November 2000 Newsletter

Will you come together with us in prayer for our forthcoming seminar planned to take place in southern Russia Nov/Dec this year? The area is volatile and is for the most part dominated by Islam. Persecution of Christians still occurs regularly there. Recently a Christian Pastor was decapitated. Then the driver of a Christian bakery van disappears – with the van - is held for ransom but is never heard of again.

There is a great need in Russia today for individual Christian discipleship applications as a form of long-term evangelism. Enthusiastic interest in the Door of Hope Discipleship Programme led to this seminar, which DV, will begin on Friday 24^th November and end on Monday 4^th December. A Group of 5 persons under the leadership of Ewald Joubert – Director of Door of Hope – will present the seminar. We are most thankful to the Lord that Rev. Pieter Kriel from Vryheid with his vast knowledge and experience in mission will also help. His involvement is a decided plus! The other group members are Elizabeth Prinsloo, Stefan van der Merwe and his wife Hensie.

i) Please pray that the Lord will provide for all needs involving their trip.

ii) Please pray that duplication of the Door of Hope Radio Programme on cassette will be completed timeously - at present enqueued in Moscow and marked for completion in November.

iii) Please pray for the safety of Ewald and his group, for the Lord to prepare them spiritually and materially for the task ahead.

Please introduce your friends to the prayer needs and your Prayer Clock. It is self-explanatory and you need only indicate the time you will pray. Upon receipt we will send you a prayer topic to pray for. We do not only ask but also wish to bless you with this valuable opportunity to serve God through prayer in this manner. We will keep you informed of activities as soon as they become available.

We praise God for all of you, because you enable us to do a good job for the Lord and His Kingdom.

Russia 2000!

It is fitting to end the first year of the Millennium with an outreach. The Lord has blessed us not only with the opportunity of a venue but also with the people to take part in it and lead it. Recently, the members of the outreach group who will be giving the teaching in Russia held a two-day retreat on a farm near Heidelberg. The time together was richly blessed and it ended with a blessing when the owners of the retreat centre charged only half the agreed price!

Hensie behind husband Stefan, Elizabeth and Ds.Pieter with a last quick piece of humour at the end of the retreat

Door of Hope is indeed fortunate to have these gifted brothers and sisters taking part on this sensitive teaching outreach. Elizabeth – will focus on Prayer in the Quiet Time - astonished us all by singing a Russian song after hearing it recited only once by Hensie! The gentle humility of all the participants left a lasting feeling of well-being.

Stefan, who will be concentrating on discipleship, is busy completing his studies as a minister at Pretoria University after which he and Hensie will serve as full time missionaries.

We have another bonus – Hensie is a drama specialist who has a ministry using the arts – primarily mime – to spread the Gospel. She will be training up a group to continue that process in Russia and in addition will minister to all of us during the course of the seminar with her gifts! Please pray especially for her in this most difficult of tasks.

It was a time of much laughing and sharing with the ever-present light heartedness of Ds Pieter (it was safer to call him “Pieter” only!) who was caught off guard more than once with the quick penetrating wit of Elizabeth. He will deal with relationships between pastor and the congregation. He also gave the outline for the prayer walk. We just know that his input during the seminar overall will bear great fruits.

The form of the Seminar in Russia will focus on the relationship with God through the Quiet Time.

Anna Bogér

We report back on our last newsletter. We are most grateful to a brother who supplied a complete modern Hi-fi System to help those in Novo Vasugon. It also duals as a small public address system and is already in Russia. Another brother supported handsomely for the extension work with the cassette programmes.

He even gave a book of testimony in German so that our dear sister Anna could once again feel her german roots. We are most greatful to you dear brothers for your compassion and generosity.

There are many in Russia today with the same needs as sister Anna. We do exhort you to continue steadfastly in prayer for the needs of the Russian people – both materially (in their great poverty) and above all for the love of God to visit them in that voidless spiritual vacuum left by Satan’s agent, Stalin, who plunged them into that deep pit of despair.

Pray for the Church in Russia

That the Body of Christ must uplift the suffering Church world-wide. Pastor Evrenii speaks of the problems of materialism in the Russian Church, but this is a universal problem. Please pray for all missionaries in the field that they will have sensitivity to their calling and that they will be true ambassadors of Jesus Christ in a world torn apart by greed. Satan rages as never before because of the irrepressibility of the gospel in spite of a broken world. Nothing anywhere can withstand the power of the Good News.

How to spread the Gospel

We've received your letter how you can help in evangelism of our town with Christian radio programme "Discipleship Training over the Air". We thank God and you for that.

From our side we are glad to have the whole course of your radio programme and spread it where God will show.

During 17 years of following God and living directly in Russia God reveals in what Russia has a need. Russia doesn't trust foreigners, but at the same time doesn't admit her own prophets. Russia doesn't need any new theory of evangelistic teaching, She needs given over practical people giving God's voice out of Bible, but there is no such today. Today everyone has new strategy but not for long.

To be able in practice, by our life to preach the Gospel, God needs people who are completely given up to Him, who have died to themselves - for their own lives have been "crucified with Christ".

Who can say: "...it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." Gal.2:20.

Russia needs people upon whom God can pour Spirit and Power like the first-apostles. Without it none of new methods of evangelism will succeed. God admits only worship in Spirit. The most beautiful worship which comes from flesh is against God.

On the whole, Christian world in Russia now is in a flesh condition. First of all it is necessary to wake up church from such a sad condition.

If you still want to continue our personal contact you should know our present circumstances. Therefore I'll write about ourselves.

Since 1982 my wife Ludmila and myself were members of Ufa's church. I am 42 years old, my wife is 41. We have seven children: Natalia - 16,5 years old, Konstantin - 15, Vladimir - 13, Ludmila - 10, Eleonora - 8, Timophei - 6,5, Arsenty - 2,5. And God gave us a son by spirit, combined with our family. His name is Vadim - 20 years old.

The church does not like the personal testimony of Gal.2:20 and Rom.8 because of flesh condition. Our state is similar to Jews being in front of Red Sea. In front of us is also "Red Sea" of uncertainty. But we believe that behind these events is God. He will lead us through the midst of the "sea" onto dry land.

The Krugersdorp Morning Train to Springs

Every day on their way to work believers start praise and worship amongst commuters. When they get off others get on and continue where they stopped. It’s even becoming organised! This peoples group listen and joyfully take part - there isn’t a choice because they cannot escape until they disembark – its better to sing along! In this way a wagonload of song is often lifted up to a mighty God in praise - every morning!

Hierdie Nuusbrief in Afrikaans

A Word for Prayer

Russia 2000!

Anna Bogér

Pray for the Church in Russia

How to spread the Gospel

The Krugersdorp Morning Train to Springs