Odessa Mission
December 2007 Newsletter
A Huge Victory For United Russia!
On Sunday, December 2nd, Russian parliamentary elections resulted in a landslide
victory for Putin's United Russia Party. Since all official Russian media
sources claim an 80% approval rating for Putin, this win came as no surprise.
Official Russian sources say that the majority of Russians would be ecstatic
were Putin to change the constitution in order to serve a third consecutive
term, which is probably accurate. Nevertheless, a number of dissidents are
still confident that the election was rigged. About 300 foreigners, including
a large delegation from the OSCE, planned to monitor the voting. Sadly, they
had to cancel out because of visa issues. Others claim that while the vote
may have been fair, the campaign process prior to the election was anything
but that. Noteworthy was last week's arrest of former World Chess Champion,
Gary Kasparov, who intends to run for president in Russia's upcoming
presidential election. Kasparov was detained for five days leading up to
Sunday's elections for participating in a peaceful anti-Putin demonstration
near the Kremlin. Most opposition parties claim that the authorities have
confiscated campaign materials and prohibited them from renting halls or
auditoriums for their meetings. Putin's speeches to supporters, by contrast,
were repeatedly broadcast in their entirety during evening newscasts. Andrei
Illarionov, former adviser to Putin, remarked that Sunday's vote met "none of
the criteria of a fair election. In effect, it is not even an election."
Especially noteworthy, perhaps, was one of the election's key themes: HATRED
FOR AMERICA! Typical Russians thirst for anti-American rhetoric and Putin
always seems to deliver, which explains his soaring popularity. Putin even
claimed that the OSCE's recent pullout was an American plot to discredit the
Russian government and the elections. Although one American commentator in a
Fox News Channel interview, following the elections, shrugged off the possibility
of a Cold War returning, most official Russian sources indicate otherwise.
In fact, one of Russia's most popular TV shows carries a heated debate format
that's almost always politically oriented. During the debates, viewers allegedly
call in to vote for the winner and, believe me, the more hatred a particular
individual has for the west the better their chances of winning big. I know
this because I periodically watch the show myself.
"Okay, how does this affect Ukraine?" you might ask. This isn't the first time
I've mentioned Russian nationalism. Previously, I alluded to it because of its
strong negative influence on Ukrainians. On the flip side, though, some
Ukrainian citizens see right through all the anti-western propaganda. Hence,
the more some Ukrainians hear the Russians unjustly attacking America, the
more open they are to hearing our side of the story. That could conceivably
create a more conducive climate for evangelistic work here, so please be
praying along those lines.
Some Prayer Requests:
¢ Tatyana spent two weeks in the hospital recently and apparently was close to
death's door due to a clogged artery leading to the brain. Thankfully, she is
back at work and recovering.
¢ Oxonna is working toward a degree in ministry by correspondence and is now in
the middle of her third class, which is on Christian Leadership. Please pray
for her continued growth and success.
¢ Oxonna's mother, Nadezhda (i.e. Hope) started attending KRCC three months ago
and recently decided to be baptized. Please do keep her in prayer. Also pray
that she and Oxonna will find a buyer for their house so they can move to Odessa.
They presently live about an hour away, which makes Oxonna's daily commute
a bit difficult.
¢ Olya and Roma (her 11-year old son) have recently begun attending KRCC. We
are temporarily storing their belongings because the company she worked for
closed down. Please pray for their spiritual and physical needs.
¢ Valera (16-year old boy), Nadia (his 13-year old sister), and Polina
(their 8-year old sister), have just begun attending KRCC and seem rather open.
They're from Uzbekistan and their mother is a former Muslim. Thankfully, Mom
not only permits them to attend but she has even borrowed Lee Strobel's The
Case For Christ. Please be praying for all of them.
¢ Misha is another child in our kids' program who needs your prayers. Despite
his learning disability, he still seems to grasp most of what he's being taught.
Regrettably, just before his Mom died of cancer, his father decided to abandon
him. So his grandmother is raising him and has graciously given us the chance
to help with that process.
¢ Finally, please pray for the success of our upcoming New Year's outreach
program. Pray for a great turn-out, pray for our folks as they pour their
hearts into the preparation part, and pray for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully
among us in order to accomplish His purposes.
From all of us here at KRCC, have a safe and blessed holiday season!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, John, Ira, and Stefan