Kaluga!

Dear Friends and Family,

As I write this letter we are in the beautiful city of Kaluga!  It is so good to be back in this place serving with an amazing church and team!
Last night we had a first concert and many teens from the city came out to the show.  I met two girls that were Christians who were so excited to meet us. As we spoke they told me that they felt a burden on their hearts to pray for a spiritual revival in the city. It was so encouraging to see two beautiful Russian teens that were so devoted to serve the Lord and spread the love of God. Another huge blessing was that we were able to rent a venue in the heart of the city. For prior outreaches, the halls we rented were a 20 minute bus ride from the city. Please pray that the Lord continues to bring out teens that are yearning for truth.

The last few days have been bitter sweet. We had a great orphanage visit with the Starista (country) orphanage after our Tver outreach, but we also had to say good-bye to dear friends from NJ. The kids were so excited to see us again. It brought tears to my eyes when Pastor Bruce asked the orphans what Jesus did for them  and they answered “He died for our sins,”  before he had the chance to tell them! These orphans have been visited continually for the past four years by CCCPM and they definitely have an understanding of the Lord’s love for them. What a blessing to see!

It was sad saying good-bye to our close friends in the Jesus Fellowship team. They were so wonderful to work with in Tver and we miss them dearly. They have such servant’s hearts and it was so apparent that they wanted to reach out to the lost in Tver. It was really encouraging that after our last concert night a couple of different teens said that they wanted to attend Max’s church! One of them, named Dema, even came and visited the orphanage with us! Praise the Lord!

Love,
Shannon (Taylor) Whitten & Crew!

For Such a Time as This...

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

    This verse seems to be a personal theme for this trip for me; the Lord keeps making it apparent that He has put me in this place for such a time as this. Everyday since my family and I decided to come back to Russia the Lord continues to make it overwhelmingly apparent with so many circumstance that this is the place we are to be right now. From little things such as bringing dear friends together to larger aspects such as fully funding the trip; there is so much more in the in between as well I marvel at. This is such a comforting thought.
 
   The last two nights we have had concert in Tver, the shows have been going well. The turned out has been smaller than other cities we have played in before, but this has given the team the opportunity to really meet and engage all the teens that attend. It has been such a blessing to see this team reach out to the youth. One of the biggest praise reports, in regards to the show, was some of the orphans from Staritsa came to our show last night! A few of these kids we have known for four years. There were ten of the kids total, with their orphanage the director, and they all heard the gospel message. This is very signifcant break through, we have never been able to do this before, praise the Lord!

The Lord has also been showing me “in our weakness HE is strong.” Last night at the show I was fairly confident in my own strength, right before we were to go on stage the New Jersey team did a skit to the song ” I can only imagine.” When I heard the song I broke down in tears. The song reminded me of my Grandpa Taylor who went to be with the Lord a year and a half ago. It was a huge challenge to perform after that, but the Lord gave me strength. I ended up sharing with the audience, while crying, about my Grandpa. I shared how I miss him so much but I know he is with Jesus and they too could have that assurance. Afterwards some of the Russian girls told me how what I shared really spoke to them. I give glory to God because that was not my idea AT ALL for the show, but it was apart of His plan.

      Only a couple of hours ago we spent the morning with the Tver city orphanage children. This was one of the orphanages that many of you prepared shoe boxes full of presents for two Christmas ago. This orphanage is more of a temporary house, none of the kids were ones we recognized. We had the chance to run a VBS type of program full of Bible stories, crafts, games, and skits. So today we made all new friends, their precious smiles and laughter broke my heart. I pray all of these precious little ones understand the love of God we tried to share with them. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Starista (country) orphanage, this is where the orphans live who came to our concert. 

   Please pray that the Lord would use us in this place tonight during the concert and at the orphanage tomorrow! Thank-you for all the wonderful emails of support, they are really so encouraging to receive!If you would like to see some pics from the trip thus far I have an album on 

facebook:http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=91900204#!/album.php?aid=2004584&id=91900204

Love,

Shannon (Taylor) Whitten & Family

   

It Starts Again!

Beloved Friends and Family,

Three planes rides and thirty plus hours later I found myself in the country I love. My tired eyes met smiling faces and open arms; it feels so good to be back among these dear people. This place has truly become a second home that always seems to beacon me back.

The last two days have been filled countless hours of catching up with dear friends and preparing for our first trip to the city of Tver. We are so excited to help our dear friend Max (originally from Tambov) with the new church in Tver!  For the past three summers we have seen first hand Max's love for reaching the Russian youth; we are so excited to be apart of this church’s birth! Please pray for the upcoming concert outreach, that the Lord would use us according to His will and bring the lost to Him.

Today, when I boarded a train to Moscow for sightseeing with the team, a bright eyed Russian lady stopped me and asked if I was from America. I engaged her in conversation and quickly learned she was a Christian who ran Christian summer camps for youths. She was accompanied by a teenage girl as well. As we conversed I learned that this beautiful young girl had been adopted from Russia by a Christian family from Florida, this was the first time she had returned to her home counrty. It was so encouraging to hear her story of becoming a Christian and her life with her new family. It was such a blessing and made me think of all the orphans we work with. I wish their story would all end in the same manner of Julia’s. This encounter was such a blessing!

After arriving in Tver tomorrow, my family and I are excited that we get to visit the four orphan siblings we have become so close with over the past years. Like my dad wrote in his last update letter, these precious kids have been moved to a different orphanage we have never visited. Despite some struggles, the orphanage director has allowed us to come and visit them for a short amount of time tomorrow. Please keep this encounter in your prayers!

Well it is time for sleep, tomorrow is a full day and will come early!

Love,
Shannon (Taylor) Whitten