One of my coaching students, also a student at the local Christian University, and also the wife of the pastor of the church we attend, made this video for her class on videography. I thought it was kinda cool as a study in what the Russians find noteworthy in describing a guy who came to…

One of our churches was planning a missions fair this month, and they asked for a video, so it gave us an excuse to try to put something together. Professional quality was compromised by the rush, but it starts to tell a story that may help some of you get more what we are up…

This video is old, in that we made it in April of 2012 as an advertisement for our upcoming conference. However, now that I have gotten around to translating it into English and putting the captions in, it serves really well as a series of testimonies to the power of this ministry, as every one…

If you asked me a month ago what immediately comes to mind when I hear the word ‘Russia’, I would have given you the followi ng adjectives: Mysterious, Difficult, Proud,  Impatient, Quiet, Controlled, Resolute, Hardened, Cold. My husband, Travis, and I have been to Russia 5 times, having spent a combined total of 2+ months…

Rustam (now called Roman)  is one of those prodiges that every mentor would love. He has been an enthusiastic learner for most of our five years here, and his learning has not just been about knowledge, though Rustam is an avid student of the Bible, and studies it in the original languages, and he studies…

You’ve GOT to go! was all my wife had to say to the news that my brothers wanted to organize a surprise 80th birthday party for my daddy. In my typical fashion I started analyzing the options, the costs, the benefits and what I could dovetail on such a huge trip. I’d never left my…

As if it were not enough to have had an intensive month of preparation for our counseling seminar last month, my team has a voracious apetite for growth, so we went on a retreat this month. The opportunity came up because my teammate in our mission CRM, Bill O’Byrne is preparing to leave for a…

I have written elsewhere about the wonderful impact and incredible push forward for our ministry that we experienced last month through the conference we hosted here. Another side of the blessing from this was the fact that we as a team, and my family in particular, got to host a great man of God (and…

This article from the local English newspaper is worth reproducing. International Adoption: The American Dream? | The St. Petersburg Times | The leading English-language newspaper in St. Petersburg

The following was written by a pastor with whom I have some association here in Russia. by Andrei Furmanov Daily life in a city for the majority of Russian men and women is very much the same. One gets up at 7- or 8 a.m. depending on his or her company business hours. A simple…