Holy Given: Armavir International School of Missions, Russia

Wednesday, 30 April, 2008 Already two weeks have passed since the start of the Holy Given school here in Russia! Since day one we have been experiencing incredible times of worship, fellowship, teaching and life transformation. No wonder the time is passing so quickly! I want to share with you just a few of the highlights of what God is doing in and through us here, as well as some testimonies that some of the students have shared so far. The student body is made up of 20 amazing men and women representing six different nations. (We represent eight nations when you include the staff!) Although not everyone speaks the same language, we have such a strong spirit of unity among us. We have found that hugs, kisses and laughter need no translation! And we are having fun teaching each other words and phrases from our different languages! The students have blown me away with their beautiful spirits that are so open and hungry for more of the Lord. Each morning they come eager to learn and have a fresh encounter with God. They are so sensitive to Holy Spirit as they eagerly pursue more and more of him. Already in the first days God showed up in powerful ways. We’ve had teachings including the Father Heart of God, Resting in His Presence and The Peace of God. The students were so beautifully touched as they allowed Holy Spirit to minister to them. One woman testified that during ministry time one morning as she was sitting on the floor, she saw angels all around her. Then Jesus came to her and wrapped her up in his arms and held her like a little baby. As he held her, she was healed of all of the pain from her childhood. Another woman shared a very similar testimony of the Father coming to her and holding her and healing her of pain from her past. One man shared, after going home over the first weekend, that his friends and family did not even recognize him! They said he just looked so different and full of joy! He said that the presence of God was changing him from the inside out! Another highlight thus far has been Freedom Day! We began the morning singing songs of freedom, dancing around the room as a prophetic sign that through Christ’s death and resurrection our enemy is crushed under our feet. We literally danced on the enemy’s head! On pieces of paper the students wrote down ways they felt the enemy was trying to keep them in bondage. Then, with a loud war-like cry of “FREEDOM” they ran out of the building and threw the papers into a fire, declaring themselves free by the blood of Jesus! Many students testified that they could feel things they had been struggling with literally break off of them, like shackles coming off of their feet. It was a glorious day of victory and overcoming! Last weekend eight of us students and staff (representing eight countries amazingly enough) drove to Beslan on outreach. Our main goal was to encourage some believers there and minister to the community. This city has been rocked by terrorism and traumatized by death. They still suffer from the shock and trauma of this event and as our team walked around the city and witnessed for ourselves the aftermath that still scars the city, we too were grieved and our hearts were broken with theirs. As we prayed and asked the Lord what we were to do, we really sensed that God wanted to give them a gift of joy. Such a spirit of heaviness hangs over the whole city and joy seemed scarce, so we prayed for a breakthrough. On Saturday night as we ate dinner at someone’s home, without anyone saying a word, we all just started laughing…like someone told a hilarious joke! One by one, we all laughed until we could hardly breathe! During the entire meal, which lasted well over an hour, we just laughed and laughed. Our cheeks and sides were aching, but still it continued. We praised God for gracing us with his Spirit! Not only was it a breakthrough in joy, but it was a great moment of bonding for our team…it was our first meal together without the need of an interpreter! The next day, Sunday, happened to be Easter! Our team leader had it on her heart to really celebrate the resurrection of Christ with fun! After a short service, we all walked to the park and played silly games. We had a blast! We drew the attention of everyone that walked by and a few children even came over to join in! Hearing the sound of laughter go up into the atmosphere of this city was one of the most precious sounds we had ever heard. We know that the Lord will continue to turn their sorrow into joy.