LATEST FAMILY NEWS
Like families in the States, as the end of August rolled around summer came to an end and the start of another school year became a reality for Michael and Timothy. Both of them are attending school at Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany. Situated in the rolling hills of the Black Forest, BFA is a school for missionary children that gather together from over 66 countries around the world. Most of the students have their family base in Europe where their parents minister. We have been privileged to have our boys attend this school with Benjamin graduating from there in 2007.
This year Michael is a junior and Timothy is a freshman starting his first year in high school. Please pray for their transition back to school with new roommates and new dorms. Pray for them to quickly get into a routine with their studies. If you would like to see pictures of the boys –where they go to school and their dorms-- and you are a Facebook user, look us up at bobnlisamerrill and we would be happy to confirm you as a friend.
Benjamin will be starting his junior year at Seattle Pacific University. School for him doesn’t start until September 28th so he is continuing to work at his summer job of painting houses. He will shortly be moving into his new apartment with five other classmates in the Magnolia region of Seattle, only a 10 minute drive to the SPU campus.
Prayer Requests
Moscow
--Pray for the Glad News Church here in Moscow. We have been working with this church for over a year. They have a vision to plant churches throughout this city of 14 million people. We are able to part in the “birthing” of two new church plants from this body of believers, who only number over 100 on Sunday services. In August we teamed up with Genya and Delara Birikov to start a new church in the Butovo region. In November we will help with the start of a second daughter church, also called “Glad News.” 25 members from the mother church will form the core of this second church plant.
--During the months of September and October the Glad News church will be participating in “40 days of Purpose,” based on The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. The book and study guides have been translated into Russian. Pray for God to work in the lives of the church members during these days. Pray also for non-believers who are being invited to join in the home groups discussing the book.
--Lisa and Delara are beginning a women’s outreach evening using handcrafts. The idea is to invite women to come out for an evening with dessert and tea while making a craft. This would provide a way to develop relationships with new women. The first meeting is planned for September 8th. They are planning on doing this twice a month. Please pray for God to open doors to women through these meetings.
--Last month we asked you to pray for a job for Delara. She was looking at a job at the kindergarten where her daughter attends. That option did not work out. She has talked with a “friend of a friend” who works with the government. He was very positive and told Delara that as soon as the crisis is over and they can start hiring he will call her. Pray for God’s direction as Delara continues to seek a job.
Tyumen/Tobolsk
--Sept 18-29 we will be hosting a ministry team from Smokey Point Community Church. The team will be involved in some construction work at the Rehab center, holding evangelistic outreaches for women (over 150 women have signed up to attend these outreaches), and conducting a “Celebrate Freedom” seminar. Pray for safety for traveling, health for each team member, and for God to use this team in the lives of the believers and non-believers they will be interacting with.
--The Tobolsk church will be holding a concert at the Rehab center this month. Now that the building is almost completed, they have invited the whole village to come and see the center and hear about the ministry that will be taking place there. Pray for a positive response from the people who live in this village and for God to use the ministry of the center to witness to these people as well.
--While the short term team is in Tobolsk we will be having a dedication service for the rehabilitation center. Many of you have prayed for this center as well as generously given funds to help with the construction of the building. We know you will be joining with us in dedicating the center and the rehab ministry to the Lord. May God use the center to bring not only freedom from dependency of drugs and alcohol in the lives of men and women, but , more importantly, freedom from sin and life in Jesus Christ.
FINANCIAL PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU
Thank you for regular prayer support and giving to the Great Commission Fund, which is what keeps us here and keeps the C&MA operating. If you’d like to support our ministry gifts can be sent through your local Alliance church or to the Christian & Missionary Alliance at: The C&MA, P.O. Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935. Or, you can give online by going to www.cmalliance.org and select “Support”.
To fund our specific ministries here in Moscow and Tobolsk you can write “Merrill Work Special” or “Tobolsk Rehab Center” on the memo line.
