Lottie Moon Christmas Offering: Week of Prayer for International Missions—December 2-9

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union collapsed two years later, the world changed. More than half a billion people across 12 time zones were freed from oppression—at least temporarily—in the 15 nations that emerged from the ashes of the communist superpower. This week, pray for the missionaries working to tell the story of Jesus in a volatile and sometimes chaotic region.

SUNDAY: Russians in Ivanovo

It's a city where reception to the Gospel can be as frigid as a Russian winter. But that hasn't kept Mel and Nancy Skinner from sharing Christ and planting churches in Ivanovo, Russia.

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"Most of these people have never had any kind of Gospel access," Mel says. Instead, many cling to the Russian Orthodox Church, more focused on tradition and obligation than faith.

Mel should know. The Skinners have served in Russia longer than any other Southern Baptist missionaries since communism's demise. They've helped found an evangelical church in Ivanovo that averages more than 150 people each Sunday and are pursuing new church starts elsewhere in the city.

"Unless the Lord opens the hearts of people, they can never come to know Him," Mel says.

PRAY: Ask God to soften Russians' hearts toward the Gospel. Pray that the Skinners would be filled with and led by the Holy Spirit.

MONDAY: Uzbeks

Ephesians 5:8 calls Christians to "walk as children of light." That's the hope of Ryan and Lauren Stewart* for believers in post-Soviet Uzbekistan. The Stewarts are responsible for sharing Jesus with the Uzbek, a predominantly Muslim people. The job isn't easy.

Uzbekistan's government is increasingly oppressive, targeting believers and banning Bible studies. The crackdown hasn't stopped the spread of the Gospel, but patience is required. Ryan and Lauren have recently seen several Uzbeks accept Christ—one after 14 years of witnessing, another after 12. Oppression is also fostering a new spirit of unity among Uzbek evangelical leaders.

"We've seen some of these leaders take a stand for the Lord," Lauren says. "It's not easy, but if they can make it through, they will be stronger."

PRAY: Pray for persecuted Uzbek believers. Ask the Lord for boldness for church leadership, and for faithfulness as they disciple others.

TUESDAY: Ukrainians

He answered God's Great Commission call, and now Joe Ragan is helping Ukrainian Baptists do the same.

More than 1,900 evangelical churches have been planted in the Ukraine since 1991. Joe believes many are ready to send missionaries of their own. It's his job to recruit and equip them.

"Many have probably seen American missionaries come to their country and do missions work," Joe says. "They never thought they could be a part of something like that."

He adds that Ukrainian Baptists have an advantage Southern Baptists don't—they're not Americans.

"An American passport is not always welcome," Joe says. "Ukrainians have more opportunities to go all around the world, especially to countries closed to the Gospel."

PRAY: Pray Ukrainians will answer God's call to serve as missionaries, and that many will trust in Jesus as a result of their faithfulness.

WEDNESDAY: Russians in Moscow

Overwhelming doesn't quite describe it. Imagine being asked to tell the story of Jesus to more than 15 million people. That's the task facing Brad and Lori Stamey, church planters in Russia's largest city-Moscow.

Aided by volunteers, the Stameys have prayerwalked miles of the city, offering free Bibles and invitations to evangelistic events. Their efforts have helped launch four church plants, though many areas of Moscow are still without a single church. The work is slow, but it's laying a solid foundation.

"We hope our presence will result in lots of churches being started, but our job is to be obedient," Lori says. "It's His job to start the churches, and He will in His timing."

PRAY: Ask the Lord to pour His spirit into the hearts and minds of Moscow's peoples, creating a hunger for spiritual truth among them.

THURSDAY: Turkmen

Arrests, beatings, even torture. It's a frightening reality for many Turkmen pastors, just one of the reasons Josh and Molly Russell* believe leadership is critical to planting churches in post-Soviet Turkmenistan.

"Fear prevents them from seeing a church-planting movement," Josh says. "The world they live in is opposed to them changing, and they need to be prepared."

The Russells' hope is to identify and disciple leaders within the Turkmen church, leaders willing to share Jesus.

"We've got leaders who are starting to have a vision, taking initiative to go out and start new churches in areas that they know the Gospel hasn't penetrated yet," Josh says.

PRAY: Ask the Lord to free Turkmen believers from fear and to build leadership and unity within the Turkmen church.

FRIDAY: Meskhetian Turks

William and Sarah Thompson* bring hope to those without a home—or a Savior. They minister to the Meskhetian Turks, a Muslim people who live as refugees within their own country.

Natives of the Republic of Georgia, the Meskhetians were scattered during mass deportations ordered by Josef Stalin. Many settled in Russia but were denied citizenship after the USSR's collapse.

Today, the Meskhetian Turks endure growing persecution, but William and Sarah believe God is using their suffering to open doors for the Gospel—in both Russia and the United States. More than 10,000 Meskhetians have—immigrated to America since the early 1990s.

"What an opportunity," William says. "Our Southern Baptist churches send us all around the world to tell others about Jesus, but here is a people group coming to where our churches are."

PRAY: Pray that Southern Baptist churches will answer God's call to reach Meskhetian Turks in America. Ask Him for the safety and salvation of those who remain in the former Soviet Union.

SATURDAY: Students in Central Asia

Students fill Anne-Marie Bennett's* classroom at the sound of a bell. As they open their notebooks, she is praying for open hearts.

Anne-Marie teaches English to university students in the former Soviet Union.

"There's just a sadness," she says. "And if there's not a sadness, there's a hardness. People are grasping for anything that they can reach for."

To steer classroom conversations toward faith, Anne-Marie uses a morality-based curriculum. Field trips provide opportunities to build relationships outside the classroom. So far, she's witnessed a handful of students trust their lives to Jesus.

"I love working with students," she says. "I love sharing Jesus with them. I love planting those seeds and watching them grow."

PRAY: Ask God for opportunities for faith-based conversations, new students seeking discipleship, and encouragement for the missionary team.

SUNDAY: Kazakhstan

It's a success story Jacob and Emily Parson* believe is worth celebrating. When the couple first came to Kazakhstan after the fall of the Soviet Union, Kazakh believers were few and far between. Today, there are more than 13,000. Jacob believes it's just the beginning.

"It's really good to look back and see how far we've come in just 15 years," he says. "[But] there

are so many cities across Kazakhstan that still have no Christian presence ... There's so much more to do."

Jacob and Emily now focus much of their ministry on discipleship among Kazakh church leadership. They believe character development is critical to the advancement of the Gospel.

"What matters is character within the family," Jacob says. "When we start seeing heads of households turn to the Lord, we will see whole generations turn to our Lord."

PRAY: Pray for faithfulness among the leadership of Kazakh churches. Ask God to develop house church networks, and for the salvation of heads of households.

RUSSIA

Virtual strategy coordinator. Think the title sounds intimidating? Consider the job description: Spearhead Southern Baptists' initiative to plant churches in a city of 1.3 million people, most of whom have no access to the Gospel, not to mention interest in religion. Oh, and by the way—you'll be doing it from more than 6,000 miles away.

Sally Hinzie, a member of Houston's First Baptist Church in Texas, says the thought made her sick to her stomach during her first trip to Nizhniy Novgorod. As virtual strategy coordinator for Russia's third-largest city, it's up to Sally to spread the Gospel in a place where there are no full-time Southern Baptist missionaries.

"It is a God-sized task," Sally says. "I signed up for it and then had a panic attack. I thought, 'Why do I think I can do this?' Bottom line, I can't. I can just be a vessel and let God do it through me."

Your church can help missionaries like Sally reach the former Soviet Union for Christ. Visit www.imb.org/fsu to learn about partnership opportunities with the International Mission Board, or contact an IMB representative by email: Central Asia-centralasia@pobox.com; Central and Eastern Europe-hope4cee@pobox.com.

UDMURTS

No father should have to bury his son.

On a spring day in a place called Udmurtia, Leonid touched Yevgeny's cold, pale cheek and wept as his firstborn was lowered into the foothills of Russia's Ural Mountains. Yevgeny hanged himself at the age of 21. It was the third suicide of the year in the tiny village. Why? Hopelessness. Aimlessness. Spiritual poverty.

Of the 770,000 Udmurt people, less than 2,000 are evangelical followers of Christ. Leonid's tragedy symbolizes the Udmurts' struggle. But he also represents hope for the Udmurt, because Leonid has become a believer in Jesus Christ. He now wants to carry the Gospel from village to village so other Udmurts might escape the hopelessness his son did not.

You can help. Southern Baptist churches are needed to partner with Russian believers like Leonid to spread the Good News among the Udmurts.

Is the Lord calling you?