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Keith... back by popular demand! Many people at wo...

Chris Koble — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 03:11:48 +0000

Keith... back by popular demand!

Many people at work have wanted to see a sample of Keith's "dancing" as he has told them that he is a professional dancer. So I post this for all of our co-workers!

Home Sweet Home...

Chris Koble — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:49:00 +0000

Well, I returned last night at about 7:00pm and fell asleep at about 9:00pm (8am Russia time) thinking I was good to go-- I was mistaken... I woke up about 5 hours later at 2am and couldn't fall back to sleep. So I decided that I am going to kick this jet lag by going to work today! So I am writing this post from my office at work and boy am I tired!

I must stay up late... anyone want to go to the moveis or something... I don't want this jet lag to last 2 weeks again. NO NAPS ALLOWED!!!

By the way... if you are looking to shed a few pounds, I have found that the RUSSIA diet works wonders... I'm down 15 pounds after only 4 weeks!

Gorky Park

Chris Koble — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 05:34:00 +0000

So for my last day in Moscow, we went to Gorky Park... yes that Gorky park! The park has become known in the west as the title of a novel by Martin Cruz Smith, which was later made into a movie Gorky Park. It was Russia's version of Disneyland with many rollercoasters many of which I was scared to ride for fear of dying the day before I was going home (the rides didn't look like they were maintained very well). It was a fun day! I'm heading off to the airport in a few hours and will be home soon! See you guys!

And it was so...

Chris Koble — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 07:36:00 +0000

I will be returning home on Wednesday after not being able to find reasonably priced train tickets to St. Petersburg that would allow us to stay in St. Pete for more than 1 day. So, one more night in Moscow and then back to the good ole US of A. See everyone soon!

Modern Technology...

Chris Koble — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:49:00 +0000

Well, like I said in my post earlier, I am in Moscow for a couple of days and I am playing around with my Skype account and I have figured out a way to recieve incoming calls for free! I would love to say "Hi" to anyone who would like to give me a ring... its always good to hear a familiar voice. You can call me at 562-735-3503. Even if you just leave a message, It would be great to hear your voice! Remember, Russia is 11 hours ahead of you in California... when it is noon in Cali it is 11pm in Russia. I will be in Moscow until at least noon on Tuesday (I'll keep you posted)!

Click Here to find the Time of Day in Moscow!

Hold on... this is a long one! - DAY 26

Chris Koble — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 07:05:00 +0000

Hello guys... it has been a while! I apologize for not updating you on what is happening in Russia as much as I would have liked to, but that is how it goes sometimes with limited Internet access. Since I last wrote you, we have done three more concerts and various other activities (discussion groups, bible studies, outdoor activities, etc.) to bring the people of Arkhangelsk closer to a relationship with God. I am really proud of the tireless work that the team has taken on. God really blessed us with a great team from the US and the Philippines.

The team left for home on July 17-- myself and two others stayed behind to follow up on relationships that we had developed. Our goal was to help connect the people who came to the music cafes into a church. It was great having some extra time in Arkhangelsk-- I do really love this place and the people there.

Over the last few days though, I have felt very homesick (in fact so homesick that I was contemplating coming back a little bit early)--- and maybe homesick is not the work I am looking for--- I just miss familiar faces and my routine back home. I left Arkhangelsk yesterday with the intention to fly right home on Monday and skip the St. Petersburg leg of my trip. Well... to say the least God has been working on me and my attitude.. He has renewed my desire to continue on after a few calls to friends with some prayer and encouragement.

So I am back on track... I'm in Moscow for two days and we will see what arrangements can be made for St. Petersburg. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for your continued prayer and support. I'll see all of you soon!

We're being kept busy...

Chris Koble — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 07:29:00 +0000

The trip is going well... we have organized several music cafes and the have been well attended (we have had two of the so far). Members of our team will be involved in a hard rock concert that is held here every year (which we were invited to participate in by the organizers). The weather has been very warm, we are hanging in there. We have also held discussion groups every day centered on the topics of new believers or those who might have questions on about God. We will hold our second worship night tonight and expect attendnace from all of the local churches. God is doing quite a lot to bring the churches in Arkhangelsk together as one body. Sorry it has been a while since the last post... we've been pretty busy.

Please pray for conversations with my friend Vasya who I met last year. We began talking about the differences between the orthodox church and the churches that we are working with. One on the main differences he tells me is that he brings his prayer needs to a preist who then prays them on his behalf. We are beginning to talk about having direct conversations with God. Please pray for Vasya and me for that matter as we continue to talk about this.

Team Arrives Today

Chris Koble — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 07:03:00 +0000

Well, after a successful week of planning, our team arrives today for a 10 days of ministry and concerts. Please pray for unity for our team and that God would begin to work in the hearts that we are supposed to minister to. Not much else to update you on... we've just been hard at work meeting with local pastors and making plans for the events. Thanks again for your prayers!

Arrival in Arkhangelsk

Chris Koble — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 15:24:00 +0000

Well after a short stay in Moscow, I departed for Arkhangelsk. It is so good to be back here – where things are familiar. Fore some reason I am having a hard time sleeping... I seem to be waking up at 3:00am each night—which won’t work when the team gets here because our evenings go until 12 or 1 am! Planning for the team’s arrival is going well and I can’t wait for them to arrive. It is colder than normal for this time of the year… it is in the 60’s and surprise… I didn’t pack any warmer clothes. Not much else to report yet as we are just getting started with the logistics planning here. Tomorrow we meet with all of the pastors to go over our tentative schedule.

I will try to keep you updated of our progress. Please pray for our team and the incredibly quick connection in Moscow-- it will be tight.

Day 4 in Moscow

Chris Koble — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 03:46:00 +0000

Well it has been a great time in Moscow so far. John and Kristin came in last night and we are headed to Sokol Calvary Chapel to worship with our friend Vova. Vova is a huge fan of Mexican food so we are going to treat him to Mexican cuisine (if you can call it Mexican--- he won't know the difference) tonight for all of his help in Moscow. Tomorrow morning we head out to Arkhangelsk to make preparations for the team to arrive. The apartment that I got for my time in Moscow is a great little place that sits across from the Swiss embassy (so it is safe) and is bordered by a park with live music and dancing... pretty cool.

Arrival in Russia

Chris Koble — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 06:45:00 +0000

My flight went off without any problems... in fact taking a Russian airline gave me a taste of Russia right here in the US! Other than waiting for over an hour to get my bags, the whole thing went off without a hitch. I spent my first night in my rented apartment which is a nice little place. Not much to do here in Moscow except wait for the other co-leaders to show up. I'm just taking it easy. Will go to a prayer meeting at Vova's church tonight. That's about it! Thanks for prayin' and I'll write you again soon!

Half-Way There!

Chris Koble — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 14:07:00 +0000

With less than three weeks to go before I leave for Russia, I wanted to thank those of you who have written to me with an expression of their support both in prayer and financially. I truly appreciate it and thank God for you every single day. As I stated in my support letter, God has made it clearer to me why He wants me in Russia. This 5 week trip will allow me to work with the team that is traveling from the US to stage many different outreaches for the local community as well as help to do critical follow-up with those who attended one of the events that we put on.

As you can imagine, a trip of this duration comes with a financial cost. Right now, I am almost half-way to my goal of raising the needed support of $5500. The thermometer on the right details my progress-- I have raised $2650 as of the date of this post. If you are interested in supporting me financially or with your prayer, you can download my support letter at http://www.chriskoble.com/appeal-RU6A.pdf

Thank you for all of your support and prayers!

Happy Russian Independence Day

Chris Koble — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 14:05:00 +0000

Russia Day is an Independence Day holiday in the Russian Federation celebrated on June 12. On this day, in 1990, Russian parliament formally declared its sovereignty. While the holiday has been officially recognized since 1991 when it was established by Boris Yeltsin, 2003 is the first year that it was celebrated in a major way, when promoted by Vladimir Putin. So to all my Russian friends--- Happy Russia Day!

If you thought my toe-socks were creepy...

Chris Koble — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 17:22:00 +0000

Then check out the kewl new shoes that I'm gonna buy. Its like walking barefoot, but not! I'm in heaven! Check out the website here

Wanna know when the big day is?

Chris Koble — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 01:52:00 +0000

You may be asking... what big day? The day that you start pushin' up daisies... that's what day! Check out DeathForecast to find out when you're gonna kick it!