February 2003

To those of you who have sent us home to Tallinn ...

    To those who pray for God’s harvest field in Estonia ...

        To those who share in our lives ...

            We greet you with love and thanksgiving in our hearts!

REJOICING! that God has replaced the financial support we lost and that He so abundantly blessed our time in America as we shared with so many while traveling from place to place speaking about the work with the church in Estonia. We thank God for so many friends who opened their homes to us ... and we thank God for the churches and individuals who have made financial commitments to our work so that we might continue to serve and work with the church that meets in the capital city of Tallinn. Attached is a photo taken at the airport when we arrived on Tuesday afternoon, January 28. As you look at the smiling faces, feel the love and joy in the crowd.

REJOICING! that God added a new sister in Christ the Saturday after we arrived. Elvira Kozmik began learning about her Savior with the Let’s Start Talking team that came to Tallinn the summer of 2001. For the next year she came faithfully to the Tuesday evening follow-up class led by Mike Banks, Leah Sass, and Amy Nelson and to Ron’s class on Thursday evenings. Her two sons, Alexander and Artyom began to attend the Sunday children’s class. Last summer Elvira studied again with the LST team and also began attending Wednesday evening Ladies Class and Sunday mornings when not working. Her 14-year-old son Alex has been working diligently with the young people participating in Leadership for Christ. The Sunday before we arrived back in Tallinn, he taught the children’s Bible lesson as part of his LTC Teaching Challenge. We thank God for Elvira’s faith and obedience. She and her sons are already blessing the church with their service. Let us all join our prayers with Elvira’s and the boys that Roman, husband and father, will be brought to the Lord by the godly example of his wife and children.

Nikolai and Olga Welcome Elvira

It is a blessing and a point of teaching for our new converts when they receive notes of joy and encouragement from brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. It makes a statement about God’s family being much larger than our small group here in Tallinn. You may write to your new sister at the following address:

Elvira Kosmik
Vindi 18/302
11315 Tallinn
Estonia (Europe)

REJOICING! that the church in Tallinn now owns their own facility – 4 large rooms on the ground floor of a 5-story apartment building at Asunduse 2, on a high spot overlooking the center of the city. We have been renting these rooms for the past 3 years, with a “first right of refusal” should the city decide to sell. Word came to the church while we were in America that the church could purchase these rooms, but the decision had to be made quickly and the money for the down payment ready within just a few weeks. The church began to pray and prepare for a special offering. Our co-workers Mike and Debbie Banks wrote to their e-mail newsletter list requesting love gifts to help the local church. A minimum of $8,000 U.S. dollars was needed for the down payment before the end of the year. Our Estonian and Russian members sacrificed, sold things; and when the offering was taken, they gave 10 times their usual weekly offering – they gave US$1,700. God worked on the hearts of many from Texas to Germany so that as of today the total received is US$10,374.55. What a wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father through so many whose hearts were touched! The balance of the purchase price will be financed by a local Estonian bank. The payment will be within reach of the local church. How quickly God works, His wonders to perform! We thank Him! We thank the Tallinn brothers and sisters! We thank you!

May we all continue to rejoice together as God blesses us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ! May we always find our true enjoyment in “the wonderful ones, the godly people in the world!”

Ron & Judy