More than $400 in donations has come in for The Persecuted Church from this blog, plus several items that have been shipped to this family (toys, rugs, clothes). My friends would like to say thank you:
Dear friends,
We are so thankful for your generous hearts. We are so glad that after we lost so many things in our life, we have found new friends, family and home. Thank you for being friends for us even we haven’t met each other face to face. Thank you for your gifts of love which we received from our friends. Thank you that you are open for needs of others and willing to help them. Through your donation we can see the love of Jesus in our life. We pray that our Almighty God will meet your needs for His Glory. We pray that each of you will have many blessings in your life, family and business. We pray that one day we will meet each other before feet of our Lord and celebrate victory together. Please, keep us in your daily prayers and stay in touch.
I helped my sweet friend register for some things at Target in the next town over since ours is getting a new roof (thanks to Hurricane Ike).
You can still donate to the Paypal account. I will leave it open indefinitely.
If you would like to view the Target registry and actually send them a gift, please email me and I will send you the link. It gives some personal information, so I decided to monitor it more closely.
(I’m planning a small home shower with a few friends, but you are more than welcome to participate!)
My hubby is meeting with Igor weekly for prayer and discovering ways we can get involved in this great ministry. And I’ve been helping edit his English for the materials he sends out.
I left the letter above just the way he gave it to me. Not too shabby, huh?
In the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing more about their current ministry to Russian countries. It is exciting. It is unbelievable. It is very dangerous. And we are convinced that God wants us to be a part of it.
Wow what an amazing story. I just caught up on all 5 of your posts about this family. Phew, they have been thru a lot! I was curious if they are still in need of children's clothes? I saw that on post 4, but didn't know if that had since been fulfilled. Please let me know.
Thank you for sharing their story & for being a part of their lives. I know that the Lord brought you two families together to do great work for the Kingdom and I am excited about it. I can't wait to hear more.
Groovewoman ♫
Kristen, I haven’t used Target’s online gift registry before. If we purchase an item online, is an address listed for shipping? How would we go about getting something to you? Or, if we’d prefer to purchase a giftcard for them, how would we get it to you?
Thanks!
I think the whole thing is absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to help!
I tagged you to day for the 5 things you have learned from blogging, I would love to see what your answers will be.
Awesome! They are darling. Ya’ll are doing such a great job – hands and feet. God Bless!
This is so wonderful!!! They are so cute 🙂
Thanks for another update on this family. Although I haven’t been able to contribute finacially, I am praying wholeheartedly!
Inspiring! And, yes, they are quite cute!
Kristen,
Got chills when I read the last sentence. I think I’m convinced too.
Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this.
very sweet looking couple…this is good for your family very good!
Hi Kristen,
I hope you don’t mind.. but I put a link in my blog to this series.
Thank you so much for sharing! This story has been beyond encouraging for me!
I love hearing their story – so glad you are a part of what they are doing. And glad that you are able to share it with us.
WOW! You have no idea how much *I* needed to read this. I have been quite selfish and mopey for several weeks now about the “condition” of my home. I am humbled and convicted! By “American” standards our home is small and needs “updating” yet it is warm, the roof does not leak, their is food on our table every day and we have more Bibles than i care to admit to. Gratefulness is something I have been struggling with. There is something about living in America that makes it difficult to not become overly materialistic–though I d not believe we should feel guilty about it. But we need to keep our focus on HIM. What an amazing couple! What an amazing testimony! We will pray for this family. Will you please thank them for ME.
Every time I read more about this fmily I become inspired again. I feel like I was led here to read about them. Their story is blessing me every time I read it because I remember tbe awe and feelings brought to me 20 years ago in the USSR
we are praying for them and their ministry here.
Steff
I have been wondering how they were, thanks for the update! They are precious! I wnated to help and send them stuff, but my life is so upside down right now, thanks Ike too… when and if I ever get settled and find a life and home again, I’ll email you again!
kris
I’ve really enjoyed reading about your brush with the persecuted church and I admire your hospitality and open spirit. I also think it is great that you are trying to help them financially and with a home shower type of thingy….BUT….they already have the simplicity that you are seeking for your own family.
They have no attachments to material possessions and can be content with the little that they have. Isn’t that what the rest of us are looking for? Why would we want to burden them down with all the trappings of the American life that we so desperately want to shed ourselves? They should of course have a comfortable home to live in but I think there is a fine line to be walked here. Nobody needs to be encouraged in materialism no matter how pure the reasons.
We should all probalby sell about 50 things out of our own homes and give them the money for their ministry instead of buying them things to fill up their own home.
Just my thoughts on the subject. Keep up the good blogging.
I wanted to respond to the above comment. I do understand what is being stated and I definitely think that part of our desire to simplify was born from meeting this great family.
I am certainly not trying to burden them down with materialistic things. But we are talking basics here, like a trash can and a winter coat. And you must remember that they lost everything they owned.
They are real people and I think they deserve a couple of comforts in life, just like the rest of us. That’s a long way from being materialistic.
I think we should support both their physical needs and their ministry 😀