199 - Andre has been giving free English classes to a guy called Vladimir Zolotarev
from Ust-Kulom. After classes they would talk about God and watch Christian videos.
Vladimir has been to our fellowship. Now he is interested in the things of God and
wants to fellowship with Christians.
200 - Zhezhim’s Doctor’s office: William and Simeon worked on the doctor’s office
of the village of Zhezhim. They fixed the roof and the entrance of the doctor’s office.
They bought corrugated asbestos sheets for the roof. August 3, 2005
201 - Helping the needy kindergarten of Don: Irma (our sister in Christ) got promoted
in the local kindergarten of Don where she has been working. She got the position
of the director. Prior to that she had done a lot of spiritual work there by witnessing
to the staff. The kindergarten is small and very needy: They don’t hardly get any
support form the state for things like equipment, toys, construction materials. We
donated 3,000 rubles to them so that they could get paint and stuff for their work.
August 8, 2005
202 - Buying school supplies for little Nastia (our church member). She comes from
a needy family. She got baptized in 2005 in Don. Her elder sister Natasha needed
food for her baby. We witnessed to her. Natasha was left by her husband. August,
2005
203 - Help for Natalia from Ust-Kulom. She is a needy lady with many serious health
problems. She needed to go to a Syktyvkar clinic for examination of her spine. She
has been attending Pastor Alexe’s fellowship in Ust-Kulom. August 25 and September
26, 2005
204 - Help with transportation for “big” Nastia’s grandmother. Big Nastia has been
our church member for some time now.
205 - Team went to forest to cut firewood for Anatoli and his family, yearly supply.
Anatoli and his wife are both true born again Christians and both have been baptized
and Earma now runs our children’s church.
206 - Zhezhim Kindergarten: Our mayor of Don also has this village and asked us
to tear off old roof, replace roll roofing and new boards.
207 - Ex-mayor bought a used potato picker and asked us to weld on it.
208 - Director of culture club in a small settlement called Voldino, which we have
not worked in before, came looking for us to help her. The peak of the roof had large
gaps. We bought 5 sheets of galvanized sheet metal, kilo nails and fixed the roof.
This allowed us to show Christian films 2 nights, sing Christian songs, and shared
the Gospel of our Lord and Savior. Many asked for Bibles and Christian literature.
209 - We were asked to work in another new settlement called Badyolsk, population
300. Last 5 miles to reach this place we traveled on what we call a cow path. When
it rained we prayed to make our way through. This was an unusual settlement. It was
started by 2 brothers and all were related, some distant. In World War II, one hundred
men from this settlement lost their lives, all having the same last name. When you
go there, all eyes are upon you, as almost never anyone comes. I, William, was the
1st American most had seen, and the first to visit this place. Their needs overwhelmed
us. Time and time again they came asking to fix or to make. We cut pipe and welded
up a 5 foot ladder with another foot or so buried in the ground. They use it for
exercise program, even though it’s a kindergarten, plus pull up bars and three poles
used for swing and rings. All we did we also painted,. We donated lumber and paint,
nails, etc. Also built a play boat with top some twelve feet long. Also, a play truck
12 feet long, both can be used as sandboxes. We tore out old benches that circled
a tree and built new. We tore out old wooden slide that teacher would not allow children
to use, as one child was taken to doctor and had seven splinters removed from back
side. We made one new with play area under it. We have found out children love to
play house, store, etc.–we overheard one little boy say mama to a little girl.
All
our slides now are built this way. We repainted their sign, the name of the kindergarten,
and built a frame. Fire department who goes around to all institutions came and said
their small cook house where they prepare children’s food must be closed unless they
cut away wood around the peachka (wood stove). Again, we were asked to help. We took
part of old roof off, cut opening, replaced with metal, and replaced roof material.
At local school, one end of roof we tore off, raised rafters, replaced material,
plus patched around chimney. Back entrance aprox. 12’x12’ needed new roof. Tore off
old and made rafters, nailed boards on, put roll roofing on, then shaffer, a roof
material. Plus, one side of foundation was rotten, so repaired this. Steps front
entrance were unsafe. We were asked to replace, tore out old, new foundation, steps,
painted, then built 4x5 foot overhang to help keep rain and snow from destroying
new entrance.
Used metal poles for support, so cutting and welding was needed and added roof
material. Replaced three pieces of glass. We bought one large sheet and cut and installed.
Was asked to paint there school sign and make a frame, so we did.
We showed Christian videos 4 nights a week, plus sang Christian songs and shared
our testimonies.
Wednesday night, we had a question and answer service about God. To my surprise,
lasted over two hours. Sunday we held services. Afte one Sunday service, one teenage
girl quit smoking and drinking we were told. God’s Spirit at work for sure. Three
friends came from far away to help for a good week to ten days, one from Germany
who play’s keyboard as a pro plus sing, named Peter.
Another man came from Moscow, named Maxim, who told the other two men about us.
Joined us, he is Russian. Another Russian also name Peter came some seventeen hours
by bus, then took another bus three hours to Don, then another bus two hours to reach
near us. He sang and played guitar and Simeon as well. They all were great to say
the least. They played, sang, shared. We held a Christian concert. Afterwards–two
hours–they did not get up to leave. We were stunned. We continued, one boy repented,
age 18. Others said they did. They even a few nights came to school where we slept,
and we held talk time and more concerts. A few times we had over twenty. The night
before we left, they seated not wanting us to leave, they were singing Christian
songs. The next morning as we packed to leave, they wrote on our dirty V-wagon, “We
love you. Thank you for giving or bringing us to faith in God.” What a send-off!
I took a picture of their heart-filled word. Praise our Holy God!
210 - Simeon, Andre and Lena, Simeon’s cousin from Emva, built a stove for an elderly
couple, Nastia and Yury. They are the parents of the Orthodox lady from Ust-Kulom
called Ludmila. She has been a good friend of ours. She sings in the choir of the
Ust-Kulom Orthodox church and also helps the needy. Her parents moved to Don and
their old stove was in bad shape. The elderly couple has been to our church service.
The elderly lady seems to be a very godly lady and says she believes in Jesus. They
provided the materials. We did the work. Two days of work. September 1 & 2, 2005
Also numbered 210 - Simeon, Andre, Lena, and Svieta-the Christian girl that has been
living with us-helped Anatoly’s family pick up their potatoes. The potatoes are their
main food throughout the year. Anatoly’s family is the Christian family that got
saved in our church. We picked up the potatoes and hauled them to his place in our
vehicle. His family appreciated the help a lot. September 3 & 7, 2005
211 - Andre has been taking the locals from Don to the forest in our vehicle to pick
up berries and mushrooms. Most of the locals depend on the berries and mushrooms.
Many of them are unemployed, so the cash that they get from selling berries and mushrooms
is a major source of income to them. Some of them, Valentina, the elderly Tota Mota,
Maria) attend our church. Early September, 2005
212 - Sergei and Andre (our translator) put five new sheets of corrugated asbestos
boards on Rima’s roof. Rima is a Christian widow who has been attending our church
for a long time. September 20, 2005
213 - Simeon took Anatoly’s family to the hospital in Ust-Kulom. Marina, Anatoly’s
daughter, once passed out and needed to seek treatment. Simeon picked up materials
for Rima. September 21, 2005
214 - Ex-mayor asked us to weld on town’s tractor or small dozer. (Three and a half
hours work.) They also brought a hitch to weld on, a wheel barrow, small child’s
trike, and car linkage.
215 - Local youth had Russian motorcycle with side car. They ahd been using it to
haul potatoes–several sacks. So much weight it broke the frame in half–spent about
two hours of welding.
216 - Vova, a local form Don, asked to repair his peachka (wood stove), an hour of
work, cutting and welding.
217 - Simeon worked on the stove of our dear sister in Christ Tamara from the settlement
of Kebanyal. He covered the stove with sheets of galvanized metal, plus put metal
angles on the edges. September 26, 2005
218 - We helped a family with a handicapped child called Zhenya. The parents names
are Ivan and Nina. They have three children, two daughters and the handicapped Zhenya,
a boy who is paralyzed, he can’t walk by himself. The parents have to carry the boy
everywhere.
They have been to many clinics already, yet they have seen very few signs of recovery
in the boy. However, they don’t lose hope. God is their last hope.
William and Andre shared with them the gospel of Jesus. They listened, took some
Christian literature to read. The dad said that one needs to come to God all the
time, and not only when problems come our way. They needed to take the boy to a good
clinic in Moscow. The state provides for the boy’s treatment, but the mother had
to pay for her accommodation at the clinic. The husband is unemployed. So, we helped.
They said they wanted to come to our church services some day. September 26, 2005
219 - William, Simeon, and Andre helped our brother in Christ Anatoly pick up the
leftover of his firewood in the timber. We loaded and unloaded two truckloads of
firewood for him. September 26, 2005
220 - We donated paint to the Culture Hall of the settlement of Yackoge where Nicolay,
our dear brother in Christ, lives and ministers. We were able to share the gospel
at the Culture Hall. This encouraged our brother Nicolay a lot. August 2005
221 - William towed the broken vehicle of a Christian pastor from Timsher (about
1.5 hour drive from Don.) The pastor’s old vehicle broke down in the middle of the
way and he asked us to tow him home. He had three of his kids in the vehicle. His
wife had given birth to their 4th child but had to stay in Syktyvkar in the maternity
ward for another ten days. September 27, 2005
222 - Nastya’s little brother brought his bike over to have some welding done. Nastya,
although a teenager, received Jesus and was baptized and has been very faithful sharing
our Lord and Savior to many of her friends. September 2005
223 - Mayor of Don asked to haul an old refrigerator from Ust-Kulom Hospital to local
doctor’s office in Sheryag. September 2005
224 - Director of Don local school asked to take her to Ust-Kulom to pick up supplies
for school. September 2005
224 - Lady who works in Don administration asked us to weld up her peachka for their
bonya (steam bath). September 2005
225 - Went to forest twice to cut and haul back logs to build a well for Rema, a
good sister in Christ, with two children. Her husband died a year ago. She is hauling
water from a great distance and sought our help in building a new well close to her
house.
226 - Replaced two pieces of glass for our local doctor of Don. She started coming
to church several months ago and received our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ some months
past and wanted to get baptized. Before Christ, she had made many wrong turns, as
we all have, and she had three children but no husband, so life is hard for them
even though she has work, although the pay is very small. September 2005
227 - Local boy needed small weld job on his motor bike.
Also noted as 227 - Era, our sister in Christ, who was baptized this past year, asked
if we would take them to forest to pick up and haul several bundles of moss, used
in between logs to help keep them from rot.
228 - Sveta, our sister in Christ, living with us, needed to return to city and have
medical work and medicine.
229 - Sveta’s brother has been taken to a boarding school, mother was stabbed to
death and father severely ill. He started coming here on weekends and seems to be
very nice boy, but needs guidance as we all. He helped in forest and worked hard,
so we bought him needed shoes.
230 - Natalia, an elderly fairly new sister in Christ, has severe health problems
and needed transportation to city. September 2005
231 - Our local mayor of Don is also in charge of two other settlements. One is called
Shereog. He asked if we could help with the floor in the local culture club. We called
and met with director and said we will be glad to help and supply nails, floor underlayment
and paint and two men. Will you allow us to show Christian videos and share about
our Lord and Savior for two nights? She agreed. Our first night, at first, only a
few came. Yes, we had prayed off and on all day and praise God, later they just kept
coming. There were no seats left and some had to stand. Anatoli, our dear brother
in Christ, who is a Komi man–the whole settlement is Komi–will be sharing his testimony.
As you know, he was a severe alcoholic and Jesus delivered him. Some time later he
repented and was baptized. We thank our Holy God for His presence and His work today
and yes, all of you who make these things possible. We ran out of most of the Christian
literature we had brought, even though we told them it’s about Jesus. We shared we
would give adult bibles the next night. Again, we praise and thank our Lord and you.
Follow-up: The next night was full house with more adults and teens. Anatoli shared.
We invited people to our home church. The next day, three adults and five youth came,
and have a desire to come next week. Our problem, we must pick them up and return,
45 minute drive, plus, bibles were asked for, Gospel tracks and sharing was a very
good seed-planting. Now, through prayers, may God bring in His harvest.
232 - Two local boys brought their bicycle over to be welded. The whole front end
was broken off.
233 - Man came asked for bread to eat and some warm clothing (used) plus a ride to
his home. However, I was on my way to another settlement to work and they were waiting
and he was going another direction. I returned late night and wanted a bonya (bath)
and I opened the door of bonya, and this man was sitting there, cold and shaking,
so I gave more to eat and took him home, 25 minute drive. He heard about us in local
newspaper.
234 - Gave several boards to help build a new well and hired our brother in Christ,
Anatoli, to dig by hand eight feet by eight feet by eighteen feet deep or so. This
was for our sister in Christ who’s husband died young, and left her to raise two
children alone without family. October 2005
235 - Little Nasta needed help. October 2005
