Packed presentation in Sibay, Bashkortostan

Sometimes the dedication of the audience was explained by much less supernatural reasons. When the pastor at the Miass Evangelical church asked me to continue the presentation even after the announced two hours were gone, I gladly obliged. The people were truly engaged and seemed to be enjoying it very much. I was somewhat surprised that nobody was leaving or looking at the clock, and I went into some more detail, added a couple of illustrations and allowed plenty of time for questions and discussion at the end. We all then had a meal together. Under the stars, when we were leaving the church and the people were getting onto the church bus and into the pastor’s van (the only means of getting back to the city from this area–shall we call them a “captive audience”?) the pastor explained, “We are a growing church, both numerically and in our faith in Christ. Today was a test for many of us: Can we sacrifice an evening for this truly unique and amazing opportunity of seeing the historic and rational foundation of our belief in Him with our own eyes? I didn’t hear one person complaining that we went late. I am very proud today of my congregation.”

History teachers in Magnitogorsk

Yet another surprise awaited me in Magnitogorsk, where one third of Soviet Army tanks were made. I almost believe that some of their local school teachers were made from the same material–so hard was it to penetrate their “armor” of distrust and skepticism. I was therefore very surprised when the Teachers’ Training Center Director told me at the very end: “Please, make sure you come and teach your material to our new group of History Teachers next time you are in town. They might not show it to you but they were very happy to be able to discuss these difficult spiritual matters so openly and so reasonably. It does not happen here very often.”

Further up the Ural Mountains and later in Moscow, I was almost shocked by a number of local churches willing not only to cover my local expenses–travel, lodging and food–but offering a very substantial financial support to our ministry. In the past, I would usually receive some very moderate payment from a university or a Teachers’ Training Center as their visiting lecturer. Churches and seminaries viewed me as an American missionary whose expenses are probably well taken care of by his “agency.” This time I came back to Minnesota with more money than I took for the road! Granted that this trip covered more ground and travel expenses were a little higher, it was still amazing how the Lord moved these Russian churches to respond to the financial need of our ministry.

Return visit to Word of Life Bible School in Moscow

Of course, it continues to amaze all of us how He powerfully opened the doors for FaithSearch International to work in the secular schools, universities, teachers’ conferences all over Russia and in the neighboring Russian-speaking countries. On this trip I reached a personal goal–to teach the “Rational and Historic Foundations of Christian Faith” to the graduate students at the Philosophy Department of Moscow State University (MGU) the most prestigious school in all Russia. Somewhat surprisingly, I found them a very friendly, truly interested and very open-minded audience.

To some of these schools and churches I now have an open invitation to come again and train more of their teachers, trainers and church leaders in presenting the Gospel with Evidence powerfully and convincingly. The Urals and Bashkortostan will be on my map again in February of 2012, but now I have to get quickly prepared for my next trip in this December–to Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.

Engaging conversation about the Gospel with Evidence at a small church in St. Petersburg

June 2011 Ministry Trip to Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica

It is my joy to share with you a few insights into the progress of our ministry of proclaiming the Gospel with evidence to Spanish-speaking peoples everywhere. I have recently returned from a three-week overland journey through Central America and will soon be going to Peru for two weeks.

In Honduras—a country beset by poverty, drug addiction and violence—I had the joy of sharing the Gospel and the historicity of Christ in one of the largest public high schools (that’s right, “public high schools,” it’s not a typo) of Tegucigalpa, the capital city. Instituto Técnico de Honduras is a run-down campus in a broken down neighborhood where people go to trash dumpsters to forage for food and recyclables. Yet behind its yellow walls laid the most incredible treasure any country can boast of—many a young man and woman avid to learn a trade. What a joy it was seeing dozens of these kids making bold faith commitments to follow Christ!

An equally indescribable joy was ministering alongside a group of boys in their early twenties—formerly drug users and violent gangsters—who called themselves “The Dissidents.” I brought the message of the Gospel; they brought Christian rock and rap (many of the songs were written by them) and the dancing. The teachers, too, fully recognized their need for God. Xiomara, the second teacher I spoke with, told me that her daughter had been shot a few weeks earlier staying alive only by the grace of God. At Instituto Técnico de Honduras God glorified himself among violence and dumpsters!

Also in Honduras I translated for a short-term missions trip. My home church (Westwood Community Church, Excelsior, MN) has been bringing hope and Christian love to the little village of Santa Cruz de Guayape, since Hurricane Mitch hit it in 1998.

After serving with them I went south and traversed Nicaragua by bus (and yes!! we have no air conditioning!!!) and visited briefly with my brother Ricardo Roberto in Managua, the capital and largest city. God provided incredible opportunities for personal witnesses in a country torn by corruption, Marxism and hopelessness.

I finally got to Costa Rica, a country known as the Switzerland of the Americas for both its agricultural bounty and its neutrality. (It abolished the military in 1949 and has not had an army since!)

In the capital city San José, the Lord gave me the privilege of training students at ESEPA, Costa Rica’s leading evangelical seminary, in presenting the historical reliability of the New Testament as a powerful way to proclaim the Gospel. How exciting it was to have students there from countries as far away as Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina and even Spanish-speaking US missionaries!

Over the weekend I presented the compelling “Evidences for Christian Faith” (the Spanish version of FaithSearch Discovery) at a small city called Grecia (Greece!) and also shared the Gospel at a large church in a town named Cartago (Carthage!) There a History student came to me—almost in tears—to thank me as he had found God’s deeper purpose for his college major. In gratitude also came a teacher and young fellow who wanted to share Surprised by Faith (Dr. Bierle’s book which I translated into Spanish) with skeptical coworkers at IBM. Late on Sunday evening, back in San José, I shared the Gospel again at pastor Noe Villanueva’s church (I had just trained him earlier that week). He’d gotten so motivated by the presentation that he quickly gathered his church just for that purpose!

Yet the most attentive audience the Lord provided was a group of thirty ex-drug users at Manna Rehab Center who worshipped with broken spirits and asked many questions. Avid, too, were the Christian workers at the Latin America headquarters for World Vision.

In San José I also visited with key staff of ReachGlobal (the international arm of the Evangelical Free Church in America, with whom I partner for ministry). ReachGlobal runs the Latin America Training Network, known as ProMETA, a program that is training pastors and leaders from twenty-four countries. The program is entirely in Spanish and online, so no one needs to leave country, family or ministry to get training. One their students, pastor Esau Bonilla, confided to me that this was a blessing, as he did not have the means to study English to go for further studies! Now his church has a sent a missionary to China, and Pastor Bonilla’s teachings are being translated into Cantonese! I feel so privileged to have been invited to teach at ProMETA!

Through the winter and spring, I have also been presenting the Gospel with historical evidence to Spanish- and English-speaking church communities in the US (in the Twin Cities, Grand Rapids, andNorthfield, MN, and in Beulah, ND). Another high point of my US ministry has been sharing two seminars–“The Reliability of the Bible” and “Reaching Hispanics”–at The Navigators’ “Dangerous Man Day” in St Paul. It was a joy seeing 300 men and their sons attending the conference!

I am thankful in Christ for the friendship, prayers and support of those who come alongside our joint ministry effort to proclaim the Gospel with evidence throughout the Spanish-speaking world, both in the USA and abroad. My wife Mali and I send you our warmest greetings!

My disconnected train car halfway to Belgorod.

“Go and make disciples…” There is only so much one person can do–even the fastest one and even with the strongest voice. Now imagine my frustration when I almost completely lost my voice due to a cold in the middle of the trip. Imagine also how I felt when my train car was found to have a faulty wheel and was detached from the rest of the train, causing a major delay in my schedule. In those moments especially, how can I even think of making any noticeable ministry effect in the country that stretches over thousands of miles, with a population counted in millions? Yet, Jesus said: “Go!” and so I did. Why? Because the “make disciples” part puts the whole task in a totally new perspective: I only have to make as many disciples as He sends my way, and they in turn will take care of the rest of it.

He indeed sent me the most exceptional audiences this time: teachers, students, seminarians, lay leaders and pastors–who were both highly qualified and motivated for the job. The All-Ukrainian Teachers’ Conference on “Biblical History and Christian Ethics” at Poltava State University featured FaithSearch Discovery for the whole afternoon session. It was attended by 300+ teachers and clergy from all over the country, and served to lay a factual and rational foundation for the History and Ethics courses they are teaching in public schools.

I trained future missionaries at Belgorod Orthodox Seminary

Another highlight of the trip was awaiting me just across the Russian border in the city of Belgorod–the Orthodox Seminary with Missionary Emphasis (the only one in the country!). These students were not simply future priests or theology scholars–they are preparing themselves for a career of spreading the Gospel. Now they’ve been given a tool–FaithSearch Discovery–for doing it more effectively.

Further North into Russia, in the city of Kursk, I took advantage of a very generous invitation from the Trinity Video Seminary–to record the whole FaithSearch Discovery presentation on video for their own global distribution catalogue, which is widely used by seminaries, libraries, bookstores, conferences, etc. In just a few weeks the whole course will be made available through their network of distributors all over the Russian-speaking world and also on their Web site storefront. No, I am not working myself out of a job! Their experience shows that the more people watch it on the screen the more they want to see the real person and to receive the training and the presentation in their hands.

The discussion after my presentation at Pereslavl University.

Even further North (and colder yet!) in Moscow, I had a new chance to teach future teachers in my alma mater–Moscow State Pedagogical University. What an honor! It was also a delight to be able to share the Gospel in the same walls that were so hostile to it just a couple decades ago! These students don’t even need to be motivated–merely to be allowed to apply this unique material in their teaching practice.

That is, of course, not to mention presenting FaithSearch Discovery in churches, Bible schools and Christian conferences both in Ukraine and in Russia, strengthening the faith of believers, encouraging them to proclaim their faith to the world with power and confidence.

For the first time on this trip, I also started a blog chronicling my progress throughout the trip. (Contact me if you’d like to follow the blog.) It was a great blessing for me to know that my supporters back home were upholding me in their prayers–in real time!

My next trips may possibly take me to some new geographical areas–Lithuania and Bashkortostan–so it was good to capitalize on such strategic points as Poltava, Belgorod and Moscow.

Here’s some of the feedback I received on this trip:

“You cannot imagine the impact of what you have just done by teaching this class and giving us the CDs! Remember, we are all teachers and we cannot help but pass it along to our students! I, for one, will start doing it next week.” –History Teacher, Kashira Teachers’ Conference

“We are so grateful! Many in our congregations already expressed to us how powerful and how encouraging was your message. And more importantly, how empowered they feel now to share their faith with non-believers!” – Pastor, Pereslavl

“We record lots of different speakers here. Some make their material way too difficult for most audiences. Others just don’t have much to say. Your presentation takes on a very serious topic, discusses it on a very serious level, and yet makes it so clear and so enjoyable! I don’t see any difficulty spreading the videos through our distribution channels all over the world.” –Video Producer, Kursk

“What a perfect fit for our Conference! Nobody can say any more that our moral and ethical claims are unfounded!” –University Dean at the All-Ukrainian Conference on Biblical History and Christian Ethics, Poltava

Oleg shared FaithSearch Discovery at Plyoskovo Private High School, Moscow

It is called déjà vu in French, but I would call it a “missionary moment.” It happens when I plan an event in some remote city across the globe three months ahead of time; I figure out the transportation and coordinate it with other events, people, locations, etc.; I try to take care of every detail: setting, screen, microphone, coffee break, etc., etc. Yet I keep worrying that something will go wrong, that somebody will mess it up and the event will be canceled. When the day and the time come and I start the presentation–here comes that odd feeling, the “missionary moment”! I stand there in front of these dozens (or even hundreds) of people with an unquestionable confidence that it was absolutely predestined to happen, that I absolutely had to be here and now sharing the Lord’s message with these very people. It absolutely could not, NOT happen! It almost feels like it already had happened even before I ever got here! Déjà vu.

I especially experienced it during my last teaching trip through three countries and a dozen towns and cities. To cover more territory and to get to some new strategic locations, I used a slightly new tactic: instead of working out from a “hub” city (like Moscow or St. Petersburg) I lined them up on a long string: Riga (and Daugavpils), Kiev (and Irpen), Cherkassy, Kremenchug, Komsomolsk, Poltava, Kharkov, Belgorod, Moscow (and Solnechnogorsk). In this way, every next event depended on how all the others before it went: Will the bus/train be on time? Will the organizers keep the schedule? Or rather, will I be flexible enough to adjust to their ever-changing schedules? Despite of all my worries and despite of all the unpredictabilities of winter travel on the infamous Russian roads–everything was happening in the Lord’s perfect timing and always (!!!) much better that I could have ever foreseen or prepare it.

Students from the Poltava University, History and Natural Science Departments, Ukraine

Part of the audience at the Belgorod Teachers’ Continuing Education Center, Russia, whom Oleg equipped to use FaithSearch Discovery in their classes

The new and strategic territories in Ukraine included the universities and the teachers’ conferences in Poltava and Kharkov. Speaking and being very warmly accepted in Poltava (the “Ukrainian Athens”) automatically opened the doors to many other universities in the country. I am already invited to speak at the National Conference on the Biblical History and Christian Ethics on February 7, 2011, as well as to present FaithSearch Discovery to the other public schools and colleges in the city. A similar story happened after teaching at the University of Belgorod, Russia, where I am now scheduled to present the FaithSearch Discovery material on February 8^th and 9^th, at the only Orthodox Seminary with a Missions emphasis in all of Russia. My second visit to Latvia this year and especially the Latvian translation of the FaithSearch Discovery (the Surprised by Faith book translation is also underway) brought about an invitation to the All-Latvian Teachers’ Conference on April 11, 2011.

Of course, none of that would have been possible if I worked alone! It especially enjoyed connecting to and planning my teaching opportunity through such well established partners as the Campus Crusade for Christ and the Russian Academy of Education. All I needed to do was to show up at the time/location and in front of the audiences they had already prepared for me.

In the studios of TransWorld Radio, Kharkov, Ukraine, where Oleg recorded the FaithSearch Discovery presentation for broadcast

Other highlights of the trip are as follows:

• Passing the Approval Board for my Ph.D. dissertation topic
• Making an additional 400 copies of our new bilingual (Russian, Latvian) FaithSearch Discovery CD on the go in response to the demand
• Making a FaithSearch Discovery recording for TransWorld Radio
• Teaching at “Plyoskovo”–the Russian, very elite, private High School near Moscow

I ran out of CDs in Kremenchug, and had to order 300 more from a small computer service shop. The technician worked overnight to get them done for me, and said the next morning: “I was very curious about what am I duplicating all night. Hope you don’t mind that I watched the presentation. I am so proud of being now a part of what you are doing! Great material! I’ll be watching again and again.”

With that as a starting point, here are my favorite things to report–responses from the audiences:

“I am so proud to be Orthodox today! I can’t wait to share it (FaithSearch Discovery) with my friends and faculty! I already know what kind of questions they will ask. But I also know now how to answer them without being looked down at. This disk will be used A LOT!” – History major student at Daugavpils University

“I sometimes get tired and discouraged presenting people with the same arguments for God again and again with no results. I was inspired today by this new and very powerful presentation!” – Arts Teacher in Daugavpils

“Teachers? Students? Great! But how about simple church folks like us? Yes, we cannot sit through a three hour long lecture. But we can do it in two nights with a time for discussion in the end. Please make sure you put us on your schedule next time you are in Latvia.” – Baptist pastor

Presenting FaithSearch Discovery to students of the Customs and Taxation Academy (“lawyers and tax collectors”), Irpen, Ukraine

“Honestly, I felt uncomfortable when you suggested that we shall study the New Testament as a history record and that you are going to apply secular history tests and criteria to the text. How dare you? And what if it fails?… Thank you for showing me how little trust I had in the Word of God! I am so glad I had this chance to test it …and to strengthen it today!”– Evangelical Church member in Kiev

“I am looking forward to having [FaithSearch Discovery] translated into Ukrainian. We’ll be using it all over the place–in our dorm outreaches, churches, student conferences, and later–in our high school classrooms! This material is truly universal!” – Pedagogical University in Cherkassy

“I can’t wait to start teaching this in my church! And I strongly suspect my pastor will be interested in attending my Sunday School class as soon as the word gets out of the quality of the material I have.” – Sunday School Teachers’ Conference participant in Poltava

“Thanks, Oleg for visiting us again. You don’t only teach my students powerful material for their missionary work. You are also a living lesson for them–presenting the class with such joy and enthusiasm!”– Dean of the Orthodox Missionary Seminary near Kremenchug

“I especially liked the way you treated the other points of view and religious teachings–respectfully and yet very objectively. No harsh words or hurt feelings but facts and hard evidence that speak for themselves. Great presentation!” – Student at Pedagogical University in Poltava

“I still have lots of questions regarding personal faith in God, but one thing you made absolutely clear today–there is nothing illogical or irrational about believing in Him.” – Philosophy Department Dean at Poltava University

These students were eager to receive their copy of the FaithSearch Discovery presentation CD after Oleg’s training session at Poltava Orthodox Seminary with Missions Emphasis, Ukraine

“I already talked to a couple of students after your presentation. They were so exited and so grateful for your material. You made them think, you made them question their values, you gave them hope of finding the meaning of their life.” – Natural Science Department Dean at Poltava University

“Suicide rate among young people in our city is increasing every year. Your seminar offers a way out of the crisis. Honest, logical and clear. That is what many of them need to hear now.” – History Teacher in Poltava

“Thank you for challenging my students today! I am sure that for many of them it was the first time they viewed world history from this perspective. Honestly, I was challenged as well. How could I have overseen this evidence (for the validity of the NT) if it was always in front of me? We are going to have quite a conversation with the students at our next class!” – Kharkov University History Professor

The Gospel with evidence was warmly received by these students in the Psychology Department of Poltava University, Ukraine

“I am a Biology teacher in a school with Biology emphasis. I’ve tried so many times to share my faith with my students but they always pin me down by requesting ‘facts, facts and only facts.’ Your presentation is exactly what they need to see and hear. It is exactly what I needed to see and hear. As a teacher I can tell how much time, effort and talent was put into making it so powerful and so effective. It was very generous of you to come and spend this time and these resources with us.” – Belgorod Teachers’ Conference participant

“We teach them the Orthodox Catechism as a part of the curriculum but you presented it in the way they have never heard or seen before: What does it mean to me and why do I believe in God Jesus Christ? I was watching their reaction very carefully and their response made me so happy today! They loved it! They absolutely loved the way you challenged them with questions on the validity of the Bible and its historical integrity! Your presentation respected their opinions and their personal spiritual experience and yet–questioned and tested the very core of their religious beliefs. I also heard a couple of our teachers saying how important for them it was to learn from your teaching experience and from your presentation. We are looking forward to your next visit to the ‘Plyoskovo’ School!”– Principal at an elite private High School

Participants in the Poltava Regional Sunday School Teachers’ Conference, Ukraine, were excited to begin using FaithSearch Discovery

In all, we had 19 events, 7 of which part of the missions conference at which I acted as translator for an English-speaking pastor from India (Ashok Williams). The estimated overall face to face audience was almost 1,700 people.  The conference has certainly galvanized the resolve of the local church to missions, especially to the 10/40 window. Vida Nueva church helps support a Peruvian missionary in India and very soon another to China.

In twelve FaithSearch events, I was able to present Gospel with Evidence to several audiences, including:

• Two pastors’ conferences, (1) a Peruvian association of missions-minded pastors (Atocri, which is an acronym for “to every creature”) and (2) a group of pastors from the southern slums of Lima, representing an area of 3 million dwellers. Our work with these associations looks very promising for the future.
• Three college groups belonging to the Evangelical Association of Evangelical University Groups (AGEUP). I was able to present the reasons for the reliability of the New Testament and the deity of Christ at (1) San Marcos National University, the oldest university in the Americas, and for many years a Marxist stronghold, (2) Universidad Nacional del Callao (UNAC) in which the event was well advertised and attended, and (3) and the privately owned Peruvian University of Applied Sciences (UPC). AGEUP has definitely become our partner and we look forward to much and very fruitful ministry with them when in Peru.
• Two schools, La Molina Christian School and a secular one (Friendship School).
• The Baptist Theological Seminary, an institution at which I previously taught and presented the Gospel with Evidence.

There were 91 people present at FaithSearch Discovery teacher trainings. I also had the joy of seeing 35 people indicate faith commitments to follow Christ during this campaign: 6 new believers and 29 reconciliations. There were also 66 joyful Christians who, with their now-more -thorough knowledge, vowed to become more active witnesses.

Reactions to the Gospel with Evidence continues to be positive. I was able to collect impressive comments that reflect this (see below).

What was most interesting in this trip is that these comments came from a wide range of people from junior high students to pastors and mission agency leaders. A special blessing from the Lord was also sharing Christ at public universities. In one of them (UNAC) there was meaningful dialogue with unbelievers.

I look forward to returning and continuing this meaningful ministry.

Verbatim comments from event participants

Junior High School students:

• “I have learned that Jesus is part of history and that there is proof of that. I now have concise answers about Jesus’ existence.” –RC
• “I have learned that God loves me and that He died for me.”–MFAS
• “Now I know that Jesus is a historical character and that He really existed. I no longer have doubts.”–MELC
• “God has not called you to remain silent. He has called you to provide witness of Him. Now I can do it historically with all the tools provided.”–RE
• “I have learned that there is infinite historical evidence for the existence of Christ.”–AG
• “I learned that Jesus is 100% real and that the Bible does not contain a single error.”–AB
• “I learned a lot. I did not know that there was so much evidence. It has made me think that He is truly real.”–CC
• “I have learned how to defend our faith.”–SM
• “There are even ancient non-Christian writers that have written about Jesus.”–AA
• “The evidence that exists for Jesus is huge and irrefutable. I am not ignorant for believing in Jesus; those who don’t are!”–AB
• “I can know that the New Testament is correct in all that it says. All that Jesus said was true.”–DG

High School students:

• “Today I learned that God is 100% real and true.”–EA
• “Now I can back up my faith with evidence when talking to unbelievers. I thank God for the evidence!”–CG
• “We saw that Christ was real. Despite that many deny Him, He is true. I have proof to preach the Gospel.”–SSGR
• “Despite that sometimes I feel I am the only girl going against the flow, what I do will yield good fruit because I am following the Almighty God. The truths we have seen today are of great hope to my life!”–GR

College students:

• “You have shown anew that Jesus is the Christ.”–ERMZ
• “I have learned, evidence in hand, that Jesus did exist. This has made a profound impact in my life.”–AUS (National University of Callao student, accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior on 11/26/2010)
• “Our faith is intelligent and wise. This has helped me to keep believing in the Christian truth.”–MMM
• “There is overwhelming proof!”–PJAT
• “There is historical data that lets us know that the Bible is true.”–SECC
• “There is countless evidence that Jesus is the Messiah. This has made a radical impact on me.”–HOC
• “This has been awesome! I have learned more about Jesus. I now see the Bible in a better way. Thank you!”–EJCM
• “After today I have no doubt on the historical existence of Jesus. I am not yet convinced of his divinity.”–César (National University of Callao student, still on his quest)

Sunday service attendees in a working-class neighborhood:

• “I have learned that Jesus existed and exists, that He is alive, and that the evidence and testimonies add up to our faith.”–JLM
• “Jesus is real. There is historical basis.”–MMM
• Today we learned that Jesus and God are one and the New Testament is real.”–MTB
• “Christ =  God.”–ARS
• “I have learned that God is really true, that Jesus exists and they are one. I can no longer doubt about him.”–MV
• “That Jesus Christ is Jehovah is true. History and archaeology proves it. My faith in Christ has grown.”–MLCQdR
• “I have learned that God is true, God is real and that Christ died for my sins.”–CYRS
• “I am fascinated by today’s teaching.”–IVAdM
• “Now I want to know more about the biblical evidence.”–VRAY
• “I can now be a better witness of Christ.”–JJRS
• “Today I learned a lot that I did not know before. My faith has been strengthened.”–YAMA

CHRISTIAN LEADERS AT TRAININGS:

• “The training was very interesting as my major is History. I think that having faith is also knowing how to think. I enjoy teaching using evidence and reason.” –CCC (San Marcos University college student, and Sunday School teacher)
• “The presentation was truly good. What made most impact on me is the amount of ancient information that comes from non-Christians that corroborates the biblical data and therefore the Bible itself. I came because I wanted to know more about God and to have tools to defend my faith.” –KM (San Marcos University)
• “Solid and interesting presentation. Its relation to history made the most impact on me…. It has spurred my interest to dig up information.” –ETQ (San Marcos University)
• “It was very interesting. What grabbed me is how to know that Jesus is not a legend, but real. The speaker made this very clear.” –MPB (College student at the Peruvian University of Applied Science (UPC))
• “Truly good! These were things I did not know, and knowing this will help me defend my faith. Through your excellent presentation it is clear that Christ is true and His Word is also true.” –JA (student at Seminario Teológico Bautista and Sunday School teacher of 6–8-year-old kids)
• “It’s mind-boggling to know that the New Testament has an unshakable foundation and that everything that it lets you know was historically real. I want to use the material with the youth of my church.”–FAC (student at Seminario Teológico Bautista)
• “Excellent! I want to use it in homes, as a tool for evangelism.” –JLM (student at Seminario Teológico Bautista, and Pastor of a new church plant)
• “Very interesting and innovative! The simple way of presenting the arguments made an impact on me. The lecturer presented deep and difficult facts in an easy-to-understand and congenial way. This is something that has come from God. It has strengthened my faith with historical and scientific bases.” –RV, Senior Pastor (Peruvian Missions League participant)
• “Excellent! Very didactic. What motivated me to come is that I disciple almost 20 teenagers and want to instruct them well in the way of the Lord.”–EPA, Missionary and discipler (Peruvian Missions League participant)
• “Very good. What made most impact on me were the arguments that prove the truthfulness and historicity of the Bible and the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. I learned that we have the most reliable prophetic word and that we are in the true God, Jesus Christ. Likewise I am quite impressed by the clarity and simplicity with which the presenter made us understand these arguments that sometimes tend to be complicated. Praise the Lord!”–OA, Senior Pastor  (Peruvian Missions League participant)
• “It was a very interesting and important training. The rich historical support that our faith has to withstand whatever philosophical attack there exists impressed me a lot. I learned that all we know through the Bible is more exact than much [other]‘historical’ information. I now have awesome material to share with the youth and people that have doubts about the Bible.” –HRdC, CPA and pastor’s wife (Peruvian Missions League participant)
• “This encourages me to preach the Gospel. The Gospel is not a legend or tale but the true and powerful means for bring millions of lost souls from darkness to life. Thank you for spending your time, your money and even yourselves to remind us of these beautiful teachings!” –NOU, Sunday school teacher (Peruvian Missions League participant)
• “Outstanding! Our Lord Jesus Christ is historically real. I learned that I shall never feel ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power and truth of God. I now have deeper knowledge to defend my faith with excellence.” –VTP, Pastor’s wife and Sunday school teacher (Peruvian Missions League participant)
• “I thank God for being there! The training has helped me to become stronger in my faith. It has also helped me to clarify and release me of any contradiction I might have had. Moreover, it encourages me to keep on the commandment our Lord Jesus gave us in a very clear way: the Great Commission. I want His glory to be known everywhere.”–JLVR, Accountant (Peruvian Missions League participant)

If you have continued to read this far, you can understand how excited I am about this feedback. Praise the Lord!

The helmsman of my sleeplessness,
The raven flies to me at night.
If I howl and roar
My cry becomes no louder.

It is barely heard five steps away
But even that, they say, is too loud.
But even that, is a gift of heaven
to be heard at all, five steps away

—Aleksandr Galich (1918-1977) translated by Anya Voskresensky

Am I too loud? Am I too straightforward and perhaps obnoxious? Is it right and appropriate to scream from the “rooftops” (in my case, University podiums and school cathedras) what should be spoken softly, gently or even left “ineffable”?

On the other hand, am I loud enough? What will all my efforts–all my travel, all my public appearances and presentations–accomplish in a country which stretches over eleven time zones with thousands of universities and tens of thousands of schools which I will never visit? Will the message of the “Gospel with Evidence” ever become strong and widespread enough in the Russian education community to make any effect on the population at large? Where is the balance between being too loud and not loud enough?

My last teaching trip to Central and Northern Russia made me think over these questions again and again. As usually, my audiences varied widely–from Christian scholars and Bible teachers to very secular university and high school students. One day, I would be presenting to an enthusiastic crowd of almost three hundred Bible Institute students, speaking to them very openly and in the “first person” about the evidence for my own faith in Christ. The next day I would be before an auditorium full of Public Schools History and Humanities teachers, for whom my message is called “The Rational and Historic Foundations of the Christian Faith” (the Russian title of the FaithSearch Discovery). I am now speaking of the faith of “those Christians” in the third person, training these teachers to teach that same material as a part of their high school World History course. The same facts, same evidence, same logic and same sources are presented–but with a very different tone and articulation.

One more thing is the same–their reactions! No matter what the initial mood dominates the audience, once the message is presented they cannot help but respond to it with appreciation and genuine, enthusiastic interest: “More! We need more! Give us more!” In most cases I have a chance to come back and to continue the training on one of my next trips to the same city or region of the country. In other cases, they will have to use the materials I leave in their hands–a complete PowerPoint^® presentation of the FaithSearch Discovery curriculum, plus a number of teaching tools and handouts they can print from the CD.

In fact, they can now copy the whole CD and hand it out to their students, as we have just finished a version of the FaithSearch Discovery in Russian which contains only public domain images. Even better: they can now download all these teaching materials from the Internet; they can listen to an audio version of the presentation online; and they can watch it online in the HQ video format. Is that “loud” enough? Perhaps, with all this technology which transcends distance and national borders, I won’t have to go there any more or as often? Maybe, once the word is out there, it will continue multiplying itself through the media channels?

The more I read the responses I receive from my audiences, the more I realize that I am in no danger of working myself out of a job. There are still lots of people who need to hear, to see and to experience the Gospel presented very personally. Here are some of them:

A High School Principle in Moscow said: “Weren’t you wondering, Oleg, today, why you are traveling two hours outside of Moscow to a remote village High School in Zelenograd, to meet with some students and teachers there? Well, let me tell you that we have been waiting and praying for somebody with exactly this kind of message for us and for our students for a long-long time. I, personally, prayed for it for fifteen years…  since my visit to the Bethany High School in Bloomington, MN, where I first heard the message of Christ. I thank God for sending you as a sign that it was indeed the Word of God and that He keeps loving, caring for and guiding me through all these years!”

A High School Dean in St. Petersburg said: “I watched [the students]. They were listening so intensely. And even when then talked to each other, it was about the presentation. Nobody ever spoke about this topic to them so openly and so… friendly. I am sure, it will be the talk of the school for a long, long time.”

A History Teacher in Moscow said: “My high school students are bombarding me with questions about faith and Christianity daily. Thank you for giving me tools to answer them intelligently and convincingly!”

A Moscow university professor said: “I never saw my students so excited after the lecture. You must have taught them something very important. They were discussing it in the hallway and told me that I also need to hear what they had just heard. Please, come again and we’ll make sure the faculty can hear you too.”

I received this message from a student who attended my presentation at the St. Tikhon’s Seminary: “Dear Oleg Vladislavovich! I am a Pedagogy Department student of the PSTGU (Seminary). I attended your Master Class and would like to thank you because this was a very valuable experience for me. I am also very thankful to you for your missionary work that you do through your seminars. As you know, there is a crisis in the Orthodox missions. For certain reasons, its experience is very limited. But there is no doubt, we need it!”

A St. Tikhon’s Seminary professor said: “[FaithSearch Discovery] gave us a completely new experience. We knew most of your facts and the landscape was mostly familiar, except that this time we had a tour guide to lead us through it.”

Another teacher from the St. Tikhon’s Seminary said: “If you continue teaching it in public schools our [Seminary] classes will soon be overflowing!”

A Teacher at the Orthodox High School said: “I have never seen them so excited and so eager to learn more. We are all jealous. /smile/”

A Moscow Bible Institute student from Tajikistan said: “Now I know how I can talk to my Muslim relatives and friends without making them angry at me.”

If you’re a Christian, it is quite possible you and I have something very important in common: We want our lives to be significant by making an eternal difference in as many other peoples’ lives as we can. Jesus described it as “laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). If I’m right—if that’s truly what you want—then according to Jesus, that’s where your heart is, as is mine (v.21).

Many people (perhaps even you?) must spend much of their waking hours doing something else—important, necessary things—but not fulfilling that heart’s desire. You wish you could do more. Well, you can, and you can do it through FaithSearch! Here’s how.

Those important and necessary things which occupy your day give you earthly treasure which God calls “seed” which, if sown in the fertile soil of Gospel proclamation, will yield a harvest of righteousness (treasure in heaven):

“Now He who provides seed for sowing and bread for food will provide the seed for you to sow; he will multiply it and swell the harvest of your benevolence…” (2 Corinthians 9:10, NEB).

An Investment that Reaps Eternal Dividends—A Harvest of Righteousness

Here’s how God’s Word says this works.

1. He placed the desire to build His kingdom in your heart.
2. You are a “tentmaker” [cf Acts 18:1-5] with a limited amount of time to fulfill that desire.
3. Through your job, God provides money for food and other basic needs, AND additional “seed,” sacrificially reserved for kingdom work—which He multiplies to make an eternal difference in other peoples’ lives.

You may ask, “How can I use my ‘seed’ for kingdom work if my job occupies most of my time?” The apostle Paul explains in the very next verse:

“You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11).

The seed which you sow as an investment in partnership with FaithSearch International (“through us”: letting Carlos, Oleg and me produce a “rich harvest” (TEV) through Gospel proclamation)—is viewed as your “service” (v. 12) and “obedience” (v. 13) which result in praise and thanksgiving to God. God says your prayers and finances shared with FaithSearch are a means for you to “sow for yourselves righteousness” (Hosea 10:12)—“laying up treasures in heaven” and finding personal fulfillment of the desire of your heart.

FaithSearch: A Ministry with a Proven Record of Multiplying the Harvest

FaithSearch is in its thirty-first year of proclaiming the Gospel with evidence to all peoples everywhere, yet we’re fighting for our very survival in today’s economy. Our evangelists have shared the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ in twenty-four countries on four continents to spiritually impact more than two million people (with a potential audience more than double that size through radio and television presentations). Within these “numbers” are real individuals whose lives have been changed—and they have gone on to multiply that transformation in others, thereby increasing the harvest of righteousness.

Widdy (green vest) and her family have multiplied the impact of the Gospel with evidence into the lives of many, many others.

Widdy

Several years ago Widdy attended my FaithSearch Discovery presentation, realized her need for a Savior, and found forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ. In the years since then, she has helped many women find Christ and grow through a home-based Bible study ministry. She and her husband are multiplying their faith by nurturing a godly family. More recently they started a Christian school in the Twin Cities which proclaims the Gospel and serves one of the most racially diverse and under-privileged communities in the United States. Years ago someone just like you invested a “seed” that is producing a harvest of righteousness.

Carlos discussed FaithSearch Discovery training with Gabriel and Lyd, in Mexico City in 2006.

Gabriel and Lyd

Back in 2006, when Carlos gave a presentation in Mexico City, two students, Lyd and Gabriel, stayed to chat and ask questions. They quickly became friends. Carlos struck a deal: Gabriel would pick Carlos up and drop him back at the airport, for far less than a taxi. In this way, he would get gas money when Carlos was there, and Carlos would save on cab fare. Last March, Gabriel wasn’t there… He was being trained to go to Morocco to reach Muslims, using the Gospel with evidence!

At her mother’s urging, Lyd went to college. Meeting a missionary there she realized she had always been trying to impress God with good works. So Lyd accepted the grace of God, and gave her life to Christ. Today Lyd is going to Toulouse, in southern France, bringing FaithSearch Discovery with her. Why? Toulouse is the fastest growing city in Europe. It has seventeen universities, 10% of the population is Muslim…and only 1% of the people in Toulouse know the Lord.

In part as a result of Carlos’ ministry, Latin America is not only a mission field, but a quickly-growing missions force. The fruit of his Gospel ministry is possible because people like you are becoming FaithSearch financial partners and through us experiencing fulfillment of the desire of their heart.

This professor at Oleg’s alma mater in Russia thanked him for presenting the Gospel with evidence to her students.

Moscow University Professor

On his last trip to Russia, after Oleg had just finished a FaithSearch Discovery training session to a class of future high school teachers, the professor stood and spoke:

I hope, my dear students, you realize the historic significance of this moment. Our own University graduate, after many years, comes back and teaches what would have been completely forbidden in his own time here. Out of my own heart, I cordially thank you, Oleg Voskresensky, for the highest quality presentation and material. Let me assure you that our students will be using it in their work and will thus become an extension of your efforts. Please come again. Thank you very much.

Imagine—nearly 2,500 Russian high school teachers (to date) have been trained, and are now able to present evidence for the Gospel in their classrooms! On the same trip, Oleg ran into one of his trainees in the Kremenchug Bible College who remarked, “I have been teaching [FaithSearch Discovery] regularly since last year all over my region.” Someone’s “seed” is bearing much fruit in Russian-speaking countries because they invested it in Gospel proclamation through FaithSearch.

YOU

Through FaithSearch you can fulfill the desire of your heart and be a multiplier of the Gospel, too—no matter how busy you are. The stories in this letter (and many more) were shared at our “Friends of FaithSearch Benefit Dinner” on May 1. I wish you could have been there—it was an inspiring evening. The 175 attendees that night gave generously so they could share in our harvest of righteousness in 2010.

I’m asking you to share in the spirit of that evening, and together reach another “Widdy” or “Gabriel,” with your financial investment at this time. Our fiscal year ends June 30, and we are about $150,000 short of our budget. Prayerfully consider investing with FaithSearch the “seed” which God has entrusted to you. Click here to make an online donation right now. We will use it to bring praise to God by “laying up treasure in heaven” on your behalf. Thank you!

Your partner in the Gospel,

Dr. Don Bierle
President, FaithSearch International

In some places in Ukraine and in Russia, our ministry is already well known and it is even expected that we will provide the training which they have already included in their teaching curricula and academic plans. New classes of students or fresh groups of school teachers are already there for me whenever I can find a spot in my teaching schedule.

These future teachers received FaithSearch Discovery training in the history department at Uman Pedagogical University, in central Ukraine.

Of course, as the word gets out about this “amazing material that should be standard for every teacher’s training” (school principle in Ukraine) I must include new Universities, new Teachers’ Training Centers, and new Bible Colleges into my tours. Local ministries are now inviting this “internationally renowned speaker from Moscow” to come and show support of their own Christian ministries and programming on University campuses and in other secular settings. My official status as an aspirant-researcher with the Russian Academy of Education is opening these doors of opportunity–doors which are usually extremely difficult to penetrate. A University in Uman, Ukraine, just started their Christian Ethics classes this year and asked me to come and build for it a strong foundation by teaching the FaithSearch Discovery course to their students and professors. How could I refuse, even if it did mean stretching my schedule and adding some very long hours on a very slow bus?! As validation of my choice to accept the invitation, it was a great joy to see the students’ faces light up in response to the truth of God, and even more so to hear their questions on the real meaning of life!

It was also very good this time to see some of the results of our ministry through the media. First, I discovered that they are replaying our previous audio recording of FaithSearch Discovery over their channels–over and over again due to ceaseless listener requests! Second, they also had to put it on their Web site for free downloading. People leave very positive comments there, like this one: “Thank you very much for posting the amazing recordings of O. Voskresensky. There are people among my relatives for whom this very course, in this very presentation style is ‘by doctor’s prescription’ (a Russian saying).” I was even a little surprised when the Radio Maria asked me to bring their listeners up to date with the progress of our ministry over the course of the year. “Of course, they said, our listeners remember you and your teaching (FaithSearch Discovery)! We replayed it already so many times!”

Oleg promoted events in Riga, Latvia, on the radio. Dr. Vitali Petrenko (center) director of the Riga International Bible Institute, has offered to translate FaithSearch ministry tools into Latvian, at no cost to the ministry!

Yes, it feels good to be so… popular, but it is much, much more rewarding to realize that your efforts have been multiplied by the Lord calling other talented teachers–and their responding!–to take up in their hearts the task of spreading His truth. At one of the training sessions in St. Petersburg, a public school history teacher walked up to me and said, “I came to your presentation again today just to thank you for the material you gave us last fall. I have been teaching it for the whole school year and already see the results: my students now are speaking about their faith very openly and confidently. I am so glad you are able to continue your ministry and train many others. Thanks.”

Not only to continue, but to expand it! I visited Riga, Latvia, for the first time on this trip, and taught the FaithSearch Discovery class in their Bible Institute and at their church. Naturally, they want me to come again this fall to teach it in their State University and other schools. I am also invited to teach FaithSearch Discovery there next April at their National Teachers’ Conference for hundreds of teachers at a time! The language does not seem to be an issue as they will translate both the Surprised by Faith book and the FaithSearch Discovery presentation into Latvian–for free!

This trip also included St. Petersburg and Moscow, where I presented at one of the largest Evangelical Churches “Slovo Zhizni” (Word of Life); and to Teachers’ Continuing Education Centers, public schools, and other ministries.

Oleg presented FaithSearch Discovery at Word of Life church in Moscow, one of the country’s largest evangelical churches.

Here are some of the exciting responses I received from those audiences:

So many Christian leaders these days are only relying on their own inspiration and an emotional appeal. Thanks for giving [our future leaders] a tool that will also engage their audiences’ mind and will. It is extremely important especially for the younger generation. —Dean of the Slovo Zhizni Bible Institute

When you asked this question (“Why Are We Here?”) the whole perspective changed. I was not simply listening to one more lecture; I was looking for the meaning of life! And, frankly, when you suggested a rational answer to the question of faith I was almost sure that you were going to fail. I know how tough, skeptical and almost cynical our crowd is. (I am one of them.) Thank you for presenting the faith in the best and the most reasonable way I ever heard. —University student

My own faith journey was long and difficult. I am so happy that our students will be given such a wonderful opportunity to make it faster and easier, thanks to your seminar. I can tell how much labor and time was put into making it [FaithSearch Discovery] but let me assure you: it was completely worth it. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! —Public School Principal

Being also a public school teacher, I was always looking and hoping for material I could present both in the church and in my high school classroom. Tonight my dream came true. I will be teaching it next school year. —Student from the Moscow Baptist Seminary

Oleg Vladislavovich, I was lucky to attend your Seminar “Otkrytie” [FaithSearch Discovery] yesterday in Cherkassy. It was indeed a “discovery” for me. You answered the questions that bothered me for a long time. I found my own path to faith not long ago, unfortunately. It has been a long journey because I had to search for everything by myself, intuitively. Yesterday I received lots of answers. Too bad, I lost so much time wondering in the darkness. Thank you for giving me the light and the encouragement. I hope your work will help many to find the right path in their lives. Thank you. —A note I received after teaching FaithSearch Discovery to the Ukrainian History and Philology teachers in Cherkassy, Ukraine

—From Oleg Voskresensky

Friends of FaithSearch gathered on May 1, for a $50-per-plate benefit dinner in the dining hall and chapel of Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, MN. Our theme was “Be Prepared,” based on 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an answer…”, using a spring planting theme for the decorations and other touches throughout the evening. As the event was scheduled for May Day, we adopted a spring floral theme featuring daffodils, with an eye to spring planting in anticipation of a harvest of fruit or flowers in the summer and fall months ahead.

The host for the evening was Joe Komarek, who ministers to business people in the Twin Cities through The Navigators. Joe is committed to establishing and equipping business leaders to live out the Gospel as relational evangelists and intentional disciple makers. A former school teacher, sports announcer and pro baseball scout, he has also taken FaithSearch Discovery teacher training, and has used FaithSearch resources in his ministry for years.  (Read about his ministry here.)

After dinner, we adjourned to the chapel for the evening’s program, where Carol Zimmerman welcomed us with music. Carol (also known as Carol Z) brings faith, laughter and music wherever she goes. Active in the Twin Cities music scene, she is a singer/songwriter, but also so much more. She speaks and performs for audiences of almost every kind, from kids to seniors, churches to clubs. She hosts a live podcast radio show, leads worship, performs in clubs and coffeehouses as the “Z” of the “The BZ Girls,” and she owns a decorating business for commercial real estate. Carol has been singing and performing on all kinds of stages her entire life from her father’s church platform, to choir risers, rock concert flatbeds, park bandshells to many varieties of coffeehouse stages and restaurant corners. She performs regularly as a solo artist and is in various groups as lead and backup singer, songwriter, keyboard and guitarist. You can hear samples of her music here.

The keynote address was presented by Dr. Michael Wise, Scholar-in-Residence, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Languages, and Department Chair of Biblical & Theological Studies at Northwestern College. (Read more here.) One of the world’s leading experts on the Dead Sea Scrolls, he was instrumental in bringing them to the Science Museum of Minnesota, where they are on exhibit through October 24. Dr. Wise has authored seven books and many scholarly articles, and is working on a second doctorate degree.

His presentation on the Dead Sea Scrolls was nothing short of wonderful! He articulated evidence that the Scriptures which we read today and which point to Jesus as our Messiah are indeed uniquely reliable documents. (Be sure to visit the Science Museum exhibit while it is in St. Paul to see them for yourself. < Link >)

Carlos Fernández (Spanish-language evangelist) and Oleg Voskresensky (Russian-language evangelist) presented updates on their international work. Carlos was excited to demonstrate evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in raising up a missions force in Spanish-speaking countries. Some of those he has trained with the FaithSearch Discovery ministry tools are preparing for ministry to others in Europe.

Oleg movingly  related how God is providing wide open doors in Russian high schools for the Gospel with evidence. Even while speaking, he was preparing to leave the following morning for another ministry tour of the Ukraine and Russia. In addition, Widdy Bird gave a strong and engaging testimony of a life changed through the ministry of FaithSearch International–and one which is continuing to bear fruit for the Kingdom.

Dr. Don Bierle, president of FaithSearch International, highlighted the recent surge in ministry within the USA, and outlined the ministry’s strategy for continuing to expand its impact for God’s Kingdom. This is a very exciting time for the ministry, as opportunities abound and ministry fruit has never been more evident. Dr. Bierle appealed to guests to consider prayerfully and seriously their role in helping the ministry survive, as we are, he said, “fighting for our financial lives.”

While guests at the benefit were very generous (the event raised nearly $22,000 for the ministry) we still have a long way to go to erase our deficit and balance the budget for the year. Perhaps you could be part of securing the future of FaithSearch International. (You can donate online here, or contact the office [by E-mail, or by phone 952.401.4501] for other creative ways to support the ministry.)

God is blessing our ministry with nearly constant reminders from event participants who are touched by the message of the Gospel with evidence, whose lives are changed for eternity as a result. As we faithfully proclaim the Gospel, He produces fruit for His Kingdom and His glory. To do this, we are dependent on donor support and the faithful prayers of God’s people.

The entire staff and board thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship around the tables as we ate a delicious meal and appreciated the cheerful beauty of spring daffodils, and heard the exciting reports of what God is doing in and through the ministry. The friendship and encouragement of those in attendance is greatly appreciated. As Dr. Bierle said in his presentation, “We need you to stay the course with us so we can continue to proclaim the Gospel with evidence to all peoples everywhere.”