AWESOME AUGUST!
Wow! God is so very good! We are still buzzing after a great church youth camp held August 21-24. Every day since Deena talks about going back to camp, and she doesn't understand half of the great things that took place! ;-)
We were blessed with thirty youth in attendance, most of whom came from our church. We had invited five youth from a local orphanage, but at the last minute they were unable to attend. Still, we had a great group (with a few "challenges") and the three pastors & I were thrilled to see the depth of questions the youth had about going through the transitions in their lives. Many of the youth come from broken families, and have faced many difficult transitions in their young lives.
Lena & I were able to take turns being with Maya & Deena, so while I was with the girls Lena was able to cut and style hair for seven of the girls plus Pastor Andre (who got to be first in line). During my "time off" I lead all the games and activities, hosted the sessions and even had the opportunity to preach one morning.
There is much more to tell, but for now enjoy some camp photos: www.flickr.com/photos/krhamm/sets/72157594268686279!
Immediately after camp ended Thursday morning we headed home and I quickly re-packed and caught my train bound for Finland.
Friday afternoon saw over twenty Bible school students, youth leaders, missionaries and laypeople assemble to learn how to use recreational sport to further God's kingdom.
I taught over one hundred games during the three-day seminar, and showed participants how to prepare, teach and evaluate a recreational program. The response was very encouraging and everyone went home with a wealth of resource material and the determination to use their newly-honed skills to the glory of God!
You can see lots of pictures from the seminar in Helsinki at www.flickr.com/photos/krhamm/sets/72157594259246272.
Thank you for your continued support of our ministry! May God be praised!!!
- Kevin, Lena, Sonia, Maya & Deena
COMING TO CANADA
As we draw closer to the six-month anniversary of the promised "reply date" for Lena & Sonia's application for permanent residency, it's hard not to get anxious! Please pray for peace as we pack and plan (and keeping praying that we'll hear from Moscow soon)!
BLESSINGS
Answered prayer from last time! While we didn't have a completely full house, we did see a last-minute sign-up of campers and a blessed time was had by all at camp. Thank you so much for praying!
Answered prayer from last time! Several people recently came forward with some generous donations. This has been very encouraging and, of course, helpful! Praise the Lord and thank you to all who give!
Answered prayer from last time! The sport seminar went very well, and I'm very thankful for my good health throughout the camp, travel & seminar.
PETITIONS
After countless invites, Marina, one of Sonia's best friends finally came to church this past Sunday! Praise God for Marina's sudden openness to the Gospel and pray that she will continue to draw closer to her Heavenly Father. Pray also that Sonia will be a consistent witness to Marina.
We are still in need of more financial assistance. In particular, we are in need of more monthly donors. We have about twenty people who support us with monthly giving of $10-$25. Another twenty people like that would certainly help! For more information on how to support us, please visit www.krhamm.com/support.
Please pray for Mark B. as I prepare him to take over many of my responsibilities at the CCI/Russia office. Over the next few weeks I will be unloading a lot of information on his shoulders—please pray that he will be able to handle it well!
Sonia is trying hard to juggle a part-time job and courses at jewellery school. Please pray for her health, safety in travel and stamina.
Tanya, a CCI/Russia staff member and dear friend, has had to move out of her rented apartment on very short notice (an all-too-common experience for renters in this country). This evening I helped her move all of her belongings into our office, where she will remain until she can find a new (affordable!) room to rent. Please pray that a new home will be found for her soon!
DID YOU KNOW...
...that some traditional Russian recipes call for nettles as an ingredient? (Now why can't they use rhubarb?)
ESSENTIAL INFO
Kevin & Lena Hamm are missionaries with Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International, serving with Christian Camping International/Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia.
A printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is always available for download.
Visit www.krhamm.com/pray for links to print versions, archives and more.
For more on our ministry in Russia, please visit www.krhamm.com.
You can help! Please visit www.krhamm.com/support for ways you can help our family & ministry.
Hundreds of our recent photos can be viewed at Flickr.com. (And now Sonia's pictures too!)
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