To Russia With Love, Prayer Needs

Last month, as I've been commenting on, the UK sent a group to Russia. I just got an update from a second group of British students who are in St. Petersburg right now -- Here's an excerpt. Please pray for them.

By the way, here's a virtual tour of St. Petersburg, in case you want to learn more about the city: http://www.saint-petersburg.com/virtual-tour/

Update from Allan:
This past week we have been building on the friendships formed at the British Camp and trying to connect with these students so they might come to know Jesus.

Here are some specific people we've been meeting and praying for:

- Mitya; he has heard the gospel several times and has strong friendships with many of the Russian Christians here and many of our team. He doesn't yet know Jesus and doesn't understand how you can know God personally.
- Sergey; he is very spiritually open and happy to talk about God. It's hard to tell where he's really at. Sometimes it sounds like he is a Christian, but I don't think he's yet grasped the gospel.
- Andre; he is asking many questions about our faith but again hasn't made a decision to trust in Christ.
- Nicolai; he came to the British camp in Summer 2008 and was apparently very hostile/argumentative towards Christianity, but this year he is far more open to at least talking about God.

We've done some initiative evangelism on the local Polytechnic too. Term has ended but there are still quite a few people around. It is difficult as few of the students speak English, so we rely heavily on the Russian Agape staff translating for us. One day we went into a cafe and no one spoke English so we just guessed at the menu and ordered a meal deal - it turned out to be some sort of "mystery" meat and a plate of buckwheat! Not particularly appetising! An interesting experience nonetheless!

I've also had the opportunity to see some of the sights of St Petersburg. The Russian students have been great at showing us around the city and helping us navigate the streets! Without them it would be nearly impossible - very few people speak English even in the city and our Russian is very basic!! Some places I've been to are the Hermitage museum,Palace Square and the Church on Spilled Blood. The city is very beautiful with a really wide river, canal and many brightly coloured buildings.

Thanks for reading and praying!

до свидания (goodbye in Russian, pronounced das vee dan ya)

Spiritual interest in Russia

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that a group of British staff and students went to St. Petersburg, Russia. I just got a newsletter from them - they met 45 Russian students in an old Soviet summer kids camp 40 miles from the city, and just a few steps from the beach.

They spend several hours each day helping the Russians improve their English, mostly through extended conversation. Each morning they had a devotional on the Fruit of the Spirit, and though it was intended for the British team, some of the Russian students came as well.

Laura, who wrote the letter, pointed out that only about 1 percent of Russians have a living faith. Yet they responded quite well to the two "Soul Talks." As Laura put it, "I was blown away by the openness of the students to hear about God -- they had real questions and real answers, which makes such a refreshing change from British apathy and godlessness."

The Spanish connection

Two Spanish guys helped out during the Irish trip to El Camino, which I mentioned yesterday. Samuel Palacios (photo above) works with Agape in Barcelona, and he brought along a non-believing friend. One day the two Spaniards were running errands, and Samuel's friend, Dani, asked an interesting question: "Are you different because of your religion? Or is it just something about you?"

Samuel's response was: "If you have observed anything in me that is good or noble, that difference is entirely a result of my relationship with Jesus Christ, and has little to do with anything special about myself". This led into a great conversation about the difference Christ can make in our lives.

This is what the El Camino project is all about. As people bring non-believing friends along, they see the Christian life lived out -- not in a super-spiritual, detached from reality manner, but rather in a very down-to-earth way, amidst sore feet and tired bodies. As day after day rolls by, with everybody carrying heavy packs all day, people can see the difference Christ makes in one's life.

Several El Camino projects will be taking place this month, so be sure to keep them in your prayers.

From Dublin to Spain

Just got word that 15 people from Dublin joined Kate and Kelly Mulholland along the Camino de Santiago in northwestern Spain. They left the fair shores of Ireland on 16 June and journeyed 100 miles along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Chloe Hanan described the trip thus:
Most of our group barely knew each other before we started, but by the time we parted we were like family. The young believers in our midst were encouraged greatly in their faith, and the couple of people who had come as slightly estranged Christians were deeply impacted by the time of community and reflection.

The team also had great conversations about spiritual things with fellow pilgrims-- both in the evenings and along the trail itself.

I'm attaching a photo of the Irish team. Also, here's a wiki with more info on the trail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_St._James

Summer in Paris

The Paris project just finished up, according to Heather Anderson, a Canadian who helped lead the project. A group of students from French-speaking Canada went to Paris to get to know French students and talk to them about how God has made a difference in their lives. The photo above shows the Sorbonne, a famous Parisian university.

They meet French students in several ways. One is to strike up conversations over lunch in a "mensa", or student cafeteria.

Another approach that everyone likes is called "Soularium," which is a deck of cards with photos on them. The Canadian student would meet a French student, or group of students, sitting in a park, then ask which picture best expressed their concept of God. These questions would often lead to deep discussions about God and faith and life, and how it all fits together.

The average French student has no interest in God -- But most enjoyed talking about the Soularium pictures.

In the Shadow of the Parthenon

Just found out that the summer project in Athens, Greece, finished up last week. Still trying to get more info on what happened (besides touring the Parthenon and eating souvlaki) -- it's becoming apparent that it is not as easy to get information on summer projects as I had expected!

I'm posting a picture of a Greek university that I took several years ago -- it's in Thessaloniki, not Athens, but at least it gives an idea of what it's like to be in Greece.

Camping in Russia

Last month, a group of British students went to St. Petersburg. They were staying at a camp outside the city, living alongside Russian students while teaching English, playing sports and sharing about why God is important to them.

I like the way the British website described these students:

Throughout history, some men and women have stepped up to a life less ordinary. They sought to be a part of God's plan in history and for the future, and they did it by giving their all. This summer, students will get a taste of world missions and learn things that can be applied for a lifetime.

http://www.agape.org.uk/news_article_jun09_3.html