Past Outreach
Northern Russia
In 2001, Cindy was invited to teach in the Discipleship Training School in St. Petersburg, Russia. At that time, the directors of the school were a wonderful couple, Sergei and Lena Kanivietsky along with friend and English interpreter Galina Demenkova.
As we spent hours traveling to and from the ministry center, watching crazy movies together, and discipling the students, a strong friendship was formed. YWAM President John Dawson says, AIf you want to know who you will be in ministry with together, look at who you have fond affection for.@ As we joined together in discipleship and prayer and shared Russian Blini and Borscht, a fond affection for each other was formed. God began speaking to our hearts, and step-by-step God began to lead us to start the first International Mission Bridge Ministry in Murmashi, Russia in the Kola Peninsula.
As we spent hours traveling to and from the ministry center, watching crazy movies together, and discipling the students, a strong friendship was formed. YWAM President John Dawson says, AIf you want to know who you will be in ministry with together, look at who you have fond affection for.@ As we joined together in discipleship and prayer and shared Russian Blini and Borscht, a fond affection for each other was formed. God began speaking to our hearts, and step-by-step God began to lead us to start the first International Mission Bridge Ministry in Murmashi, Russia in the Kola Peninsula.
In the first Russian School in 2002 at the Happy Church of Murmashi, God called several of the students to go to India! As Joy Dawson says, they were ruined for the ordinary! Since then, Sergei, Lena and Galina have been leading a weekly prayer meeting while raising up new leaders as well as inviting others into a personal relationship with Jesus.
A pastor that traveled to India with the Russian Mission Bridge team, Pastor Rostislav invited Cindy to do a Mission Bridge School with members of his church in Oleneborsk, Russia. He also asked us to visit a Christian Drug & Alcohol rehabilitation facility drug he founded, Step-By-Step. God is using this ministry facilityCto raise up Christian Leaders as they grow in relationship with Him while going through their rehabilitation. Director of Mission Bridge Russia, Sergei Kanivietsky, has frequently been traveling hours by train to continue discipling these future leaders of the faith.
Sergei wrote recently:
So we are going through really interesting time and expecting more.
There are several churches in Byelorussia that ask me if I can come to visit them to present them the MBS school. The reason they interested is that they have vision for India, Butan and Mjanmar. I got to know about it through YWAM Byelorussia base director in Minsk, during our time in Moscow in December 2006 YWAM leaders gathering. They actually waiting for me to come there and share it personally and than to go on from there.
Also while in Moscow, at the same time base leader from Siberia from city of Novosibirsk, he really ask me also to come to Novosibirsk with MBS soon as it can be possible, because MBS is some thing churches now in Russia more open and interested than DTS's. Moscow and St. Petersburg saying the same thing.
Russian Christians this days are not so ready to make a big step to live the job to do DTS, but MBS is some thing that every one can mach easy do it. Also MBS help YWAM to build relationships. Now our top YWAM regional and national leaders see it and they are very supportive and hope we can develop MBS on national level and would be able to go to other cities out side Murmansk to minister with MBS where God would open the doors.
Praise God!
