ISP in Russia

“What would you ask God if you saw Him?” Oksana asked her 5th graders as they looked at a table covered with 50 photographs. The images are part of Soularium, an ice breaker tool designed by Cru. She asked students to choose an image that represented the question they would ask, then to write the question.

Russian students select Soularium cards.
  • “How much longer will my mother live?” a boy wrote, choosing an abandoned kitten image.
  • “What can You [God] do?” another student, who chose a photograph of a broken glass, wrote.

Oksana shared with the International School Project team: “We listen to people and the Holy Spirit! He directs us to serve people and to share the gospel! In the next homeroom period I plan to share with the children that the Lord answers each one of us. In the DreamMakers-DreamBreakers elementary curriculum, one of the last lessons mentions a letter from God to people. I want to pray about how best to share this with the students.”

Teachers like Oksana, who attended ISP’s DreamMakers-DreamBreakers conference, trust God to help them creatively find ways to pass the gospel message on to their students. Oksana also reaches out to her colleagues, sometimes in the face of  opposition.

Last spring, Oksana planned an ISP seminar in her city. Before it even started, some teachers asked the school director to forbid the seminar. Fortunately, the school director supported Oksana, so the seminar was held and was successful.

Afterwards, the teachers who resisted Oksana wrote a letter to the local education authority. Oksana was summoned to speak before this board. She immediately asked teachers in the ISP social network group to pray for her. Within minutes, replies flooded in from teachers — some giving Scripture, others promising to pray, and others who summarized the teacher’s legal rights. God answered their prayers. Many other teachers defended Oksana, and she was cleared to continue her work in the school.

Oksana is one of hundreds of teachers across Russia serving as volunteer missionaries in their schools, communities, and country.

Thank you for your continued prayer and financial support as we serve people like Oksana. This month, please pray for Mark and me as we plan for a video training that Cru leaders have asked us to produce which will train writers around the world.

May God richly bless you as you continue to trust Him.

—Much love, Anne Marie, for the Winz family

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