Mission for Biblical Literacy

A REPORT FROM GALINA OBROVETS

Dear friends,

I would like to share with you the joys and blessings in God’s ministry in Russia in the year 2008.

Your generous support in the year 2008 helped us to continue publishing Christianwomen’s magazine “Sestra” with the purpose of increasing the knowledgeof God’s Word among unchurched women. The magazine was warmly andthankfully received in a few prisons in various parts in Russia where womenespecially need the light of God’s Word.

Also we are thankful that Christian women find answers to their questions andproblems. One of our readers from town of Novokumsky Galina Fyodorovnawrote in her letter of late December: “I am sending you a receipt for subscriptionfor 2009. I love your magazine as you have amazing articles and publications that I have never read inother magazines. I am deeply touched literally by every material you publish! Thank you! I am looking forward to new issues”.

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CONFERENCE: “DEEDS OF MERCY, A LABOR OFLOVE”

In late October in Moscow our Center arranged a conference for 336 participants from 14 regions of Russia,including Moscow and the Moscow Region, Ivanovo,Novomoskovsk, Tver, Ryazan, Vologda, Nizhny Novgorod,etc. They presented women (and a few men) fromeight Christian denominations, such as the OrthodoxChurch, Baptist, Pentecostal, Salvation Army, Methodist,Lutheran, etc. The conference was hosted by the 2ndBaptist church of Moscow.

We included in the conference such topicsas spiritual care for orphans, adoption, prevention ofHIV/AIDS, organizing self-support groups for alcoholand drug addicts and their relatives, work amongwidows, street children, refugees, prisoners and exprisoners,Bible counseling, helping people to gethealing from trauma, deprivation and abuse.

One of the highlights of the conference wasa presentation of the film “Orphan and I are God’sFamily. After the film was shown, we invited womenwho bring up adopted children to come forward to behanded a bouquet of flowers and the confereeswarmly greeted them. Some fifty participants made adecision to show the film in their churches.

In their written responses the participants mentioned every topic we had at the program as animportant one. The majority appreciated the topicson adoption, spiritual nurture of orphans, HIV/AIDS,ministry of helping people dealing with trauma anddeprivation, prevention of dependencies and codependencies.

Here are some of the anonymous responses:

“This conference has given me spiritual growth and has encouraged me to ministry to orphans. From now on I will minister to abandoned children”.

“What I heard at this conference has helped me seethe reasons for my life-time problems and the waysfor solving them”.

“This has been my first time at a conference of thiskind. Everything was so up to date and important tohear. If all churches raise and discuss such topicsthat were presented here and do what I heard here –Christians will be able to change the entire society”.

“I am blessed. God was speaking, teaching and encouraging…”

“I have finally heard of women’s ministries”.

“I am so endlessly thankful to the ones who organizedand participated at the conference for their responseto God’s call to raise God’s people to ministryto people outside the church”.

It was a great blessing for us, who organized theconference, to get such responses, as the goal wedreamed of came true.

We are very grateful for your continuous support andprayers and for making all these undertakings possible.

May the Lord continues to bless you richly!

Yours in Christ,

Galina Obrovets