smoothest and awkward is a word used often to describe their interactions but that's totally ok. We've all got to start somewhere. What really excites me is seeing one student step out and share with another the hope they have in Christ and allowing God to do the rest. We've been careful not to spiritually hi-jack the conversation yet still be bold and make the most of the opportunities God has given us.

One group of Russian students we talked to really broke my heart because their comments were the norm for the typical Muscovite student. They wanted to go to Heaven, but they didn't know how to get there. They didn't want to be Orthodox because they didn't like the vibe of the church, rather they wanted to be Catholic or Protestant because then they could have a relationship with God. But then when we asked them if they would like to know how to have a relationship with God and how to go to Heaven they said that they weren't interested right now. This was something for them to consider when they are older, when they have a family. I cannot tell you how heartbreaking this was for me. They are lost and know it but don't care.

We left them with our contact information and an invitation to come play with us at a nearby park a few days later. We'll see what becomes of it. In the meantime we continue to pray for open hearts and for God to work in ways we never imagined. We pray that our labor would not be in vain and we pray that God would use us to be the City of God in the Lofty City.

Thank you for praying with us for these things!

We'll post more on the project in a few days.

X-Track

The Chief of the Village wanted to get baptized. He had long watched the way the Christians loved each other and decided that it was time for him, and his five wives, to join them in following Christ. What where the missionaries to do?

How do they navigate this minefield? This missiological dilemma was one of the questions posed to us during our two month cross-cultural training called “X-track”. One step closer to home, what do you tell a homosexual couple with children that comes to the Lord and desires to fully surrender their lives to Him?

A few other topics included raising kids overseas, tips on keeping in touch with family and friends and differences between guilt/innocence cultures (the west) and shame/honor cultures (the middle east). This was an invaluable time of preparation, rest and vision casting for us.

Our anticipated leave date is sometime in October. Between now and then we will be spending some quality time with our families as well as raising support in Texas and Colorado.

Here are some answers to some common questions: Yes, we are excited to go; Yes, we will miss our families terribly but they are being incredibly supportive of us; And of course we will miss New Orleans and America but we know that God has us going to Russia for a reason bigger than we can see. Thank you for sticking with us in this rough economy and for being God’s literal provision in our lives. We are eternally grateful for you.

Warmly in Christ,

David & Jessica

(The Pictures above are Dave with his Dad and brothers Bud and Andy at a Rockies game this summer and other is of Dave and Jess enjoying a canoe trip with Dave's Dad)

Thank God with us for...

• A great summer of training in Fort Collins and time with family.
• A breakthrough with our Work Permits! We will get them but they start in January. We’ll be on a temporary 3 month visa till then.

Please Pray for...

• Us as we trust and ask God to provide the funds we need to go to Russia and for the travel this will require during the next two months. It’s like backpacking but with a car.
• Jess’s Knee Surgery: to be scheduled sometime in August and a full and speedy recovery.
• Our team in Moscow as they start the fall semester - for faith and belief in the Greatness of God.

Moving, Training & Waiting

Here is our June update. Thank you for praying for us and sending us!

Hello from Ft. Collins, Colorado! We have been busy. We moved from our home in New Orleans in early June and after a brief visit to San Angelo, TX we headed to our cross-cultural training in Ft. Collins. Our time is mostly spent in class learning things like worldview, contextualization and values. It has been very interesting and we feel as if our minds will be on overload when we step foot on Russian soil once again and start really trying to apply all of this information.

We want to thank each of you who have come alongside us during this time with your prayers, gifts and hard work, especially as we cleaned and moved things from our home. We are constantly remembering you in our prayers and thanking the Lord for your generosity and sacrifices on our behalf.

As we look toward our late September departure to Russia, we would deeply appreciate your prayers. As is typically the case, there has been a delay in processing our visas. This summer we are hoping to receive work permits which will allow us back into Russia for a year at a time. We requested work permits for our team to live and minister in Moscow, but so far our request has not been issued. We have simply been told to wait. This situation affects our entire team. All of our team members have left Russia for the time being to wait for a renewal or new work permit. It's a little scary to have no one left in country, with little to no information to be had about our future in Russia. Please pray for all of us, for our documents to be speedily processed, and for the privilege to return to Russia at the end of the summer. We are looking forward to returning, and trust the Lord will open doors in His timing.

Warmly in Christ,

David & Jessica

Thank God with us for...

• The training we are receiving in Ft. Collins. It has been encouraging and helpful as we prepare for long term overseas ministry.
• Extra time spent with our families and friends before the big move.

Please Pray for...

• Us as we continue our cross-cultural training. That we would be open to learning what God is teaching us.
• Our hearts. That God would prepare us as we go and that we would approach ministry in Russia as servants and learners.
• Our Visas. There have been a lot of complications and we desperately need prayer to get our visas and work permits soon

*The future belongs to those who know how to wait* Russian Proverb

The Unexpected Ministry

This is our update from May, we hope you enjoy.

TIME AFTER TIME after time Adam had tried to start and re-start a movement at his school. He would gather leaders and friends but they would drop-out, move away or disappear. He dreamed of

starting both a ministry for fraternities and for regular students but both never got off the ground. So we decided to meet and pray weekly for God to move. As months went by Adam invited friends over, shared his faith and studied the Bible. Before he knew it he had a weekly Bible study where 10 men and women from the Greek system would come and explore who Jesus is according to the Gospel of John. It wasn’t what he planned on happening, it was more of a backdoor surprise that God brought his way when he decided to ask God to lead him rather than the other way around.

In the same way Jessica and I have been humbled by what God has done in New Orleans. The plans and grand ideas we had were frustrated while

God’s perfect plan slowly unraveled before our eyes, unveiling a beautiful story of life change and hope for the students and families of New Orleans.

You have been a large part of our experience here. We have learned so much about each other, about Jesus and what it means to reach students today in order to reach the world tomorrow. As we leave New Orleans at the end of this month we look back with fond memories and hopeful dreams of what lays ahead. Thank you for going with us! Warmly in Christ,

David & Jessica

Thank God with us for...

• Jessica’s knee has been feeling better and she has been able to see a few doctors to help her.
• A good end to our time with students in New Orleans

Please Pray for...

• Us as we transition from New Orleans to Colorado then Texas, and finally Moscow (ETA is October)
• A great summer of training and development at X-track (the cross-cultural training for CCC staff)
• A clear vision for how God wants to use us in Moscow.

Experiencing a Transformational Community

This is from our March Newsletter. It's obviously a little late but we hope you enjoy it.

The music swelled as the students rose and sang a song about finding the answer. As the song fades a vivacious student jumps up front and says kindly “Welcome to FUEL! We’ve got a great night ahead of us so let’s get started” Fuel is the weekly meeting of Campus Crusade at Tulane and—like most of our events—the night is run completely by students. From the setup to the band to the game and the teaching, students do it all. Jessica and I attend the meeting occasionally but mostly mentor the leaders and help them to lead their peers. Tonight, a junior named Peyton has the reins and talks with the group of 30 students about humility. Teaching from Philippians 3 and his personal experience (while playfully joking about the irony of being an expert in humility) he gives a picture of what it means.

Before he gets going he has us say hi to the person next to us. I turn around and meet Alfred. He is wearing a fleece two sizes too big for his small frame, has stylish glasses and faded jeans. Alfred is shy and barely maintains eye contact but is thoughtful and warm as he explains that this is his first time here. After the event ends and the crowd begins to mingle I turn and ask Alfred what he thought. “I like that it’s all student run. Y’know, like there’s no old guy up there.” Sensing that he doesn’t know I’m on staff and a little excited that I can still pass as a college student I asked him to elaborate. “Well, it’s great because it’s like we’re all on the same playing field. We can come as we are and not have to pretend in front of a pastor that I’m someone I’m not.”

He goes on to say that for the first time in the two years since he came to college he is beginning to explore his faith.

“I don’t know why but something inside me said I needed to start coming to this. I’ve seen the signs and t-shirts and just felt like God was saying to go. Like he was trying to wake me up.”

He’s right. They are on the same playing field and he can come as he is. Alfred continues to explore faith and community at Fuel. His is just one of the many lives being touched by this ministry at Tulane. Thank you for helping in a large way to make it possible for guys like Alfred to experience a transformational community. This is why we’re here.

Gratefully, Dave & Jessica

Please Pray For:

• Our student leaders. That they would live surrendered lives to God

• Us that we would too

• Us as we consider returning to Moscow and God’s timing in that

• Jessica’s knee. It’s been hurting chronically for a while and needs healing

Praises

• Our Spring Retreat was a big hit. 40+ students came

• Students are beginning to talk about world missions

• God has been teaching us more and more about the value and need of community and the Holy Spirit