Russia: Week Four

Moscow was where I spent my last week in Russia. My ministry focus that week was somewhat different from Ulan Ude because I was going to be speaking to university students in small groups, rather than to various age groups at specific churches. The whole week was incredible! The first night, I spoke at a Students For Christ (SFC) meeting about HIV/AIDS and the role of the body of Christ in ministering to those affected by it. Incredible time of ministry that night.

There were probably 40-50 university students there . . . all from different countries in Africa (there was one Russian student), but they are all studying in Russia. I loved being with them. It was like a balm for my weary heart. Moscow tends to have a culturally unemotional feeling on the streets, but walking into a room filled with young people from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Sudan who were praising God in a way only Africans can . . . it was just so refreshing!! One of the first things I said when I got up to speak was, “I want to be African!” They gave me “honorary African” status. Lol.

The next evening I spoke at a home Bible study for mostly single women. My plan was to speak about Biblical sexuality, but the mood and the focus of the evening kind of shifted at the meeting and so we just went with it. We ended up praying for a woman who had been seriously considering separating from her husband. She was encouraged to stay with him. Another girl shared about her problems with a young man who does not share her faith in God and the tension it is creating in their relationship. She is growing in her walk with God, but he is not a believer and so he is getting angry with her for the inevitable distance it is creating between them. We were able to point her back to the Scriptures and what God Word said about her circumstances. Anyway, it the evening totally didn’t go according to my plan, but it still went *exactly* according to His. My last evening in Russia, I spoke to a group of Christian medical students. All of them were from various countries in Africa and they are studying medicine in Moscow. They have a fabulous group that meets periodically. I was asked to speak to them about medical missions.

What a fun time! We talked about the Biblical basis for compassion/medical ministries, curative vs preventative focuses, and also about types of medical mission opportunities. Since arriving back home, I have been able to keep in touch with one of their leaders and we have been corresponding on ideas for helping them to launch their own ministries.

Of course, I would be amiss if I didn’t mention that my week in Moscow wasn’t all work . . . there was play, too! Red Square, the Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and Lenin’s tomb were among the highlights!

I am still in awe of how God outlined and planned this trip. His power was so phenomenal in my weakness so many times. Thanks to each of you for your prayers and emotional support. I knew you were praying . . . and God showed off His power!!

Russia: Week Three

What a whirlwind of adventure has taken place since I last wrote!!



I spent a week in Krasnodar which is in Southern Russia close to the Black Sea. While there I was able to observe ministry to university students, including a weekly Bible study and English movie night (reaches out to non-believers who want to learn English). I also got to meet many student leaders of ministry (Russians and Americans) and hear the heartbeat of the needs of Russian and international students.



Krasnodar itself if a beautiful city . . . one park reminded me of Central Park in NYC! The traffic is pretty terrible, but I'm quickly learning that is just "life as usual" in Russia. :) Much warmer in Krasnodar than in the rest of Russia. The day I left, the high was 85 degrees Fahrenheit . . . I was on my way to Ulan Ude (in Siberia) where it had snowed the day before. :) It's a big country with lots of climate variation!!

Ulan Ude was such a great ministry week. It is 5 hrs ahead of Krasnodar (14 hrs ahead of CST). On Friday the 16th I flew from Krasnodar to Moscow, then took on overnight 6.5 hr flight from Moscow to Ulan Ude, Russia. I slept a bit on the plane. Kara picked me up at the airport, we went back to her apartment where I slept for about an hour. Then we got on the road and headed out to a village where there is a small church.



The pastor's wife, Lena, was wanting to start women's ministry and we were helping to do a women's conference to kick it off. I spoke on Saturday night on hope. I just really felt like the Lord had laid the message on my heart . . . and my goodness, had He ever!! The Holy Spirit was so obviously in that little church and He ministered so powerfully to the hearts of those present.

Tea time at the ladies' meetings!!

The next day Kara spoke in the morning service and then I did about 3 hours of women's health education in the afternoon. Such an amazing time!! *breaks into singing "My Favorite Things"* There is tremendous potential for community health teaching and evangelistic work in these communities.

Ladies at the health education meeting

Monday morning we drove with the pastor out to another little village where there are a handful of believers and they meet in a home group setting. They are the only Christians in their town and it was such a blessing to pray and have communion with them and to encourage them.

Small village with only a few believers in Christ.

Whole area is buddhist/shamanistic.

Monday evening we had a ladies' "spa night" in the larger village. It was so fun to just have girl time and be a blessing to these women who have such hard, hard lives.

Wednesday, Kara took me out to Lake Baikal -- it's the world's largest lake by volume and is not too far from Ulan Ude. It contains 20% of the world's fresh water. With all the leaves changing color for fall, it was pretty incredible!!



Thursday evening, I had the privilege of speaking on the subject of Biblical sexuality to the youth group at one of the churches in Ulan Ude.

Friday night, we traveled to another village about an hour away from Ulan Ude and I spoke at a church to a group of young adults and adults about Biblical sexuality.

Then, it was time to fly again . . . back to Moscow where I am presently. I am speaking two more times this week and then I'm headed back to home sweet home. :)

Thank you for your prayers. God has given me such an attentiveness to culture . . . much more than I usually feel. That was one of my prayer requests and He has answered you so well! Also, the times of ministry have been so powerful and people have been so blessed. Thank you for praying for those things. This trip has been very challenging in a lot of way . . . primarily spiritually and culturally challenging for me and I have needed the prayers that have been prayed. The Lord has been so faithful!!

Russia: Week One

I am currently sitting a the airport in Moscow, Russia (at a little restaurant called Katie O'Connors . . . which kinda makes me feel like I'm in Ireland. lol). I am on my way from Perm to a town in the more southern Caucus mountain region of Russia.

This past week has found me in Perm at a conference/celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Russian Pentecostal Union. George Wood (the American AG superintendent) and David Wells (the Canadian AG superintendent) were invited by Bishop Edward (the Russian pentecotal superintendent) to speak at the celebration. The celebration was such a wonderful look back at the historical legacy for the church that has been laid by persecuted Russian believers past years and it was such a celebration of freedoms that are now present. The Spirit of God was so present and strong at the conference. One night, 100-200 men and women committed their lives for one year of service (next year) to reach un-reached Russian people groups. Then, last night, about 20 people gave their lives to Christ and joined the family of God! Phenomenal time!!

This trip has been so incredible so far that I just have to share some of the awesome ways God has answered the specific prayers we have been praying for to the Lord.

One of my requests during my first week while I have been in Perm has been that I would have a good grasp of the culture. I have noticed that my awareness of cultural cues has been so much more heightened than it typically is on trips. So, thank you for your prayers about that!! God has definitely answered!!

In addition, I had the opportunity to connect and chat with a family physician who is a missionary here about the future of medical/compassion ministries here in Russia. We were also able to make a contact through a missionary from YWAM who knows someone in Moscow who is involved in some medical outreaches. There is a possibility we will be able to meet with him or someone from his organization during the last week of September when I am back in Moscow.

Next week, I am going to be teaching about HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as sexual/emotional purity and abstinence. Because this is such a sensitive topic, I wanted to be very culturally sensitive. The Lord provided an opportunity for me to sit in on a session about sexuality that was taught in Russian at the conference I was just at in Perm. Through my translator, I was able to obtain a better understanding of how Russians within the church approach sexuality and how they feel about discussing it in the church. It was an invaluable time of learning for me and will really help me fine-tune my presentation next week. I considered this a tremendous answer to prayer!!

Thanks for your prayers!! Keep them coming!

Man on the left was persecuted for his faith under Soviet rule. Man in the middle was imprisoned for his faith. Bishop Edward on right.



With George Wood :)

Heaven's 52 Latest Parties!!

Just a few days ago I received the following e-mail from the missionaries we worked with in Ecuador last summer.

"After four years of repeatedly visiting a village and seeing no results at all, a Kwicha Community suddenly had a revival. They have service every night and 52 were baptized two weeks ago. We want to thank everyone for their prayers and also a big thank you to Health Care Ministries for sending three medical teams in there over this period of time. . . ."

". . . there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents . . ."
Luke 15:10

Hooray!! Heaven must have just thrown 52 of the biggest parties ever!! :)

Health Education

Within the last month, I had the privilege of traveling again with HCM. My traveling companions included another nurse, a pharmacist, a clinical psychologist, and an optometrist. We had the privilege of doing health education sessions and providing optical exams and eyeglasses. We were able to teach on a wide variety of subjects, including HIV/AIDS, nutrition, hygiene, first aid, feminine health, prenatal/postnatal care, and mental health. For our sessions, we went to two large public schools and two universities. At the public schools, we primarily taught high school aged students, but we taught a few younger classes as well. At the first university we taught first and second year students who were training to be teachers. At the second university we taught first year medical students (who are the equivalent of college freshmen in America). However, the most fun sessions I taught were with teenage girls about feminine health subjects! They soaked the information up like sponges and I discovered that teenage girls everywhere want to know about how to get rid of acne! If I had a suitcase large enough to take them all home, I would have about 150 teenage girls living in our house right now! If my dad thinks he has it rough with three girls, just imagine what his life could be like . . . *wink*

The main purpose of the trip was to help strengthen the present ministries of those who serve there full time, as well as giving them a foundation to build upon through our outreach to the community. We were so grateful for the opportunity to serve them. Althought most of the time we could not openly share about Christ due to the sensitive nature of the country, the Lord gave us a number of divine appointments where we were able to minister in a more open and spiritual way to a couple women who were undergoing tremendous suffering due to the oppression of women in the community. I love how the sorrows of the most "unnoticed" suffering woman do not escape the eye of our Father!

Ecuador

"Fashionably late" doesn't even describe the tardiness of this post!

Two months ago I arrived back home from our outreach to jungle villages of northeastern Ecuador. Our team consisted of 6 American medical professionals, 4 American missionaries, and 13 Ecuadorians (translators, boat drivers, and support). We traveled 220 miles by motorized canoe on the Rio Aquarico and visited 5 tribal groups in 6 different villages. Our team was able to see 468 patients and 7 individuals accepted Christ as their Savior! It was an amazing time. Let me share one story with you.

We were on the river on our way to a village to set up a clinic when our boat driver stopped at a home along the banks. He knew there was an old man who lived there who was experiencing pain and would like a home visit from the doctor. One of the missionaries, the doctor, and the boat driver walked up to the home. The 87-year-old man (his age was quite an achievement in a place where most people live to about 50) was treated for his pain and they were able to share the gospel with him. He accepted Christ as his Savior . . . along with 4 other members in his home! The missionary encouraged them to read a portion of the book of Matthew. The next day someone from the family came to the clinic and told us that they had stayed up the whole night reading the Bible! A medical professional and some medicine were the tickets that let us in the door of that home. And they were also the things that brought a man on the edge of eternity to Christ.

As the Lord reminds you, please pray for this man and his family. Also, pray for the Lord to raise up leaders from within these tribal groups to lead their own people to Christ.

Thank you for your prayers and financial gifts that made it possible for me to serve the people, the missionaries and the national church of Ecuador. You were a partner in this story!

For the Kingdom of God,

Jessica

Getting ready to load the boats.

Loading up for the trip.

This is the boat I was on. The photo was taken from the other boat.

Pulling into a village.

An older man trying out his new glasses for things close up. :)

Our physician's assistant examining a patient.

Getting pharmacy set up.

This is where Jenny (one of the other nurses) and I spent a lot of our time.

A church in one of the villages where we held clinic.

Getting health histories. Jennifer was a missionary associate and also a nurse! Since she was fluent in Spanish, she did a lot of the health histories.

Checking him over. Gotta love that face!! Kids are my favorite! :)

Our mosquito nets set up inside one of the community buildings where we all slept.

Another clinic site.

The whole team!

You can't go to Ecuador and not visit the Equator!!

I wanted to keep this one!!

Her eyes just beg to know Jesus, don't they?

Stay tuned!

Please don't give up on me! There will be a blog post soon (complete with pictures!!) of my trip to Ecuador. It was AMAZING.

Ecuador!

I can hardly believe it’s only nine days until I leave for Ecuador!

I will be traveling August 20 – 29th with a medical team to work with an Assembly of God missionary couple. Our team consists of a physician, a physician assistant, two dentists, and two nurses. In the country, we will meet up with a national optometrist, the missionaries, and our translators. From Quito, our team will travel in country by plane to a town where we will board a bus that will take us 2 hours farther east. Then we board a boat, which will take us another 2 hours down the river. We will be doing clinic in this region for a couple of days, as well as traveling another 4 hours down the river and doing medical clinic in the jungle for a few days. As you can imagine, we are going to be hot, tired, and plain ‘ol wore out by the time we’re done! Speaking of heat, I have an idea! From now until the day I get back, every time you want to mention how hot it is outside, would you consider using that as your cue to praying for the team, the medical outreach, and me?

There are a few specific things you can pray for:
1.) There is an enormous amount of work involved with the set-up and tear down of clinic. We will be moving locations at least twice during this outreach. And it’s gonna be hot on top of it all! Please pray for physical strength and endurance for the team members.
2.) Opportunities to share the best medicine of all . . . the message of salvation through Christ. Ask that each of us will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and will be obedient to speak His truth.
3.) Healings. During the days of the early church, the truth of the Gospel was often validated by miraculous healings. God still does that today! Pray with me that God will perform specific healings as a means to confirm His message of salvation to those who come to the medical clinics.
4.) The growth of the local church and the success of the missionary couple. Medical teams are a way to augment the ministry of the national church and the missionaries who are already in the country. Please pray for them.

Thank you for being willing to really, truly pray. You and I get to be partners with God in bringing the hope of Jesus to the hurting of the world . . . and that is pretty awesome!!

For the Kingdom of God and the people of Ecuador,
Jessica

This Birdie Ain't in the Sky

Until a few weeks ago, I thought a birdie was something that flew around in the sky, landed on tree branches, and sang too early in the morning. Now I know that a birdie is . . . well, I've forgotten what it is now, but it's a golfing term and it's a good thing to get one. :)



At the beginning of June, I had the privilege of working at the annual HealthCare Ministries golf tournament. Christy, the logistics coordinator at the HCM office, and myself were assigned to hole 2 to sell mulligans. And yes, up to this point, I thought a "mulligan" was the surname of a person from Ireland. Who knew?





We had a fantastic turnout with about 20 teams of 4 players, so it was a fun and profitable day . . . and very hot! Besides getting a better tan and pretending I knew about golf, my favorite part of the day was watching people who just looked like your typical golfer . . . but knowing that they were playing because they had a heart for the lost and dying around the world! What an encouragement to use the talents in my hand as a way to advance His Kingdom!! :)

HealthCare Ministies Spotlight

HealthCare Ministries was recently featured by AGTV.

Like a Child

Yesterday, I had the super fun privilege of sharing in children's church about medical missions and about Ethiopia. There were about 75 kids there and they were so attentive and excited about missions!

I shared about what I do as a nurse/missionary associate and about why medical missionaries are important. I also shared about Ethiopian culture and some of my experiences. The best part of the morning was when I told the story about the man who could not walk, but the Lord healed at the clinic in Mekele. You could have heard a pin drop. When I finished the story, there was a quiet pause and then this little girl in the front row started to clap for Jesus. I could've melted. The whole room broke into applause about what God had done for the man and his family. The child-like faith and excitement for what Jesus did was like a breath of fresh air. Where a room full of adults would be cynical and try to logically figure something out, an 8-year-old just put her hands together out of sheer delight at what God had done.

" 'Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.' And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them." Mark 10:15-16

After I finished, the children's pastors did a Q & A time where the kids could ask me questions. It was so funny. Here are my two favorite questions (complete with answers for your enjoyment):

Q: How old are you?
A: 26.
(Then another girl pipes up, "You're young.") lol.

Q (from a 9 - 10 year old boy): When you go to Ecuador, will you bring me a monkey?
A: Nope. All the monkeys I bring home I intend to keep for myself.

Commissionings

Last week (March 8-12), I attended pre-field orientation at the Assemblies of God headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. It was a week filled with education about travel, budgets, and the missional life. I had the privilege of meeting a ton of really great people who are also going to be MAs. No one has an assignment quite like mine, but it was still neat to connect with people who have such a passion for missions. The last night of the conference we had a special service where all the MAs were commissioned by leadership of the Assemblies of God World Missions.

Today was a "missions emphasis" at my home church. Our pastor had me come to the front of the church and he gave me a charge and a commissioning of blessing from our local church body. Then he asked retired and current missionaries in our church body to gather around me and join him in prayer. I was surrounded by great men and women of faith who have given their lives to the spreading of the gospel around the world. Many of these couples have known me since I was a child and have been very influential in my love for foreign missions. What a blessing to have them bring my life and my future before the throne of God!

"Who is a Missionary? It is a person who's heart breaks at the thought of one soul perishing without the Lord and that love compels them to tell the world that Jesus loves them." - Elaine Bennett -

Excited.

"There are different kinds of excited. There is the kind of excited where you're jumping up and down and screaming. And then there is the kind of excited that is more like a quiet confidence, knowing you are absolutely taking the next right step God has for you." - Laurel Fisher -

Circumstances and Providence

"The circumstances of a saint's life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God by his providence brings you into circumstances that you cannot understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands. God is bringing you into places and among people and into conditions in order that the intercession of the Spirit in you may take a particular line. Never put your hand in front of the circumstances and say -- I am going to be my own providence here . . . All your circumstances are in the hand of God, therefore never think it strange concerning the circumstances you are in . . ." - Oswald Chambers --