StreetCry New Church Plant, Missionaries Needed!

Dear Friends,

We hope that everyone had a blessed Easter. We are all so thankful for Jesus, the Passover Lamb, who not only took away the sins of the world, but specifically gave his life for each one of us, so that we could be free and have something to live for!

We are excited to announce the birth of our new church here in Tallinn, Estonia. It is called The Living Room Fellowship, and it presently consists of 9 people who feel called to be part of what we are doing. Our church meets in the café, and our first official service will be tonight April 6th. This is exactly two years to the day that we signed the contract with the city for our student café. All of the church members are under 30 except Sara and I, and it is a blessing to work with faithful and dedicated young people. Our outreach is primarily to youth, and specifically college aged kids.

We are very interested in having people with a missionary call on their lives come and see what we are doing and even come to work and live here in Tallinn. If you or any members of your church feel led to come and visit or to come and work for a season, please drop us a line. We specifically need musicians, artists and generally any young people under 30 who enjoy evangelism and praying for people.

Last week I had a very interesting experience. While out walking I was approached by a Hari Krishna devotee. I usually try to tell them Jesus loves them, but normally the conversations do not get far. When I looked into the eyes of the young man who approached me, I saw someone who was sincerely searching for the truth. I spoke briefly with him and gave him a 2 minute version of my testimony of coming to Jesus. As I walked away I started getting words of knowledge for him, so I stopped and asked the Lord if I should go back and tell him now, or go back to him after finishing the walk. I decided to talk with him later, so as I continued walking I felt the Lord give me more things about him, and that I should also pray together with the young man.

An hour passed before I came back, and I asked "Nikita" if he had a few minutes to talk. I shared with him that he was a sincere seeker of truth and that he is a person who has never been interested in material things, and has always known there is more to life that a nice house, big car, money and things. I told him that he is on a path looking for truth and the time would come when he would realize that Krishna is not the way, and that when he realized that, Jesus Christ would be waiting for him. Then I shared with him a longer version of my testimony, about my understanding that I was a sinner needing to repent and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I told him that Jesus was the only way, the only truth and the only way to heaven. He was very receptive, and although 2 older Krishnaites tried to break up our talk, it continued without interference. He was eagerly listening to everything I said. When we finished talking, I forgot that the Lord had told me to pray for him. So, as I shook his hand to leave, he said, "Wait, will you pray for me that I can find what you found." I took his hand and began praying, breaking off deception and lying spiritual influences. Then I asked if he would like to give his heart to Jesus Christ right now, and he said, "Yes." So we prayed together for repentance and receiving Jesus.

Again I was about to leave, and shake his hand, but he embraced me like a son with a father. It was a beautiful experience. Please pray for Nikita that he gets plugged into the word of God. The experience was a good reminder to always be ready to give an account of the faith that is inside of you. As 1 Peter 3:15 says "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

Thank you for your friendship, prayers and continued support of our ministry!

John Russell

StreetCry Ministries

The Living Room Fellowship

Natasha's Testimony

Dear Friends,

Please take a few moments to read about Natasha. We have known her for 10 years and she has been working closely with us for the last 4 years. She is in her first year of grad school, studying languages, and is now proficient in 6 of them. She has a missionary call on her life and has the opportunity to attend Iris school of missions in Mozambique this summer.

Blessings,

John & Sara Russell

Here is her story:

I came to the Lord when I was seven years old. Since I came from a non-Christian family, I had never heard about God or Jesus previously. Several teachers in my elementary school were Christians who had been sharing with me every day about Jesus and His love. During my first year of school God has been constantly showing His love for me and revealing to me that I was a sinner in need of forgiveness. Moreover, His love and mercy made me realize that all the good I had in my life was not because of me or my “goodness”, but because of Him and His tremendous love. By the end of my first year at school I gave my heart to Jesus.

I have felt a call to missions on my life since I was a teenager. He spoke to me through the passage in Matthew 16: 25 “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. “

I believe that being a Christian means losing ourselves inside of Jesus’ heart. And His heart is not willing that anyone will die, but that each one comes to the knowledge of Him. Especially, God has been putting on my heart third world countries and breaking my heart for people who have nothing: rejected, abandoned, sick, poor, desperate ones. I want to see them find their hope and future in Jesus, to witness God’s miraculous power and to experience His unending love, mercy and grace. And I want to dedicate my life to serve them using all my gifts wherever there is a need.

 

Having an understanding that I am called to ministry, I started my university studies in foreign languages with a purpose to prepare myself for the mission field (in the picture on the left I am translating at an evangelism camp for non-Christian children). Throughout my school and university years I have been actively involved in ministry being a Sunday school teacher, teaching classes in women’s prison (in the picture on the right I am translating at one of our outreaches in women’s , witnessing to drug-addicts in the streets, translating for missionaries and helping as an administrative assistant (in the picture below I am talking to a five-year-old boy Artur at our third annual Christmas feed-in).

prison)

Now, after spending five years at university studying languages God has opened a door for me to go to the Iris Harvest School of Ministry in Mozambique. Besides spending time with Jesus in prayer and studying God’s Word, we will be having classes on cross-cultural ministry, prophetic and healing ministries and meeting different ministers and missionaries from all over the world. Most important is that we will be able to put into practice right away things that we have learned and received. Along with

other students, I will be ministering and spending time with 500 children at the Iris center, and also going to bush villages, local hospitals and prisons in Mozambique to preach the Gospel, to feed the poor, to pray for the sick, to minister to the broken and to encourage local Christians and missionaries (in the picture on the right I am witnessing to a drug-addict).

One of my greatest inspirations is from Acts 3: 1-9: 

“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”

My prayer and my dream is to spend all my days for Jesus and to become His eyes, His feet, His hands for those who are hungry and desperate; to be able to recognize and stop for the one and to give him or her everything I have received from the Lord.

As well, I am very excited about this opportunity to learn from a very effective ministry and people that have endured persecutions and even death threats for the sake of Jesus and His beloved people; and at the same time have seen multitudes coming to Christ, blind starting to see, deaf starting to hear, dead raised up to life, captives set free and broken hearts mended.

I believe when God wants us to do something, He also provides us with everything that we need and even more. While I was praying and seeking God’s will for going to Iris School of Ministry I felt that He wanted me to do a step of faith and to trust Him for everything: for my calling, my future and my financial needs as well. Upon doing that step of faith I have started witnessing God’s care for me and His provision. So far I have been able to pay my deposit fee for Iris School. God has touched the hearts of several people and local Estonian churches to support me financially and with prayer, and has opened doors of some local churches for me to share about my trip. As well, I have been able to get my vaccinations. I am still in need of total $6450.00 which includes:

• school tuition and bush outreach: $3000
• round trip airfare: $2500  
• living expenses in Mozambique: $750
•  insurance: $200

Please pray for the nation of Mozambique, for the work of Iris Ministries and for my mission trip. If God puts on your heart to support me financially, it will be a huge blessing for me!

Thank you!

Natasha

Donations for Natasha:

checks made out to StreetCry w/ Natasha in the memo section and mailed to:

StreetCry

PO Box 162

Franklin Springs, GA 30639-0162