Rustam is one of those prodiges that every mentor would love. He has been an enthusiastic learner for most of our five years here, and his learning has not just been about knowledge, though Rustam is an avid student of the Bible, and studies it in the original languages, and he studies everything carefully to see if it is true, trustworthy and of God. More than that, he learns to grow, to apply in his life and marriage, and he learns to be able to bless others. He is a genuinely thankful student, and he remains thoroughly teachable, humble, and thirsty for more.
Rustam has grown in his personal life, his marriage (to Masha, at right), and in intimacy with the Father. He has grown in leadership, favor, and responsibility towards his commission. He has come great strides in knowing his calling and in finding the faith to pursue God's will for his life. To this end, he and I have been working and praying over how to help him transition out of his full-time employment into full-time ministry, and we think we have a plan, a plan that requires an amazingly modest $3000 over the next year to make it happen. Why so little?
First, incomes here are extremely modest by Western standards.
Second, Rustam's leadership skills have grown so much that his teaching, mentoring, counseling, and coaching are now growing in demand. Much of his income is going to come from local sources as he builds his base of ministry in the community through the kinds of work that we are doing - work that also fits within our strategic plan for the coming years as a team.
Third, Rustam's income has been good enough that when he finishes his current project (he is an interpreter), he will have a little buffer to help transition him into ministry.
What will he be doing? First, he is and will be leading training in counseling and coaching. For example, right now he is working with another member of our team to save a marriage under my supervision. Early results are very encouraging. He also helps me in providing those direct ministries to members of our team, students, and the public at large. He will be helping me as I reach out more to the church community and offer training on location for pastors and their leadership teams. Lastly, but not at all least, Rustam has a longstanding interest and experience in orphan ministry, and he is a part of our Orphans Reaching Orphans team, and a critical component at that. This kind of work, of course, does not pay, as most orphans have no income to give for his services, so this is the side of his job that will require ongoing support.
If you are only half as excited about this project and this young man of God as I am, then consider contributing monthly or towards our one-time start-up costs of $5000 to get him stabilized in ministry. The link for our Orphans Reaching Orphans donation, through my mission Church Resource Ministries, is here.
Rustam has grown in his personal life, his marriage (to Masha, at right), and in intimacy with the Father. He has grown in leadership, favor, and responsibility towards his commission. He has come great strides in knowing his calling and in finding the faith to pursue God's will for his life. To this end, he and I have been working and praying over how to help him transition out of his full-time employment into full-time ministry, and we think we have a plan, a plan that requires an amazingly modest $3000 over the next year to make it happen. Why so little?
First, incomes here are extremely modest by Western standards.
Second, Rustam's leadership skills have grown so much that his teaching, mentoring, counseling, and coaching are now growing in demand. Much of his income is going to come from local sources as he builds his base of ministry in the community through the kinds of work that we are doing - work that also fits within our strategic plan for the coming years as a team.Third, Rustam's income has been good enough that when he finishes his current project (he is an interpreter), he will have a little buffer to help transition him into ministry.
What will he be doing? First, he is and will be leading training in counseling and coaching. For example, right now he is working with another member of our team to save a marriage under my supervision. Early results are very encouraging. He also helps me in providing those direct ministries to members of our team, students, and the public at large. He will be helping me as I reach out more to the church community and offer training on location for pastors and their leadership teams. Lastly, but not at all least, Rustam has a longstanding interest and experience in orphan ministry, and he is a part of our Orphans Reaching Orphans team, and a critical component at that. This kind of work, of course, does not pay, as most orphans have no income to give for his services, so this is the side of his job that will require ongoing support.
If you are only half as excited about this project and this young man of God as I am, then consider contributing monthly or towards our one-time start-up costs of $5000 to get him stabilized in ministry. The link for our Orphans Reaching Orphans donation, through my mission Church Resource Ministries, is here.
