It is an honor!

We appreciate all of you who have sacrificially given to international missions. Many SBC churches participated in "Christmas in August" for IMB efforts to send workers. Thanks for allowing us to be your missionaries. It is an honor.

In His Love,
Buck and Leslie Burch, serving with IMB in European Russia

desire mercy

Path Light: Read Hosea 6 and Matthew 9: 9-13

Key Passage: Try to understand what it means that “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.” Because I came to call sinful people, not righteous, to turn to me. -Matthew 9:13 *quotations KJV

We desire God’s mercy. Because of the mercy and compassion he shows us, we know that He loves us and wants us to know Him personally. God had pity on us; therefore, He sent His only Son, Jesus to die for us.

Also in Hosea God spoke to the Israelites concerning their form of worship, and God said, For I desire mercy and not sacrifice; and knowledge of God more than ritual offerings (Hosea 6:6). In Matthew Jesus refers to these same words of God, “have mercy.”

Path Application: God wants our hearts to be given to Him more than He wants what we bring to Him. He wants us to first acknowledge Him as the one and only God. A person may do many things in God’s name and may never know Him. Sometimes we do things in God’s name only to satisfy our desire for recognition. Accept His love and forgiveness. Acknowledge Him as Your Savior. Daily through the reading of His Word and prayer seek to learn what He wants.

Let’s show mercy, love, and kindness to everyone as Jesus showed. One example of Jesus’ concern for all people is in this passage when Jesus was eating dinner at Matthew’s house with many sinners. When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about his eating with “sinners,” Jesus mentions that He came to save those that were lost. We can in no way segregate ourselves from certain types of people. We cannot place people in categories. Jesus died for us all. We are all sinners until we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. This week be challenged to identify in some way with ALL people. Do not just find yourself encompassed by believers. Look for the lost in your city. Show them mercy and compassion as Jesus did at Matthew’s table.

Eat with the lost. Jesus wants every person to believe in Him. He died for sinners. Give your whole heart and life to him, and do not build for yourself a comfortable zone around you that excludes certain types of people because of race, culture, lifestyle, or habits.

Walk Farther:
1. Do you know God personally? Do you have a strong desire to know Him better?

2. What do you need to do in order to know the Lord? What do you need to do in order to know Him better and know His desires?

3. How can we share Jesus with the lost if we are not around them? How can we tell others about Jesus if we spend all of our time only with believers?
-A Winter's Path, path 35, L. Burch, 2006

Correspondence study

I am very pleased that the Golgotha in English website is being used for study via correspondence now, too. If others are interested, feel free to contact me for questions about the study. I just posted Lesson 8 in Russian and English. Please work at your own pace.

We had a great day Sunday at Golgotha church as we had about 20 students. And this week I began receiving e-mails from a former student in another city in Russia who is working through the study online. How this blesses my heart! The plans for a new children's English program are progressing as well. We hope to soon add a time of learning and worship for school aged students, too. Thanks for your prayers.

In His Love,
Les

Sound of Old Russia

A common musical sound that one might hear in Russia is the accordion. Still played today by many, this instrument is a sound of old Russia as is the balalaika, a string guitar-like instrument. The other Sunday four church members sang a special with this one man band entitled:

“Красота Иисуса, светись во мне”

Пусть увидят во мне красоту Христа,
Всю Его чистоту и любовь всегда.
О Дух Божий, приди (приди),
Все во мне измени (измени),
Пусть увидят во мне красоту Христа.
-Songbook of Hymns #802, 2006

“Beauty of Jesus, Shine in me”

May all see the beauty of Christ in me,
All His purity and love always.
O Spirit of God, come,
Change everything in me,
May all see the beauty of Christ in me.



I did a rough translation for you to read as you listen (click play tab on video). It is difficult to explain in words the emotions that are triggered when I hear the sounds of old Russia. In America I guess it is kind of like hearing someone play the harmonica or strum on the ole banjo.

In His Love,
Les

2009-2010 Burch Ministry and School Plans

With the summer coming to a close, the Burch family is gearing up for a new school year with homeschooling and ministry plans—2009-2010. We will start our homeschooling year mid-August. Ashlyn will be in 10th, Amielle in 8th and Luke in 4th grade. Our family attends Golgotha Baptist Church in Moscow. This fall we hope to establish a house group-based English ministry through the church that will meet goals for an international 2nd worship service at the church (more youth-oriented and people group-oriented) as well as start house churches for minority people groups in Moscow. Please pray with us for at least two house groups started by next spring and four by next fall. We would like to see a leader emerge who could be sent out as a missionary/evangelist to his own people group. In a few weeks our present Sunday school class will begin a time of worship by forming a praise & worship choir. And we will be formatting and printing a book for the lessons that were written by a member of our church for the recent spiritual gifts study.

Buck also may be traveling to Serbia in October to help lead an Urban Church Planting Conference for pastors and church planters. Buck will be in Georgia, USA, in November to sign the official IMB/GBC partnership that will start a five-year relationship with Georgia Baptists and St. Petersburg and Moscow. Buck has been invited to train some young people or pastors in the Chuvash Republic and in Ruza. Leslie is praying with the pastors’ wives about starting a home group Bible study. She enjoys meeting with the ladies at Golgotha and has opened her home for a place to meet if they choose. She is also traveling in October to Latvia to help facilitate a leadership meeting among missionary leaders’ wives.

We ask for your prayers as we are moving apartments again. This will be our 7th move since we came to Russia in 1998. The board is asking us to change to another apartment in the center of Moscow in order to make room for another family moving here. We will miss our neighbors that we have come to love. Pray for us to have strength, patience and for the Lord to open up many opportunities for us to serve Him in our new “home”. Buck also covets your prayers as he is working on a Ph.D. in Applied Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. We depend on your partnership. Thanks for being right with us during our missionary journey and feel free to pass along the E-devotional book A Winter's Path by Les.

In His Love,
Les