Our desire is to see the gospel of Jesus Christ transforming the lives of the peoples of Russia.
Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of land mass. The country spans 11 times zones from its eastern to western boarders. Such is the great size of the country that when people of Vladivostok on the shores of the Pacific Ocean are going to sleep at night, the people of Moscow are just starting their work day.
Russia’s history has been wide and varied. Ruled for centuries by the Czars, the country’s politics changed drastically in October, 1917 when the Bolshevik Revolution began and Czar Nicholas II abdicated his office. This was followed by four years of Civil War within the country between the Red (Communist) and White (anti-Communist) armies. The Communists eventually won out, and the Soviet Union was officially formed in 1922.
The complete details of Russia’s history from 1922 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 are too numerous to recount here. Suffice it to say that the country suffered much under the hands of dictators like Joseph Stalin and others. Purges were carried out in which millions upon millions of citizens were shot or imprisoned as ‘enemies of the people.’ Religion was also a major target of Communism. Many were imprisoned and executed for religious beliefs during the days of the Soviet Union.
In 1992 the Soviet Union collapsed. With this came a new opening of doors for the gospel to enter Russia. It is our hope to live in Russia and minister the gospel there.
Children With Disabilities
On February 6, 2006 our first child, Isaiah, was born. While this was a time of great excitement and joy for us it was also a time of great testing. Isaiah was born with the conditions Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. These conditions are often related to one another.
Spina Bifida is a condition in which the spine does not completely fuse during gestation. As a result a opening (called a myelomeningocele) occurs along the spinal column. Without getting too technical the end result is nerve damage. Although this opening is closed on the skin after birth, the spine remains bifurcated and the nerve damage has already taken place. People with spina bifida often have trouble with muscle control below the area where the defect occurred.
Hydrocephalus often occurs with a myelomeningocele. The neural tubes that drain the cerebrospinal fluid from the brain down the spinal column are blocked. As a result the fluid will accumulate on the brain unless it has some way of draining. The most common way of dealing with this is the installation of a shunt which is surgically inserted and drains the fluid off of the brain and back into the body.
We knew that Isaiah was going to need treatment upon his birth, but the time following his delivery was still a difficult time, but the Lord sustained us. Isaiah endured two major surgeries, one to close the opening along his spine and the other to insert the shunt. While he continues to grow much like a normal child, there are still challenges we will face together as a family as he faces various difficulties walking and performing other functions of mobility. Throughout all of this we have continued to know the love and grace of God through this situation.
Isaiah’s condition has prompted in us a desire to minister to others, specifically children and their families, who struggle with disabilities in Russia. In the Russian culture children with special needs are often shunned by their families, hidden, and looked down upon. Many parents who struggle with their special needs children have no hope in God to understand his purposes. It is our desire to reach out to this very specific section of the population in Russia.
Reformation
Reformation means to bring about change from within. Currently in Russia Protestant Evangelical missionaries are becoming less and less accepted by the government. Rather than focus on starting a completely new church plant, we want to become involved with an existing Reformed congregation in St. Petersburg and work along side that congregation to help bring about changes from within. Exactly how this will look practically will vary, but we will work for opportunities to preach, teach, counsel and mentor believers in this context, helping to bring about the growth of the church from the inside out.
