Last month we witnessed eight new believers being baptized by pastors of a local church.

A pool in a public sauna was rented for the event. Those of us there to witness the baptism crowded around the pool on a narrow walkway between the wall and the edge of the water.

Those who were baptized entered the pool two at a time. They were asked to reaffirm their confession of faith before being immersed by one of the pastors.

As each newly-baptized believer was raised out of the water we sang a song of praise around them.

It wasn’t but a few weeks later that one of the recently-baptized believers shared a testimony of how she had taken the opportunity to share her faith. We praised God that her obedience in baptism was quickly followed by her obedience in evangelism.

These newly-baptized believers already serve with the church. Give thanks with us for the conviction of the Holy Spirit in their lives and for the obedience of other believers to be disciple-makers.

We’re praying, too, that these eight new believers will be the start of a movement of God across the city, a chain-reaction of evangelism and discipleship.

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Colossians 3:19-22)

Shawn B. 

                 There are more than 50,000 university students here in Ufa. I’ve gotten the impression from spending time with students that they’re more willing to craft their own worldview rather than accept one inherited from their parents or grandparents. Even students who claim one of the two major religions, Islam or Orthodox Christianity, only loosely follow the associated teachings. Most students seem to have developed their own ideas regarding who God is, if He exists, and how that should influence the way we live.

                  I like interacting with people and hearing their ideas and thoughts, learning how they came to arrive at this or that answer to an important question. I recently ate lunch with a few friends. We began talking about our beliefs, how they were similar and how they were different. We shared different arguments and proofs that had led us to our beliefs. I don’t like debate for its own sake; I like entering into these conversations because I want to know what people believe, what ideas guide their lives. These discussions are times when I’ve been able to share the truths of the gospel and how they guide my own life.

                  Late in the conversation, my friend Ruslan asked a different kind of question. He said, “You know, these ideas are very good to hear, but what is your personal experience with religion?” It was my favorite question to answer that day. I shared with him my testimony of how God found me and how he continued to speak to me and work in my life in the years following my salvation. And I think God has given each of us a testimony of his work in our lives. It’s a story to be shared. It’s a story about an encounter, an experience with love and forgiveness. It’s a story that transcends an argument or proof because it’s an encounter with a person, with God. I’m praying that I’ll value the story God has given me and that He’ll use it to change and redeem the stories of students who need to hear it.

Shawn B.