Russia 2010

I went to Russia again this Spring Break for the third time and I thought it was the best trip to date. This year the school supported each of the students half the cost of the trip, which covered the flights and visas. 72 hours before we were to leave for the trip we were told that there was a possibility the school was going to cancel the trip. 48 hours, Wednesday March 23rd, before our departure date our Campus Minister was told the school was pulling their support. This left us in a state of relief and confusion. We all thought we were not going to go on the trip and then after some conversation with the people at the International Mission Board it was decided that it was best for the witness of Christ and the local church that the students still go.

We all met that night at 10pm to discuss the options, the reason to still go and to pray hard. To be honest many of us were relieved the trip was canceled because it had been a stressful trimester and week with finals. Although we had a relief about the trip, we all agreed that we should still go and realized that if God wanted us to go on the trip he would raise the money we needed. We had to raise $5,200 in less than 24 hours.
The next day we took tests and contacted family members, friends and recent alumni to ask for their support. By the miraculous work of God we raised more than enough money and by 6pm that Thursday we had our airplane tickets.

The following day, Friday March 25th, we were on our way to Russia and excited to see the work that God would be doing there. We landed in Moscow fine and left for Zavolzh'ye Saturday evening. Seeing the people we had met the yeas before was exciting and brought us so much joy. It was amazing to see the work that the LORD had been doing at the Baptist church there to grow it and the people there with sharing the gospel. We went to four or five different schools this year, which gave us the opportunity to meet more students and build more relationships. We went to a teaching college in Gorodetts where we met students who were learning to be English teachers. Later that day we went to the Orthodox church in that same town and were given a tour of it. Orthodox is somewhere between Catholicism and Greek Orthodox. They believe that Mary is more forgiving and just than God and that is why they pray to her. They believe that if you touch certain pictures, icons, and the footprint of Mary (yes this was sewn into a pillow) then you will be healed. It was very sad and broke my heart for them. The tour guide really seemed to believe everything she was saying too.
We took part in an English competition at School No 15. The students were in groups by school and there was one American person in each group. The competition was to go around to the different stations and answer questions on English grammar, movies, food etc. The one thing that we Americans had to do was memorize all the names of the people in our group and their hobbies. It was a lot but I succeeded, as did many of us surprisingly :) While there we held an English Club at the church, where people from the church and surrounding community comes to learn English. However many people are turned away by the fact that it is held at a Baptist Church and are afraid of them or of becoming one of them. I am happy to say though that some of the people who have been attending the English Club have become Christians and members of the church. We went ice skating with the students on one of the days as well as a way to talk to them without the teachers around and to build relationships with them. Russians we were told do not usually talk about religion, politics and such things unless you have been friends for a couple years. This is why building relationships with the students and continuing them when we return to the United States is such a key aspect to what we are trying to accomplish and help the church there to do.

Our last day in Zavolzh'ye we were given a tour of the town by one of the English teachers and her students. This English teacher was the lady who had set up most of our visits to the different schools and had us over for dinner one night. She is also not a Christian and barely goes to the Orthodox church, but when she heard that there was a possibility the trip would be canceled, that was the first time she prayed. That evening we had a pizza party planned for the students to come and for us to enjoy time with them outside of the schools and in a more relaxed atmosphere. About 60 students came, which was amazing. Some of us were able to talk about what a Baptist was and clarify the fact that they do not drink the blood of their children. We did clarify that we were Christians during our conversations but not many students had questions or the topic was changed. Hopefully with the continued growth of relationships we will be able to knock down some of those walls. All in all it was a very productive week and thought to be the best trip so far.

We returned to Moscow on Friday morning, March 4th, and spent to days with one of the missionary families in Moscow. We spent the whole day with them learning about them, why they were there and ways we could help them in the future. We cooked for them as well. It was funny how it ended up. At one point all the women were in the kitchen cooking and the guys were in the living room talking. I had to laugh at it in my head but it was fun because we were able to talk to the wife and see her point of view on being a missionary in a foreign country as well as being a wife and mother. It was very encouraging and you could tell that they had been very blessed. We spent the next day relaxing and walking around an open air market. That Sunday we flew home on a very long flight.
If you have more questions about Russia feel free to come and talk to me or post a comment or send an e-mail. I would be more than happy to speak with you.
One thing I ask of you is that you would keep some prayers in mind and if you remember could you include them in your prayer times.
Prayer 
1. Baptist Church in Russia - that they would be encouraged and keep growing in the sharing of the gospel.

2. The relationships we have begun to build with students - that we would continue to build on them.

3. For the English teacher - that she would come to know Christ.

4. That we would take what we saw in Russia and apply it to our lives here. That we would take advantage of the fact that we live in a free society where we can talk about religion openly and people are willing to listen.


Thank you for all your prayers and support.

    

Russia 2010

I am finally back from our Spring Break Mission Trip to Russia; Zavolzh'ye to be exact. The trip flew by very fast, except for the flights. They were both 10 hours, there and back. We landed in Moscow at 11am on Saturday morning with maybe all of us having 45 minutes of sleep the whole flight. Needless to say it was a long day touring Moscow until 10:30pm when we had to go to the train station. We got to Nizhny Novgorod at 6:30am Sunday morning and then had an hour drive to Zavolzh'ye. That morning we had about 1hr 30min to get ready for church and then were out the door again. It was such a blessing for Alissa and I to be at the church again and see how far they had come since last year.

The year before we entered in the front on the ground floor with planks of wood and drywall everywhere. This year we entered through the back and there the construction supplies used to be there is now a room they use for childrens church and for the english club. There is also a kitchen off of the room that they never had before. When you go up to the sanctuary there is a brand new floor similar to the one used in the room downstairs. Last year it was just planks of wood that if you dropped a pen it would fall all the way to the ground floor. 


On Monday through Thursday mornings we went into the school and spoke with the english classes. We gave a presentation about life in Providence and at Johnson & Wales. We then broke up into groups and we able to speak with them one on one (with translators of course). They loved to perform for us as well and would dance, play the guitar or sing. Some of the students actually came to every session on all 4 days, and they were the ones who were so eager to learn from us and had the dream of going to the language school to become a translator. It was a blessing to see the smiles that we brought to the students' faces just by being there and being interested in their lives. Many of them were confused as to why we chose Zavolzh'ye and why we were interested in them considering we are Americans. Many of them also had such gloomy faces and this look of sadness in their eyes because they do not see much hope in the future or ever in Zavolzh'ye. Many of them want to leave Russia or go work in Moscow but the teachers tell them that they are not going to make it very far, and all they are going to know is what they learn at the technical school. It is really very sad. 


I found that the church this year was much more open to inviting the students to the church for a special youth group on Tuesday and Thursday of that week. When the youth leader got up at the school to invite the students to the one on Tuesday there happened to be a teacher in the audience that was atheist. She told the principal that we were actually connected to the Baptist church and were not Orthodox. (We had never told them that we were either. They just assumed we were orthodox). Well when they found out they cut our 2nd sessions at the school on Wednesday and Thursday. (we were meant to have 2 sessions on those days but instead we had one on each day). That was ok because even though we did not announce it publicly, we did invite the students in our groups personally. And the students came. The reason for the removal of the sessions though is because Baptists in Russia are viewed as a cult. 

While there we were able to help Mike sort out the stuff for the English Club. Someone had given Alissa a Netbook before we left because they thought she needed a new computer. Since she didn't she gave it to Mike to use for the club. Mike and Jake were able to set it up so that the projector and everything was run off of the top of a cart that someone had made for them. We also organized the books so that they fit on the bottom of the cart. This way the whole cart is run off of one wooden cart and it saves Mike and Alissa from lugging books and cords and computers back and forth to the church. 

The Tuesday and Thursday youth groups were a great turn out. Each night I think we had about 7 students from the school that came. We found though that the church is very guarded when it comes to sharing the gospel because they were underground for so long and because they are viewed at as a cult. So they had asked us to plan the program for Thursday. So we decided to play a game, sang some worship songs and then Erica shared her testimony and Kevin was able to share the gospel because how else were the students from the school going to hear it. Hopefully we were able to encourage the church by doing this, by showing them that they should take advantage of every opportunity that they are given to share the gospel. 

We toured Gorodetts on Friday and that evening Kevin, Jake, Erica and myself left Alissa and boarded our train to Moscow. We went to the open air market and toured Moscow on Saturday before turning for a goodnight sleep before our return flight on Sunday. I think I slept a total of 30 minutes on the flight back. 


I am looking forward to next year and seeing the progress that the church will make in the coming year and how we are able to serve them. Please keep them in your prayers when you remember. They need the courage to share the gospel and be ready to take risks.

Russia Prep

I have to say that tomorrow we leave for Russia and I am in no way ready. I have been putting off packing all day; i just haven't been feeling like sitting down and doing it. Not sure if it just comes with age but these days I haven't been able to stay absolutely focused. Anyways, today was the day of making sure that we had everything and when all the running around started. Laundry had to get done, made a run to walmart, said good bye to friends and now it's packing time. I pretty much have everything it's just the whole organizing and putting it in the bag now. I am hoping I can get it done by midnight and get a good 8 hours of sleep....but we'll see. I won't be writing for the next 10 days, but I will have a ton to write about when I get back. Pray for us as we travel.