Arrived Safely

Adam gave me (Tabitha) a call today to let me know he arrived safely. Since he doesn't have computer access he said to post a few updates for you here.

• His entire Ryazan team arrived complete. There were two teams going to Russia - one group was going to Ryazan and one was going to Kursk On Thursday there were bad thunderstorms around Washington, D.C. and some of the incoming flights had to be diverted. Thus, some of the Kursk team members did not make it to DC for their connecting flight to Moscow. Keep praying for that team and that they all make it to Kursk safely in the next days.
• The Ryazan team is staying in local Russia homes. Adam and four other men are staying in an apartment that one of the local church leaders has given up for the week.
• Adam was asked to preach! He'll be preaching Sunday morning (with the help of a translator). Pray that God works through him to give a strong and compelling message about the importance of multiplying churches in Russia. The local Ryazan church is strong, but could use some help/assistance in understanding church planting and its effectiveness in reaching people with the gospel.
• Some of the villages that the Ryazan team was suppose to minister to no longer exist apparently due to the wildfires that have consumed the region. Please pray for the Russian people in these areas as they have lost homes and whole communities.
• The weather is incredibly hot there - very unseasonably warm. Please pray for cooling relief to the region. They desperately need it.
• Since some of the villages have burned down, most of the Ryazan team will be focused on working with the local Russian church leaders (instead of doing door-to-door evangelism) to train them on developing strategic church growth plans and set groundwork for future church plants.
• The leader of E3 Partners Russia just finished studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. His wife and children just moved back to Russia and he's spending time with this E3 team in lieu of getting his family settled fully. Please pray for a good week for his wife and children as they make sacrifices so that he can be fully present for the Ryazan E3 team.

That's most of the updates I got when Adam called. We hope to connect via phone Monday or Tuesday night again. Thanks for all your prayers and help while Adam has been away. It is incredibly appreciated!