Hi there.
Well, as you can see... I made it back to Moscow after some time with passports and embassies.
Although my time with the guys in Switzerland was quite stressful, I did enjoy it!
My ticket to fly back to Moscow was on Monday the 27th of June, but the Friday before that I did not know if I would be able to get my visa.
It was an amazing blessing seeing Switzerland (and a totally differentculture!)
As for Moscow...
I'm back in the swing of things here, after a much needed rest!
We got in contact with some "African" students in the north of Moscow.
SFC (Students for Christ) is a group of Christian students meeting for prayer and fellowship.
These guys are on fire for the Lord and I really enjoyed attending their meeting on Saturday night.
They are not connected with the university - I want to get into that, MGU, but I believe that I should link with them to start a work there.
The way they work is to start small groups in the hostels, and then just multiply!
Their main aim is to get the Gospel (and the message of Gods kingdom) to the students in Russia and not to build their own "kingdom". So, I do believe that this will work well - with the church plant that we are busy with in the south-west of Moscow.
I have already spoken to the leaders, and am very encouraged and exited about their vision and focus!
They hosted a camp this week that had just past.
It was on the "Finnish Gulf" halfway between St Petersburg and the Border to Finland. This was a great time of making new friends and fellowship.
Before I returned to Moscow, I had a clear sense that I should start with a small "prayer" group at the university.
When I got here... I found no door open door for that. I had no contact with the students in MGU - and the contacts we have with people working there - approached the university differently.
But this just confirms that I should start the work in the university in this “different” manner.
The problem now is this... I'm not on the campus!
I need to be in the hostels!
The only way I can see to get in... is to study there, and so have much more exposure with the students.
To study there I have two options:
1. Pay about $6000 (+- R40 000) a year.
2. To get a scholarship of some sort.
Please pray with me about this.
That I'll either get the money or that I'll be able to get a scholarship...
If you have any contacts or info on scholarships, please let me know.
Let me try to give you a clear picture of what is happening here, in Moscow, with the students of MGU.
There is the "Campus Crusade for Christ" who are doing a great work here, but from about 40 000 students at the university their meetings normally have 30 - 40 students attending.
And these are not all saved. That is less that 1 in 1 000 students.
I have spoken to a Christian lecturer from the USA who teaches on culture and stuff. He is not allowed to even mention Christianity in his lectures.
He often invites students to his flat to show them culture related movies, and then after wards hopes he gets the chance to share his beliefs with them.
He said he knows about 12 students that are Christian and in all his time here he has never been able to get them to meet to have a prayer meeting or anything in that line.
And that is about it!
Compare this to our universities back home who has organizations like His People, New Covenant, CRC, etc who has big Churches there.
A while ago I gave some statistics in one of my newsletters... These Stats were completely wrong.
I don't think Christianity has even 1% in Moscow... Not even to talk about the university.
We need prayer.
While I was in Switzerland the Lord just made it clear to me that it will only be through prayer that we will have any break through at the MGU.
It is like a field that has been standing for some time... You need to break open the ground before you can sow any seed.
Any one in Oudtshoorn will tell you that a camp that had ostriches in is absolutely useless! What happens is the ostriches stamp the ground so packed that you can't do anything with it.
The same thing has been happening in the former USSR.
For so many years the people has been taught that there is no God and that religion is for socially impaired and immature people...
What we need to do is pray! Pray that the Lord will break open this "hard ground".
It is only through His spirit that anything like this can happen! The Bible says that the spirit of God searches all thing even the deep parts of God, it also says that we don't know the deep parts ourselves... only our spirit knows. (1Cor2:10-11)
It is only His spirit that can reveal the Truth of Jesus and His Saving Grace to the people!
Please Pray!
As always... Al
Well, as you can see... I made it back to Moscow after some time with passports and embassies.
Although my time with the guys in Switzerland was quite stressful, I did enjoy it!
My ticket to fly back to Moscow was on Monday the 27th of June, but the Friday before that I did not know if I would be able to get my visa.
It was an amazing blessing seeing Switzerland (and a totally differentculture!)
As for Moscow...
I'm back in the swing of things here, after a much needed rest!
We got in contact with some "African" students in the north of Moscow.
SFC (Students for Christ) is a group of Christian students meeting for prayer and fellowship.
These guys are on fire for the Lord and I really enjoyed attending their meeting on Saturday night.
They are not connected with the university - I want to get into that, MGU, but I believe that I should link with them to start a work there.
The way they work is to start small groups in the hostels, and then just multiply!
Their main aim is to get the Gospel (and the message of Gods kingdom) to the students in Russia and not to build their own "kingdom". So, I do believe that this will work well - with the church plant that we are busy with in the south-west of Moscow.
I have already spoken to the leaders, and am very encouraged and exited about their vision and focus!
They hosted a camp this week that had just past.
It was on the "Finnish Gulf" halfway between St Petersburg and the Border to Finland. This was a great time of making new friends and fellowship.
Before I returned to Moscow, I had a clear sense that I should start with a small "prayer" group at the university.
When I got here... I found no door open door for that. I had no contact with the students in MGU - and the contacts we have with people working there - approached the university differently.
But this just confirms that I should start the work in the university in this “different” manner.
The problem now is this... I'm not on the campus!
I need to be in the hostels!
The only way I can see to get in... is to study there, and so have much more exposure with the students.
To study there I have two options:
1. Pay about $6000 (+- R40 000) a year.
2. To get a scholarship of some sort.
Please pray with me about this.
That I'll either get the money or that I'll be able to get a scholarship...
If you have any contacts or info on scholarships, please let me know.
Let me try to give you a clear picture of what is happening here, in Moscow, with the students of MGU.
There is the "Campus Crusade for Christ" who are doing a great work here, but from about 40 000 students at the university their meetings normally have 30 - 40 students attending.
And these are not all saved. That is less that 1 in 1 000 students.
I have spoken to a Christian lecturer from the USA who teaches on culture and stuff. He is not allowed to even mention Christianity in his lectures.
He often invites students to his flat to show them culture related movies, and then after wards hopes he gets the chance to share his beliefs with them.
He said he knows about 12 students that are Christian and in all his time here he has never been able to get them to meet to have a prayer meeting or anything in that line.
And that is about it!
Compare this to our universities back home who has organizations like His People, New Covenant, CRC, etc who has big Churches there.
A while ago I gave some statistics in one of my newsletters... These Stats were completely wrong.
I don't think Christianity has even 1% in Moscow... Not even to talk about the university.
We need prayer.
While I was in Switzerland the Lord just made it clear to me that it will only be through prayer that we will have any break through at the MGU.
It is like a field that has been standing for some time... You need to break open the ground before you can sow any seed.
Any one in Oudtshoorn will tell you that a camp that had ostriches in is absolutely useless! What happens is the ostriches stamp the ground so packed that you can't do anything with it.
The same thing has been happening in the former USSR.
For so many years the people has been taught that there is no God and that religion is for socially impaired and immature people...
What we need to do is pray! Pray that the Lord will break open this "hard ground".
It is only through His spirit that anything like this can happen! The Bible says that the spirit of God searches all thing even the deep parts of God, it also says that we don't know the deep parts ourselves... only our spirit knows. (1Cor2:10-11)
It is only His spirit that can reveal the Truth of Jesus and His Saving Grace to the people!
Please Pray!
As always... Al
posted by Albert Pote at 2:23 pm
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