Russia 2009

Posted June 1, 2009

Dearest Friends,

PRAY FOR THE STREET CHILDREN!

This city has over 700,000 children and teenagers and that number grows by over 113,000 a year. Many are driven from their homes by the violence that they experience. They live in train stations, in the basements of old buildings, basically anywhere they can find a place. Winter here lasts for six months. Can you imagine how they suffer?

Many have aids, almost 40% by official government figures. Most cannot read and many will die as young people. They become drug addicted and alcoholics as small children. Stealing is a life style. They experiment with sex at an early age. No one wanted these children and so they get by as best they can. Many left the orphanages because they were being beat every day and said that on the street, it only happens once a week.

Some of the girls get pregnant and continue to use drugs and alcohol. They often deliver on the streets. Children grow up on the streets. We met a sweet lady yesterday who lived on the streets for 12 years, until our friends at church found her and her teenage son and took them to their home. He was 3 years old. When they began to live outside, escaping a violent home. Look at your 3 year old children and grandchildren and picture them in this life. This lady and her son have come to faith, they have a home, but will happen to these other children?

TANYA'S STORY

Our friends met Tanya when she was 13 years old and living in a training station. She begged them to take her from that place. She dreamed about going to school and having family. Our friends offered her their home, but she struggled to trust them after a lifetime of broken promises. She could not believe that God loved her and would not trust in Jesus.

Before they could persuade her to come with them, she was killed. A group of men attacked her. She was sexually abused with a stick then killed. What is life like for your 13 year old children and grandchildren?

I AM NOT WORTHY

Stas was found living on the streets by our friends. Our friends took him into their home. He learned to read, do math, and began to excel in school. Best of all, he came to faith in Jesus! He was doing fantastic, but one day, he ran away.

Two young women went and searched for him. The places where the children live are very dangerous. They literally risked their lives to find him. Finally, after a long night, they found him. When they asked him why he had run away, he said, "I am not worthy." Stas was overwhelmed by all the love and kindness that had been showered on him. He did not know how to react. He did return with our friends. Praise God!

LENA'S STORY

Lena had lived most of her live on the street. Twice our friends took her into their homes. She stopped using drugs and discovered a new life. She even got a job. Everyone who saw her was amazed at the change. Though she attended church, she never trusted Jesus.

Each time she left, she wanted to see her mother. The last time she left, they searched for her for months. Finally, they found her on the floor of an apartment building lying in her own filth.

They took her to the hospital and the Doctor said to take her back to where they had found her. She died two days later of complications from AIDS only after her death they found out that her mother had abandoned her as a little child. She never knew her. As I heard this story, I wept, we all did.

A BROKEN PLACE

This place is very broken! After 70 years of the government denying even the existence of God, intact families are now very rare. They are 2,176 orphanages here. Many of the children who live there have parents, but they can not or will not care for them. This country cries out for the love of Jesus.

We have worked with 2 incredible men, both national Baptist pastors, who run summer camps for orphans and street children. This camp experience often opens the door for them to leave the orphanages or the streets. Best of all, they hear about Jesus. Last year 11 of 18 orphans trusted in Jesus at a camp.

It costs $300 to send an orphan or a street child to camp. If you want to help, contact them directly. I'll leave for Peru one week after I return home. Here is the information:

- FOR AN ORPHAN: otrajenie.jc@gmail.com
- FOR A STREET CHILD: metroministry@gmail.com

Pray!

Tomorrow, Tuesday morning, we start flying home. Please pray for us!

In Jesus,
Linda for the team
Sam Shaw, Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Masha
Oleg

Posted May 29, 2009

Dearest Friends,

"I WILL NOT LISTEN"

My heart broke at our last show yesterday evening. As soon as I said God's name, children began to put their fingers in their ears. We talked about this problem with our ******* friends and we all felt that their parents must have told them to behave like this. However, we all agreed that we had the sound system turned up loud enough that they must have heard anyway.

Ironically, all of these children were from very difficult home situations where alcoholism, drug abuse, and poverty were common problems. Only Jesus can hold a child when he is alone at night and afraid. Please pray for the children who came to this show to trust in Jesus. Some of the parents were angry, even though all knew that we would tell a Bible story. Many others were visibly moved and touched by what they heard. I believe that they fear the power of the cross as they surely saw how some people responded. One lady named Victoria was very grateful for the program and her life is very broken. Please pray for her to find healing in Jesus arms. Please pray for God to hold open the door. Problems are expected by our friends.

SAM'S STORY

The librarian invited us to do a program for local 5 and 6 year old children. Sam told the absolute best story and all of the children and almost all of the teachers loved it. Only 1 lady refused to smile and made faces at all of us. I told my testimony by drawing pictures. Oleg did a simple illusion with bubbles and Masha used a puppet to share their testimonies. Silvana put a large needle through a balloon and talked about God's ability to do the impossible. Sam also juggled, the puppets sang, we made balloons, and did many other things. Best of all, every thing that we did, we used to talk about Jesus.

As I shared with one lady after the program, she began to weep. Big tears rolled down her face as she heard with her ears and her heart how Jesus Christ could meet all of her needs. Please pray for Lenna to trust in Jesus.

STREET SHOW AND TRAINING

For our second show on the grounds of the seminary, the Lord gave us a beautiful day. So many people came, we had to go back and get more chairs. People even stopped by the fence that surrounded the grounds to listen. Most were not believers who had little or no knowledge of God. Tomorrow, Saturday, is our last opportunity to do a street show. Please pray for people to come and listen and for good weather.

Tonight, we finish training our team. This is our third time to meet together and train. All of us are confident that they will do a great job after we have gone. Pray for these friends to be brave and wise!

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw
Silvana
Masha
Oleg

Posted May 27, 2009

Dearest Friends,

TWO ANYA'S

Two little girls named Anya came to a puppet show at the school. These girls attended a near-by school. They both walked all the way back from their school and climbed 5 stories just to say thank you. Their visit gave me the sweetest opportunity to talk with them about Jesus and challenge them to ask Jesus to be their Savior. They were so receptive. Please pray for these 2 little girls to trust in Jesus.

They really loved my pictures. I encouraged them to trust in Jesus and told them that they could grow up to tell children all over ****** stories about Jesus. I hope they are future missionaries to children.

DANIEL'S STORY

Some of the children from one of the schools arrived early, so I spent the time with them practicing their English. When a little boy told me his name was Daniel, I asked him if he had ever heard about the famous story of Daniel. He said no and so I told him the story. All of the other children were listening too. It was wonderful! They were 8, 9 and 10 years old, but knew nothing about the Bible. They were all very interested and loved the story. I told them where they could read more stories about Daniel and his friends. When I explained that all of these stories were true, they were amazed. Please pray that God grows this desire in their hearts. Please ask the Father to give them hunger for His word.

THE CROSS

A little girl of 12 came to see me after the program. She had wonderful English because she had studied for a year in London. She told me that she knew about Jesus and how He died on the cross. Ironically, she pronounced His name as "Justice." I asked her if she knew the rest of the story. She thought that it ended on the cross. She was shocked when I explained that Jesus rose from the dead. Can you imagine thinking that the story finished without hope, without victory?

Her favorite thing to do is to read books. I asked her if she knew the name of the best selling book in the world. When I told her that it was the Bible, she was very surprised. I explained to her that the Bible was different from other books. It was alive and she could expect it to change her as she read it. We finished our conversation with her promising to read the book of John. Please pray for her to keep her promise.

THE TEACHERS

We are having many sweet conversations with different teachers. Some are grateful that we came, but most are offended by the name of Jesus. Many of those who are offended would claim a church affiliation, but do not really love God. They make terrible faces at me as I tell the story. The other day two teachers were overheard in a conversation with each other. They both said that the program was terrific, but questioned why we had to mention Jesus.

Still, some are listening. When I stopped a teacher today in the hall and told her that I had remembered to pray about a problem that she had shared with me, she was very grateful.

The teachers and the students have little or no knowledge about Jesus. As soon as I explained to the children that the great teacher in the story was Jesus, two little boys began to argue. One said, "It is the story of Jesus whose birthday we celebrate." The other boy said, "No, it is the story of Jesus who rose from the dead." Pray for these little boys and all of the teachers to meet Jesus Christ, to know Him!

THE LIBRARIAN

I had a lovely visit with the librarian today. She gave me ******* fairy tale books and information on ******* history. Ok, it is all in *******, but the pictures are great!

Our pastor friend went home and got her a Bible. She protested that it was too expensive and was amazed at Edward’s generosity. Best of all, she promised to read it. Please pray for this dear lady to personally meet the Lord Jesus!

RICH KIDS... POOR KIDS

We have spent the last 2 days doing shows for a variety of schools. Some of the children were sons and daughters of this city's wealthy and attended a private school. One girl told us that she flies to America 3 times a year. Still, most listened with real interest. The other children were from public schools and poor, but rich with gratitude. Often it is easier for these children to see their need because they are not distracted by their riches.

Today, one boy from the private schools spent the entire program heckling me. He was very rude and arrogant. A little girl in his class who loved the story of Jesus that she heard told me not to worry about him. She said that he was just a bad boy and told me that she and her friends had listened.

As the young boy was leaving the program, our friend Edward spoke to him. He said, "I have been like you. If you don't let God change you, you will have trouble. Strength and money will not be enough." Please pray that he trusts in Jesus.

PRAYER REQUESTS

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw
Silvana
Masha
Oleg

Posted May 26, 2009

Dearest Friends,

ORPHANS

When we planned our trip to this place, the government began to close orphanages to Christians. Still, God made a way and we were able to do 2 shows for orphans yesterday. Even better, they gave us total freedom to share with the children. We could even pray with them.

At the first program, so many children called on Jesus to save them. It sounded like the whole room was praying. We were thrilled. Surely, this is the direct result of so many of you faithfully praying!

The teachers were even happy and thanked us profusely for coming. They also thanked us at the second show and gave me flowers. The guard at the second show made excuses to stay in the room and listened to the entire program. When we left, he was so happy that he kissed my hand.

Many children at the second show also prayed, but for them it was more difficult. As the children prayed, others laughed at them. I was leading the prayer so I had the children ask God to give them courage. The Father was faithful and gave the children the courage to finish their prayer. So many trusted in Jesus!

What an awesome day! The pastor who scheduled the event was especially excited. He said: "I did not know that you were any good. If I had known you were so good, I would have invited you to the church." It is really hard to know what to say after such a statement. God continues to make us humble.

AMAZING WORSHIP

We worshipped on Sunday in a place where people were forbidden this pleasure for over 70 years. It was a wonderful time of fellowship for us, but I could not stop thinking about how incredible it was that we should be in this place. I have never imagined such a privilege! As always, I see the Father's kindness to us.

They gave our team about half of the worship service. At their request, we did a short puppet program for the children and invited them to pray with us. I honestly think that the adults enjoyed the story of Jonah as much as the children. More, the pastor felt that children's program was a good way to introduce the 10 non-believers in the crowd to the simple truths of the Gospel.

Following the team members testimonies, I gave a short missionary report, God graciously poured His spirit on my words and gave them life. Many in the church began to cry, including part of my puppet team. Even the translator was struggling as the Father took our stories and wrote His story on their hearts. Praise God!

Sam preached a fantastic sermon that many responded to as they shared with us after the service. He talked about real peace and encouraged everyone to see and love people as Jesus saw and loved people. I heard his words in my heart. I want to truly love people as Jesus sacrificially loved them. I usually can act correctly, but the petty thoughts what crowed my mind are sin. With all my heart, I want my life to be marked by greater love. I know the people who heard Sam's sermon on Sunday were also challenged.

FUNNY THINGS... SPECIAL THINGS

1. A lady who spoke English came up to me on Sunday at church and said: "I like you so much. You are like a fairy in a fairy tale." I love fairy tales, so I took this as a complement.
2. Our friend Edward bought "sallow" on Sunday. It is a square of pig fat that you slice and eat. I confess that this is a food I struggle to eat.
3. A translator friend told me on Sunday that she had a friend who loves to eat helicopters. When I looked at her in surprise, she said: "oh! I meant to say grass hoppers. I always confuse the words helicopter and grasshopper." Now, that is funny!
4. Twice we have received big bouquets of lilacs as thank you gifts. I love flowers! Mike always had carnations on the table for me when I came back home. I always tell the children that God made flowers to remind them of His love.
5. After the service, a lady came to me and told me that I had a big heart! I want these words to be true. My constant prayer is that God give all of us a big heart. I especially want the Father to fill us with His unconditional love. Please pray for us!
6. Some people deal with difficulties with God's grace. We are in another city for the day and noticed many broken windows in the church. The pastor smiled and said: "Yes, for a long time, every night, our windows were broken. The orthodox priest sent people to discourage us." Obviously, the Christians are not discouraged. They walk with joy! I am so challenged, as I hope all of you are challenged. May those of you who enjoy freedom use the opportunities we have for the kingdom!

Prayer Requests:

Tomorrow, we have 3 or 4 shows at a school. Many of the teachers there do not like us. Please pray that we will be able to do all of these programs. They will not allow me to pray with the children, but I can tell them how to pray. They do not understand the power of the Gospel. Pray!

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw
Silvana
Masha
Oleg

Posted May 24, 2009

Dearest Friends,

AN AMAZING LADY

Each day, we change translators. One friend, Veronica, is often with us to help us communicate, but she does not usually translate. She is an amazing lady who not allows anything to stop her. Veronica is legally blind, but if she is only an inch away from the computer screen and holding a magnifying glass, she can read it. I confess to you that the noise and crowds of the metro are often overwhelming to me, but she seems to navigate through them with ease.

I have never heard her voice a word of complaint. Her sweet spirit challenges me to be grateful to God for all He gives me. She makes me to love Jesus and be more faithful servant. With great difficulty, but greater joy, she serves. Please ask the Father to give her strength.

SPECIAL GIFTS

Our friends have been so very kind to us. They are taking wonderful care of all of us. We have rented an apartment on the 4th floor and are all staying together. There is no elevator in this building, but I believe that the exercise is good for all of us.

We are a team of 4 nations with team members from Brazil, Ireland, Ukraine, and America. Two of our friends do not speak English, so since we are staying alone, we are constantly referring to the dictionary that we have with us.

Oleg makes a great omelet. We spend our meal times laughing as each one of us tries to learn the different languages that we speak.

Mostly, we use the underground subway to travel to our shows. The trains are incredibly loud and crowed. It is quite an adventure riding the metro. The equipment is stored on the other side of town and is brought to us by a van where we do our shows. Our friends have done a lot of organizing.

The schedule remains a problem as we have shows planned and then the person decides it is too dangerous for us to come. Still, we are having multiple opportunities each day to share about the hope that Jesus offers. It's just that this is a city with millions of people and so few Christians. I ache for them to hear about God! Please pray for this place.

A CANADIAN MISSION TRIP

Some of you have questioned me in the past about the lasting effect on the life of a child when they tell us that they trusted in Jesus at a puppet show. My rule is that I believe a child until they show me some reason not to trust their words. I found it very encouraging to hear the testimony of one of our translators.

When she was 13 years old, she heard about God for the first time. A Canadian mission team came to share their faith. She can not remember exactly what they did, but she remembers clearly that she asked Jesus Christ to be her Savior. God used that one visit to change the rest of her life. Please pray that the children we speak to will have this same experience.

STREET SHOW

The rain poured down at the street show. We moved inside. Someone was unhappy with all of the posters advertising the event and tore them down. Then, they threw the little pieces over the seminary wall.

In spite of all the discouragement, people came. Some had never heard about Jesus before that program. The believers were so encouraged. When we finished, a lady from Sri Lanka came to speak to us. Her father is Russian. She told me that there were tears in her eyes because her heart was touched. One lady from this puppet show even came to church this morning. She has promised to attend all of the other street shows. Please pray for these up coming programs on Tuesday and Saturday.

YOUTH MEETING

Speaking to young people is one of my favorite things to do. I love challenging them to wait for the person God wants them to marry. I love telling them about my own love story with Mike and encouraging them that love can last a lifetime. So many young people spoke to me after the program, excited about all they had heard. They even gave us a standing ovation. That is a pretty special response for young people. Please pray for all who came to fall deeply in love with Jesus Christ.

ORPHANAGES

Tomorrow, Monday, we will be at different orphanages. Please pray for this time with children who desperately need to know the love of God as a Father.

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw
Silvana
Masha
Oleg

Posted May 23, 2009

Dearest Friends,

INCREDIBLE GOD!

We stand in awe of our Father! Today we did 2 shows at a school. Originally, we had planned to do 4 shows, but they combined to do the children so that we saw all of them in 2 programs. We were delighted to tell them about Jesus Christ, how He loved them, and how they could personally experience that love.

All of us know that this is an opportunity we should not have had. Most of the teachers were very unhappy that we came. They made faces at me as I told the story. However, the children loved the story of Jesus. Please pray that the door will remain open for us to return next week as we are scheduled to do 2 more programs at the school. Please ask God to keep the teachers from complaining.

TRAINING

We spent our first 2 days teaching for 4 hours each day. We are training people to use the equipment that we are leaving here. Everyone is so excited. One deacon in the church was overwhelmed with all that we had brought. He told us, "On behalf of my nation, I thank you."

Ironically, his nation does not want us in this country, but the believers are very happy that we are here. So many have already said that they are very encouraged by our visit and challenged. Please ask the Father to give them courage as they must risk all that they have to share Christ in many situations.

For decades, this place was denied any public witness to the Gospel. Many of your brothers and sisters were imprisoned for their faith. Many were faithful to Jesus in spite of death. Then, God threw open the door for ministry, but now, after too brief a time, the door is closing again. We doubt that we will be allowed to return to this place as we do not have an opening in our schedule for 2 years. By that time, we expect that there may no longer be an opportunity for us to do programs here.

There is an active effort here to present Christians as mentally handicapped. TV programs present us as strange and even criminally dangerous. Please pray for the Father to show people the truth about His people.

A VERY SPECIAL CONVERSATION

After we finished the second show one of the teachers came and spoke to me. She was amazed at all she seen and heard. She said "I don't understand how you can be so optimistic and happy." I saw a real hunger in her eyes and began to share with her my testimony. As I shared with her about my husband Mike's death and the faithfulness of the Father, I could see she was very touched.

She told me that her husband had recently died and told me about her heartache. She had no hope, but was obviously beginning to see the hope that Jesus offers. Please pray for this dear lady to put her trust in Jesus Christ. I will see her again next week. Please ask the Lord to show me how to share with her.

STREET SHOW

Our friends received permission from the local authorities to do 3 street shows on the grounds of the seminary. It is a wonder that the government authorities said yes. Surely, this is the result of so many people calling on Jesus on behalf of this country. Please stay faithful in your prayers!

Tomorrow, Saturday, we will do the first of these 3 street shows. The area has been covered with puppet posters advertising the puppet show. More, 600 people have received personal invitations to come. Please pray that the weather will clear as it is cold and raining at the moment. Please pray that the people who will attend will hear with their ears and their hearts.

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw
Silvana
Masha
Oleg

Posted May 21, 2009

Dearest Friends,

I am so excited at all that we are seeing God do. Some doors close to us before we even have an opportunity to do a show, but others are opening. Tomorrow, we will be at a school and do 4 shows. The next week, we will return to this school and do 2 more programs. This is a miracle. We should not be allowed to go to this school and share about Jesus, but we are going.

Our friend that we are working with never heard God's name until he went in the military and met a believer. He was the first to make fun of the Christian and now he is a pastor.

We desperately need you to pray and organize others to pray. We need doors to open, wisdom as we share, and protection for our friends. Please stay on your knees.

Love in Jesus,
Linda for Masha
Alec
Silvana
Sam

Posted May 20, 2009

Dearest Friends,

An Amazing God

God has done an amazing thing. We are safe in the country where we are working and all of our luggage is with us. When we arrived at the airport, we watched them scan and open many people's bags. However, they did not even ask us a single question. All of our friends here say that it is a miracle this happened. Each of us was a pushing a cart with 4 pieces of luggage. Normally such a large amount of luggage would attract a great deal of attention. Truly God blinded their eyes. Thank you for praying.

Urgent Prayer

This country has a law which is making our ministry here extremely difficult. This law was passed about a year and a half ago but was not enforced when we last visited. However we are now in the capital city and the rules are different. The law states that if a person shares their faith in Christ in public venues then there is a punishment. We would be deported, but are friends would face escalating penalties. It is a humbling thought to realise that they are risking prison to share Christ with their children. Please pray that God will open doors so that we can share with the children. Please ask God to protect our friends from any punishment. We trust that all things are possible for God.

Training

We will begin teaching our friends tonight how they can use the tools that we have brought. Please ask God to give them great vision and great skills.

Love in Jesus,
Linda for Masha
Alec
Silvana
Sam

Posted May 19, 2009

Dearest Friends,

The team arrived safely at their destination. They did not search one single bag. They did not ask us any questions. It was like they did not even see us. It was a complete miracle. Even the people we are working with here were amazed that no one paid any attention to us, but they looked at nothing. God answered all our prayers.

In Jesus,
for the team,
A friend of the ministry

Posted May 17, 2009

Dearest Friends,

EMAIL ADDRESS CHANGE: Please note that all addresses on the website are unchanged. Please change the earthlink address if you are using it to msummer05@gmail.com The earthlink address will soon stop working. Thankyou!

ON MONDAY,WE FLY!

Sam, Silvana, and I will meet 2 team members from another country and prayerfully start a new puppet ministry in a country that I can not name. I have been advised that because of this particular country's growing hostility to Jesus Christ that I should not name it in the emails. Presently, it is open to Christians, but they are making access very difficult.

PLEASE PRAY:

1. It is our hope to share with thousands of children and encourage many new friends during this very difficult time. Ask the Father to open doors, especially to orphanages, and make us wise.
    
   
2. Customs presents a real problem. We need them not to open our suitcases or ask us any questions about our things or why we are there. God can do anything! Please pray! I remember years ago standing in customs in Ukraine when it was difficult for Christians to visit. I was very tired and had so many big suitcases with me. Silently, I asked the Father to help me as I was alone, but in truth, never alone! Suddenly, a man came running across the airport and spoke to me in perfect English. He said, "Your face is full of light. You are a Christian! I will help you." To my amazement, he lifted every bag even though I had not spoken to him and asked him to help. When I turned to thank him, he was gone. He disappeared! I believe that he was an angel. Praise God! This is the kind of miracle that we need. Ask God to make them totally uninterested in our luggage. Please know that we never lie to these officials, as we trust not in our ability to be clever, but in God's great power. It is our heart's prayer that all of you who read these stories will give all praise and all glory to God alone!

TAIWAN

We returned home from Taiwan with a heart full of praise as we shared with over 10,000 children , teens, and adults the hope that we have in Christ. Many were Buddhist and many indicated that they had found the one true God! We resupplied our team in the north and were able to start a new ministry in the south. Through our friends there, we were able to place teaching tools in the hands of children's Bible teachers in Thailand, Burma, and China. I am so excited! Please pray over all of these ministries!

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Many of you who receive these emails represent churches that do not support us. Would you please speak to your churches on our behalf? Like all missionaries, we have been notified by too many churches that due to difficult financial times, they are significantly reducing all of their missionaries support. Other friends have lost their jobs and can not support us any longer. This is not a problem for me to solve, but an opportunity for us to see God move in a big way! However, I need you to ask the Father how you can help. I need you to speak for children who have no voice.

I am happy to come and present what the Father is doing in the lives of children all over the world. He is awesome! If you wish to adopt a set of equipment for a particular country, please respond to this email and let me know your heart's desire. We need your help, but I sincerely want you only to do what God tells you to do. I trust in His Providence and His faithfulness in all of our lives!

PLEASE STAY ON YOUR KNEES ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY OF THIS COMING WEEK!

With all joy,
In Jesus, Linda for the team