Bet you’re thinking, “It’s a little early for a Christmas letter.”  Well, just a bit, but in 3 months, Lord willing, I’ll be heading off to Russia.  Ever since I came back from Ukraine in 1995, I’ve been waiting for the right time to return to the former Soviet Union, and September is it!

Promptings for a Journey East

If you’ve ever been overseas or on a short-term missions trip, I think you always have a longing to go back, and this desire has been in me to see the Russian people again and to allow God to use me for things bigger than my little world.  A lot of faith-stretching things have happened in the past 5 years, including the death of my Mother, completion of graduate school, and the start of a new career.  It didn’t seem like the right timing until this year, so when I saw Rostov na Donu on a recent schedule of follow-up trips to Russia, I thought, “That’s it!  Start praying.”  I also received a call out of the blue from Jesse James (his real name), director of my first trip to Russia in 1993.  He encouraged me to go back to Russia and invited me to start thinking about joining him in 2002 for a business seminar in Ukraine.  I may be able to offer my career counseling and employer development knowledge over there, too!  Later news to follow on the Ukraine opportunity . . . . .

Back in the USSR:  A Review

Why Rostov?  In 1993, I took a faith journey to Russia, focusing on two cities named Rostov na Donu and Tambov, both within a short plane ride south of Moscow.  My job was to be a small group facilitator assisting public school teachers in learning how to teach a curriculum in Christian morality and ethics.  During these 4-day convocations, teachers heard lectures on the world view of historical Christianity vs. Marxism, and received a copy of the “JESUS” Film, a Russian Bible, and several books on the Christian faith.

In 1995, it worked out for me to go on a similar mission trip to Zaporozhye, Ukraine.  I still have many fond memories, pictures, and memorabilia; and I periodically pray for the teachers and wonder if they know the Lord yet.  Though I exchanged a couple of letters, the flow of information wasn’t very good back then, so I don’t know what happened to the teachers and interpreters I met.

Under the umbrella of Campus Crusade for Christ’s International School Project, there have been several phases of outreach over the past 10 years to educators in Russia and surrounding countries, including screenings of the “JESUS” Film, the week-long teacher convocations, and year-long follow-up/discipleship trips as part of the CoMission.  Based on evaluations, Crusade staff estimate that up to half of teachers committed their lives to Christ and about 90% have committed to teaching the curriculum!  Remember that prior to these convocations, many of these teachers were forced to be devout Communists and leery of Christianity!

Since 1991, it’s estimated that these education seminars reached 42,000 teachers in over 135 cities.  Who knows how many more people will be reached through their influence with family members, distribution of Bibles and other evangelistic materials, and the power of prayer and spiritual reproduction?   Because only 50 or so cities hosted CoMission teams, the plan for the next phase is to bring more teams in for follow-up in the remaining cities through two-week formats, called Character Development Seminars (CDS), of which I will be a part.

My Role

I will be working with the International School Project again to train teachers in an expanded curriculum on Christian morals and ethics.  We will hold 3-day Character Development Seminars with lectures on the Christian world view, the philosophical basis for morals and ethics, fundamental tenets of historical Christianity, and the Bible as an authentic document.  We want to help teachers integrate the curriculum more deeply into their own lives, so in the second week, we will introduce them to inductive Bible study methods and will facilitate formation of Bible discussion groups.  Many of you know my heart is in discipling and encouraging women who are new to the faith, so this is a great opportunity to start the discipleship process and encourage teachers to develop leaders among their ranks.  We can plant seeds but God causes the growth (I Cor. 3:6-7).

2001:  A Faith Odyssey

I learned from my past two trips how powerful prayer is, to the tiniest detail.  Even on days when I was sick to my stomach or didn’t feel like I had much energy, I knew the Lord was moving, and I felt the prayers of friends and family thousands of miles away.  I also saw how faithful God is in His provision.

What to Pray For . . . . . .

1. The teachers, interpreters, officials, schoolchildren, and others we will meet; for their salvation and for the spiritual growth of those who have accepted Christ; strong leaders would emerge.

2. Possible reunion with some of the teachers in my old group:  my interpreter Lucy, and group members Lyuba, Galina, Zhana, and Elena.  I can see their faces!

3. That I would be open to things God is teaching me about the limits of my faith.

4. Physical and spiritual protection.  Spiritual warfare is a very real and almost certain part of these trips—Satan does not want to see these folks grow, let alone come to Christ!

5. Logistical details on this 2-week trip—visas, plane connections, etc.—that all will come off as God wills.  Trips have been known to be canceled or changed at the last minute.

6. Unity of the American team going over.  Satan likes to attack there, too.

7. That God would restore to the Russian people the “years that the locusts have eaten”
(Joel 2:25) and they would see God’s love and forgiveness.

8. That I would spend quality time with God each day—before, during, and after the trip.

I appreciate your prayers and support in whatever way you can be part of my team.  I literally could not do it without you.  Have a great summer and I’ll be in touch!
 
 

Note:  My trip was originially scheduled for September 15, 2001.  Due to the events of September 11, 2001, our missions trip was postponed to February, 2002.