Greetings from a now cooler Moscow!!! Yes, it looks like the summer is over... There is a chill in the air and I just know we are in for a great autumn. Mind you, any change from the pressing summer heat in Moscow is better! For those that didn't know it. Moscow can get hot! (In fact Moscow has the greatest difference in climate changes in the world. Its only competitor is Minneapolis) I trust you are still praying for Moscow State University? The work here needs lots of prayer. Everywhere you go in Moscow in the summer you see workers fixing and tarring the roads. At first I thought: "Great! The people are fixing and building. This can only be a sign of a good economy and growth." Unfortunately my excitement was shattered when I saw how the roads are fixed. The old tar is broken into Small pieces and mixed with other stones and gravel. This is then spread over the road to be, and covered with a 3-4cm layer of tar and compacted with a machine. And that is it... Till next year that is!!! I don't quite know what the snow does to a road. So I might be wrong, but as I understand you need to dig deep and build a road with different layers of compressed ground, stones, gravel and tar. When I was in Bophuthatswana I saw people build a road, it was more than a meter deep. Now the same principle applies with the work at the University. We need to dig deep! If we just cover the top layer with some prayer... We will have to start all over again next year, and if any persecution comes. It will break up any work without any problem. No! We need to dig deep. We need to lay a proper foundation. MGU needs to be covered in prayer. Pray for the students that are to be part of the first home cell. Pray for the first leaders that are to be discipled and raised up. Pray for the training and establishing of these leaders that has to take place. Pray that the Lord will call students with "clean hands, and a pure heart" Ps24:3-4. Pray and keep on praying! Nickey (one of the ladies working here in Moscow with us) was on the Metro with a friend and they were talking. Harry, a student from India heard they weren't talking in Russian and started talking to them. Before they reached their station, he had bombarded them with questions about Christianity. It was so clear to them that he has a hunger for "reality". He is tired of living the lies of "religion" and worshiping dead gods! They gave him my cell number. In a week or so he phoned me. I was about to enter the Metro, and had he phoned five seconds later, he would have missed me. We met and before I could say anything about Christianity he was asking me "so what does missionaries do?" What more do I need... I told him that before I can explain what I do, I need to tell him how I got to be a missionary. I told him how the Lord saved me and called me, and I explained the whole Gospel to him. I told him that a relationship with the Lord is just that - a relationship! We serve a living God. I got a chance to give him examples of my own life how the Lord spoke to me and revealed Himself to me. We were in a very public place, so he didn't want to pray there with me. But I have his number and will follow him up. Please pray for Harry. He is a Medical student at one of the institutes in the region. Pray that the Lord will show Himself to Harry. Also pray that the Lord will create more such "divine" meetings! Pray for me as well. Pray that the Lord will show me what I need to do at this crucial time. Pray for finances. Not only for studying at MGU, but also for my day to day financial needs. Although I am back in Moscow and have a visa (in my temp. passport) I still haven't received my new passport. This should have been here some time ago already. Please pray that I will receive this, that I may be able to arrange for my last part of my stay here in Moscow. I think if the guys that stole my passport had only known the amount of troubles it would cause me they would have never stolen it! Thank you for your prayers! Thank you for you SMSes, encouraging e-mails and love. This really means allot to me. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe in His hands. In Him Al

Prayer for Moscow State University - MGU! Often when I'm on the campus, praying I just feel I need to walk around the main building. (Click here for photo) And every time I do that I'm waiting for the building to come tumbling down like Jericho... No - not really! In this week Gayl, Olia and myself went praying at MGU and as usual we walked around the building while praying. At one point Olia just stopped and said she is reminded of the scripture that tells of an army had drawn up against Israel. The Prophet Elisha went to the king of Israel. He gave him arrows and told him to strike the earth. The hitting of the earth symbolized the victory he would have over his enemy. He made a half hearted attempt of hitting the arrows, so Elisha told him the victory would not be complete - 2 Kings 13:18-19. She just felt the Lord is telling me that I need to pray and keep on praying and not lose hart halfway through. Then HIS victory will be complete! Yesterday a whole bunch of us were praying at Carol's place. While praying for MGU Carol mentioned the scripture in Jer 50:16 "Cut off the sower from Babylon..." Communism is still reaping a harvest of all the lies and deception that it has sown over its 70 years of reign. We need to "cut off the sower" that he can't reap the harvest of all these peoples lives. Jesus said that the harvest is ripe... Mat 9:37-38 We need to bring in His Harvest!!! When I read the couple of verses before Jer 50:16... Jer 50:14 Line up in battle formation around (surround) Babylon (MGU and the Communistic Ideology), all you archers! (all you intercessors!) Shoot at her! (Pray your prayers of intercession!) Do not spare an arrow (Do not spare one prayer, till the victory is complete), for she has sinned against the LORD. Jer 50:15 Raise a war cry (Declare the Lords victory) against her on every side! (We need to surround here with our intercession!) She has thrown up her hands in surrender; her defense towers have fallen; her walls are demolished. Since this is the LORD's vengeance, take out your vengeance on her; as she has done, do the same to her. Jer 50:16 Cut off the sower from Babylon as well as him who wields the sickle at harvest time. Because of the oppressor's sword, each will turn to his own people, each will flee to his own land. (Each person will be free, and will flee to the Lord.) (Holman Christian Standard Bible) The Italics in the scripture is what I added! This is not necessarily the view of all the scholars and highly learned theologians, but this is what I think the scripture says in this contexts. So, please Pray!!! Please stand with me in prayer as we surround "Babylon" in prayer. As we shoot our arrows at the heart of communism. Pray that we will pierce this hard shell... And that we will make an opening for the gospel of Jesus Christ and His forgiveness of Sin and deliverance can reach this hopeless and lost people! I've just heard that Lenin started this "thing" that ruled for 70 years with 17 students. Isn't it ironic... Pray that the Lord will give me 20 dedicated young Russians that can be discipled and that are prepared to run with this message of Love! Pray for them. Pray for MGU. Pray for me. Pray, don't spare one prayer! Pray and keep on praying. Like I said in my previous prayer request... The old lady nagged the Judge till he gave her justis - NAG THE LORD!!! I've included some different translations of the scriptures and dictionary definitions from e-Sword to inspire you to pray, and shoot those arrows as the Lord directs them and puts His momentum behind them.

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1901 American Standard Version Jer 50:14 Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about, all ye that bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against Jehovah. Jer 50:15 Shout against her round about: she hath submitted herself; her bulwarks are fallen, her walls are thrown down; for it is the vengeance of Jehovah: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. Jer 50:16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

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Contemporary English Version Jer 50:14 Babylon has rebelled against me. Archers, take your places. Shoot all your arrows at Babylon. Jer 50:15 Attack from every side! Babylon surrenders! The enemy tears down its walls and towers. I am taking my revenge by doing to Babylon what it did to other cities. Jer 50:16 There is no one in Babylonia to plant or harvest crops. Even foreigners who lived there have left for their homelands, afraid of the enemy armies.

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Literal Translation of the Holy Bible Jer 50:14 Put yourselves in order against Babylon all around. All you who tread a bow, shoot at her. Do not spare arrows, for she has sinned against Jehovah. Jer 50:15 Shout against her all around. She has given her hand, her foundations have fallen, her walls have been thrown down, for it is Jehovah's vengeance. Take vengeance on her. As she has done, do to her. Jer 50:16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and the one handling the sickle in the time of harvest. They shall turn from a sword of the oppressor, each one to his people. And they shall flee, each one to his own land.

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The Message Jer 50:14 Gang up on Babylon! Pin her down! Throw everything you have against her. Hold nothing back. Knock her flat. She's sinned--oh, how she's sinned, against me! Jer 50:15 Shout battle cries from every direction. All the fight has gone out of her. Her defenses have been flattened, her walls smashed. 'Operation GOD's Vengeance.' Pile on the vengeance! Do to her as she has done. Give her a good dose of her own medicine! Jer 50:16 Destroy her farms and farmers, ravage her fields, empty her barns. And you captives, while the destruction rages, get out while the getting's good, get out fast and run for home.

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Arrows 1. A missive weapon of offense, straight, slender, pointed and barbed, to be shot with a bow. 2. In scripture, the arrows of God are the apprehensions of his wrath, which pierce and pain the conscience. Job 6. Psa 38. In a like figurative manner, arrows represent the judgments of God, as thunder, lightning, tempests and famine. 2 Sam 22.

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Shout H7321 rûa‛ roo-ah' A primitive root; to mar (especially by breaking); figuratively to split the ears (with sound), that is, shout (for alarm or joy): - blow an alarm, cry (alarm, aloud, out), destroy, make a joyful noise, smart, shout (for joy), sound an alarm, triumph.

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2Ki 13:18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them up. And he said to the king of Israel, Strike the earth. And he struck three times, and stopped. 2Ki 13:19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, By striking five or six times, then you would have stricken Syria until it was finished; but now, you shall strike Syria three times.

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Mat 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, The harvest truly is great, but the workers few. Mat 9:38 Pray then that the Lord of the harvest may send out workers into His harvest.

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Be blessed in the Name of Jesus Christ! Albert