Rambling Rev

Today we arose early and drove east to Kasimov. Kasimov is a beautiful, old city in which the Baptist congregation meets in a small home. Pastor Alexi took a few minutes away from his job and talked with us about his ministry and the challenges he faces. We prayed with him before leaving. This city would be a prime place for one or two missionaries to be sent from another part of the Ryazan oblast. Alexi is faithful to his ministry, but he desperately needs more workers.

We left from Kasimov and headed south towards Shatsk.  Shatsk has been partnering with Mount Vernon Baptist Church for several years now.  The fruits of the partnership are evident in the number of the people and the good condition of the facility.  On behalf of Mount Vernon, I presented gifts to Deacon Vloyda and his wife Valentia.  The church is currently without a pastor, but it appears as if Vloyda will be ordained to fill that spot.  After enjoying a good meal and time of fellowship with church members, the team began our third and final evangelism training seminar.  The attendance here was the best of the three, and the participation was strong as well.  The church offered us more food after the training, but the time was getting late and we had a long trip ahead of us.  We ate quickly then made the long drive back to Ryazan.  On this particular leg of the trip the team had one of our best times of fellowship — we talked, laughed, and sang together.  It was late when we arrived in Ryazan, but the day has been well spent.

Today we stayed in Ryazan for Sunday worship.  All three pastors in our team were invited to churches to preach — Greg to Hope Church, Jon to Resurrection Church, and me to Central Church.  Jeannie accompanied me and gave her testimony before I spoke.  Worshiping in Russia is always an inspiring experience.   The service at Central was two and half hours long, and everyone was pleased with it!  There was plenty of music, children’s involvement, and three sermons!  At the beginning of the service a Deacon rose to speak, and I thought he might be sharing for just a couple of minutes.  He gave a very good message that was at least 15 minutes in length!  Then there was more music, then Jeannie shared her testimony.  I preached, and following my message there was music again.  Then Pastor Victor preached, and did a wonderful job!  I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.  Following the service Jeannie and I were invited to hear what God is doing through the halfway house ministry in the basement of Central’s building.  At least three testimonies were given of young men whose lives have been changed as a result of the outreach to them.  Central’s vision is to build an adjoining building to their facility that would be a larger halfway house for men and women.  Currently there is only enough room for a few men.  This project would be another excellent opportunity for a WV Baptist church to partner with a Russian congregation to do together what they could not do alone.  Through this halfway house ministry, the kingdom of God is being advanced and Central church is growing.  After the presentation Jeannie and I were served a hearty lunch, then were taken back to the ministry center by Pastor Victor.

At the ministry center the youth of Hope Church led a special presentation that recognized the members of the WVBC team.  They shared with us humor, song and a lot of laughter.  They were happy to have us with them, and we were thrilled to be with them!  The team was unable to stay for the full event, for we needed to get back to Pavel’s apartment to make Skype contact with our churches back home.  Following those calls we had dinner that was prepared by Greg and Pavel.  The food was great, the fellowship was even better.  After we had visited for some time, Jeannie and I returned to Lena’s apartment.  We chatted with her about her day, then headed to our room.  We have a busy day of travel planned for tomorrow.

Today, Saturday, we stayed in Ryazan.  This morning we attended a meeting of pastors from across the Ryazan oblast.  The first item on the agenda was how we might better work with one another in our WVBC/Russia partnership.  Better electronic communication was seen as essential — the partnership thrives on personal interaction via email, Skype, digital pictures, websites, etc.  Up to this point on the trip Jeannie had been wondering what kind of special contribution she could make — surely three pastors didn’t need any help talking, or training others in sharing the Gospel.  Then she mentioned in the meeting the needs of pastors’ wives, and how they often suffer silently with all the pressures of ministry.  The men resonated strongly with her comments, and then we all discussed ways in which we could offer support not only to the pastors, but to their wives.   The demands upon Russian pastors are great, but the demands upon their wives are even greater.  Apparently they have not developed the support network that many pastors wives possess in West Virginia.  Even there however, pastors’ wives have their own set of challenges and frustrations.  So the idea of expanding the WVBC/Russia partnership to include interaction between pastors’ wives has great potential.

Following the meeting of Ryazan pastors, we had another delicious meal in the Ryazan ministry center.  Although our second evangelism training session was scheduled for this afternoon, most of the pastors had to leave and get back to their congregations.  The training was fairly well attended, but was not as spirited as last night in Korablino.  Following the training we went back to the homes in which we were staying.  Greg and Jon went with Pastor Pavel, Jeannie and I with Lena.  We relaxed the remainder of the evening and prepared for a busy Sunday.

This morning we arose early to travel to Ryazhsk then to Korablino.  We made the long drive to Ryazhsk, where Jeannie and I both were excited about seeing Pastor Oleg and any other members of the Ryazhsk church that might be present.  We had spent a week there in 2008, helping with renovations to their facility and leading a Vacation Bible School.  When we arrived at the church building a lot of memories came back to Jeannie and me — we immediately began looking around the place to see what had changed.  We hugged Pastor Oleg, and after touring the facility (including a good look at his new sanctuary), we sat down with the rest of the team and listened to him share his story.  He spoke of how God had been moving in the congregation and of the challenges he still faced.  While he was sharing with us, his daughter Christina joined him.  She is now his worship leader and administrative assistant  — she has become a key part of his ministry.  He is hoping that she won’t get married and leave the church right away — he needs her too much!  We talked for some time, took some pictures, then left for Korablino.   Korablino is only a short distance from Ryazhsk, so the trip went quickly.

When we arrived at Korablino we went to Pastor Dima’s home to fellowship with him and his family for the afternoon.  We enjoyed talking with them.  Jeannie and I were reminded of all the wonderful things we had experienced in that apartment on our first mission trip to Russia in 2007.  The entire team had stayed in their small flat, and we had a wonderful time of fellowship and ministry together.  Dima and his wife had made a few renovations to the place since we had been there last.  We had a long conversation in their small kitchen around the table.  Greg extended Dima and his wife Helen an invitation to come to West Virginia this fall.  They accepted, and were very excited and honored at the prospect.  Dima will be an excellent spokesperson for the WVBC/Russia partnership as he travels from church to church.  I’m not sure if Olga or someone else will come with them as a translator — we’ll take care of that detail later.

After our visit together, we decided to walk from Dima’s apartment to the Korablino church building.  On a typical day it would be a short hike, but it was very cold and windy.  On the trip over Jon and I tried to take a few pictures outdoors, and experienced the pain of “frost nip” on our fingers.  No harm was done, just some aching fingers for a hour or so due to pulling off gloves in windy, sub-zero weather.  On the walk to the church building God gave us the opportunity to show the love of Jesus to an unknown Russian man, so the effort wasn’t a completely stupid idea — the Lord knew someone needed to have our company for a few minutes.

Before getting everything ready for the first evangelism training seminar, we took a tour of Dima’s auto parts shop, which adjoins the church building.  He appears to have a good business there.  His auto parts store is a vivid success story for the WVBC/Russia economic development efforts.  Our partnership not only works directly with Russian Baptist churches to reach their communities, but also helps pastors and leaders to begin businesses that will produce income for ministry support.  Rather than just continuing to give them financial assistance from our West Virginia churches, we enable them to stand on their own.

The evangelism training seminar went smoothly, with a good attendance not only from the Korablino congregation but from members of churches in nearby towns.  The highlight of the evening was the testimonies of two young women missionaries who had begun working in Ryazhsk.  They were on fire with a passion to reach people in Ryazhsk for Christ.  After they shared, our meeting concluded.  Before hitting the road for the trip back to Ryazan, we enjoyed a meal with our Russian friends.  Upon arriving in Ryazan, we were tired but fulfilled by all the things we had experienced.

After getting settled into Ryazan and a good night’s sleep, today we hit the ground running.  Our first stop was Globus, where we purchased gifts for the children in the orphanage at Novomirchurinsk.  Globus is a testament to the power of capitalism in a formerly Communist nation.  In a country where people used to stand in line for basic food items, now shelves and counters are brimming with a wide variety of food and other merchandise.  Even our mighty Wal-Mart pales in comparison to Globus.  After getting all the items there we needed, we began our considerable drive to Novomirchurinsk.

We were greeted warmly by the staff at the orphanage, and quickly shown to a room in which we could assemble a bundle of gifts for the children.  Actually we used orange Gospel frisbees as gift trays, not having anything else to hold all the presents we had for each child.  We distributed the frisbees full of gifts, and picture cards from the children at Nitro First Baptist Church.  We photographed each child with his/her card, so both the Russian and American children could see that they were special to another child in a distant nation.  After distributing the gifts we had lunch with the children, and enjoyed seeing them eat the fruit and candy we had brought for them.  On behalf of Pea Ridge Baptist Church and Nitro First Baptist, we also presented them with the funds necessary to install hot water tanks, showers, and additional toilets.  Money was also given to purchase athletic shoes for the children in the spring.

After leaving the orphanage we went to the home of Pastor Valery Severin, who leads the church in the same city.  He explained to the team how God has been moving through his ministry and congregation.  Although the church is meeting in a school, we learned that the church possesses an old building in dire need of repair.  Over $100,000 would be required to renovate the facility and make it usable, so the church has not taken any action on it.  The lot on which the building stands is an excellent site, with a college nearby.  The church at Novomirchurinsk is definitely reaching the community through their ministry, including their ministry to the orphanage, but they need a permanent meeting place.

We finally departed Novomirchurinsk after having been very well fed, and made the long drive back to Ryazan.  We arrived at a decent hour of the evening, which gave us the time we needed to finalize preparations for the first evangelism seminar the next day.  Good things are happening at Novomirchurinsk,  but the church currently has no partner church in the WVBC.  From my viewpoint, it has been very evident on this trip the churches that have WVBC partners and the churches that don’t.  The churches that have partners are thriving, the others are just surviving.

Where's Pavel?

Leaving the airport parking lot

When we arrived in Moscow, Pastor Pavel was supposed to meet us at the airport.  Unknown to us however, Pavel had a schedule conflict and couldn’t make it.  As we passed through the crowd I thought for certain I saw Dima Mikava, the pastor of Korablino Church.   I dismissed the guy as someone who just looked like Dima.  It was Dima — he was the one designated to meet us in Pavel’s absence.  The team then left the warmth and shelter of Domodedovo airport to get our first taste of Winter 2011 in Russia.  I had worn regular socks and shoes on the plane, and hadn’t taken time in the airport to change to thermal socks and boots.  We had a long walk across the parking lot, shoving heavy, uncooperative luggage carts over bumpy ice and small piles of snow.  The wind was blowing, and the cold cut to the bone.  Finally, after my feet were nearly numb from the ice and my face was stinging from the wind, we reached Dima’s van.  Even though the drive to Ryazan took about three hours and the van heater worked great, I was freezing.  Eventually we reached Pavel’s apartment, where we all unloaded and went inside to enjoy a delicious dinner prepared for us.   We stayed and visited until well after dark, during which time the temperature dropped even more.  Jeannie and I were staying with Lena, who lives in the same apartment complex, but in a different building that is within walking distance.  Under normal circumstances the hike would have been no big deal, but with a blowing wind and sub-zero temperatures, it was another matter entirely.  Lena’s personality and apartment combined to create for us an oasis of warmth.  After we got settled into our living area, I was even able to take a steaming hot shower!  With the effects of the shower and comfort of a Russian quilt, I finally was warm.   Jeannie and I slept great.  Even though the temperatures remained frigid for the rest of the trip, I was never as cold as I was on this first day.  I quickly learned to dress and to cope with the Russian winter.

The flight across the Atlantic has been a smooth one.  Presently we are just two hours from landing in Moscow.  I’ve managed to get some sleep, thanks to the good Lord and a small tablet of Ambien.  The sun is up again now — it has been a short night due to flying east.

Amazon Kindles are super for traveling.

Father, I’m praying for when we meet with our Russian friends in a couple of hours — may we all be deeply encouraged and strengthened by one another’s company.   Give us a safe journey through the Moscow airport.  Despite all my faith in You, the recent bombing at Domodedovo is still in the back of my mind.  I also ask that You will grant a safe drive to Ryazan — I’m all too familiar with Russian traffic!  As we get together with our Russian friends, help us to overcome the language barrier between us.  We’ll have at least one translator, but a translator can only do so much.  Through the few Russian phrases we do know, and through the use of gestures and motions, may we interact directly with one another in a way that glorifies You and that strengthens each of us.  When we do have translators with us, may we make the best possible use of them for conversation.  Preaching or teaching with a translator is fairly simple, but having a one-on-one conversation is much more of a mental challenge.

Father, I pray as a part of this trip that more mission partnerships will be formed between the WVBC congregations and Baptist congregations in the Ryazan oblast.  May the time and money invested in travel and teaching not just be a “one shot deal” — may we sow the seeds of ongoing relationships between West Virginia Baptist and Russian Baptist churches.  May others in the churches represented by our team, and members of churches not represented, get involved in what You are doing to bless and inspire all of us.

One of the things that strikes me as I prepare for this Russia mission trip is how different it is from previous trips.  First, it’s different in regards to the task.  When I have gone to Russia in the past, the focus has been on a church facility.  We’ve built, we’ve painted, and we’ve remodeled — now the focus is on a church family.  We will be leading evangelism seminars in the evenings, and when we aren’t teaching we will be intentionally building relationships with the pastors and other leaders of congregations.   Second, it’s different in regards to the time.  (I know right now you’d love a pop-up browser with sermon outline blanks you could fill in.)  Previous trips have been in the peak of summer, this trip is in the dead of winter.  Even on the summer trips the weather was mild, with air-conditioning never really being needed.    This time it will be very cold.   I’ve been following the temperatures in Moscow and Ryazan for the past several weeks.  They have been averaging zero during the day and ten below at night.  One of our Russian friends has also told us there is “much snow.”  While I’ve been assured it is warm indoors, when we are outdoors we will need to be bundled very well.  Third, this trip is different in regards to travel.   I am so very, very thankful that our mission team leader purchased direct flight tickets from Washington, DC to Moscow — that makes such a long journey so much quicker.  Previously we’ve always had a layover somewhere in Europe, which contributes to more fatigue, more hassles with security, and more lost baggage.  Also once we arrive in the Ryazan area, we will not be ministering in just one location as we have on other trips.   We will be driving from one church to another, presenting seminars each evening and meeting with a variety of pastors and leaders.  We’ll be staying in different places each night, enjoying the hospitality of more than one group of Russian believers.  We’ll also be visiting a Russian orphanage in Novomirchurinsk, seeing firsthand the needs and how West Virginia Baptists may partner with them to show the love of Jesus to the children.  We have a general idea of just how great the needs are from what we have been told.  Among the WVBC churches represented on the trip, nearly $3,000 has been given already to provide for personal needs of the children and to begin improvements to the facility!

Well I could sit here and continue my ramblings on Russia, but there are other things to do on this balmy February day in WV!  ( By the way, as I write this post, it is sunny and -1 in Ryazan.  Their high for today is forecast to be zero, the low -16).

Every morning I try to spend some time writing in my prayer journal (although sometimes I just don’t get it done).  Here’s an excerpt from this morning’s entry.

Father, I really don’t understand it.  I have a great wife, declining personal debt, a wonderful church, very good health, a trip on the horizon to Russia, and yet despite all these things I feel very broken in spirit.  I could get a mental grasp on it more if I was in the midst of very hard circumstances, but I’m really not.  Perhaps as I think about things, about life, about ministry, about the future, I realize that without You and Your Spirit living in me and working through me, I am nothing.  What I do, even at my best moments, doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things without You in it.  Your Word says in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Perhaps Father coming to grips with that truth is the reason for the brokenness.   My ego would like to think that it is all about me, my talent, my experience, my abilities, etc.  The reality however is that my life is all about You.

I have no idea what You have in mind for me in regards to future ministry — I can’t predict what is going to happen on the Russia trip, in my pastorate at Nitro FBC, in my family and personal life. I am powerless in that regard — the only thing I know for sure is that You are with me and that Your grace will be sufficient for anything and everything I face.

I can pretty much count on You taking me beyond my comfort zone — that is something You do well and often.  It is there that I grow, and experience Your refining, transforming power. Hebrews 12:5-11 comes to mind:
“And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Today Father I yield myself to You.  I don’t know what You have in store, I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that You are all-loving, and that nothing takes You by surprise.  Romans 8:28 says,  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. “

Your way is always best, and my trust is in You this morning.

Finally, 1 Peter 5:6-7 says,
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

At the close of church last night, Jeannie and I were completely funded for our trip to Russia!  Praise God for His provision!  In addition to substantial donations from Nitro FBC for our traveling expenses, we also have $160 that has been designated for the orphanage in Novomirchurinsk.  This orphanage has an immediate need for bathrooms, a hot water tank, and a shower.  The children also are lacking in personal hygiene items.   Through pooling our resources with funds given from other WVBC churches, we will show the love of Jesus in a powerful way and begin to address these pressing needs.

With a little over a week before our flight leaves from Charleston, Jeannie and I are now in the home stretch of trip preparation.  As usual, we are running through our mental checklist.  Have we packed enough warm clothing?  Are we traveling light enough for all of the church trips we will be making while we are there?  What else needs to be done here to make sure things go smoothly in our absence?  Do we have adequate boots?  Have we planned enough for the evangelism seminars we will be teaching?  Should I take my camera gear? (I am a wannabe photographer who likes taking pictures but hates the hassle of all the bulky equipment.   I always wrestle with this issue to the very day of departure.)   Should we take a portable computer?  Should we make arrangements for a Skype video call on Sunday morning with Nitro FBC as one or two other WVBC churches plan to do?

Preaching with Olga Danilova as translator, Summer 2008

Once we get in the air, all the packing thoughts are replaced by thoughts of the people and ministry opportunities that await us in Ryazan, Russia.  What old friends will we see?  How many new friendships will we make?  What will God teach us about ministry from our Russian brothers and sisters in Christ?  How cold will a Russian winter really be?  What will God accomplish in all of our lives as a result of our coming together in mission?  How many new partnerships between West Virginia Baptist and Russian congregations will be formed?

At this point our greatest need is prayer.  Pray for a safe trip from Charleston to Moscow.  Pray for the increased security at Domodedovo airport, that we will not have any problems with it due to the recent bombing.  Pray for our hearts and minds to be ready to share and to serve.  Pray for our bodies to be strong and healthy throughout the trip.  Pray for our Russian brothers and sisters, that their hearts and minds will be prepared for our visit.  Pray that God will work through this entire endeavor to glorify His name and to expand His Kingdom.