Camping in Kirov, Russia

Photo: Campers from an orphanage in Kirov region, Russia

Every year, Bible-preaching churches throughout the lands of Russia host thousands of children for summer camps. With summer drawing to a close, we are receiving reports from this year's camp ministries — and they are truly a wonderful blessing! We thank the Lord that He has graciously provided the resources needed to support these camps, and we are thrilled to share some of the blessings with you!

Russia's Kirov region lies on the 60^th parallel — about as far north as Anchorage, Alaska! Even with the short summer, the churches of the Kirov region are able to squeeze in three camp sessions, each with a different focus.

Sergei, the director of the camp, wrote to tell us of the great blessings they have seen this summer:

Photo: Campers sailing on the Vyatka river.

The first session is organized for the Christian young people of our region ... In each session the campers sailed on the Vyatka river on catamarans and kayaks. The distance is about 31 miles. Half-way through the trip, on the bank of the Vyatka, is the small village of Tsepochkino, with a population of 430 people.

Photo: Repairing the playground in Tsepochkino.

The campers spent the whole day in Tsepochkino. We were able to help in the village park: we fixed the fences and swings and painted the children's playground equipment in bright colors. At the same time, another group of campers visited each house in the village, preaching the Gospel, distributing New Testaments and Christian booklets and inviting people to an [evangelistic] Christian concert that evening.

After the first camp session, there were two more — one for unchurched youth in the local area and one for orphans from a nearby orphanage.

As usual, difficult children from broken families who have never heard about Jesus Christ before, attend the second session. At the beginning, some were not interested in singing so many songs about Jesus. But in a few days, we noticed that they were picking up the songbooks and singing with excitement!

Praise God, 21 children were saved this week! Dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to support us in our prayers for these children, for them to develop in their relationships with God, and for their friends and families, because many are returning to a non-Christian environment at home.

During the orphans camp, on the last day, Sergei reports that 23 children repented and gave their lives to Christ. He writes, "These children need our constant prayer — life will be very hard for them, especially when they leave the orphanage. They have nobody who will give them a hand. Their only hope is Christ and our churches, where we are waiting for them eagerly!"

The Kirov region is one of the many regions that is a growing Antioch Initiative location. Churches in the state of Michigan have partnered with the church in Kirovo Chepetsk to further the advance of the Gospel in this part of Russia. By God's grace, we will continue to see the expansion of these churches to meet the ever-growing needs of the communities around them. Pray for the workers and for the harvest!