Youth Team Buryatia

Meet Pastor Svieta . . . church planter/missionary/pastor

from Belarus who has lived in Buryatia for at least 12 years.

God has spoken to her over a period of time and through

various means about youth in this region and Russia in general.

One evening while teaching in Angarsk, I arrived for our nightly

tea time to find that Sasha (see Angarsk translator) was in deep

discussion with Svieta regarding youth ministry. We talked long

into the night, and Svieta knew this was the time to step out.

She and I have spent long hours together, strategizing, praying,

and finally traveling the region together to seek out where we

have youth, where there are potential leaders, what the heart

of the churches are, and what the keys to the community might be.

Youth Ministries Course - Angarsk in November 07

In November, I again found myself teaching Youth Ministries in a city 10 hours west of home. Pictured here are some of my 24 students, mixed in with some from the other class. One of these guys was quick to let me know, on the first day, that this was "American" material, but by the last day, his whole attitude had changed, he was very thankful, and God had done a work in his heart toward young people.

These students never knew what I might do next :) One afternoon, they were starting to yawn, so I invited them to stand as we (my translator and I) had a seat and kept on teaching . . . one student snapped this pix on his cell phone. Project time - creating a mock youth ministry in teams.Worship and prayer times . . . the last day was powerful!!! Before our test, each student stood by region, city, town, and we prayed for the youth of their area. The presence of God was so rich, and the students taking their finals in the other class joked that I must be grading my students based on how loud they could pray - Hah! God really spoke into hearts about the future of youth ministry in this region and challenged these students to take on the call.

Sasha - the wonder translator! Also a key part of the youth team

developing in the Irkutsk region 8 hours west of Buryatia.

Team Building

More Group Studies.
Team dramas . . .

. . . so, what IS the difference between youth ministry and youth group anyway???

Happy Thanksgiving a bit early

November 3 - on the train (& a plane) again to head over the river and through the woods back to Xhabarovsk for our Siberia Team Meeting and Thanksgiving.

Clarke & Carolyn Gage came from Estonia to feed our spirits.

We all pitched in to feed our faces :)

Now you see us . . .

. . . And now you don't

Worship New Russian Visa Laws were a hot topic of conversation.
. . . a good time of learning and relaxing and bonding.