The Riley Team

Tom and Mary Riley

tomary@mail.utexas.edu

We began an interest in missions when our older son went to Russia for the first time in 1992. Tom soon felt that God had also called us to "GO" in Jesus name.

We led our first team of 26 teens with Teen Mania to Costa Rica in 1997 and the following year started leading teams to Russia with Mission Russia Outreach. We have been to Russia seven times, at first going to work with children in Camp Sputnik, a former soviet pioneer youth camp northwest of St. Petersburg.

The past four years we have been working with Igor Reznikov and his, Project Salvation in Chelyabinsk, Russia, on the western edge of Siberia. Igor and his team have a full time outreach to street kids and children of troubled families in this industrial city of 1 and 1/2 million.

News

Here is what Igor said recently in a newsletter to us: " It was arranging of a camp for 20 children in last August. This was our first experience of moving in this direction. This event produced such a deep impression on the kids that they started planning and designing the camp of the next year earlier than we ourselves did."

We have provided a camp for the children with much hard work from Igor's team there in Chelyabinsk, with a day camp the first two years, then expanding to a two week camp in an old pioneer youth camp in 2005. We minister through loving the children and sharing the gospel through Bible stories, songs, games, sports, object lessons, skits; we even made a movie last summer about Joshua and Rahab to give them heroes of faith to follow after.

This summer, although we didn't go, we were able to help with funds so Igor could hold the camp himself. He and his team were able to hold two sessions of camp reaching more children than ever before.

Prayer:

Pray for Igor and Lena and the rest of the team there to be effective in their ministry. Pray for Igor to find support (including financial) from the people, businesses, churches in Chelyabinsk.

Answered Prayer:

In July of 2006, Igor and his team held a street kids camp for in the country on his own, with just financial help from us. Igor said that the weather was gloomy this year, but there were many opportunities for sharing and talks. We are looking forward to a report from him.

Needs:

Funds for camp and funds to work with the kids during the year for a hot meal for them once a week and supplies for helping them. The supplies we need depend on the lessons & activities we plan for each trip. We buy many supplies over there. Send any donations to Red River Church, with Project Salvation - Chelyabinsk on the notation line.

Volunteer Opportunities:

No trip to Chelyabinsk this year - we took a summer off. We hope to return in 2007. We would go for about 3 weeks, perhaps in July. We would very much like to have a small team, especially young people who want to tell the children about hope in Christ while playing games and sports, doing arts and crafts, and being part of the kids' lives during the camp.