On October 30 through November 1, we had a three-day autumn Bible school with the title "God So Loved the World." In the early morning of the first day of the Bible school we sent off M. Caleb and Esther Kim to Latvia Riga with prayer and blessing.
Many students came to one-to-one Bible study during the fall semester. Among them 30 students attended the Bible school and received much grace. They are Marina, Anya, Elijah, Pavel, Karina, Georgi, Anton, Suun, Kostya, Victor, MiSha, Mikail, Vitaly, Stepa, Konstantin, SaSha, Cebom, Natya, Lena, PaSha, Andrei, Tanya, Maria, Elizabeth, MiSha, Jinsung, and Semen. After receiving grace, students brought their friends to the Bible school and one-to-one.
We prayed that new students might lay their foundation of life on the Creator God and Jesus through this Bible school. Bible passages were Genesis 1, Genesis 3, and John 3. Three Bible school speakers prepared their messages together with the four Sunday messengers' team with prayer. They also rehearsed many times, and God blessed them through the Holy Spirit
The first night on Friday, Sh. Olga Belykh led the singspiration. Then Sister Anya Alexina described God's creation through a visual presentation on Genesis 1. After that, 2nd gen Lyuba Rusanova who played bassoon on behalf of her father served a special music together with sister Marina KukuShkina who played piano. The first night messenger was Pavel Zaharov. He had dreamed to become a Nobel Prize winner in physics, but suffered from meaninglessness in life. But through Bible study he met the Creator God. He declared Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" and Genesis 1:31, "It was very good" with power. Next Sh. Vera Nikoraeva shared her life testimony titled "God was Very Pleased with Me." From a young age, she was talented in music, sports, and nursing. But without God she suffered from a guilty conscience because of stealing and lying, and was thirsty for love. She was invited to UBF by Sergey and Maria Nikitin's family of Nizhny- Novgorod. She studied the Bible with M. Caleb and Esther Kim of Latvia and was born again through John 8:9, "Neither do I condemn you." Now she shepherds MIPT students. Two weeks ago she visited Nizhny-Novgorod and served their Bible school together with Shs. Alexey Belykh and Lena Park.
On the second night, 2nd generation missionary Lydia Kim served a violin solo. Based on Genesis 3, Sh. Artyom Datsenko delivered a moving message titled "Adam, Where are You?" When he delivered the message as the word of God after accepting it humbly through rehearsal, it touched each of us with the love of God. Sh. Ivan Fominykh shared his life testimony. In childhood he deeply despaired due to his stepfather's drunkenness and violence. He wanted to live for the truth in this short life. Because he was excellent in physics and math, he was accepted to MIPT. Freshman year he got all 5+, but then he suffered from migraine headaches and could not go to classes and failed a class. At that time through one-to-one Bible study he heard God's voice "Ivan, where are you?" Sh. Ivan accepted the love of God and began to live according to God's good sovereignty. In Jesus he got a job by faith and established a house church with Sh. Nadya. Now he has two sons. Next we watched a moving video message "The interview with God" created by Sh. Ivan.
The third Sunday message was delivered by Sh. Timothy Ha on John 3 "For God So Loved the World…" Jesus bore with Nicodemus patiently and taught him the world of being born again and his death on the cross, as well as God's amazing love by giving his one and only son. After the message, Sh. Sarah Malygina shared her life testimony. She used to pursue a life of success like Nicodemus. She studied at the best law school in Almaty and took voice and band lessons. But her heart was empty and she suffered from self-consciousness due to her short height and from wounds due to a lack of father's love. She began to seek God while preparing for the national exam during freshman year in college. Through UBF Bible study she accepted the love of God who gave his one and only Son as Savior. Since then she has shared the gospel sacrificially based on Matthew 6:33 in Almaty, Astana, and Karaganda. She testified that the God of hope has been leading her to learn patience and sacrificial love at Jesus' school of love through her house church.
Next Brother Simeon Maskalchuk from Nizhny-Novgorod testified Jesus' saving love upon him who was like a prodigal son. He accepted God's calling to leave his father's household and to follow Jesus through the fall Bible school in Nizhny-Novgorod two week ago. He decided to follow God's hope for him to live as an ancestor of faith like Abraham in Nizhny-Novgorod. He thanked God for enabling him to enter a music school as a vocal major and giving him true meaning of life. Lastly we watched a video story of a father who sacrificed his son in order to save passengers on a train based on John 3:16. Many shed tears moved by the love of God who sent his one and only son Jesus for us.
Through this autumn Bible school we learned the importance of meeting God the Creator who made us and who is pleased with us and his one and only son Jesus Christ our Savior. We learned that God's love which sent his one and only son saves sinners from destruction and gives them new life. By this love of Christ we pray to serve Russian campus sheep with all our life in this fall and winter semester.
