November 2017 Partner Letter
Looking out the window beside our desk we see the season is quickly changing all around us. The months of our calendars turn from page to page so swiftly and sunny summer days seem so fleeting. Autumn is in the air with the slight hint of winter approaching.
As decades of our lives pass and our journey through life meanders we also transition from season to season. And so it is for us at this time. Our journey has taken us half way around the world to experience 13 wonderful years in Russia! These years were filled with exciting adventures with God, a season in which we stretched to give our all to complete our God-given assignment.
Today, we approach a new season and we want to share our hearts and ask for your prayers as we endeavor to take up and complete our new assignment.
For quite some time we sensed we were approaching a season of change and as we continued to pray and seek the face of God, we began to realize our time in Russia was coming to a close and we were entering into a brand new season of our lives and ministry. We knew change was coming, we just didn’t know quite what it would look like.
At this writing we understand we have completed our assignment in Russia and we have been reassigned, so to speak. We also realize our 13 years in Russia has prepared us for this new season!
We have relocated to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and are setting up housekeeping which is quite a daunting task considering we are starting over once again. We totally understand what a new married couple faces when they begin their life together.
Of course, saying goodbye to our many friends in Moscow, the international group we pastored and the teams we mentored all these years has been difficult but the people of Russia will forever be in our hearts and prayers. And we will continue to travel to Russia to teach in the Good News Training Center and churches in other cities we ministered in throughout Russia.
We are excited about this new season of ministry and as soon as we get settled here in Broken Arrow, Katherine will begin to write a series of small books on prayer which eventually will be combined into one larger book. These books will, of course, also be translated into Russian. We already have someone who is ready to translate the books and the finances on hand to publish and print the books!
We believe the best years of ministry are right here before us and we are eager to move forward in this new season. We are so thankful we have a sure guide in the person of the Holy Spirit and we have seen His hand steadily guiding us and directing our steps.
About a year ago, we had the wonderful opportunity to hear Lynn Hammond speak and she shared how critical it is for the church to take their seat of authority and to pray over our beloved nation of America. Katherine was profoundly moved during these meetings and the Holy Spirit stirred our hearts. As this new season is unfolding we understand our new assignment specifically involves prayer for our nation.
As you know, Katherine developed a prayer school within Moscow Good News Church and also mentored a team of leaders which developed into a wonderful prayer team! This team of people traveled together and conducted prayer conferences throughout Russia. The years this team prayed and traveled together were years of great growth in these individuals some of whom now serve in leadership capacities in Good News Church. And all the glory for this work of the Holy Spirit belongs to our Faithful Father!!!
In this new season, Katherine will continue to teach and train people of prayer in the local church and also through the avenue of the traveling ministry. We understand it is the responsibility of the church to restrain the powers of darkness in the earth and to release the will and plan of God. The Church of the living God must be a praying church and the church must learn how to pray effectively–corporately. During our many years in Moscow, the Holy Spirit graciously taught us some of His ways in prayer and we are anxious to be able to share what we have learned with the Body of Christ in America. We believe this to be a major part of our new assignment. We believe this is largely why we have been reassigned at this time.
I Timothy 2:1 instructs the church concerning their first work in prayer. “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
WELCOME TO OUR WORLD
Deuteronomy 28:6 declares “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.”
Thirteen years ago we stood at the Delta counter with sixteen suitcases in-hand headed to Moscow, Russia, for the adventure of a lifetime. A short time ago, we packed up 13 suitcases and headed home! And we can surely say, “We are blessed going in and blessed coming out.”
What an amazing journey we had!!! What remarkable and wonderful people we met!!! What a tremendous opportunity God gave to us!!! We were blessed beyond measure for the opportunity to work alongside the ministry of Rick and Denise Renner, their family and ministry team in Moscow. We were equipped and trained by one of the foremost leadership teams in the world!!! We will forever be thankful to God for sending us to Moscow and for our dear friends and spiritual father and mother, Rick and Denise Renner. We were privileged to serve these 13 years. We believe we made a difference for having passed that way…but no one changed more than us!!! We are so grateful for the work God has done in us and through us. And may all the glory be unto Him!!!
Saying goodbye was by far one of the most difficult moments in our lives. And seeing the tears of those we were leaving was even harder to bear. There were many who struggled at our leaving saying “What will we do without you? Who will teach us, mentor us, and lead us? And we simply replied, “But now you know the Teacher.” And we are sure these very people whom we had the privilege of speaking into their lives will continue to grow and will surpass even their own expectations. And the Kingdom of God will continue to grow and lives will be changed to the glory of God!
Now that we are back in America we are busy getting settled in. It has been a bit overwhelming at times. We have been married 41 years and we are starting all over again! We need everything necessary to set up a household and it’s a pretty long list,J but God is faithful and He ministers to us daily His great grace for this time of transition.
We do covet your prayers during this time, as we begin to take up His new plan for our lives and ministry. Would you please remember us in your prayers and would you continue to stand with us financially? We love our country and we believe God Himself founded this great nation for His strategic end-of-days purposes. Will you help us continue to teach and train people of prayer? Prayer will define the future of this great nation and we are committed to do our part. Thank you ahead of time for helping us!
We want to remind you to check out our website at kdm.today and tell a friend to check us out online. We have some resources you will want to take a look at like our list of recommended reading.
We really do love and care about you,
Bob and Katherine Dickerson
