Kvachenko Korner - September 09

Hello Prayer Warriors!

We can’t believe that it is the last day of summer and school starts for everyone in Russia tomorrow – September 1st. Today all are getting ready making sure they have their clothes, school supplies, flowers for the teachers, etc. Where did the summer go?

UPDATES & PRAYER REQUESTS:

CHURCH SUMMER CONFERENCE: In July, we had a church camp-out/conference in the forest by the river. We brought our tents and clothes for swimming and for rain. It only rained once. The theme of the conference was “Grace and Mercy”. The highlights were that Raya’s husband – Sasha – got saved! Also, 7 people got baptized – 6 children and one adult. We personally were excited as Kiana was one of the children who got baptized and Yura baptized her!

- Please pray for Sasha – for his spiritual growth; that he would have a desire to attend church and the men’s Bible Study; that he would have a desire to read God’s word, pray and fellowship with other believers.

- Pray for the seven who were baptized (Bair, Daniel, Alyona, Vera, Nikka, Timothy, and Kiana) – for their spiritual growth; for wisdom for the children’s parents as they bring their children up in the Lord; for Bair to continue attending church and men’s Bible study; for wisdom as he leads his family.

Everyone was excited about getting together as a church family. We are praying about doing this annually.

YURA TEACHING ON SUNDAYS: Yura has been teaching through the book of James on Sunday mornings. It has been a blessing for him as he has had a desire to study the Bible more and teach more.

- Please pray for him as he finishes up James. Pray for his times with the Lord – that there will be less distractions; that Pasha (papa’s boy) will get used to Papa having the door closed to his “office” while he studies.

OMSK MEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Our men have been meeting throughout the summer and have been blessed as they take turns teaching. Recently, Pastor Max from Omsk has asked some of the guys to come out and help him launch their men’s Bible Study. God has been blessing the Omsk church with more young men coming and Pastor Max sees a need (as well as a desire) for the men to get together and study God’s work together.

- Please pray for Yura, Alex and Max (from our church) as they work out a time to go to Omsk and help Pastor Max – for provision for the train tickets; for the Lord to lead the launching of the Bible Study and for more men in the Omsk church to have a desire to study God’s word together.

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY: The children in our fellowship are growing – in age and in numbers. Some of the older kids are in need of teaching that is more on their level.

- Please pray for a couple of leaders to be raised up to lead these pre-teen/teenagers. We used to have a Saturday evening “Sunday school” for them, but have not been able to continue that meeting. We would like to see that started up again.

CHURCH MEETINGS: As summer is ending, so is the dacha season – the time when some from the church spend the entire summer out at their plots of land where they grow their vegetables, fruits, etc. They will be finishing up their harvest time (the weather is getting colder) and closing up their summer homes. We look forward to having them back with us!

- Please pray that those returning will have even a more desire to be in God’s word, fellowship with other believers, a desire to serve in the church as well as attending the various prayer and Bible study meetings throughout the week to help them in their relationships with Jesus.

FAMILY UPDATE: ( http://wgoogz.blogspot.com )

If any of you have visited our blog, my (Wendy’s) apologies for not having it updated. We have been plagued with computer problems and it took a while to get them resolved! My prayer is that as we start school and have more of a schedule, that I will be able to be able to update that more often.

With getting back to school (although we have been schooling casually throughout the summer – lots of rainy days and to keep the kids minds challenged), please pray for all of us!

- For Wendy – wisdom, patience, discipline of time, a realistic schedule where no one or nothing is neglected. For the children – David will be starting a 2nd grade curriculum; Kiana will be starting a 1st grade curriculum; and Misha (yes, he skyped his gramma and asked her to send his books!) will be doing a Pre-K curriculum; and for Pasha – he will be sticking to playing with his legos, cars and continue the potty training process!

We continue to pray for Wendy and the baby’s health. Please pray that we will be led to the right doctor. Continue to pray for some previously mentioned prayer requests: family vehicle, salvation of our neighbors, more opportunities to tell others about Jesus throughout the city.

Last month Yura was able to get together with some of the people in the city that he has been witnessing to through a forum on a Russian website. They decided to have a picnic in one of the city parks. One of the guys was interested in why Yura is a Christian. Some of the people who attended said they don’t participate in the forum, but they read all that is going on. Please pray for more seeds to be planted and for seeds to come to fruit in people’s salvation.

We are also thankful for a wonderful summer. Kiana got baptized. This past Sunday we had Pasha’s dedication. Friends have been very generous in inviting us to their dachas for some fresh air and rest. Others have been generous in sharing the fruit of their hard labor at their dachas (apples, raspberries, black currents, strawberries, carrots, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, fresh herbs, cabbage, potatoes, etc.). We are thankful for the apartment the Lord has provided for us that accommodates our family, allows us to have meetings here (a big living room), and is always available for out of town guests – hint-hint!

We are also thankful for you – for your prayer and support for the Lord’s work here in Novosibirsk, Russia.

God bless you!

The Kvachenko family
(Yura, Wendy, David, Kiana, Misha, Pasha and #5)