Greetings from sunny green Vladimir! The grass is green, the trees are filing out, and the flowers are blooming. Summer is right around the corner!
For us summer means a change in ministries. For me it means a switch from small discipleship groups to camp. I finished the discipleships lessons I was going through with the three young ladies. The last session went really well and we ended up talking for another several hours about some problems and questions they are struggling with in their lives. It was encouraging to hear the advice they were giving each others. It showed that God has been changing them and maturing them.
I also finished the lesson with Zoya, the Bible College cook. She has been using the lessons we went over with the group of ladies she meets with on Sunday. She has been encourages by what she sees God doing in them. Even though we have finished the formal lessons, we are going to meet once a month to talk about how her group is going.
Last time I mentioned a day of seminars that we were planning for the youth. Due to complications, we ended up canceling this event. However, we felt that the topics were too important to cancel so we are doing them at our regular youth meetings. I did my seminar two weeks ago on Spiritual Growth. It went very well. Next week with be another one of the seminars. Thank you for your prayers for these seminars.
We are planning several special things for the youth this summer. The first is a camp in June. It is a special camp where in the morning they will do service projects around the city and in the church. Things like painting trashcans, going to Halfway House and doing a program for the kids there, picking up trash on the play grounds, etc. Then if the afternoon, there will be special activities for them - like seminars, movies, games. They will also pass out invitations to the kids they meet to come to the afternoon activities. This is the first time we have tried this kind of camp. Please pray with us that God will bless the camp and that we will be able to reach some new kids through this camp.
The youth kids have been reading the New Testament this year. The first Thursday in June will be a special youth meeting where we will honor those who have finished. There will be also be a special prize for them. We are encourage that about 4 of our youth will have read the entire New Testament this year. A few weeks ago we had our month youth committee meeting and we review the year. It is amazing to see all the good things God has been doing our youth this year. They are growing and maturing and we praise God for this! We are also praying that he will send us new kids since in a year, most of these will graduate.
One way that we want to draw new kids in is through youth camp this summer. It will be the fist week in August. We praise God that he has raised up a team for us there year. There are 7 people coming from Spring Lake, Michigan, and two from Mitchell, South Dakota. It is such a blessing to have such a big team this year. Have of the team is made up of teenagers. We are excited to see how God will use the teenagers on the team to connect with our teens. Please pray for this team as they finished raising the support they need and for the process of getting passports and visas.
Please also join with us in the asking God to bring the kid he wants to the camp. In the past years, we have struggles with find the best way to invite kids. General invitations and advertisements don't seem to work. We are looking for other ways to find kids. Please pray that God will show us where to find the kids that are supposed to come to the camp.
On June 1, will be the Bible College graduation. This year is a special year. There is only one student but for us it is a special student. It is Pastor Anton, of the Tokareva church. He has been working on completing the Bible College for many years, taking less classes than usually because he was also pastoring at the same time. We give God the praise that He has brought Anton to this point. We are excited to see what God will continue to do through this amazing young man.
Thank you for your continued prayers. Prayer is a powerful things and I know that your prayers are vital to the ministry here. May God grant you the peace that passes all understanding as you bring your needs and request to him! If I can pray for you for something specific, don't hesitate to let me know.
In Christ,
Kerry Pickard