Dear Family and Friends,
After several months of planning, praying, and fundraising, Dustin Arrieta, David Anthold and I are finally leaving tomorrow at 2pm from LAX for St. Petersburg, Russia, the Lord willing. We will travel to 5 cities in Russia and 3 in Europe with tons of meetings and events to attend as we plan for the 3 summer teams (33 people) sponsored by Encouragement International. Mike Vanis and Tienette Ramos will join us in Prague, Vienna, and Athens. We will also explore the possibility of other American teams going to new locations in 2012.
Going to Saransk, Russia will be like going home. We brought 13 consecutive teams there beginning in 1996 and helped plant 3 churches.
A recent email from Natasha, our interpreter coordinator in Saransk, cheered our hearts this past week. I lifted out a few sentences from her recent email message to us about Maxim, the son of one of our pastors in Saransk who died of cancer a few years ago. Maxim rebelled against God but now has come back to Him. Read and rejoice with us!
“This Sunday Maksim Golovanov repented in front of the church and wants
to minister now with the youth. He said that the meeting with you is his
priority now. He is very thankful to you for visiting him each time you came
and showing him what real love is. maybe you could take him anywhere with
you for witnessing to young people. Maksim promised to tell his story how
he became a believer when he meets you, so I am looking to that appointment,
don’t dare take a different interpreter.”
This is why I do this ministry! To God be the glory great things He has done! I can’t wait to get to Saransk!
Please see the attached itinerary to follow our journey. Thank you for your prayers! They keep us going!
Much love,
Jim and the Team
2011 Spring Missions Trip – Trip Itinerary
Please pray for travel mercies, good health, and effective ministryMarch 28 – fly to St. Petersburg, Russia (Jim Liljegren, Dustin Arrieta, Dave Anthold)
Tues. March 29 – arrive in St. Petersburg
Wed. March 30 – Pskov, Russia (near Latvia): meeting with Church planter and area bishop hosting the ABF summer team
Fri. April 1 – Petrozvodsk, Russia (300 miles northeast of St. Petersburg): meeting with church planter hosting ABF summer team
Mon. April 4 – Moscow: meeting with Director of Church Planting for Russian Baptist Union
Tues. April 5 – Saransk, Russia (300 miles southeast of Moscow): many meetings with church leaders, members, and friends
Fri. April 8 – Prague, Czech Republic: (Mike Vanis and Tienette Ramos join) – meetings with summer Family Camp Committee hosting the ABF summer team and several church planters
Mon. April 11 – Vienna, Austria: visit TCM Bible Institute
Tues. April 12 –Athens, Greece: encourage church planter and wife in church planting and trafficking ministries
Thurs. April 16 – fly to US
Thank you for your faithful prayer support!
(For ministry updates, contact Jim at jliljegren@roadrunner.com
and Dave Anthold’s blog – http://everydaysnapshots.com)
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