Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior!!!! This first message covers more then just a day. Depending on whether I count it as a day and a half or 2 days and a half depends on that day I lost coming across the Pacific. Anyway, I left LA on Monday afternoon, landed in Seoul, Korea Tuesday evening, spent the night there and then left out of Seoul on Wednesday morning and arrived in Khabarovsk (forget the K, pronounce as Habarusk) (see, I'm getting into the language already). However, my mission with God began before I got here. On the flight from LA I sat next to a young Korean gentleman who is a reporter for a Korean news agency. One of the areas he covers is religion and since he has yet to do a piece on Christianity he has made plans to go to Salt Lake City in 2 weeks to interview the Mormons. You got it, I proceeded to make arrangements for him to get an interview with the IMB. I also proceeded to witness to him and he wants to meet with me again. So on my return trip, we plan to meet again in Seoul on October 13th. Please pray that he will listen and continue his questions. I also met on the plane a medical doctor from California who is a self-professed student of the Word and the end-times. She really knows her Bible but doesn't have a clue of how to share the Word with others. She is fearful of saying or doing the wrong thing. She is a ready student and wants to communicate by email to continue to learn how to witness. Anyway, I landed in Khabarovsk on Wednesday afternoon in the rain. Khabarovsk is about the size of Columbia (600,000) and looks very old and very weathered. The winters here in the Russian Far East can be very harsh. Right now it is just like autumn in our NE. Even with the ever presence of soldiers, the people here are very friendly! I'm already up to 5 Russian words and/or terms. I spent the afternoon getting some orientation on the city and then had dinner with the Mission Team (Connie, Janet and Lonnie) plus one of our interpreters, Sasha. Sasha went to Occidental University in California. In the attached picture you have left to right: me, Lonnie, Janet, Connie and our friend and interpreter, Sasha. I start my week with a Rotary meeting on Thursday, conduct some lectures at the Academy of Law and Economics on Friday and on Sunday deliver a message to the Central Baptist Church. 
In the category of small world I had already run across 2 people who know Connie. Yesterday, I discovered that Janet knows Jo Rudolf (our missionary in Germany). So, it's a good thing that I try to always behave myself when away from home!. Please pray that I recognize where and why the Lord puts me. Pray that I can gain invitations into businesses so as to lay the ground to bring a team back here next year. Pray that my friends in Rotary will be willing to be my man of Peace! His servant, |
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