The Lord has been with us!
«…My brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved».
(Phil. 4:1)
Dear friends, dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Together with you, we have approached an important milestone: the 25th anniversary of Russian Evangelistic Ministries. For the staff of the ministry, the missionary families, and everyone who has prayerfully supported the ministry over these years, this is an important milestone!
As we reflect on the journey, we are deeply grateful to the Lord for leading this ministry from its inception. Twenty-five years later, this fact seems even more evident to us!
Our hearts are also filled with profound gratitude to you, our dear friends, who supported this outreach from the beginning or joined us along the way, and have stood with us, shoulder to shoulder, in this important work of the Gospel!
When the ministry began, there were many seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but the Lord showed His grace time and again! Back in 1993, we were still a recent immigrant family that came to the United States as religious refugees from the Soviet Union; many things were new to us. Yet, we felt the fire in our hearts that reminded us of the struggle and the ministry of the persecuted church in the former Soviet Union and about the dire spiritual needs
of the people who were brought up under atheism.
A small beginning, laid 25 years ago, grew into an extensive ministry that today support the work of the Gospel in many regions of the former Soviet Union. During this time, we have witnessed many of God’s miracles. For example, when the ministry prayerfully decided to financially support the missionary families, it was a step of faith: we had no assurances that the ministry will have the necessary funds at the beginning of each month. And the Lord has been faithful month after month: He has met the needs of His saints through your prayers and generosity. When we look back at these 25 years, they serve as a humbling testimony of God’s faithfulness!
I want to personally thank you, our dear friends, for being part of God’s miracle! As we reflect on what the Lord has accomplished over these 25 years, may this milestone inspire and encourage us to be faithful in our calling, especially as we see the glorious day of our Lord’s Second Coming approaching!
In Him,
Rev. Vladimir A. Okhotin
REM’s Founder and President
San Diego, CA
2018-2-en
