The
following are
Dec. 1st
2008
Hello Everyone,
The following verses have been on my mind lately:
Jer. 9:23-24 "Let not the wise man boast
in his wisdom, let not the might man boast in his might, let not the rich man
boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands
and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice
and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight declares the
LORD."
God is good to let us know what matters to Him. He
wants people to boast in understanding and knowing Him, that He is and that
love, justice and righteousness are His qualities and actions. I've been seeing
God reveal His qualities to us as a church these past months and it's been
exciting to see people begin to boast in the Lord.
We've seen some people in church come alive in
their love for Jesus. Mirim is 20 and has been going
to church for several years, but only recently has she begun to desire to read
the Bible and follow Jesus. Pray for her, as she wants to break up with her
non-believer boyfriend. Tolgonai is in her 20's also
and recently felt convicted that she has kept her faith a secret from her
family. She was afraid they would throw her out if she told them she was a
Christian, but they didn't and even said that they've seen positive changes in
her. Also, my Sunday school class has grown to around 10 kids lately and the
other group has around 10-15 kids. Pray for these people/children to
grow in Christ.
Thank you for praying for the women's rehab center.
We have sought God's guidance on how to co-labor with the workers there and
have seen that the best thing we can do now is to invite the rehab ladies to be
a part of our church. There has been a lot of "drama" with these
women and none of them seen sincerely interested in God at this time. Pray
for Lena, Ella and Zarina to turn to Jesus.
This last Saturday, we had a special women's spa
event. A believer, Stanka, who is studying here
for a time, organized the event and invited many of her non-believer friends.
There was a teaching time and then various spa treatments were offered to the
ladies. They loved it and it was a great time of fellowship. Pray for Vibeka and Diana who heard the gospel there,
that God would save them.
Thanks you for praying for my Kyrgyz lessons.
They are going well and I have more boldness to converse with people. Pray for
the Kyrgyz small Bible study group that is starting soon. Pray that more Kyrgyz
would be saved and that our church would effectively minister to both Russian
and Kyrgyz speaking groups. As the church has been growing, the pastors have
seen a need for small Bible study groups to start. There are 4 groups
now meeting during the week. Paul and Jed teach at them now since the local
believers are still learning much. Pray for them, as they are very busy! I'm
involved in a Thursday night English speaking Bible study and often translate
there into Russian. Pray that God would help me to translate well and bless the
going forth of His Word.
Christmas preparations are underway. Pray for us as a church as we work
together on a play, decorations, costumes and a choir. This is a great way to
get to know one another better and to grow as a body. Pray that God would
give us joy, humility and unity.
A new law was passed in
To the prayer warriors out there: I want
to ask those who are willing to faithfully pray for the salvation of the
following young women: Asila, Natasha,
Praises and Petitions:
1) Praise God for the spiritual growth in church (Mirim, Tolgonai, Sunday school
kids, the women's spa event). Pray that we would continue to grow in love and
grace and abide in the Word. Pray for Christmas preparations as we work
together.
2) Praise God for wisdom regarding the women's
rehab center. Pray for the salvation of
3)Praise God for the small groups. Pray for Paul and
Jed as they teach. Pray for leaders from the church body to be raised up to
teach, pray for me as I translate on Thursday nights from English into Russian.
4) Praise God for progress in Kyrgyz. Pray that
I would have boldness to speak, that I would be able to share the gospel in
Kyrgyz and that more Kyrgyz would be saved.
5) Praise God that our church was registered before
the new law was passed. Pray for religious freedom here and that we
would have wisdom for functioning under the new law.
6) Praise God for His faithfulness to declare His
truth to all people. Pray for the non-believers who have heard the
gospel often and yet desire the world. Pray that God would open their spiritual
eyes. Pray for Asila, Dilia,
Thank you for your prayers and support. If you have
questions about other things happening here, please feel free to write me. May
God bless you and may you boast in Jesus who perfectly demonstrates God's
steadfast love, justice and righteousness.
In Christ,
Newsletter
September '08
Hello Everyone,
Lately, I've been
pondering the word "imperishable" in the context:
1 Peter 1:3-4 "…he has caused us to be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance
that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you."
The gift of salvation that we have now and forever is not only something that
will never perish or fade, it is a life and inheritance that only grows in
depth and joy as we continue in relationship with Christ. This living hope
gives us strength and purpose to live each day and share Jesus with those
around us. In many parts of the world, it is counter-cultural to be a
Christian. Below is a quote from The Voice of the Martyrs magazine that describes
the situation here.
"Kyrgyzstan is
culturally Muslim, but the general population's understanding of Islam is low.
The Northern people are influenced by Russian culture while the Southern people
are more traditionally Kyrgyz. The constitution guarantees religious freedom,
however, the conversion of a Kyrgyz is seen as a betrayal of both ethnic
identity and family." Special Issue 2008.
With this in mind, please pray that we (Christians here) would be able to
express the universality of Christ. He is the Saviour
of all people, in all ages and in all cultures.
Here are some of the
highlights of life here that you can keep in prayer:
Saturday women's study- It's been amazing to see
the power of God's Word in the lives of the ladies who attend. Many come with
questions as Renee is teaching through the gospel of John. Our discussions are
fruitful as we seek to find answers in the Bible to practical questions about
how to walk daily with Christ in the midst of personal struggles and conflicts.
Outreaches- Two new Bible studies have begun
in surrounding cities. The first is in a city near Lake Issik
Kuhl (4 hours away) where discouraged believers are
weekly growing in joy and understanding as they study God's Word. The second is
in a small village outside of town (1 hour away) called Seraphimovka.
There is much immaturity and division among the professed believers here. Pray
for repentance, forgiveness and sincere love amongst them. I've been privileged
to attend these studies occasionally. Pray that God would use us to demonstrate
God's truth to others there.
Worship- I'll be more involved in worship
these next few months with my teammate Katie. Pray that God would grow my
ability to play, to lead rehearsals and please God in praising him. Several
people in the church come from backgrounds where they sang in worship, were
paid and received a lot of glory for themselves. Pray that our example would
put all the attention on Christ.
Thursday Study- Pray for the new believers
and non-believers at the Bible study I attend on Thursday evenings. Pray
especially for Natasha who doesn't seem awake to the reality of sin and the
need of a Saviour. Pray for Dilia
that Jesus would be her priority even in the midst of university studies.
Other news- Kyrgyz lessons are going well.
Thank you for praying. Pray for ability and opportunities to speak. Also, my
parents are coming to visit from Sept. 25th through Oct. 8th.
Please pray for their safe travels and for our time of fellowship together. I'm
very excited that they are able to come.
Overall prayer request: Pray that in all the above
activities, people would believe God's Word and that Jesus would transform us
to be more like Him.
Thank you for your prayers. If have
specific questions or want to hear more about anything I have mentioned, please
feel free to write to me. May God bless you as you rejoice in the living hope
that we have been born into through faith in Jesus Christ. Love in Him, Tracy
June 20, 2008
Hello Everyone,
I will be writing a
newsletter soon, but I wanted to ask for prayer for several things.
1) pray for the health of the missionaries and
their kids. Melanie's son Titus has German measles which is not painful, but is
very contagious. They are quarantined at home. Her husband Paul and some of the
other missionaries are away from Bishkek for various reasons, so we need prayer
for strength and health. I'm feeling like I'm getting sick again.
2) pray that God would help Paul take care of his medical
needs while he is in the States for 2 weeks.
3) pray that the believers here would be edified in
serving one another as there are more opportunities for them to help out.
Praise God that I'm getting into my new apartment and that I
have internet set up there now. I'm also taking Kyrgyz lessons and have started
teaching Sunday school to the 4-7 year olds and have led worship. Please pray
that God would give strength, wisdom and the filling of His Spirit for His
glory here in Bishkek. Thank you. In Christ,
January 30th, 2008
Hello Everyone,
These verses from Romans have been on my mind as I've been thinking
about our call as believers to share the gospel and be God's instruments in
equipping others to share the gospel. Romans 10:13-15,17
says, "For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved." But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe on him of whom they have never heard? And how are
they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they
are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who
preach the good news!"... So faith comes from hearing and hearing
through the word of Christ."
These verses clearly show us that faith is born out of hearing
the Word. I hope we all understand how vital the Word of God is to our faith
and how we need to read it, hear it, and speak it to ourselves and to one
another. This is not solely a missionary text, but is a text for all believers
to live by, in whatever place God has called them to live for His glory.
Well, with that introduction, I want to share that God is
calling me to a new place to live for His glory. Earlier
this month, I went to visit some missionary friends who are church
planting in
Over the last year especially, I've seen the Ukrainian
believers with whom I minister, grow in their desire to serve consistently and
in their giftings to minister. It will be
difficult to leave my church family here, but I look forward to seeing how God
will continue to grow and nurture the body of Christ in
Yesterday, some of us went to Halavin
to be with the kids there. I was so happy to see that the ping pong table is
fixed and being used and that the washing machine is finally up and running.
Thank you for your prayers about this. Also, we were blessed to see kids there
whom we know from Priluki days when we used to visit
the boarding school Udiesty. Although it's too bad
that they are in the hospital, it was still mutually encouraging for us to
visit. Those kids have had the Word planted in their hearts. Pray as they grow
up that the seeds of faith would grow and that they would love Jesus.
We continue to have a Sunday school time at the Podusovka boarding school. The next lessons are
about how we come to God through Jesus Christ. Pray that the kids would grow in
faith (especially for Yulia).
Also, please pray for our head pastor Jake and his family. While
he was in the States, the doctors found that he has some kidney problems. He
hasn't been able to return to
Praises and Petitions
1) Praise God that I'll be able to visit friends and family in the States. Pray
that God would bless the visit and help me to share with the churches about
2) Praise God that He is the Living God who desires to save. Pray that He would
prepare me to transition and move to
3) Praise God for those who minister at Halavin, for
answered prayer regarding the washing machine, for the kids who desire to hear
about Jesus. Pray that God would continue to strengthen those who minister
there (Tanya, Vlada and Valya)
and that staff and kids would be saved.
4) Praise God for continued permission to have Sunday school at Podusovka (the boarding school). Pray that God would save
kids and that our church would reach out and be like family to them.
5) Praise God that Jake has a good doctor. Pray that God would heal him
and bring Jake, Anya and Maia back to
Thanks so much for your prayers. May God strengthen
you to continue in prayer and encourage you as you see how He answers. I look
forward to seeing some of you soon in the States.
Love in Christ Jesus,