DEAR FRIENDS!

Therefore he says, "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

(Eph 4:8) 

As Bladimir Visotsky wrote: “Better than mountains can be only mountains,

Where you haven’t been yet!”

Our first CLIMB to the highest point of Europe is over!

Elbrus is the highest pick of Europe (5642 m).

Elbrus is the border line between Asia and Europe. What God was doing during last years through many people and different ministries and what He is going to do, have prepared Body of Christ to climb and dedicate this place and all Europe and Asia to God!

This project was blessed by Pavel Okarah the bishop of Russian Church of Evangelic Christians, president of International Assembly of Churches and Unions of Evangelic Christians, uniting the evangelic Christians of CIS; by bishop Sergey Rahovsky, pastor of Moscow “Church of God” (Tsaritsino) of Evangelic Christians, and chairman of Russian Union of Evangelic Christians; bishop of Stavropol Territory, Russian Christian Evangelic Churches Valery Seleznyov; bishop of Dagestan Christian Evangelic Churches Arthur Suleymanov, senior pastor of Kiev Jewish Messianic Congregation Boris Grisenko; bishop of Kalmyk diocese ECMU Vladimir Gololobov.

Our team consisted of 98 people this year: 10 pastors and 1 bishop, from 4 countries, 38 cities, 44 churches and congregations. From Ukraine there were 31 people – Miriopol city, Odessa, Kiev, Svetlovodsk, Nikolaev, Ilyechevsk, Vinnitsa; from Belorussia – 3 people – Minsk; 1 person from Germany; 65 people from Russia – Moscow, St. Petersburg, Essentuky, Mineral Waters, Mozdok, Vladikavkaz, Ulan-Ude, Chita, Irkutsk, Stavropol, Makhachkala, Kemerovo, Alistah, Smolensk, Krasnodar, Astrakhan, Goryachy Klyuch, Michailovskaya village, Nikolayevskaya village, Alagir, Khabarovsk, Sochi, Tula, Samara, Aleksandrovka village, Pyatigorsk, Rostov-na-Donu, Kislovodsk, Dzaga village.

Some people stayed on the 1870 meters level and prayed 24 hours a day and worshiped God. Pastor from Vladikavkaz Rafael Gurdzibeev was a responsible person on the base. He and his 17 people from church, and some other joined him in this fasting people, decided to fast with just water for 7 days, though they were living in the tents where it was really cold. They paid a really high price too! Some went up to the shelter 11(4060m.) and prayed there. There were sent some teams to pray on the following levels – 2500 m., 3500 m. and 4700 m.

Main contributes were made by Gololobov Vladimir, bishop of Kalmyk diocese ECMU  Vladimir Gololobov; senior pastor of Kiev Jewish Messianic Congregation Boris Grisenko with his wife Ann; presbyter Valentina Kolomiets; presbyter Tanya Chernyakova, pastor Rafael Gurdzibeev; pastor Aleksandr Zbarazsky; pastor Aleksandr Stelchuk; presbyter Aleksandr Erofeev, Nadezhda Vorobyova, Lena Sidorova from Kemerovo; Vera Vasilchenko from Kiev; Olga Razdorozhnaya from Odessa, Evgeniya Gulgazaryan from Pyatigorsk; Natalia Bondorenko; Galina Golosova from Mozdok; and all who actively helped with organization and holding of this project.

There was a main prayer team on the level 5360 m. on the saddle. The team of 16 people got to the saddle and dedicated this land to God through repentance, breaking the curses of anti-Semitism by prayer and breaking the aftermaths of dedication of Europe and Asia to devil through what Hitler had done before Stalingrad battle. If you remember we wrote you about it in our letters. The top of Elbrus was not only mythical place, but also field of fierce resistance during the Great Patriotic war, due to its symbolic meaning of highest point of Europe. Before the Stalingrad battle Hitler brought the oblation to the Satan: he ordered to bring together all the Jews to Mineral-Waters city and to shoot them all down. About 12000 of Jews had been shot down. The fascist banner and the banner of German mountain-shooting subdivisions of “Edelweiss” division had been sprinkled with the blood of those people during the battle for the Caucasus on the 21st of August 1942 and occupied the mountain bases “Krugozor” and “Shelter - 11” and had set the Nazi banners, sprinkled with the blood of killed Jews, on the western top of the Elbrus Mountain. By the middle of the winter the fascist troops had been thrown out from the slopes of Elbrus. And Soviet soldiers-alpinist in its turn had set their red flags. The book “Intercessor” by Norman Grabb describes how God commanded the intercessors to pray for Russia exactly before the Stalingrad battle, having warned that if fascists win the fascism would spread all over the world and that was the straight way through the Caucasian land to the Biblical lands of Israel.

The Stalingrad battle was going for each centimeter. Only after 2 weeks the intercessors understood that they had spiritually won and they stopped praying and began to thank God. And after few days mass media confirmed that German troops had retreated.

On the saddle we also had a Communion service (breadbreaking). As only blood of Jesus Christ can cover the innocent blood shed on our land. We didn’t pray for main strongholds this year, but asked God to start shaking their basic foundation. God showed us that for this year His aim has been attained and His plans have been completed!

We haven’t got the top, but in the spirit according to the viewpoint of experienced intercessors the saddle is even more important place for prayer than both tops. If you are interested to learn more about prayers we prayed and all prophetic actions we did, you are welcome to write us personally and we’ll answer your questions.

The main part of our team (42 people) decided not to go to the top. God was doing greatest work in our hearts. He was working on our motives and taught us humbleness. As one of the strongholds of the Caucasus is pride. And we can overcome this not by proclamations and denial, but by opposite action – submission. On the night of 11/12 Vladimir Gololobov (a bishop of Kalmyk diocese of Evangelic Christian Missionary Union) got a revelation that we can’t be each by himself. We can’t boast of our denominations, achievements. We need to love each other. And we don’t even need getting on the top for that. This is the climbing of our hearts more than physical climbing.

As for the physical side, we can say that we didn’t expect even 30% of those difficulties that we faced.

During the time of acclimatization on the level of 4060 meters people were going through trials of getting used to oxygen starvation. 5-13 of August were days of preparation. Every day there were trainings. The weather was not stable. On the night of 13/14 August the team was sent for climbing. By the time the team got to the saddle, there appeared fog, there was almost no visibility and everybody decided that God has done what He wanted and that they have to go back down all together. At that time other people were praying for them.

According to the statistics, the mountain Elbrus was the second place in the world where accidences happened. Although the route was considered to be not very difficult, the weather conditions there were very hard. Strong wind, because of which everything was getting frozen. You can’t even take off your second glove while going. Frog, cloudiness. All of those factors made the climbing almost impossible. And the weather could change there in 20 minutes.

We were waiting for a signal from the climbing team. Finally we got a call from them that we could go to meet them on the Pastuhov’s Rocks. When they were brought to the Shelter 11, we were no end glad about it. You can approximately understand the feelings of parents who can’t go to the war but send their sons and now their sons are coming back from that war! Praise God all were save and sound!

Later, our guides told us that with our lack of professionalism we could only count on getting to the Pastuhov’s Rocks – 4700 meters. But God gave us His grace and we could get to the saddle from the very first – 5360 meters. That is a miracle itself!

When we speak about distance, we mean the height. Indeed, to get to the top from the Pastuhov’s Rocks we need to make up approximately 8100 meters. The guides were amazed at self-control and fortitude of our team. In spite of all difficulties they were going without any complains.

We really understood what would cost us to get to the top of Elbrus, we understood that we need serious work to prepare! And this year everyone achieved his aim, both those who climbed and who stayed at different levels! This was the rising of our hearts. Literally everyone told about that God has done such a great work in his or her heart so that they couldn’t stay the same any longer! For each person God had His own aims!

And each, whom God is calling, can participate in this project next year. Because the iniquities has been accumulating for ages in our land, to get rid of them we need this prayer attack every year. And we can pray for breaking the main strongholds (curses) only with the help of the Body of Christ of the whole Europe and Asia. Especially with the countries, surrounding Elbrus. We believe that God is going to release representatives from each country to pray in the mountain. And this wide-ranging prayer attack will spread to the whole Europe and Asia through repentance, prayers and worship. We can’t retreat and give up won territory already. God wants to save people and wants to bring overall revival throughout the earth, from Russia and to the whole world. That’s why if you want to participate in this, join us!!!

See you next year!

You can get more details by this e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone number: +79283383019

In September there will be pictures available on the site www.godsm.org