Steve and Wendy Lovell

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Prayer Letter/Ministry Update

March, 2010

After driving four hours through the night, sleeping on the floor for a few hours, leading a mission’s conference and preaching, I slumped into a chair to meet with the leadership of the church in Stavropol. Yet as the 15+ leaders filed in, the air was electrified with excitement and anticipation. As the tea was poured and as we began discussing the results from the previous month’s assignment, all signs of exhaustion melted away. For the next hour-and-a-half, we made more headway than most churches do in months. For me this kind of enthusiasm toward making changes to be a healthy and fruitful church is what makes the consultation ministry of Natural Church Development worth it. One of the C&MA’s initiatives in Russia in 2007-2009 is to grow and multiply churches. Through this ministry we are seeking to revitalize plateaued churches so that they themselves may multiply and raise up the next generation of pastors, church-planters, ministers and missionaries.

Closer to home in Krasnodar, the English Club ministry which just got started up last month has been going well. We have had a rather large turnout of people interested in learning or improving their English. Spiritual conversations have been sparked, and we know of at least one person who has been challenged to read the Bible as the result of some of our discussions. You can be praying for this young man. His name is Alex (real name withheld). Our desire is that this ministry may be a place to which believers might have a place to invite their unbelieving friends, a place where their needs could be met. It is also our desire that many of the stereotypes and prejudices which exist toward Christians and Christianity could be overcome by a spirit of love and care. Please keep this ministry in your prayers.

Prayer Requests/Answers to Prayer

Praises

• We are thankful for the protection He has provided as Steve has spent many hours on the road over the past month and for productive meetings and consultations.

• We are also thankful for the great turn-out for the English club. It has been averaging over forty each week! There have been several nonbelievers who have visited.

• Praise God for the good response there has been so far to the new approach to missions funding in the National Church. Several churches have taken up their faith promise pledges and promised over twice as much as last year towards new church-planting projects in Russia and around the world. The Lord is moving in the hearts of the Russian church to be generous, despite a difficult financial year.

Prayer Requests

• Pray for Steve as he works with the Missions Committee of the National Church to continue implementing this new approach to church-planting and International Work.

• Pray that the Lord would continue to guide Wendy as she puts each of the plans together for the English club. Pray also that she and the other teachers would know how to sensitively handle spiritual questions as they arise.

• Pray that the Lord would grant wisdom as Steve and Wendy consider different schooling options for their children for this upcoming school year.

Russia

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