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- TeamUfa
- We are a team of people trying to reach people in Ufa and Bashkortostan in Russia. It is no small task and we want your support!
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A Meeting with Pastor Zhuk
12:34 PM | Posted by
TeamUfa
Some of you may not be aware that Jeff went off to a lake house this weekend with a bunch of professionals that have started their own English club. I made a reference to this group on Tuesday, July 20th. It turns out that Jeff had many good conversations with many of these people and established witnessing relationships with many of them. This is a great thing that the Lord has done. Not only has Jeff planted seeds in the hearts of these individuals, but because of his efforts to hang out with them, those of us that live here have a new group of people with whom to be an incarnate witness as we continue the ministry the Lord has given us. He has a few good stories about conversations with some of them and I hope to get him to tell me more about this trip soon.
There were some good things talked about in this morning's worship and meeting. Leslie shared her experience that she had in the park next to the hotel last night. She met some ladies who were curious about why she was in Ufa. They talked for a while about family, church life and some other things and the women expressed gratitude that people care and are coming to Ufa and reaching out to the people. Seeds were planted last night with those ladies.
Wayne talked about seeing some friends from two years ago at Kashkadan (the lake with the volleyball pits) He talked about how he was glad he had taken the time to keep up with those people while he was in the states and how if he hadn't they may not have shown up last night. This struck me as a good example of why a church should make long term investments in places they go on mission trips. When the Iron Curtain fell in the early 90's, a flood of western churches sent teams to take advantage of the opportunity to bring a message of hope to this country. They came and went and were never heard from in Russia again. This left a bad taste in the mouths of those they encountered and, frankly, the Russians felt used. Coming year after year shows commitment and a level of care that will help break though the barriers of doubt and mistrust the Russians often have when dealing with outsiders.
The team had a meeting today with the senior pastor in all of Bashkortostan, Peter Zhuk. He is also one of the vice presidents of the Russian Baptist Union. He is responsible for a large part of the Ural Mountain region. It was good for the team to hear about his passion for the people in Bashkortostan and the struggles the evangelical church faces in this largely Muslim republic.
There were some good things talked about in this morning's worship and meeting. Leslie shared her experience that she had in the park next to the hotel last night. She met some ladies who were curious about why she was in Ufa. They talked for a while about family, church life and some other things and the women expressed gratitude that people care and are coming to Ufa and reaching out to the people. Seeds were planted last night with those ladies.
Wayne talked about seeing some friends from two years ago at Kashkadan (the lake with the volleyball pits) He talked about how he was glad he had taken the time to keep up with those people while he was in the states and how if he hadn't they may not have shown up last night. This struck me as a good example of why a church should make long term investments in places they go on mission trips. When the Iron Curtain fell in the early 90's, a flood of western churches sent teams to take advantage of the opportunity to bring a message of hope to this country. They came and went and were never heard from in Russia again. This left a bad taste in the mouths of those they encountered and, frankly, the Russians felt used. Coming year after year shows commitment and a level of care that will help break though the barriers of doubt and mistrust the Russians often have when dealing with outsiders.
The team had a meeting today with the senior pastor in all of Bashkortostan, Peter Zhuk. He is also one of the vice presidents of the Russian Baptist Union. He is responsible for a large part of the Ural Mountain region. It was good for the team to hear about his passion for the people in Bashkortostan and the struggles the evangelical church faces in this largely Muslim republic.
Pastor Zhuk shares his heart as Polina translates
I think someone suggested Wayne start a ministry called 'Bikes and Bibles across Bashkortostan'. This was all he could find.
In the afternoon the team participated in some English clubs being held at the Bauer's and Woodall's apartments. This was another ministry opportunity for them and local believers.
Victor giving an explanation of an English idiom.
Tonight the group was split into four parts in order to participate in evangelistic home Bible study groups being held across the city. These are ongoing groups hosted in the apartments of local believers. It was good to be able to see these in action. All the groups have a common purpose and some common elements, but all have different personalities. The group I attended with Ashley and Allison was hosted in the apartment of a woman whose husband had left her with two young children. There were also three other school aged kids there. They were orphans, one of whom was recently saved and wants to be Baptized soon. There were a couple of other regulars who weren't there. So, what do you do with a some kids who are largely ignorant of the basics of the Christian faith? You share with them the same Bible stories that we learned as kids and then make it relevant to them. You tell them that God loves them and is there to help them in the hard times. It was a good evening and I hope to share something from the other groups tomorrow.
Pray for these home groups, that God would let them prosper and have a growing impact on the city. Pray that the church in Bashkortostan would remain faithful in the face of what seems an insurmountable task of having a church in every major city and town. Pray that the team would keep going strong these last few days and continue to look for opportunities to talk to non-believers with the same enthusiasm they have had thus far.
Pray for these home groups, that God would let them prosper and have a growing impact on the city. Pray that the church in Bashkortostan would remain faithful in the face of what seems an insurmountable task of having a church in every major city and town. Pray that the team would keep going strong these last few days and continue to look for opportunities to talk to non-believers with the same enthusiasm they have had thus far.
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