During the summer after I graduated from undergrad, I spent my time in Latvia and Russia spreading the gospel, loving others, and learning to truly serve others in daily life as opposed to the typical mission field we think of with construction and VBS. If you missed the first part of this journey chronicling our time in Latvia, I encourage you to catch up here before continuing on with our time in Russia.
We took a train from Latvia to Russia splitting a compartment with a little elderly Russian woman. The train ride was so reminiscent of the Hogwarts Express and our companion even offered us some chocolate to comfort our traveling woe’s. While we had our Visas ready to go and every thing imaginable crossed off our list to ensure safe passage- I had never been more terrified. It was the middle of the night when we came to the border checks and they were not so willing to let us into the country as our compartment mate. I don’t really know what I thought they might do with us if they weren’t going to let us in – throw us out of the train? It was the guns they carried that scared me most – combined with their interrogations as to our purpose for visiting I almost thought they might shoot us if we dare said we were there to spread the gospel.
I had never truly felt fear of persecution for my beliefs until we hit the line that kept us from the country we longed to enter. After several questions, and explanations of visiting a friend in Kirov the demanded to search our bags. Thankfully they chose my large suitcase and nothing else – filled only with clothes and shoes and nothing to indicate physical work or even reading materials – and only after sifting through the contents did they seem somewhat satisfied and stamped our passports. It was Brandon’s large suitcase that kept Bibles, commentaries, journals, Christian literature, and almost all materials we had brought for our training and evangelism. Who knows what would have happened if they would have searched his bag instead of mine. But it was indeed a reminder that the Lord will protect us when we are seeking to serve Him. That miracles can and do happen daily and that He is provider.
One word that encapsulated this whole trip was “sufficient”. Early in our time in Latvia, I wrote this on a small piece of paper to use as a bookmark – a reminder of the fact that His grace is sufficient. A reminder that is pinned to the bulletin board in my office to this day. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 have been some of the most influential verses in my spiritual journey and this trip truly put those words into perspective. When we doubted, His guidance was sufficient. When we couldn’t speak, His words were sufficient. In every situation, the Lord provided for us, covered us with His grace, and poured out through us to bring glory to His Kingdom.
In some ways this trip resembled our time in Latvia. An American met up with us, we stayed with missionaries, and spent the majority of our time building relationships and sharing Christ’s love by living life alongside the people we met. There was also a “youth camp” in Moscow for a week where we met up with a team from the States and a weekend revival as well. However in many other ways, it was far from our Latvian experience. This portion of the trip we partnered with SASHA Ministries to plug us in. We met up with Kira who is a United Methodist minister and her roommate Zina and the three of us (Michael- the other American, Brandon, and I) stayed there in her flat during our time in Kirov. Zina didn’t know much English, but taught us every word she knew in Russian. We communicated through gestures, pictures, & noises – a hilarious mix of charades and pictionary. Late night were spent sipping tea and laughing continuously.
Most of our time was spent with what I call the Kirov young adult ministry. “Youth” in Russia is more 18-30 than what we would consider here in the states. So most of our time was spent in bowling alleys (which are more like night clubs with full bars, dancing areas, pool tables and the like), restaurants, movie theaters, and museums. English was not nearly as common, and Kira translated for us often, but was not always available. Most of the “youth” were not Christians, and we had several opportunities to simply share our stories and our lives and how Christ had transformed us. Honestly it felt slightly frustrating to be hitting such a wall and barrier with the language, until one night one of the girls changed that for me. She didn’t accept Jesus, she didn’t confess her sins, she just thanked me for sharing my story and for not telling her she was going to hell if she didn’t repent. That perhaps there was a God after all, and if so she’d be interested in learning more about the one I served. I melted…
We also joined in with a pentecostal revival in the woods, camping out in tents, having several services and speakers share the word of Christ. Though the most interesting part of that excursion was some drunken Russians offering Brandon vodka and miraculously avoiding a fight when he refused. At one of the last sessions, a group of youth reenacted the Lifehouse drama to the song Everything (the same one they showed in Latvia), and it was every bit a powerful. Such a reminder that while our words may fail us and we may be speaking in two very different languages, our actions can speak volumes. My favorite part of our time in Kirov came with our visit to the Children’s Cancer Hospital. We shared stories via translator of just how special each and every child was and then just did arts and crafts with the kids and sang a few songs.
After a bit in Kirov, we ventured to Syktyvkar in the Komi Republic and did a few projects there with a small church. We also learned that it wasn’t until rather recently the Bible was translated to the Komi language and that the church is still very young there. It was also the only place in Russia where I saw anyone with a physical disability – and it warmed my heart to know that it was within the church that they were accepted. Syktyvkar may have been my favorite place in Russia due to it’s seclusion. The simplicity of life, the abundance of cucumber and tomato salad, piping hot tea readily available, and shasliki for days.
At the end of our time in Russia, we went to help with the Youth Camp in Moscow. Unlike Wesley Days in Latvia, this camp was more of a conference. Seminars were held in large auditoriums, and then we broke into small groups to go over the talk and go through a bit more as well. Russia is very much a patriarchal society as well, so Brandon lead our group while I sat and offered only additional information. Translation was the greatest barrier at the camp and while all English was translated into Russian, it was seldom left untranslated to English. There were Ukrainians and even a Korean population there with us, and we had the opportunity to worship with them one morning – Korean with Russian subtitles – I have never been so moved and confused at the same time! There was a team from the States there as well and we got to see a good deal of Moscow with them including some massive markets (where we of course got fur hats), a river boat tour, and lots of tourist attractions, including Red Square. Seeing St. Basil’s, Lenin’s tomb, and the Kremlin were simply breathtaking.
While our time in Russia was a bit more difficult than our time in Latvia, it certainly was an incredibly eye opening experience that I wouldn’t have traded for the world. The summer after I graduated from college was so much more than I ever could have imagined and I am forever grateful for what the Lord taught me, and continues to teach me to this day, from what I experienced in such a short amount of time. One constant has been, as it was in Latvia, that though we may have very different customs, speak very different languages, and have drastically different social views, that there is but one God. One Creator, one Sustainer, one Provider, and one Lord of all. I am forever thankful that our prayers are heard no matter our tongues, and that in Christ, we are one family, tied together in belief, serving those around us simply with His love.
Have you ever experienced something that was both difficult & rewarding in so many ways? Something that truly changed your life?
