"Why Do You Go to Russia?"

The other day my 4 year old nephew asked me, “Why do you go to Russia?” I get asked this question a lot. It is a good one, and I enjoy answering it. The quick answer is “Because God told me to.” This however is rarely enough of to satisfy my nephew, let alone an adult! If I dig deeper, the answer is because it changes so many lives: mine, those of people in Russia, and some of yours as well.

How are lives changed? It begins with the impact on my own life when I make myself available to God. When I take my eyes off myself, and begin to develop a concern for other people, I learn to see, love, and value people as God does. So many of the changes that God has wrought, the blessings that he has bestowed, the miracles that I have seen him perform have happened when I have made myself available to God and started serving others. I can’t imagine what my life would be like, how small and feeble my faith would be, if I hadn’t said “yes” to God’s invitation to go to Russia. Often people are amazed when they learn how much time I have spent doing missionary work. They assume that I do this work because I am spiritually mature – but the truth is that I am spiritually mature because I do this work.

Then there is the joy that I feel as I see how God changes the lives of people in Russia. There can be nothing greater than seeing people, who have lived lives devoid of real hope, feel and taste for the first time what life with God can be like. Take Alexi for example. Alexi was a young Russian man I met several years ago. He attended a camp I was participating in simply because he wanted to practice his English with a native speaker. Going in he didn’t expect a life changing event. After spending a week living and talking with Christians he commented “I never knew just how much joy I was missing out on in life!” I remember praying with Eduard, a man who was facing heart breaking family difficulties. Afterwards he commented that for the first time in ages he has felt a sense of peace again. Or the story of Alexander, a pastor in the village of Revda. Alleluia once gave him $200, as a gift to be used to meet the needs of his family. I remember how blown away he was by this miracle from God, as he viewed it. He commented that “the lottery has nothing on God’s church when it shares such great blessings.”

I could go on and on, sharing story after story. The heart of missions is in relationships. It is the privilege of being a part of these lives, seeing and getting caught up in what God is doing, that makes me want to return to Russia year after year. You can be a part of these relationships too. By giving, reading along with our blog, praying for us, looking at pictures of the people we get to minister to – you can begin to take part in the lives of people on the other side of the world! And I predict God will amaze you with how much those people and their stories can impact your life and faith. This is one great way you can move from spectator to participant.

Financial update: So far we have raised just under $3,000 for the Russia Mission fund. Thank you to everyone who has given! We need at least $4,500 but would like to raise as much as $12,000 (or more) to assist God’s church in Russia.