CALVARY CHAPEL VALLE VISTA CAME TO VISIT US...

(left to right) Lenna our bookkeeper, Shasha handles all the postal duties, Cergey a grader and coordinator, Luda receiving of all correspondence, Vera staff, Pastor Cliff, Natasha,, administrator , Willy and Paul, Alexy our director, and Dale the SFM Chaplin

Today in we were visited by a missionary team from Calvary Chapel Valle Vista, Hemmit California. Pastor Cliff Watson with Paul and Willy Parry visited our offices here in Moscow. They met with our director Alexy and some of our staff. We had a wonderful time of fellowship. Alexy showed the recent SFR video about the ministry and spoke about the work along with some of the staff members. Pastor Cliff has a real heart for Russia, He made his first trip to Russia in 1993. Paul and Willy along with their 2 sons lived here in Moscow in the early 90 and Pastored a Calvary Chapel here in Moscow. They have been coming to Russia ever since with a true love for the Russian people. They have been a great supporter of the work of SFR.

Recent letters...

The essence of my letter is that I have a big thirst for knowing God and I’d like to have a correspondence study and to learn as much as possible through fellowship with you.
Hope you won’t refuse my request and enroll me to your Bible study.
I am 29 years old and I am doing my time for my sins: robbery and pillage. I was punished for 6 years and 6 months and I have 5 years and 3 months left to do.
I don’t know what else to write about myself. Feel free to ask me any question I will be happy to answer you.
I will be impatiently waiting for your answer. May the Lord God keep you!
Truly yours,
Igor
Krasnoturinsk, Yekaterinburg region.

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Hi,
I am a convict who wants to perceive the Lord God and to know more about Him.
I was taking some literature from another convict in my prison team.
He wrote you and you have sent him this literature and correspondence Bible studies.
If you have spiritual literature, please mail me some, I would appreciate it a lot.
I want to get to know and to believe in the Lord because I am a big sinner and I want to know how to repent before God.
I really want to reform and not to do sins anymore. I will be waiting an answer from you (my sentence ends in 2014).
Sincerely yours,
Andrew
Chita, Baykal region
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Hi my dear Spiritual Freedom!
I have already appealed to you with a request for Bible studies. You wrote me back and told me to write later.
Hope everything goes well now and you financial situation is improved and you can mail me what I was asking for (literature and Bible studies).
May God give you good health and all the best. I will impatiently be waiting for your answer.
With respect to you and to your noble work you do for all believers and people,
Andrew
Sterlitamak, Bashkir Republic

recent letters

Dear SF Bible school teachers!
I have become a Christian on 08.08.2010. I sit in prison with false charges against me and I’m trying to have my conviction canceled. My wife, children and relatives are waiting for me. I suffer without them and they suffer without me. However I believe that God gave me this trial according to His plan. Being imprisoned I have approached Him and became a child of God. I read the Bible every day and sometimes some other spiritual literature. I pray regularly along with my brothers in Christ. I want to get closer to God. Due to this I ask you to admit me to your Bible correspondence school program. There are four more brothers from my prison team who also want to be accepted. Their names are……………..We hope to get your response soon. May God bless you.
Eugene
Krasnoyarsk City
Received 07.02.2011
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Dear Spiritual Freedom workers!
I’ve got your address from my friend. I decided to write you because there are many opinions
and many disagreements about God here in the prison. So I have decided to examine myself and to learn something new. My request is that you send me the first examine book “What the Bible Teaches”. I promise to return it to you with all questions sincerely answered. That is all for now.
Peace and Grace to you.
Truly yours, Roman
Vladimir region
25.01.2011 / Received 07.02.2011
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My name is Alexander and I’d like to know more about God and I saw that you can help me with that. I’m asking you for New Testament and any other Bible literature if of course you can. Thank you so much in advance!.
Alexander Altay region
Received 25.02.2011
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My name is Ilia. I have a Bible. I have already read it a few times, but I truly want to understand it. I was in a library and an old book got my attention it is the “Good News” Bible study. There I
found your address inviting me to learn about Holy Scripture. I’d like to know what truly essence of Christian faith is, how to get approval of the true God and what God requires from me personally. I consider myself as a Christian. But I understand that to consider myself a Christian and to be a Christian are not the same. Psychologists have a term “self-suggestion”. For example I can try to convince myself that I am a President and believe that. But I will be self deceived because I am in reality not 3/12/2011the President. I went to our prison church and spoke to a priest and other believers. I have figured out that the priest himself is not competent in some Bible issues and most of parishioners do not know what they are talking about. My desire is scrutinize the Bible but not mere to repeat the words without knowing their meaning. Wrong knowledge is worse than ignorance. Please help me in my seeking.
Truly yours,
Ilia
Krasnoyarsk City
31.01.2011 / Received 21.02.2011

We recently received this letter from Lena a young lady living in the village. It has been our concern for the literally 10,000 of villages over the 10 time zones of Russia, that in many cases do not have any access to any evangelical influence. Through the Russian postal system people such as Lena can be built up in their faith, and can have access to solid biblical teaching.

To: Alexey( director of SFR)
Hi, My name is Lena, I am 28.I'd like to study the Bible of the New Testament. But it is not possible as I live in a village. There are no such books in our village library and impossible to buy them. Because of the times and the moral condition of my village, I have no one to ask for help. That is why I’m ask for help… Thank you very much in advance.
Lena, Amurskay oblast. Voskresenovka 10/08/25

2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Greetings from Moscow, we are experiencing what we call a “Ladies Summer” here in Moscow. You would know it as an “Indian Summer” the fall weather has just been beautiful…For all of you that have been following the journey of Spiritual Freedom Russia, we are still moving ahead. Even though the ministry has had to make adjustments because of finances, Bible courses are being received, courses are being corrected, letters are being answered and new believer packets are being sent. After 17 years the work continues to the often forgot group of society in Russian prisons. We are thankful to the small group of faithful supporters that have made the difference in the last 3 years of this ministry. The fact that SFM continues is testimony to the faithful prayer support of all of you who have a heart for this ministry. Recently a new DVD has been created by Alexy our director. It tells the story behind the office doors of Spiritual Freedom Russia and behind the walls of life in a Russian prison. The new DVD records some rare footage of the people SFR has the opportunity to reach out to. You can view this DVD at the SFR blog site. www.sfmrussia.org.

Prayer requests:
1.) Please continue to pray for Alexy our director, he has been through quite a trial over the last year as his wife Rita has had many different health issues.
2.) Pray that Alexy will have the wisdom need to lead the SFR team. God has gifted Alexy as a leader and we are thankful for his leadership.
3.) Pray for the staff as some of them have had to seek other employment. We know God is faithful and will provide for each one.
4.) Pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in the Russian Prison system and that the doors would remain open for Evangelical work in the prison.
5.) Please pray for the faceless men and woman and teenagers that receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior then are released into society, that they will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and be a blessing to Russian society.

If you have any questions regarding the ministry please contact us. deanmalispina@calvarymoscow.com

Thank you all so very much for your faithful prayer support of this work, if only you could come and visit us and see the faithfulness of the Lords work here. Thank you for your concern for men and woman you may never meet this side of eternity. God bless you and the work the Lord has called you to. From all of us at SFR

some time in the early 90’s Nikolay Golovkov was convicted of murder and was sitting on death row in the famous 300+ year old Butirka prison here in Moscow. Nikolay lived in the Urals, in eastern Russia, where he was arrested. He was transferred to Moscow because he appealed to the Supreme Court regarding his case. According to Nikolay, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. One night he was arrested for a murder that took place in a park where Nikolay was found hopelessly drunk. The police arrested him, and because he was an ex felon, they thought they had their man. Nikolay’s appeal was rejected and there he sat on death row waiting for his execution, a bullet to the back of the head. In 1993 then the director and founder of SFR Phil Wagner, and the Alexy Tikhonov our current director were given miraculous permission to visit men on death row. It was there that sitting in death row cell #70 that Nikolay first heard the Good News and came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. God kept Nikolay from being executed so that he could hear the Good News of the gospel of His Son Jesus Christ. Here is a sample of the many letters received by Nikolay over the last 17 years.
“ Good morning, afternoon, or evening in our Lord Jesus Christ my dear beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. Grace, peace, and mercy to you my beloved, from our God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ our merciful and faithful High Priest! Blessed is the Lord God, who never leaves us without His mercy and truth. I thank our Father in Heaven for our brothers and sisters from Spiritual freedom. Bringing to us the Word of Life, our daily bread. With all the depth of my heart I am thanking our dear Lord God for you.
Your brother Nikolay. 05/19/04 Mordovia .
In 2000 the death penalty was lifted and all who where on death row were given life sentences. But Nikolay had already received a pardon from heaven above! Later Nikolay would tell Alexy that even though he was imprisoned falsely, he knew that is where God wanted him to be so that he could know His Son Jesus Christ. Nikolay said that if he would have been free, his life would have ended in destruction. According to Alexy, Nikolay was very zealous about Jesus Christ. He did every course, and then began to write commentaries on the Bible studies. Nikolay had a reputation for not allowing any conversation that was contrary to the Word of God. Once, two things happened, when men were cell mates with Nikolay, they either became members of the family of God , or they begged to be moved to another cell. Nikolay would not back down when it came to the truth of God’s Word, even if that meant going toe to toe with orthodox priests. This simple man grew in his knowledge of the Bible. Nikolay knew how to defend the Word against false teaching that might work its way towards him. We will never know how many inmates and guards were influenced by this disciple of Christ. God kept Nikolay miraculously alive for many years. Nikolay suffered from the effects of TB and was missing one lung and the other was deteriorating but God kept him alive for 17 more years. Pictured is a photo in a frame that Nikolay made and presented it to Phil and Alexy. Notice the very intricate design done all by hand. Nikolay, as far as we know, was an orphan, but this we do know - he is part of the eternal family of God and all we who are in Christ will meet our brother one of these days. Joh 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life..."

Recent letters.......

Recent letters from our Bible Students behind bars..........
April 6, 2010 The greatest decision in any humans life is when the person receives Lord Jesus Christ as a personal Savior from sins. I have a joy to share with you. One of my inmates once came up to me and without saying a word took my book “The Good News” Bible study and started to read it. He told that he also wants to study the Bible. A few weeks ago he was a furious, violent atheist, but today he reads Bible every day. Learning the Bible he has come to Christ and received Salvation. I’m humbly grateful, thanks to all of you.Arthur, prisonerKrasnodar City

March 31, 2010 Dear brothers and sisters, greetings with great holiday of Resurrection of Christ.Your books helped me a lot. They stimulated me to study the Bible and I am very thankful for that. I am sending you a list of people (20 people) from my cell block. They want to study too.Evgeny Footin, prisonerPr. #15, Kopeysk city

. March 15, 2010 Hello to all of you at our most esteemed Spiritual Freedom!We recently requested from you some literature and Bible correspondence studies from the servants of God Alexander and Dmitry (Staff of SFM)We want to thank all Spiritual Freedom workers for the literature, which you’ve sent us, and to wish you and your organization only the best .We, as soon as we received your packages were very happy and thanked God for He has heard us. Because this prison is in such a remote place we are far away from any fellowship and there is nobody to talk about the Bible. On the very first day, my friend Alexander and I, have started to work on our first lessons. We will be praying for all of you at Spiritual freedom.Sincerely and warmly in our hearts, servants of God, Dmitry & Alexanderprisoners, Omsk city

The Fruit Of the Holy Spirit

Today is one and a half year since I started my study in Spiritual Freedom Bible School. And I can merely say that your and of course Christ’s goal is reached for 100% - I am cleansed and washed by the Lord.

I was able to get out from power of sin and find deep faith in Jesus Christ – our Lord and Savior.

I was convicted for robbery to 6 years ending 01/16/2010. And I have also decided to listen to the Word and confess to society in number of medium crimes, which I had committed before. Back in 2001 – 2002 when I was a teenager, I behaved like a hooligan and I was an unconscious sinner as I really did not know how to live right (I grew up with no father).
Now, by the Word of God, I have quit covering all my crimes and I turned to investigating committee and gave myself up. I am ready to repay and thanking God for this recovery of my sight.

I know and I am 100% sure that my further life in Christ will save many lives of others, bringing them to Heavenly Father. I have got a need to preach the Gospel and tell people what the Lord did to me and how He has pardoned me.
I want them to know Christ, because to know Him - is to know life.

Sergey,
IK-7, Karelia Republic, Russia

Pre-trial Prison of the Crosses, Saint Petersburg Russia (over 5000 inmates)

After I read one of your books, I have learned that there is an organization which can help to know more about my Savior and my sin. I love God. I am happy that He is on earth, on heaven and in my heart! But I’d like to learn much more than I already know. I mean from the very beginning about sin and the people who personally knew Jesus Christ. If you have this kind of books, please help me.

It is very important to me. Without it I cannot understand myself. Something going on with me and it tears off my soul. I believe that I can find the answers from your books. Help!!!
And one more thing, I want to say thank you very much for you are. I think that I am not the only one who needs it!

Sincerely yours,

Roman
Prison of the Crosses, Saint Petersburg