Despite of expecting from the month nothing but routing work of the period when the summer projects are over, but the fall projects are not started yet, the month became very special period of excitement and praises for the Lord’s work in our ministry and thru it.
The greatest news that expands the horizons of our ministry considerably is the extremely gracious designated gift by Genesis Veracity ministry for the office facilities expansion and two vehicles purchase. The gift had come right in time to meet the most urgent needs of our ministry immediately and practically all current need eventually.
The house we have purchased for the office facilities can be used right away for a long-term workers apartment with a garage. Small reconstruction would provide space for Science and Apologetics Society office and reasonably big (500 sq. feet) warehouse in the backyard.
However we would like to take a step of faith and do nothing with it (except building a warehouse) right now, in order to restrain from any reconstruction that would have to be altered later. We are going to use the facility “as is” till the spring. Meanwhile, are going to make the architect project and raise funds for major reconstruction which will give the space for:- Science and Apologetics Society / materials distribution office
– Video/multimedia production studio
– Technical support department office
– Conference room
– Long-term workers apartment
– Two short-term workers lodging rooms
– Garage
– Warehouse
The walls of the warehouse are raised up already. Soon we have enough space to move there all our materials from home closets, and yard storages.
This is a great strategic step for the ministry development! Please join our prayers for the funds provided by the time when heating can be switched off and the reconstruction can go ahead/ Pray also for us to use this opportunity for greater glory of our Lord, and for His wisdom and guidance in our plans. The estimate for the reconstruction cost is about $50,000. An additional $40,000 would allow us to purchase a neighbour lot for parking, for some technical buildings, as well as for a space for future facilities development when needed.
After some study, we found out that Ford provides much better quality/price ratio at local vehicles market, and have made down payment for two vehicles – Fusion (for mostly in-town use) and C-Max (for more universal use). The first one is going to be delivered in September, second one – in October. Both vehicles have big enough trunk space for the equipment we use during seminars, conferences, filming, etc.
Believe me or not, but no one of our staff (10 persons of age 20 to 50) drives! So the most courageous of us are signed up for driving lessons and study this science and art with the excitement currently. Please pray for our guys (and girls) be not too much excited on the road about their driving abilities J
Great joy of the month was mixed with grieve and sorrow. We grieved to part with Nikolai (a father of our video-production department leader Misha) whom we all love and respect very much. However we are excited to think about our future meeting with him in the clouds (1Th.4:17).
Misha’s home is our main video production site currently, and all the projects we are working on got delayed over again. I hesitate to point any specific day right now, but rather would say how much time is needed to complete the projects that are going on if no major interruption happens (like a storm couple days ago that cut off the power for several hours). Science and the Bible Lectorium, the workshops by leading Russian and Ukrainian creationists in Kiev – one week. ‘Walking thru the past’ documentary on paleontology – two weeks. ‘Urok’ (the lesson) video for teenagers – from six to eight weeks. Lacking of the studio of our own slows down the postscoring considerably.
However this is a great encouragement and excitement for us to think, that, God willing, in a year we will have a video production studio facilities of our own, and the future projects (those we are dreaming about already and those we do not have idea about yet) will go much easier technically.
Meanwhile, we do not slow down our work, and have started to work in a new project already – Ice Age Civilizations (http://iceagecivilizations.com) video Russian dubbing. We are doing voice actors casting for it currently.
Another excitement with a little sorrow in it is parting with Zhenya – she left for her last semester of studies in US. We are missing her very much; however we are excited about the opportunity she has to be trained better for the service. She flew thru London one week after the troubles happened there, but was allowed to take her computer to the cabin. All her luggage got lost, but arrived safe and sound in a week – nothing is missing or damaged. Thank you very much for your prayers about her travel safety, please pray for her vision on how the Lord wants to use on this side of the Kingdom.
‘Refuting Evolution 2’ book by Jonathan Sarfati and Michael Matthews got thru pre-press work and going to the press soon. Please pray for this very important project as well.
Another reason for joy, excitement and praises is the first signs we are receiving that confirm successfulness and availability of the strategy we develop for this new stage of our ministry growth – finding, training and equipping the leaders of local leaders everywhere. We provide encouragement and guidance for the initiatives of people; our final goal is for every local church to have lay people teaching others how challenge the worldview of nonbelievers effectively destroying the strongholds on their way to Jesus.
Here is the message we received thru our coordinator for Far East, who got it from people at Bouryateya (ethnic region in Russia between Siberia and Mongolia).
A church from Ulan-Ude has organized a six-day Creation Evangelism camp at Baikal lake. It was quite an unusual camp. First of all, it was not a children’s camp; all campers were adults. Secondly, most of the staff and the campers were people with speech and hearing disorders. There were two teachers among them. Thirdly, the program of the camp was unusual. It was called “Refuting Evolution”, and based on materials supplied by Christian center for Science and Apologetics and on the book of Romans. Unlike the program of the children’s camp, the one for adults is not full of various games and other entertainments – people came there to have some rest. However there were two items everyone was involved into – the evening service and the morning fellowship in groups. At the evening people watched various videos that refute evolution and prove the authority and reliability of the Bible. After the movies people were asked questions that were to be discussed during the time of the morning fellowship. In the morning the whole camp, including the staff, was gathered in the groups. Everyone had a note book with Bible texts, questions, and additional scientific materials. At the very first service, where both models of origins were presented, some people began to doubt the reliability of the evolution. The third time people met for the morning fellowship no one doubted about the Creator existence, and people were open for the call to accept Jesus.
Please pray for people who made this camp to provide proper follow-up to the campers, for the seeds that were planted, for the Lord providing ministers who can water the seeds and help the harvest to grow. Pray also for us to discover and equip more leaders for developing local ministries and initiatives like this.
I would appreciate special prayers for the trip to Uzbekistan we are going for in September 15-25 together with two great servants of God, our ministry board members Georges Carillet (board chairman, Commonwealth International University – Ukraine president) and Evgeniy (Zhenya) Shved (Pioneer Bible Translators) to visit our regional coordinator Andrey Gorkovenko and see how our ministries can partner in outreach at Central Asia.
Zhenya and I as Ukrainian and Moldavian citizens do not need visas to go there, however Georges does need it, and we did not receive a confirmation that he issued it yet. Please pray for his visa. Our visit program will include meetings and training workshops with the leaders of national home (unregistered) churches; this could be considered as a law violation (there is no clear distinction between private meeting and religious gathering there), please pray for the Lord provide us wisdom, guidance and protection.Please pray also for our preparation for two great projects of the fall that going back to back – Academic Symposium (a short-term trip to the tribes of intellectuals J we are doing twice a year, see http://www.scienceandapologetics.org/engl/papers.htm) and Eurasian Apologetics Summit (networking, training, encouraging and equipping the leaders of the leaders in apologetics, see http://www.scienceandapologetics.org/engl/anons.html)
Pray also please for my preparation and the trip to United States in January-February to continue my doctorate studies at Asbury Seminary.