Update from Emilia

Update on Piotr Zhuk:

He was in the hospital and they realized the loss of sight was because of his high blood pressure causing a rupture somewhere in his eye. He could have died. He can only use one eye accurately and the other one is undergoing a series of laser treatments to remove blood that was in his eye from the rupture and they are treating his blood pressure with medicine. They are hoping and praying for the renewal of sight, as now he only sees silhouettes. Continue to pray for him.

Update on the Summer Camp:

1. The camp was permitted by the administration.

2. This year the camp was blessed by the Lord. There was so much more order. The team worked so well. And the kids were great and mostly more obedient. I feel so blessed by the camp. There is so much order and amazing for Russia. The territory became better and more convenient. We painted the houses. There are much less bugs and mosquitoes.

3. The girls worked so well and faithfully. Melinda worked with small boys and she is very tired, but she showed such an example and diligence in working with small boys and in learning Russian. Jamie was an excellent worker, also an example for our leaders. They sacrificed their health, energy and gave us lots of encouragement and smiles. They also taught the Bible lessons, and set an example for our leaders and did totally fine even without rich language skills. We were blessed by the girls! The kids just loved them and the crafts!

Blessings!

Emiliya

RUSSIA CONSTRUCTION TEAM

“‘HERE AM I, SEND ME!”

The Lord has raised up a group of men from Grace Church of Napa Valley to travel to Uchalia, Russia from August 15-31, 2008 to build a House of Prayer for their church planter, Nadir Davelkiltin (on right in picture – That’s Jake on the left). He, along with his wife, Lena, and their three adopted children, are presently living in a small apartment, but when the building is complete they will use it both as a home and also as the location of their church worship services. (This is a normal practice in Bashkortostan as it is very difficult to get permission to rent or buy a building to be used as a church) This church is the only gospel light in the city of Uchalia, a city of about 46,000 people of which over 80% are Muslims. Pray for Nadir as he proclaims the Gospel.

The construction team consists of the following seven men: Neil Adams, Carl Abernethy, Aaron Fernandez, Gary Glenn, Jim Olson, Tim Whitlock and Mark Windecker, Pray for each one of these men, who are willing to be expended for the sake of the Gospel. Pray that God watches over their families and lives as they prepare to go, for expediency in getting the necessary visas, for God’s complete financial provision for the trip – airlines tickets have skyrocketed due to the sharp rise in the price of fuel. Also, pray that God would use this trip to encourage the lives of our Russian brothers and sisters, for safety and for God’s continued sovereign control of all the details of planning a trip of this magnitude.

If you would like to partner with the construction team from Grace Church in Napa through prayer or financially, please let them know (www.gracenapa.org). As always, we will do our best to keep you up to date on the progress of the trip right here at our coalition blog.

In Memory of Bob Achilles

In Memory of Bob Achilles

A Man of Influence

By Bud Haskell

N. Calif. Coalition Coordinator

Another heavenly promotion occurred Monday night, May 12, 2008. Pastor Bob Achilles went home to be with our Lord. He is experiencing that truth Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (NKJV) Bob’s deep relationship with our heavenly Father has gone to the next level.

God’s timing is impeccable. I was reminded of this while driving to our Coalition Meeting in Hollister the next day. Jim Achilles gave me the news and asked to be excused from the meeting to be with his family. During the rest of the trip, I reflected upon Pastor Bob’s godly influence in my life. Many examples of his passion for Russian believers kept replaying in my mind.

Many Strategic Bible Institutes were sponsored by Trinity Bible Church. Most of the original pastors and/or churches of the Northern California Church Coalition were part of this ministry. Pastor Bob convinced the pastors and churches that training missionary pastors in Russia was a worthwhile endeavor. His strong passion was always apparent as he talked about going to the former Soviet Union to teach the Bible. His love for our Russian brothers was very strong. Bob often talked about “the bug” that you might catch while you were there to teach. He called it the Russian Virus. Now many of us have that same passion he exhibited for the Russian people. So, I lovingly say it’s Bob Achilles’ fault that I am driven for this ministry. It is wonderful to be part of something that fulfills Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (NKJV) Russia or the CIS is literally on the other side of the earth. For most Californians it is the end of the world, and the last place we would visit. Yet, I now have had the opportunity to teach and preach there. I thank the Lord for Bob Achilles’ challenge to get involved in Russian ministry.

Bob Achilles is listed as the Coalition Representative in the Northern California Coalition Guidelines, but I have a different title for him. For all practical purposes Bob Achilles is the founding father of our Coalition. Not only did he influence the original pastors and churches, but he was there at the beginning. SGA sponsored the initial meeting to present the new strategy and old biblical concept of the Antioch Initiative. Slavic Gospel Association invited quite a few men to Tulsa, Oklahoma in November 2003. (Bob and I had been included in this number.) They had met with the Russian Baptist Union and together formulated this new plan. On the first night Dr. Bob Provost presented the concept and asked the attendees to prayerfully consider developing a coalition of like-minded churches to partner with one of two regions: Orel and Ufa.

Bob and I had a rough night sleeping. Our accommodations did not cause our insomnia. The Holy Spirit kept challenging us about the possibilities for a Northern California Coalition. The next morning we met at Tulsa Bible Church for breakfast. We rushed up to one another and said we had to talk right now! Breakfast could wait. I let my elder go first. Bob urgently said that we had to gather a coalition of churches together to work with Ufa, but he couldn’t be the leader. He desired that I lead. In turn I said that God had impressed upon my heart to lead, I couldn’t do it without his help. I praise the Lord for Bob’s encouragement, passion, and work in the Northern California Coalition.

Bob Achilles has taught several times for the Coalition in Ufa. He was the driving force behind the Coalition video that has urged many pastors to become involved in the Antioch Initiative by developing other coalitions in North America. Most of all I appreciate his prayer support. He would email me about our latest developments in the Coalition. Bob is still a great encouragement to me.

So, when I share with others about the opportunities to teach and the needs of the Russian people, I think of Bob. If they will go, I know they will catch the Russian virus. It’s that bug that many North American believers catch when they leave their comfortable homes to minister for our Lord in other countries. We all need the passion Bob Achilles had for lost souls. He was always looking for opportunities to share the Gospel. Thank you Lord for allowing Bob Achilles to influence my life for You.