I'M AT A LOCAL POST OFFICE DOING THIS BLOG BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE DIAL-UP WHERE I'M STAYING AND IT FEELS LIKE 1995 ALL OVER AGAIN WHEN I TRY TO USE IT.
COLYA AND I LEFT AT 1 A.M. YESTERDAY MORNING AND DROVE TO DOMIDEDOVA AIRPORT IN MOSCOW. I MAYBE SHOULD SAY THAT WE FLEW TO MOSCOW.
UAUALLY IT TAKES AN AVERAGE OF 5 HOURS TO GET TO MOSCOW. WE MADE IT IN 3 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES. WELL, THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC. I THINK IT IS A RECORD.OUR FLIGHT LEFT AT 7:15.
LEONID MET US AT THE KRASNODAR AIRPORT.
KRASNODAR IS ABOUT 140 KILOMETERS FROM MAYKOP. THE ROADS HERE, FOR SOME REASON, (NO NEED TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY), ARE MUCH BETTER THAN IN THE SMOLENSK REGION. WE ARRIVED AT LEONIDS HOUSE AT ABOUT 12 P.M. LEONID LIVES IN A HOUSE HE IS BUILDING HIMSELF. IT IS OUT IN A VILLAGE AREA AND AT THIS POINT HE HAS NO HEAT OR RUNNING WATER. HE LIVES THERE WITH HIS WIFE, DAUGHTER, AND KITTY CAT.
I WANT TO TELL YOU SOME ABOUT LEONID. LEONID DOLMATOV IS FROM IRKUTSK, WHICH IS WAY OUT IN SIBERIA. HE WAS RAISED IN A TINY, TINY, VILLAGE WHICH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WAS VERY POOR, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOVIET DAYS. HE SERVED IN THE SOVIET ARMY AND AFTER THE ARMY BECAME A POLICEMAN IN ONE OF THE AREAS AROUND IRKUTSK. HE MET HIS WIFE, ELLA, THERE IN IRKUTSK AND THEY MARRIED 22 YEARS AGO.
THEY HAVE 2 DAUGHTERS. ONE IS 21,ANYA, AND THE OTHER IS 14, KSENIA. ANYA IS STILL IN IRKUTSK AND IS TO BE MARRIED ON THE 28TH OF THIS MONTH. KSENIA IS HERE WITH THEM AND IS IN THE 8TH GRADE. LEONID CAME TO CHRIST WHILE WATCHING A PREACHER ON A VIDEO TAPE WHILE HE WAS MAKING A HOUSE CALL WHILE HE WAS POLICING!!!! 
HIS WIFE AND FAMILY CAME TO CHRIST SOON AFTER. AS HE GREW IN CHRIST HE FELT GOD SPEAKING TO HIM ABOUT REACHING OTHERS AND SURRENDERED HIS LIFE TO GOD. AFTER SOME TIME HE HEARD ABOUT THE NEED OF THE ADYGEAN PEOPLE HERE IN THE MAYKOP AREA. HE FELT GOD LEADING HIM TO LEAVE HIS HOME AND JOB IN IRKUTSK TO COME AND TRY TO REACH THE ADYGEAN PEOPLE. HAVING MET HIM YESTERDAY FOR THE FIRST TIME, I WAS IMPRESSED WITH HIS COMMITTMENT AND HIS DESIRE FOR THE PEOPLE HERE. I CAN SEE ALREADY THAT IT IS A VERY DIFFICULT REGION AND THE ADYGEAN PEOPLE ARE A PROUD AND STRANGE PEOPLE TO TRY TO WORK WITH. IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE AND IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF COMMITMENT AND DESIRE.
WE ARE STAYING IN THE APARTMENT OF A LADY WHO IS HERE TO HELP LEONID AND HIS FAMILY. SHE CAME FROM KIROV. SHE'S A DEAR LADY AND WILL BE A GREAT HELP TO LEONID, I THINK. HER NAME IS ANGELA.
WE MET WITH A COUPLE OF ADYGEAN LADIES LAST NIGHT AND I TRIED TO LEARN AS MUCH AS I COULD ABOUT LIFE HERE AND WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO TRY TO REACH THEM. I ALREADY KNOW THAT WITHIN THE CITY OF MAYKOP THERE ARE SOME CHURCHES, SO OUR DESIRE WOULD BE TO GO OUT INTO THE SURROUNDING AULS(VILLAGES), WHERE MOST OF THE ADYGEAN PEOPLE LIVE, TO MINISTER. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY. WE ARE GOING OUT INTO THE VILLAGES TO SEE WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT THERE. I ALREADY KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE VERY CLANISH AND THAT EVERY VILLAGE(AUL) WILL HAVE A MUSLIM MOSQUE AND THEY WILL DISCOURAGE CHRISTIAN PRESENCE THERE. LESS THAN 1% OF ADYGEAN PEOPLE HAVE HEARD THE GOSPEL. I CANNOT SEE THAT ANYONE ELSE IS REACHING OUT TO THEM. I LIKE THE CHALLENGE!
I WILL POST TOMORROW OR MONDAY ON WHAT WE DO TODAY.
I'M REALLY PRAYING FOR YOU ALL. THESE ARE INTERESTING, INTERESTING, DAYS THAT WE FIND OURSELVES IN! GREAT CHALLENGES. GREAT POSSIBILITIES. NEVER BEEN ANOTHER TIME LIKE. WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE!!!
ENJOY ANDY TOMORROW AND PRAY FOR US HERE. LET ME KNOW HOW YOU'RE DOING.
LOVE YA'LL, YA'LL LOVE EACH OTHER.
COLYA AND I LEFT AT 1 A.M. YESTERDAY MORNING AND DROVE TO DOMIDEDOVA AIRPORT IN MOSCOW. I MAYBE SHOULD SAY THAT WE FLEW TO MOSCOW.
UAUALLY IT TAKES AN AVERAGE OF 5 HOURS TO GET TO MOSCOW. WE MADE IT IN 3 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES. WELL, THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC. I THINK IT IS A RECORD.OUR FLIGHT LEFT AT 7:15.
LEONID MET US AT THE KRASNODAR AIRPORT.
KRASNODAR IS ABOUT 140 KILOMETERS FROM MAYKOP. THE ROADS HERE, FOR SOME REASON, (NO NEED TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY), ARE MUCH BETTER THAN IN THE SMOLENSK REGION. WE ARRIVED AT LEONIDS HOUSE AT ABOUT 12 P.M. LEONID LIVES IN A HOUSE HE IS BUILDING HIMSELF. IT IS OUT IN A VILLAGE AREA AND AT THIS POINT HE HAS NO HEAT OR RUNNING WATER. HE LIVES THERE WITH HIS WIFE, DAUGHTER, AND KITTY CAT.
I WANT TO TELL YOU SOME ABOUT LEONID. LEONID DOLMATOV IS FROM IRKUTSK, WHICH IS WAY OUT IN SIBERIA. HE WAS RAISED IN A TINY, TINY, VILLAGE WHICH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WAS VERY POOR, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOVIET DAYS. HE SERVED IN THE SOVIET ARMY AND AFTER THE ARMY BECAME A POLICEMAN IN ONE OF THE AREAS AROUND IRKUTSK. HE MET HIS WIFE, ELLA, THERE IN IRKUTSK AND THEY MARRIED 22 YEARS AGO.
THEY HAVE 2 DAUGHTERS. ONE IS 21,ANYA, AND THE OTHER IS 14, KSENIA. ANYA IS STILL IN IRKUTSK AND IS TO BE MARRIED ON THE 28TH OF THIS MONTH. KSENIA IS HERE WITH THEM AND IS IN THE 8TH GRADE. LEONID CAME TO CHRIST WHILE WATCHING A PREACHER ON A VIDEO TAPE WHILE HE WAS MAKING A HOUSE CALL WHILE HE WAS POLICING!!!! HIS WIFE AND FAMILY CAME TO CHRIST SOON AFTER. AS HE GREW IN CHRIST HE FELT GOD SPEAKING TO HIM ABOUT REACHING OTHERS AND SURRENDERED HIS LIFE TO GOD. AFTER SOME TIME HE HEARD ABOUT THE NEED OF THE ADYGEAN PEOPLE HERE IN THE MAYKOP AREA. HE FELT GOD LEADING HIM TO LEAVE HIS HOME AND JOB IN IRKUTSK TO COME AND TRY TO REACH THE ADYGEAN PEOPLE. HAVING MET HIM YESTERDAY FOR THE FIRST TIME, I WAS IMPRESSED WITH HIS COMMITTMENT AND HIS DESIRE FOR THE PEOPLE HERE. I CAN SEE ALREADY THAT IT IS A VERY DIFFICULT REGION AND THE ADYGEAN PEOPLE ARE A PROUD AND STRANGE PEOPLE TO TRY TO WORK WITH. IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE AND IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF COMMITMENT AND DESIRE.WE ARE STAYING IN THE APARTMENT OF A LADY WHO IS HERE TO HELP LEONID AND HIS FAMILY. SHE CAME FROM KIROV. SHE'S A DEAR LADY AND WILL BE A GREAT HELP TO LEONID, I THINK. HER NAME IS ANGELA.
WE MET WITH A COUPLE OF ADYGEAN LADIES LAST NIGHT AND I TRIED TO LEARN AS MUCH AS I COULD ABOUT LIFE HERE AND WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO TRY TO REACH THEM. I ALREADY KNOW THAT WITHIN THE CITY OF MAYKOP THERE ARE SOME CHURCHES, SO OUR DESIRE WOULD BE TO GO OUT INTO THE SURROUNDING AULS(VILLAGES), WHERE MOST OF THE ADYGEAN PEOPLE LIVE, TO MINISTER. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY. WE ARE GOING OUT INTO THE VILLAGES TO SEE WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT THERE. I ALREADY KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE VERY CLANISH AND THAT EVERY VILLAGE(AUL) WILL HAVE A MUSLIM MOSQUE AND THEY WILL DISCOURAGE CHRISTIAN PRESENCE THERE. LESS THAN 1% OF ADYGEAN PEOPLE HAVE HEARD THE GOSPEL. I CANNOT SEE THAT ANYONE ELSE IS REACHING OUT TO THEM. I LIKE THE CHALLENGE!
I WILL POST TOMORROW OR MONDAY ON WHAT WE DO TODAY.
I'M REALLY PRAYING FOR YOU ALL. THESE ARE INTERESTING, INTERESTING, DAYS THAT WE FIND OURSELVES IN! GREAT CHALLENGES. GREAT POSSIBILITIES. NEVER BEEN ANOTHER TIME LIKE. WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE!!!
ENJOY ANDY TOMORROW AND PRAY FOR US HERE. LET ME KNOW HOW YOU'RE DOING.
LOVE YA'LL, YA'LL LOVE EACH OTHER.
2 comments:
I will definitely be praying. Sounds like we've made a good contact there in Maykop with Leonid and his family.
(love the picture with the hiding kitty-cat!)
Can't wait to read more...
Amy
Susan told us that a lady was saved yesterday!! I can't wait to hear the story!
Miss you! We really enjoyed the Andy Stanley series!
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