It is always a blessing to serve the Lord. It's not always easy, but it's always a blessing. Siberia in February was a blessing! Five of our group of seven left Detroit on Friday afternoon, February 17th. We were excited and greatly anticipated this adventure. Three of the five, Lars Carlson, Andy Six, and Sabrina Todd, had never been outside the U.S. The other two, Katie Beth Hostetter and Wally were the "seasoned" travelers.
The Tyumen Team including Pastors, Drivers, Interpreters
From the very beginning, prayer became the focus of the group. Due to mechanical difficulty, the plane from Cincinnati that would shuttle the team to New York's J.F.K. Airport, was delayed, causing us to be two hours late leaving Detroit. And, guess what happened? We missed our flight to Moscow by about ten minutes. That's when all the fun began!
Two hours of standing in line trying to rebook was a challenge of faith and patience. As the team leaders, Wally and Katie Beth were working hard in prayer to maintain their good witness. They couldn't help but listen to all those around them complaining, yelling and being obnoxious. The couple directly in front of Wally, were part of the chaos. During the two hour period of waiting, three of the team ministered to them, settling down. They, too, were on their way to Moscow for their first of several trips to adopt two brothers. The husband had no idea how to solve the immediate difficulties. Our team members poured wisdom and love into them for the ensuing two hours. God was in this event. He wanted them to learn of Him. They ended up staying at the same hotel provided by Delta in New York City and were also rebooked on the next day's flight with the team. Arriving at the hotel, our team invited them to have dinner with our group. During the dinner, several of the team members gave testimonies regarding their faith in Jesus and why they were taking this particular mission trip. When the food arrived the husband of the couple looked at Wally and said, "Would you like to return grace?" We continued to pray for them throughout our trip.
The next morning we discovered that there was no shuttle, as had been promised by the airlines. We needed a taxi. Since we were a distance from J.F.K., the recommendation wa made that we get the shuttle to LaGuardia Airport and then hire a taxi. Wally went outside to a large van and asked the driver if he was going to LaGuardia. He said that he was at the hotel for a private group. BUT, he offered to take our group to the taxi stand out of the goodness of his heart, and dropped us in front of a yellow cab without charging us. THEN, the Yellow Cab driver, Jean Baptiste LaRoc, said he could squeeze all five of us into his cab, four in the back and one in the front. Within two minutes, we discovered that he as a pastor from Jamaica. He began to sing, and our group joined in. We had over thirty minutes of praise and worship while we were still in the U.S.
Missing our plane the previous day had created other challenges. BUT, PRAYER FUELED OUR SOULS!
The shuttle service we were to use in Moscow to ferry us from the international terminal to a domestic terminal some thirty miles away did not receive the email we sent indicating our change of plans. Their representative waited for three hours on the day we were supposed to arrive. We finally reached them by phone in Moscow, and they came again to help us. Our second challenge was the loss of the use of the tickets from Moscow to Tyumen due to our missed flights. We had to rebook with the loss of the original tickets!
A day later than expected, we arrived! We were met by several Russian pastors and our interpreter, Alexey Gobula. It was about 1:00am, Monday morning. We arrived at our hotel around 2:30am, praising the Lord for a bed and clean room.
Morning arrived quickly. We met for prayer and brief breakfast at the hotel, anticipating an exciting day for the Lord. Weonly had one other problem to solve. Katie Beth and Andy had no suitcases. They were shipped to Amsterdam and lost somewhere between there and Tyumen. Katie had spent two hours in the Moscow airport filing claims for those two bags and the other four containing gifts for the widows. It would be a long of clothing exchange for two of the team. Katie received her luggage two days before we came back to the States. Andy's arrived in Traverse City on March 21st!
Worship began at 10:00a.m. at Tyumen Christian Church. With the exception of Wally, the team took their places as musicians. The Spirit of God moved mightily during the two hour service. After worship, we met Igor. He was a Tartar who was an extremely gifted musician, able to play ever instrument with great expertise. Later in our week, he performed as part of our group and allowed us to record one of the songs he had written.Monday afternoon was memorable. We were still awaiting the arrival of Linda and Cathy Bytwerk who were coming one day behind us due to other ministry obligations. Our host suggested that we take a short journey to a rehabilitation center about 25 kilometers from Tyumen. Wally sent Sabrina, Lars and Andy in one car while he and Katie Beth went with Pastor Leonid to exchange money for the weekly expenses. Sabrina shared her story after the fact and had all who were listening filled with laughter. The three stopped in the middle of the forest for Lars to take pictures of the trees. The two guys jumped out of the car while the driver remained in the front seat. Sabrina said that she was sure they were going to leave her in the woods! Then the translator exited the car. That gave her more hope. She got out of the back seat but held onto the door. When they went to get items out of the trunk, she was sure it was over!
None of the four men ever had a thought that she would be fearful. When they all returned to the car, there was at least one sigh of relief-Sabrinas!
If you're wondering why she was so fearful it was because she had read an article on teh Internet warning women not to take trips to the woods in Siberia! She's fine now!
Leonid, Wally and Katie Beth joined the three at the rehab center about thirty minutes later. It was an old building in the middle of a birch forest. The men were recovering drug addicts and alcohol abusers. Many of them had also served time for robbery and murder, but all had now made commitments to Jesus Christ. They were thrilled to have American Christians in their small community.
Several of our team gave testimonies. Then, aftr a time of worship and some individual prayer, the team was invited to have dinner with them. One of them had been a chef and had prepared a wonderful meal of soup, meats, cheeses, coffee or chai. It was a lively gathering of believers enhanced with Katie Beth's Macintosh computer that allowed all the men to take pictures of themselves, and then laugh together over the distortions she could concoct with the applications. Laughter heartily crosses cultural barriers. As the evening fell, so did the curtains of separation. We just began to enjoy each other.
The fellowship at the Rehab CenterReturning to Tyumen later that evening, our musicians led worship, and Wally spoke for the second of his eighteen times that week. The night came to a close for all but Wally as they returned to the hotel around 10:00p.m. Wally, Pastor Leonid and Alexey drove to the airport to await the arrival of Linda and Cathy. By 2:00 a.m. they were all safely in their rooms. Each had one small bed, a toilet that occupied the same space as the free hanging shower, a table and a closet. Each team member had a single room. Some even had T.V.'s that worked!
Our Home for a WeekThe second day began the same as the first with the addition of Cathy and Linda. Wally, Lars and Andy held down the fort of morning and afternoon worship, praise, prayer, preaching and ministry at five different churches. Each day the relational aspect of the ministry became more evident. We were getting to know our new friends and learn of their walk with Jesus. Many of them were accustomed to suffering and persecution. It touched our hearts for them to share their stories with us and to include us as part of their family.
On Friday evening the team was blessed to participate in an all night worship-prayer-praise service beginning at 10:00 p.m. and ending at 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Wally had the privilege of joining two other pastors that night as they took turns encouraging the people with God's Word. Three worship bands also led us into God's presence. Many of the Russian tunes were familiar. By the end of the night, Andy, Lars and Katie Beth were each saying a few words in their new language! What a joy it was to sing praises to our Lord with brothers and sisters who love Him even as we do.
We were all overwhelmed by the love of the people. In the evening when all was done, or the following morning at breakfast, we would recap our experiences and feelings of the most recent events and interactions. it's not possible to convey all the wonderful blessings each person on our team experienced. So, below are two testimonies demonstrating how God blessed the Russians and Americans at the same time.
Sabrina Todd was the first to give a sad, but powerful testimony. One week before we were to leave for Russia, Sabrina's father, a believer in Christ, went home to the Lord. She had seen him the day before his death, and he told her that no matter what happened, he wanted her to go on this mission trip. Her family agreed.
Monday evening, Sabrina gave a testimony at the worship service. She looked at her wtach, and knowing that she was ten hours ahead in time zones, realized that her father's funeral was being conducted at that very moment. She told the congregation that she loved her daddy, but that she loved her Heavenly Daddy even more. She was willing to miss the funeral of her father in order to share the good news of her Father in Heaven. As the words were translated through an emotional interpreter, the eyes of all in the church were filled with tears. They saw the love of the Lord. They felt Sabrina's love for them. She broke into song. The Spirit of God filled the air. Our worship was glorious. This even cannot possibly be grasped in its entirety without having been there. Yet, the testimony will live in the hearts of Russian and American participates from this day forwards.
You have no idea what can happen when you take a little trip for Jesus to somebody else's home. It can change your life forever. That's what it did for Lars, Sabrina, Cathy and Andy. Even Linda, Wally and Katie Beth, with all the exposure and experience in mission work, were still overwhelmed.
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