-
- The
Vision...
- The
History
-
- The
School...
- The
Study Course
- Students
- Teachers
- Facilities
-
- The
Fruit...
- Village
Churches
- Graduates
- Changing
Russia
-
To
Contribute
-
-
-
- Noel Morris
-
-
-
- "Faith in
Action" is supported by Faith Ministries & Faith Bible
- College in New
Zealand,
- Faith Ministries
Japan,
- and World Outreach.
|
DECEMBER TRIP TO RUSSIA
The snow arrived before me last
December in Vladivostok. Apart from a funeral and a house fire,
my two weeks in Russia passed relatively smoothly. My teaching
companion was Grady McMurtry who taught Creation Science. Grady's
subject was really new and radical, but his multimedia presentations
were graphic and logical depictions of his teaching, bringing
a new level of interest in Creation.
At the end of the classes a Graduation
Service was held for seven senior students. These men (no women
this time!) are now serving the Lord in churches in the villages
and towns in Far East Russia.
For to me, to live
is Christ, and to die is gain
The day before I arrived
to teach in the Bible School last December, Stas died of cancer
at age 57. Stas was a good friend. He had come to Bible School
from prison where he had spent half of his life. He had to overcome
some physical problems as his whole system had been so malnourished
from his last time "away". But he had found Jesus there,
and a new purpose for life. I am reprinting his testimony from
a newsletter of 6 years ago on the next page.
Stas met Zina in our school 7
years ago, and after graduating they married. Actually this was
the only student wedding I have ever been able to attend, although
we have had many such weddings in the past 12 years. Zina took
good care of Stas, fed him well, and they had a wonderful ministry
of hospitality and evangelism. Stas at one time worked as a street-car
conductor, and many people bought their ticket and heard the
Gospel between stops. He was also involved in Prison Ministry
and particularly ministered to the families of prisoners.
A few days after my arrival we
held a simple funeral service in the open between the church
and the Bible School. Students and men from the rehab centre
had cleared a patch in the snow. Stas was in an open coffin on
trestles, and about 30 of us gathered around in warm coats and
hats. We paid tribute to this trophy of Grace God had fashioned
from the criminal world in a Russian prison.
The week following the funeral,
Zina his wife suffered from what we think was a mini-stroke.
Her speech and some movements were affected but she wouldn't
go to the hospital. Then a few days later her fireplace overheated
and set fire to the walls and roof of her house. It seemed that
all Zina's troubles came together, and yet she was still focused
on the Lord in praise and prayer. Please remember Zina in your
prayers.
REPORT FROM SVETA
In March we had wonderful conferences
where our students took an active part. Last week our church's
youth team went to evangelize in villages, and a team of students
joined them. All of them were very happy and encourage by the
this experience. They gave two evangelistic concerts promoting
"no drugs". In Kamen Ribolov there were about 400-500
young people, and in Zharicovo about 200-300. The gospel was
preached to all of them.
|
|
Also our student helped the orphanage,
and at the Stekolshikov's house.
Among our 21 students there are
some unique people, they are disabled. One has only one leg,
another has lost both feet, and the third has lost both his hands.
He is our best student, his work is very good. All of them are
very intelligent students.
Regrettably during the practical
outreach time one of our students died. But through this death
his father has begun to think about eternal life.
Then we heard about Nikolai K,
one of our graduates who became a pastor in Vopokrovka village.
He was going to a meeting but disappeared on the way. We've been
searching for him with no success, and presume that he has died.
Reprint from 1999 newsletter
"27
YEARS BEHIND BARS" the
story of Stas
The guard pushed Stas into the
small cell and slammed the door. Another prisoner was there,
waiting out his final moments on Death Row. As Stas sat down,
the other man knelt and began to speak to someone else. "What
are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm praying" said
the man. And in that cell he taught Stas that prayer is simply
talking with Almighty God.
The next day the other man was taken from the cell and executed.
Stas's first lesson on prayer was very short.
|
|
Stas had been in prison many
times, already totaling 17 years. This time he had killed two
of the four men who had attacked and raped his wife, and was
now facing the death penalty. After a time, his lawyer was able
to get his sentence reduced to 15 years. Stas moved into the
regular section of the prison and worked his way up to become
a yard supervisor of the other prisoners. Stas was a tough man,
and people did what he said.
Then came Perestroika, and Stas's
15 years was reduced to 10. One day a group of Christians came
to the prison, and having nothing to do, Stas decided to attend
their meeting. He had often heard about Christianity before,
but the way these people talked about the love of God and forgiveness
of sins through Jesus Christ made him really think. He was a
stubborn guy and wasn't going to give in to his emotions, but
gradually something changed and he became aware of right and
wrong. He prayed a simple prayer of repentance as he had learned
from the man on Death Row, and asked Jesus into his life.
Stas became a new person. The
other prisoners could hardly believe it. They would sometimes
tease him for reading his Bible, and sometimes do worse things.
Gradually Stas began growing in the Lord.
The small group of Christians
in the prison had no place to meet and pray except in the cold,
dark corridors. One time they found a empty room, and asked the
Prison Governor if they might use it for prayer and Bible Study.
He said no.
But Stas and the others were
listening to God. One day an important Government Official was
inspecting the prison. The Holy Spirit told the believers to
go out in the court-yard and kneel in prayer in the snow. The
Official noticed them, but the Governor said that they were trouble-makers.
However, the official went over to the men in the snow, and bending
down over Stas, he asked "What are you doing?"
"We are praying."
"What are you praying for?"
"We want a room inside the
prison where we can pray and study the Bible" Stas said.
The Official turned to the Governor
and demanded "Give them their room! And report to me that
it is done."
|
|
So God answered their prayers,
and Stas became the "Pastor" of the Christians in that
prison for the next six years until his release in 1998. As he
entered the outside world he was in awe of the many changes.
He returned to his former home to find his wife and family gone.
His neighbors were frightened, but then they began to see the
change in him. He was no longer the violent person who had been
responsible for the deaths of two men. At 50 year old, he is
quiet and gentle-spirited. You can see in his face he has had
a tough life but there is joy in his eyes and a love for the
Lord in his heart.
Now Stas is a student in Faith
In Action Bible School in Vladivostok, where the Lord is teaching
him how to live as a free man. In prison all his material needs
were met by the State, but now he needs to learn to trust the
Lord for things like a pair of shoes or some toothpaste.
In December 1998 there was a
meeting for people who are in prison ministry. Stas and Zhenya
from FIA attended, and were encouraged at what God is doing in
Prisons all around Far East Russia. There were 45 people at the
conference, most of whom had met Jesus while in prison. If all
their years behind bars were added together, the total would
be over 300 years. For so long they served the devil, but now
they serve the Lord, and have a great desire to share the love
of Jesus with those who are still in the prisons.
In February when a new term starts
at FIA there will be two or three more students who found their
Savior in prison. As senior students Stas and Zhenya have an
important role to help them learn to adjust to a new life without
bars.
"Therefore
if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
DIMA'S UPDATE
I was really happy to meet with
Dima in December. He translated for us on many occasions and
his health and his mother's health have improved.
Finally it seems that Dima will
be coming to New Zealand to study in July. At this stage he has
his passport, and we are presently working on the visa application.
Dima has a scholarship to attend
Faith Bible College, but money for his air fare and support while
in NZ is still needed. Please pray that it will be supplied in
time.
|
|
NEW-LOOK WEB SITE
- Please check out the links at
the left and see Faith in Action's radically updated web pages.
You can read about the history of FIA and learn about the people
involved. You can also make an on-line
donation in many different currencies: US$, AU$, CAN$, UK£,
JPYen & Euro.
PRAY
FOR:
- Zina and her family, for Nikolai's
family, and for the dead student's family
- Alexei, Sveta and family, the
staff and the students at Faith in Action.
- finances needed to run the school.
Approximately US$2,000 per month (NZ$3,000, 250,000 Japanese
yen.)
- Airfare and support for Dima
to study in New Zealand.
- Gifts
for our support and continuing ministry to Russia can be sent:
In NZ: C/o P.O. Box 12357 Hamilton |
- In Japan: Postal Furikae 01150-8-74597 Faith Ministries
-
|
In USA: C/o Christian Fellowship, 2199 N. Water
Street, Decatur, Illinois 62526
(Make checks out to Christian Fellowship, but memo for Faith
Ministries) |
From other countries:
Bank: A/c name: Faith Ministries,
A/c No. 060603 0000421 00
National Bank of NZ, Chartwell Branch,
Routing No. NBNZ22 |
|
|