Story number 3 for 15 Jan 2003

(Siberia)–Christmas in Russia is January 7th. SEND International’s Carl Kresge says their teams in Eastern Siberia helped the children of Ulan Ude (oo-LAHN oo-DAY) celebrate with a special event that reached over 600, most of whom were unchurched. “It was put on, actually, by an organization that is registered with the government for the purpose of reaching out to orphans and lower-class children. It was, at least a first opportunity for us to really present the Christmas story and the Gospel to a lot of Buryat children.” Kresge says their workers have a burden for the Buryat people (boo-re-aht) because they are the least evangelized in the area, despite the presence of established Russian Christians. “Their traditions and their churches really haven’t reached out very successfully to the Buryat people. So, we’re looking for that key that would really break open the hardness of the Buryat heart to the Gospel.”