Hello Prayer Partners,

LaVerne’s leg slowly heals, more slowly than expected. It is hoped that by July she will not have pain any longer. Prayers for her are appreciated.

Tiffany’s friend Eric continues to recover from surgery, but a lot of cutting was done and internal re-routing. Considerable pain is a continuing problem with good days and not so good days. Thanks for your prayers.

I will be away for a week, July 18-25 — Crimea. I go with your prayers.

The law against sharing your faith in Russia (and Crimea) is once again being challenged at least in reference to its vagueness and ambiguity and how it contravenes Russia’s freedom of religion statutes. Though most churches have not been affected by it, individual Christians and church leaders continue to be fined and some deported. Interestingly, As of less than a year ago, I have me Russian pastors who knew nothing of the law! It is only enacted when someone turns you in, usually simply because they want to cause trouble for someone or a church. This law is applicable against both citizens of Russia and foreigners.

16 May 2018
RUSSIA: WILL CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REDUCE "ANTI-MISSIONARY" PROSECUTIONS?
http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2377
Lawyers have cautiously welcomed a March Constitutional Court ruling,
hoping it will reduce "missionary activity" prosecutions. However, the
first case seeking compensation for an unjustified "missionary activity"
prosecution failed. Glorification Pentecostal Church’s case against
Krasnoyarsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office and Russia’s General Prosecutor
was rejected.
The Court refused in March 2018 to consider his appeal, but issued a partial clarification of the amendment. This said that giving information about religious events would constitute an "offence" only if it was aimed at attracting people who are not already members of a religious organisation [not typos but British spelling].

There are legal challenges to the law and its current implementation both in Russian courts and in the European Court of Human Rights. Click on the link above for more details.

Pray that we are not touched by this law at the House on the Hill. Some in Crimea have had to pay fines. Pray for changes to this law for the sake of the gospel in Russia.

We still have no one interested in buying the House on the Hill. Please continue to pray for God to provide us with a good faith buyer. The net income from this sale will be used to help other missions with major project needs. We have a growing list.

May the Lord bless those who met near Kiev/Kyiv in April to consider God’s mission in the world and their responsibility and opportunities to be part of that mission, especially in supporting Bible translation for those who have no scripture in their mother tongue.

It was my pleasure to participate in that, delivering two talks to the attendees, preaching for chapel, and presenting two talks to the students of the Ukrainian Evangelical Seminary who had participated in the four day discovery event. May God’s blessings bear fruit in multiplying the churches that support Bible translation and the men and women who answer the call to work among those without the word in their language. I enjoyed the hospitality and visit with friends while I was in Kiev and (thanks to a 12 hour delay on my flight!), preaching. I hope to soon put together a pictorial newsletter of the April events.

May the Lord bless to his glory and service what the students learned in the two courses I taught weekly for Summit Christian College, Introduction to Missions and Cultural Anthropology.

LaVerne shot my last class of the semester. Now for the cleanup! (Faculty evaluation, syllabus changes for a possible next time, organizing the course material, quizzes, exams, notes to students.) Then to catch up on neglected projects!

Want to end this read in a more humorous vein? Read on.

You do know that "a tidy desk is the sign of a sick mind?" (Oscar Wilde