Dear friends and family!
First of all we would like to thank all of you for your prayers and your generous giving over the Christmas time. We were able to have wonderful Christmas Feed-ins in Tallinn and in Russia. Now we are back in Tallinn, the coffee shop has reopened for a few weeks now. When I (Sara) walked into the cafe, immediately I felt at home. I was touched by an overwhelming peace that was in the atmosphere. I got very excited as joy filled my heart. I am excited to be in Tallinn, even though it is for a short time, I am happy to be a help to the small staff. I was just reminded what a privilege it is to serve the King of kings and His people, and the lost.
We would like to share with you some testimonies.
John's dad coming to the Lord
As some of you heard, my 98 year old Dad came to the Lord on Christmas day. Hallelujah! This follows my 94 year old Mom praying with Sara and I to give her heart to Jesus on her birthday in August 2015. Both times the Lord prepared my heart by telling me that now is the time. Instead of resistance, changing the subject or other distractions, my Dad said yes after we read the Christmas story together from Luke as the Lord instructed me to do. Coming from a non-Christian home of divorce, strife, alcoholism, violence, premature death of family members and general dysfunction, it was a blessing to see GOD do something that I would have been unable to do in a million years! All thanks and glory to God.
The Living Room Fellowship
While we were ministering in Russia, Natasha who was visiting from India, stayed in Estonia. She was able to preach and share about the Christmas celebration that she and Lana organised in India.
Natasha writing:
“Before the sermon we usually share words of knowledge with new people, and I received several words for a young man (Henri) that came to our church for the first time. After the service he came up to me and asked how I get these words and if I can get few more words for him. We prayed together, and afterward I shared some more prophetic words with him. After that we started talking about hearing God’s voice, and I told him that it is possible if we give our lives to Him and start walking in His ways. After about an hour long conversation I asked him if he would like to invite Jesus into his heart. He agreed, and Hans-Kristjan (a member of our church) lead him in a sinner’s prayer, then we gave him a Bible. The next day Henri left for Moscow to continue his studies.”
Since then we have been in communication with him. He continues to read his Bible, asks questions and is very hungry to know more of the Lord and His ways. Currently he is looking for a church to attend in Moscow where services are done in English.
First Day in The Coffee Shop after Christmas Break
On that day an older man entered the coffee shop, Natasha saw that he was limping and asked him if she could pray for his healing. The man's name was Rana.
Natasha writing:
“Rana told me that in 2010 he broke his left leg, and afew years later he broke his right leg, and since then he never completely recovered. As Dasha and I were praying for him I felt that his life was in ruins but the Lord wanted to restore everything that was destroyed. I shared it with Rana, and he told me that he used to to be a chef and helped to open several successful Nepali and Indian restaurants in Estonia, showed me several articles about him in two national newspapers Eesti Ekspress and Eesti Postimees and pictures of his wife and a son who now live in Finland. However, who I saw in front of me was a broken lonely man with obvious drinking problems. I shared the Gospel with him and lead him in a prayer of salvation. After the prayer his countenance changed and he seemed happier. We gave him a New Testament, encouraged him to read it and invited him to church.”
Witnessing at the cafe
Before we start our work every morning we pray together for each other, for the fruitful day and divine opportunities to share the Gospel with people who come. One morning Imre was praying that the Lord would give us opportunity to share prophetic words with people. As the day went by we all forgot what we asked the Lord earlier this day. We were finishing our work and clean up as a young man entered the cafe and ordered some food. Then he asked us about our Spiritual menu, he seemed to be very intrigued by it. We gave him a short explanation, and he wanted us to pray for him and minister prophetically. After we prayed and shared with him, he was open to prayer for his healing since he told us that he suffers form anxiety and depression.
He was very thankful.
We continued to pray for divine appointments. Last week there were two girls. One of them started looking at some of the books on our bookshelf. There were not that many customers at the cafe and I (Sara) came up to the girl and asked her if she found anything interesting to read. She said there were a couple of interesting books. One was "Not Just a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell and another "When God Walked the Earth" by Rick Joyner. Then I asked her and her friend's names. Their names were Miriam and Esther. It was good sign for me and an easy way to start talking about the Lord. We had a long conversation about Jesus, significance of names, and other things. I was also able to share my testimony. At the end we gave them a couple of tracts. We pray for them regularly so that the seed of the Word goes into good ground and bares fruit.
Since then we have had many more witnessing opportunities: there was a group of three young people at the cafe and they had a very intense conversation. I was sitting with a friend next to them and couldn't help but overhear their conversation. I heard the two of the young people talking to the young man named Adam about Christ. They were obviously Christians and they were witnessing to their friend. It was exciting to see other young people sharing the Gospel. Later I found out that they are ballet dancers working in Estonia. I also had a chance to share with Adam from the Bible since he had a lot of questions.
A couple of days ago there were a couple of young people from Belgium sitting in the cafe for the whole day. They ordered only coffee and were sitting and writing things down in a journal. I started talking to the girl, she mentioned that she likes our place, then the conversation continued. They are travelling to different places, couch surfing. We started talking about the coffee shop, they asked how we started it in Tallinn, and we ended up talking about Jesus. At the end of the day I knew they had to be hungry, we offered them some food. They were super thankful, stayed till closing and offered their help. The young man stayed for a Bible class that we had in the evening, he said he is searching for answers. He was listening and paying attention during the class. At the end we prayed for him and his health, since he had a cold. He said he felt almost no pain in his throat after prayer.
New at the Living Room Fellowship
We feel that this year the Lord wants us to grow more spiritually. On Wednesday nights we have started Bible classes with members of the church. We are studying the Gospel of Matthew right now. We feel there is a need to develop our character more and there is an understanding of this need and also great hunger to know the Lord more. Knowing Him brings life to us personally and to people around us.
(Sara is teaching an object lesson with Imre's help)
We have been also invited to Sweden in March to teach on prophetic ministry and also minister there with our team at a youth conference. The invitation itself was a confirmation of something that we wanted and were actually thinking to do. It was amazing to us that we got the invitation. Right now we are praying for our hearts to be ready to minister and for people's hearts to be able to receive everything that the Lord has for them during this time.
Feed-in, Tallinn, Estonia
We were able to host about 100 people during the two days of feed-ins. Students from more than 20 countries came for dinner. There were students from, so to say "Christian countries" like Georgia, and countries that don't celebrate Christmas at all, like India. Every year the atmosphere is different because there is a different group of people that comes. This year it was more relaxed, people were communicating with the band, responding to jokes and making jokes themselves. Both days we had a concert where we played witnessing songs (songs talking about the things people go through, searching songs about what is going on in the heart of man, and also about the heart of God for people and answers He has for them). One thing we have seen, cultural differences aside, the heart of man is the same the world over - seeking for truth, love, acceptance and answers to the many problems only God can fix! In-between the songs we shared our personal testimonies, the true meaning of Christmas and the Gospel. We had many good conversations about Jesus and the Bible.
There were a couple of students from India who could not make it on time because of preparation for an exam, and came at the very end when we were about to clean up. How happy they were when we served them dinner and took the time to talk to them! After dinner one young man who was very thankful for the concert and the dinner we provided said, ''None of the other coffee shops treated us like this". For us it was a privilege to serve people. The Word of God went out into the hearts of people. We continue to pray that the seed of the Word would bare fruit into eternity.
Feed-in, St Petersburg, Russia
On the 2d of January after a few days of rest a team from Tallinn went to St. Petersburg, Russia. On the day of our arrival we started music practice with a local worship team that helps us to minister during the Feed-ins. In previous years the band had to practice in a non- heated garage, this year we had a blessing of practicing in a heated building of one of the churches. The temperature at this time of the year in Russia usually drops way below zero. Last year it was - 28C (- 18.4F), we had major set backs because vehicles that brought food and people to a place of event would not start because of the extreme cold. On the day of the Feed-in it was - 22C (- 7.6F), a little better than last year, and we also spent time in prayer for everything to work properly and our prayers were answered.
(Faithful volunteers)
We had plenty of volunteers from other churches and Christian rehab centers for whom we are very grateful. Without their help it would be difficult to do all the food preparation for 250-300 people.
At the Feed-in this year there were representatives from 15 centers. There were a lot more people who already knew the Lord and because of that, I feel, it was much easier to worship the Lord.
(Prayer and introduction of the leaders and representatives of rehab centers)
Even before worship we could sense the anticipation in the room, I believe people came with spiritual hunger and ready to experience God's presence. During worship you could see people worshiping the Lord with all their heart, dancing before HIm, shouting for joy, because there was an understanding that we were once dead in our sins and now Jesus made us alive. It is always a privilege to worship the Lord with His people.
(Worship and intercession)
We thanked the Lord for the year that passed and prayed for the new year ahead of all of us. We felt that the year of 2017 will be a year of new victories, new level of commitment to the Lord for many. After worship we had dinner that the volunteers prepared, and spent time fellowshipping, witnessing about the Lord to the ones that don't know Him yet, and praying for people. It was very fruitful.
(Praise and worship)
On the weekend we were invited to minister at one of the local churches outside St. Petersburg. When we arrived there, the electricity was off and we were gathered together in a dark room with candles all around. It seemed like we were in a cave in times of the early church. Imre was preaching and at the end gave an altar call. One of the men responded to the call and gave his life to the Lord. (A tall man in the back, wearing a black shirt)
Here is a brief video of our Christmas feed-in and celebration this year in Russia. It was 300 former heroin addicts (men were criminals girls were prostitutes) who are now saved and growing in the Lord.
The people lined up at the front on stage passing the microphone are pastors and leaders of the different Christian rehab centers. They give their name and the name of the center as we try to honor each center every year. All the centers use the "one step program". Step out of the kingdom of darkness into His Kingdom of Light". The balding man with the white goatee is Leoinid a heroin addict for 15 years who tried to kill himself with a gram of heroin and a fifth of liquor. He woke up in the hospital then gave his life to the Lord. He now overseees 3 rehab centers. He graduated from our Bible school as did a number of those in the video. Most on the worship team were addicts, but also among them are Sara, our daughter Katya (thin, long black hair dancing) and the pastor of our church in Tallinn named Imre (white t-shirt, standing, playing the floor tom).
I (John) can never watch what God is doing in Russia without crying. Every year so many getting saved and instantly delivered from drugs!
Hope you are blessed: (to watch please click Download on the right hand side)
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST FOR OLGA RYAZHSKIH:
Our dear friend and sister in the Lord from St. Petersburg, Russia is in need of prayer for her health. She has been having high blood pressure: 180 over 90, and on Monday during a home group meeting they called for an ambulance. Since then she has been taking some time off work. But it is a sudden change for her as far as her health goes: she has been in pretty good health all this time since getting off of drugs and coming to Jesus 20 years ago. You might remember Olga from our work in St. Petersburg, she has been a faithful co-labourer with us for many years, great evangelist, who loves the Lord and the lost very much. She and we would appreciate your prayers for the restoration of her health.
(Olga helps us every Christmas Feed-in)
PLEASE ALSO PRAY WITH US FOR:
- spiritual growth of every member of the church
- growth of the church in membership
- wisdom for leadership team how to pastor and lead the church
- fruitful evangelism at the coffee shop and outside the church
- salvation of Estonian people
- fruitful ministry in Sweden, at the youth conference
- provision of financial needs
- protection from sicknesses during cold weather
- strength for the staff of the church and at the cafe
NEEDS FOR THE CAFE:
- coffee roaster for the cafe (this will help lower our costs considerably)
- new (used)vehicle for the ministry (our once trusty 2002 Toyota has well over 250,000 km and needs to go into retirement)
- new stove for the kitchen (ours is a used home stove, we need industrial)
- electric fryer
Thanks and God bless!
John & Sara Russell,
and The Living Room Fellowship team
for StreetCry Ministries & The Living Room Fellowship
