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December 2004 AND THEN - GOD The mission trip planned by a newly planted church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was not coming together well. Team Ufa had reports from around Russia that visas not originating in destination cities in the Motherland’s hinterland were not being honored. Those who got their visas from the federal government in Moscow and then bypassed the capitol to save money were being turned back and told that their visas were not valid. And Lufthansa airlines confirmed two days before our guests were to arrive that the visas held by six members of New Life Baptist Church, who would shortly be enroute to us, would not be honored once the visiting team reached Ufa. They graciously offered to provide visa services on the spot, for an additional fee of one hundred dollars a head. But even that was not a given. And so we went to the airport some 15 miles south of Ufa on the morning of the 5th, not knowing what to expect, not knowing whether our friends who had sacrificed so much to fly to the other side of the Earth and serve God would be turned away and told to go home. It was shaping up to be the mission trip that wasn’t. And then – God. We waited an anxious 90 minutes for the New Life people to emerge from customs, but when they finally did, we learned that not only were their visas honored, but they did not have to pay the additional 100 dollars. And this was merely the beginning. For the next 9 days, God moved and worked through the New Life people in a way that Team Ufa hereunto fore had yet to witness. At almost every juncture of the Okies’ sojourn with us, we found ourselves uttering the word, "unprecedented." And so, in this month’s Unction, we will try to capture for you some of the highlights of what for us was one of our most memorable weeks in Russia. DAY ONE - NO REST FOR THE WEARY We straightway took the New Life team to the Agidel Hotel across the street from the main Ballet Theatre. Quite understandably, they were somewhat exhausted and were in sore need of some rest uninterrupted by well meaning stewardesses. But, staying in a cheap Russian hotel is a cultural experience in and of itself. Russian bathrooms, toilets, and plumbing are like something out of the middle ages. Staying in even a very poor Holiday Inn would be a step up. And so, at least part of the team’s groggy first day in Russia was spent photographing their accommodations. A few slept, but for others meaningful sleep would not come. They were just too excited. It was hard to believe that they were really in Russia. At about 4 p.m. we swung by the hotel and picked up the Team. It was then that we got to know the team a little better. Their leader was Chris’ brother, Greg, the pastor of New Life. With him were an aircraft mechanic named Mark; Joe, a successful Tulsa businessman; Mike, New Life’s music leader and the owner of a rain gutter company; Margie, Chris and Greg’s aunt; and Jan. We loaded up two vehicles and headed for the House of Prayer for the Sunday evening service. A light snow fell as we drove through the rot iron gates and parked before the Dom’s (the House’s) brick façade. After some questions about whether or not the women would have to wear scarves, we ushered them inside.
DAY TWO - ENGAGING THE CULTURE We had some free time on Monday morning, and our intention was simple – to walk the half mile between Chris’ apartment and the enormous statue of the Bashkir hero, Salavat Yulaev. The base of the statue sits on a bluff that affords one the most scenic view in the city. But God had other ideas. As we walked by a small university building situated near the Telecenter, a student overheard us talking and called out, "Hello, America." We stopped for what we thought would be a brief exchange and quickly found ourselves engrossed in conversation with 20 students, right there on the sidewalk. The conversation ranged from cars to movies, from foreign policy to personal lives. Larry spoke with a young man who braved the minus one degree Fahrenheit weather without a coat. At first he said that he was a Christian. But Larry knew that "Christian" in Russia often means cultural Orthodoxy with no knowledge of Biblical truth. "Cool," said Larry, "So where do you attend services?" The young man paused and said that he believed only in the material world and did not believe in the existence of any spiritual reality. Larry reasoned that the existence of material itself necessitated the existence of a material maker, unless one wanted to argue that material is self-existent. After much give and take, the young man admitted that he had once prayed that God would spare his dying brother, but his brother died any way. And thus, he could no longer believe in the existence of a God that would let his brother die. Larry did his best to augur for the sovereignty of God and the wisdom of the Almighty that surpasses our human wisdom, but he could not assuage the young man’s belief that if God existed, He would have acted to save his sibling. The young man asked for Larry’s telephone number and his girl friend quickly said, "Zachem (for what)?" He said that he wanted to talk with Larry more. Yet, four weeks have passed since then and Larry has not heard from him. Please pray that this young man will find peace in the God who created the material world. In the afternoon, we visited one of Ufa’s many universities where we were parceled out between four or five different English classes. Larry was given a chair before six young girls, two of them Russians and the other four Bashkirs and Tartars. They quickly discovered that Larry was a missionary living in town in order to speak to people about God. After such a discovery, students usually proceed to talk about anything but God. But this day was to be different. They wanted to know why Larry was a Christian and how Christianity differed from other faiths. He spent several minutes exploring their question. And when he finished, the questions just kept coming. One girl wanted to know about speaking in tongues. Another wanted to know what Larry thought about Islam and whether Muslims would be in Heaven. The time melted away and when he was escorted to the cloak room, Larry could hardly believe that he had spent the entire session with the students talking about spiritual, eternal matters, an opportunity that had eluded him for nearly two years. He met up with the rest of the team, some of whom where praising God for similar experiences, and we all headed back to the apartments for more of Eileen and Josie’s culinary artistry. DAY THREE - EARNING THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD Speaking in university classes is usually a boring routine. We have to labor under the restrictions we are given and more often than not they preclude any possibility of discussing spiritual issues. We simply have to earn trust and respect by playing by their rules. But every once in a while, the students’ questions offer us a brief opening to give a reason for the hope that is in us. Day three was more of a routine day. We spent all morning talking to students at a university. But the questions were more of a general nature. "What are your impressions of Russia and the Russian people?" "Do you like Ufa and if you do, what do you like?" Larry did get to talk to a class of young women about the perils of dating men who drink. And he was asked by a class of Bashkirs whether as an American he hated Muslims. But the previous day’s focus on specific spiritual matters was sadly missing. On the other hand, the Team was able to demonstrate to the students that Baptists from America are just normal every day people like them, despite the baby eating cultists that some government entities make them out to be. It was a trust building day. In one of the more salient moments, Chris asked the students what they thought of when they thought of America. "McDonald’s," one student said. "Coca-cola," another shouted. "Blue jeans," yet another said. But then a young teacher in the back stood and said, "Liberty." We stood there for a few seconds somewhat stunned. For indeed, our nation on the other side of the Earth was conceived in liberty – not just a political or economic liberty, but a liberty than can only be found through faith in Christ. We pray that the teacher in question will find true liberty, that she will find the truth, and it will set her free. After our morning sessions with the students, we visited an orphanage
for deaf children in order to present them with a new television and VCR.
As so often happens in government run orphanages in Bashkortostan, we were
not given access to the children. Still, we took solace in obeying the
Scriptures’ command to visit orphans and widows in their distress. And we
were thankful for the opportunity to give, knowing that God may well use
the gift to open doors in the future, if not for us, then for the
Children’s Fund Ministry that arranged our visit to the orphanage.
Moreover, when our watchers ask the Baptist Association what good the
Americans
DAY FOUR - A DATE WITH THE RUSSIAN BANYA Day four brought a number of interesting opportunities. The New Life team visited the Mayor’s assistant in charge of foreign economic development and presented him with the key to the city of Tulsa. They discussed with him the kinds of businesses that the Bashkiri government would like to see invest in Ufa. This may not seem like mission work per say. But, by taking time to meet with government officials, we send a subtle signal that Baptists are interested in the needs of Ufa, whether they be spiritual or otherwise. We can’t merely share Jesus and then say to the poor and underemployed "Be warm and be filled." By showing an interest in the totality of Bashkiri society’s needs, we hope to escape the cult label with which we have been branded in ignorance. Perhaps years from now, people will say, "We know the Baptists; they are good people." The team then visited the Archeological Museum and stepped through centuries of Bashkiri history and artifacts. We had the opportunity to touch a meteor that had fallen out of space and to enter an authentic "yurt," the traditional home of Central Asian Muslims – basically a thick felt tent tied over a wooden frame held together by strings made of horse intestines. And yet, everyone knew that the highlight of the day awaited us in the
evening down in the Lower Town, in Nizhegorodka, the mostly Bashkir and
Tartar area built on a sandy marsh adjoining the White River. The four men
on the New Life team had a date with the Russian version of a sauna, a
date with the legendary Russian banya. In the Banya, friends sit buck
naked But, the banya was not to be the only treat that night. The only known Christian family in Nizhegorodka, treated our guests to a
Bashkiri tea. A Bashkirskiii chaii is DAY FIVE - STEWARDS OF THE MYSTERIES OF GOD Day five began as the previous four had, with snow. Larry, Mark, Mike, and Joe took a bus from the Green Grove district of Ufa, where the Moons live, to the Telecenter district where the Carrs live. They got off at the Marx Street bus stop and walked the last half mile on foot, the snow crunching beneath their feet. The cold numbed their reddened faces as they approached Chris’ flat. We didn’t have the opportunity to talk with the students on Wednesday as it was our university contact’s day off. And so, we were greatly looking forward to rapping with them again. Larry called Chris on a cell phone and 15 minutes later the strategy coordinator descended the steps with the other half of the team. Off we went, totally oblivious to what God was about to do. We
arrived at the university and hung our coats in a wooden free standing
closet called a shkaff that stood in a small class room off the main hall.
The teachers of various English classes showed up 15 minutes later and
divided us between their respective classes. What happened next was as
unexpected as it was wonderful. Larry was brought to a large classroom
with three other members of the team. He sat down in a chair facing a row
of three desks positioned end to end, behind which sat six fourth and
fifth year students. He told the students that he was quite capable of
doing a monologue, but that would be boring. Instead, he wanted to talk
about Meanwhile, in other class rooms, Larry’s co-workers were fielding similar questions. One Russian co-ed told Margie that she had been thinking for some time about becoming a Christian but didn’t know how to go about it. She asked Margie if she could tell her how. "I sure can" said Margie, biting her lip to hold back tears of joy. Greg and Mark were told that they always seemed to have a smile on their faces. The students wanted to know what the source of their joy was. "Why are you always so happy?" They asked. The two men were all too glad to tell them. The students also asked them what the major differences were between Islam and Christianity. Greg had anticipated this question even before the trip and was ready with an answer. And Joe and Jan were similarly busy discussing eternal matters with the students. We were simply blown away by the access that we were given to the student body and the nature of their questions. We left the university somewhat excited and after exchanging some money at Ufa’s show place mall, headed for Sipailovo on a spiritual high. The prayer walk in Sipailovo quickly brought us back down to Earth. The area is home to 100,000 souls, at least ten gambling arcades, two casinos, a number of strip joints, and a mosque that is under construction, but has no Christian church or evangelical witness. The enormity of the task there is overwhelming. The snow was falling heavily, and so after about 40 minutes of prayer walking, we retired to McDonald’s for some American fast food. DAY SIX - ATTENDING TO GOD'S BUSINESS It was snowing as the team exited the van across the street from the
Lya Lya Tul’pan mosque in Chernokovka, the northern industrial region of
Ufa. The dazzling architecture of the mosque with its two minarets
stretching into the sky like two tulips (from whence the mosque gets its
name) rising from the deep snow was a stunning sight. But we can share
those images with you The team made its way past a Muslim leader who was receiving guests and praying for them in Arabic. We removed our shoes and entered the main prayer area of the mosque. Fanning out in two rows, we dropped to our knees and began to pray. But we did not invoke the name of Allah, the moon god idol married to the daughter of the sun that Mohammed deified. Instead we prayed for those in bondage to him, enslaved to a system of works righteousness that does not lead to peace with God or eternal life. We prayed for the Muslims of Bashkortostan, for those who consider themselves Muslims merely because they were born in a Bashkir or Tartar family, for those who say they are Muslims and yet do not visit a mosque more than one time a year, for those who claim Islam as their religion, but do not know anything about their faith or the words written in the Koran. We prayed that Jesus would reveal Himself to them in dreams as he has done so often in the Muslim world. We prayed that they would come to realize that even the Koran says that Jesus lived a sinless life while Mohammed was in need of repentance. And we prayed for the repentance and salvation of over two million nominal Muslims in the Republic, asking the Lord to help us point them to Jesus. The names of Allah in Arabic were engraved on almost every square inch of the interior wall of the ornate prayer room. But we did not ascribe glory, or honor, or power to any of those names. Instead, we worshiped the only one worthy of our praise – the Alpha and the Omega – Jesus Christ our Lord. In time, the robed Arabic speaking official came to tell us that it would be better if Margie and Jan prayed in the balcony as the prayer floor was reserved for men. But, we had concluded our business and left the mosque for the Nestrov museum. The museum featured a very good collection of works by some of Russia’s most famous painters. And everyone enjoyed the tour of the Nestrov mansion. After the museum, we went to eat at the Fry and Drive Café, an American themed eatery featuring classic American rock, American advertising and slogans all over the walls, a map of I-66 on the ceiling, and a large American flag. The food often leaves something to be desired, but they have some great cheese sticks and jalapeno poppers. We returned to the university and spent another hour with the students.
We had planned to hold a Christmas party on campus for the students in the
evening, but the head of the English department of the school we were
working with nixed our plans. And so we somewhat reluctantly invited the
students to a party on our turf, in Grace Baptist Church’s rented space.
We asked who thought they might be there and about 35 people raised their
hands. Since Grace can sit 40 people comfortably, we thought there would
be no problem. But we had our doubts that even that many would show. Yet,
once more, our faith was too small. God had other plans. Larry DAY SEVEN - FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM On day seven, Larry, Mike, Mark, and Joe made their way through a snow shower to the Central Market area to visit Larry’s friend Stas, the pastor of the Ufa Bible Church. Stas had graciously offered to take us with him to visit some of those who had responded to an Evangelical mass media campaign called Feel the Power of Change. The respondents indicated that they sensed a need for change in their lives and were open to a visit by those who could suggest how they might change their lives for the better. Stas had visited and struck up a friendship with two of them and arranged for us to meet them. First we met a 50ish Russian educator in Stas’ apartment. We exchanged pleasantries and questions for 15 minutes or so before turning to spiritual matters. Each of the Americans conveyed how he came to believe in Jesus as savior and Lord. The woman said that it was interesting, but we sensed that she was not open to further discussion at that time and we left our conversation there. Stas then led us to the home of an old man. We straightway
discovered that he was the In the evening, we were scheduled to have our normal English class which centers around clips from the Jesus film. But with six more English language bearers in town, we decided to give our students a one lesson chance to talk with other English speakers besides us. The New Life team once more put on a mini-concert and we played a game in which students had to guess the name of well known English language Christmas songs from a pictorial clue. A good time was had by all, and once again student lingered after the class talking with the Americans. DAY EIGHT - FELLOWSHIP Early in the morning, Larry, Mike, and Mark walked through yet another
snow fall to catch a bus and then a tram to the Light of the Gospel
church. The 40 member Baptist church has one of the most progressive
choirs in Bashkortostan. And they have adapted a great quantity of western
praise songs. Moreover, they always welcome guests warmly. Mike and Mark
sang a few songs in Russian and gave their personal testimonies. Larry
preached. And then the three men hopped a tram for Chris’ apartment.
Meanwhile, Josie, Eileen, Margie, Jan, and Joe participated in the worship
service at Grace church while Chris and Greg traveled north to preach at
the Good News church. We rendezvoused at the Carr’s for a late lunch
before setting out for the Ufa Bible Church which meets in pastor Stas’
apartment on Sunday afternoons. DAY NINE AND TEN - THE CALM BEFORE THE JET LAG Larry, Mike, Mark, and Joe walked through the early morning chill
towards the Carr’s apartment. The snow was coming down in large fluffy
flakes, heavy at times. Joe just couldn’t Early the next morning, we took the team to the airport. We watched them go through the bag inspection process; and then they were gone. Team Ufa would like to thank New Life Baptist Church for their humble, sacrificial, spirit led service, for their flexibility and genuineness, for their fellowship and love, and for their obedience to the Great Commission. You have an open invitation to visit us again. Moreover, Chris and Larry would like to thank their incredible wives, who spent the better part of ten days cooking, feeding, and caring for our visitors. Way to go Josie and Eileen! At this juncture we would normally share our strategic prayer requests. Only doing so would put this prayer letter over a megabyte. We are a little bit too enamored with quality pictures, we think. And so we’ll have to pass on the prayer requests to our prayer advocates/gate keepers under a separate heading - Something with about 40 KBsJ . Thank you for your continual prayers on our behalf. May you have a blessed New Year as you obey God and join Him in His work. Love and peace in Christ, by His grace and for His glory, Larry and Josie in snowy Ufa TELL OF HIS GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS, HIS WONDERFUL DEEDS AMONG ALL THE PEOPLES. – PSALM 96:3
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In
preparation for the trip, the New Life bunch had learned a few simple songs in Russian. And during the
service, our sleep deprived friends who had traveled through 11 time zones
sang "This is the Day That the Lord Has Made" and "God is so Good" both in
English and in Russian. There were smiles all around on the faces of our
usually stoic Russian brothers and sisters in Christ. Then Pastor Greg
preached and our language teacher, Natasha, interpreted. Our unity in
Christ no matter what language we worship Him in was not lost on the
assembled congregation. New Life’s participation in the Russian worship
service less than 12 hours after they landed was brief, simple, and
humble, a perfect start. After the service, we drove them to the Carr’s
apartment where Eileen and Josie had prepared a spaghetti dinner. We gave
them an orientation briefing before dividing them between our apartments
for some much needed rest. 
After
two hours in -1 F, stomping our feet and beating out hands together was no
longer effective. The students suggested that we adjourn to a nearby café
and continue our conversation, but we were running out of time and had to
reluctantly decline. We limped back to the Carr’s place, piled into his
van, and drove back to the Salavat monument. We took the team’s picture on
the edge of the bluff overlooking the White River, rosy cheeks bitten by
the cold et.al. In the first row (from the left) are Jan and Margie. In
the back row (from the left) are Joe, Greg, Mark, and Mike. Fifteen
minutes at the monument was sufficient and we headed home for some hot
soup that Eileen and Josie had waiting for us, marveling at what an
unusual morning it had been. 
are
to Bashkiri culture and the city of Ufa, our Russian brothers are able to
quickly point to a number of missions of mercy like the one we were on
this day. The detdom (orphanage) staff put on what can only be described
as a dog and pony show for us. They brought out five of their most
talented hearing impaired students, the oldest of which was six. A teacher
used blocks and asked them various math questions which the students
answered orally. We were amazed. Most 4, 5, and 6 year old hearing
students in America can’t do math. Later we were able to observe a dance
lesson in which the boy-girl pairs were able to stop and start their dance
routine by responding to the vibrations coming from the piano. They were
very, very good. It was obvious that the speech therapists and teachers
cared a great deal for these children and had put a lot into their
training. And the children’s affectious smiles easily won our hearts. One
young boy pantomimed how tall Larry was. And another doubled up his fist
and stood in a fighting position ready to take on Joe, who towered above
him, and then quickly laughed at the very notion of it. And yet, we only
had face to face contact with the students for all of a minute and were
only able to exchange names and ages, before we were ushered out. And we
wondered, who would tell these children about Jesus? Who would tell them
about God’s love? What difference would it make if they could live
functional lives in hearing society if the lives they would live would be
devoid of God? We were impressed by their talents and the efforts of their
teachers. We wanted to scoop the children up and take them home. And we
were touched by the staff’s genuine thankfulness for our gift. And yet, in
the end we had to leave without having the opportunity to do the most
loving thing that an adult can do for a child – tell him or her about
Jesus. We pray that others will have the opportunity. 
while a wave of super heated steam washes over them and they
instantaneously begin to sweat from every pore in their bodies. Their
ears, eyes, and skin burn and their heads swim. They feel as though the
Church has finally done what it was designed to do – storm the very gates
of Hell in search of converts. This collective suffering is supposed to be
a bonding experience – a very, very Russian notion. We often tease the
Russians by noting that even when they relax they have an inborn need to
sufferJ . And sitting naked with other men
in a blast furnace is not the full extent of the suffering when it comes
to the Banya. You exit the furnace room half dead and pour an ice cold
bucket of water over your head. Somehow this feels good and you do it
several times. Then one of the larger burly men in the group takes some
birch branches and beats you with them! And then it is time to go back
into the furnace for more baking. And the Russians wonder why Larry always
seems to find an excuse to escape the Banya fires. Four of our guests went
in accompanied by Zhenya and Chris. Mark was the first to emerge saying
that five minutes was all he could muster. The second did not appear until
20 minutes later. Mike looked as though he had been in a three day battle
somewhere on the Equator. His skin was bright red. He appeared exhausted,
spent. And it took him a good 30 minutes to become lucid again. Our
Russian hosts tried to pressure Larry into disrobing and joining the fun,
but he quickly refused. "Why not?" Zhenya exclaimed, "The banya is God’s
blessing, His gift to the Russian people." Larry pointed to Mike and said
simply, "That’s why!" Our other friends staggered out one by one, each
with a tale of survival to tell once they arrived back in OklahomaJ
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more than merely chaii (tea). It is a table weighed down with pickled
vegetables, pastries, compote, meat, potatoes, bread, and other local
fare. Basically, it is a feast for friends, an over the top hospitality
for which the Russians are famous. And what made this night so special was
the knowledge that the host works very long hours for a mere 100 dollars a
month, and that his gesture of kindness no doubt cost him any where from
20 to 30 percent of his family’s monthly income. As Chris whispered as
much to his brother, Greg sat with tears of gratitude flowing down his
cheeks. That night, as our guests braved the Russian banya, shared a love
feast with Russian brothers and sisters, prayed together with them and
sang Christmas songs both in Russian and in English, the divisions between
rich American Christians and poor Russian Baptists melted away. We were
one in Christ and the fellowship was as sweet as any we have encountered
anywhere in the world. Praise God for this gracious family! 
anything that they wanted to talk about. "How did you become a
Christian?" a young woman asked. "Good question," Larry said. And over the
next 7 minutes, he told them how God invaded his life in great detail.
"But why a Christian?" a young man in a light colored sweater said. "Why
not a Buddhist or a Hindu?" And for the next few minutes, Larry talked
about the exclusivity of Christ. And these kind of questions kept coming.
"How do you know that you will be in heaven?" one girl asked. "What do
American Christians think of homosexuality?" a curly headed young man
queried. "Why did American Christians vote for Bush?" another wanted to
know. 
In the evening, we were back at the university to present a Christmas
concert that Mike and Mark, the team’s musicians and best voices had
labored long and hard to put together. They were worried how we would
sound and we wondered whether the perennially busy students would really
show up. But God again blessed our efforts and approximately 60 students
filled a large class room. We sang 20 songs that ran the gamut from
"Jingle Bells" to "Silent Night," from "Deck the Halls" to "O Come All You
Faithful." Larry sang a stanza of "What Child is This?" in Russian and
then joined with the others in singing the last two stanzas in English.
Later he crooned the crowd pleasing "Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer."
Mike and Mark teamed to sing a beautiful calypso number called "A Long
Time Ago in Bethlehem" in perfect harmony. For some reason, the most
popular song was "The Twelve Days of Christmas." We divided the students
into twelve groups who were asked to stand when their group was mentioned
in the song. The students just could not get enough of it. And yet, over
half the songs that we sang that night were sacred songs. We were
literally singing the Gospel. "Come and worship, come and worship, worship
Christ the new born King!" But, as long as we were singing in English, the
concert was seen as a cultural exchange and the powers that be did not
interfere. We left the university tired, but praising God for the day’s
events. 
another time; for we were not on a sight seeing tour, but instead, on
official business in the name of the Most High God. 
was posted outside as a greeter when the New Life team shouted from our
basement church that we already had 50 people and were taking up the
chairs to make more room. Larry counted 35 that came shortly afterwards.
And at least 10 came a half hour into the festivities. The party featured
Christmas tree decorating, Christmas songs (including their favorite – The
Twelve Days of Christmas), door prizes, and homemade cookies and snacks
prepared by Josie and Eileen. The New Life team did a wonderful job of
leading the music. Near the end of the party, each American shared their
favorite Christmas memory. Chris and Eileen told the students how they had
brought their first born son home from the hospital on Christmas day and
used that as a bridge to talk about the gift of God’s only Son nearly
2,000 years ago. Then Chris read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2.
Larry looked out upon the crowd of nearly 100 students who were standing
silently listening as Chris read, and marveled at the greatness of God. We
expected 35 or less. In fact, we really weren’t prepared for any more. But
God sent a hundred for this very moment, to hear about His love for
mankind through the gift of His Son. An hour after the official end of the
party, there were still a great many students in Grace’s basement
sanctuary talking with the Americans. And a number of those conversations
centered upon faith in Christ. God’s business was being attended to. In
the weeks since the Christmas party, one young lady who was there has come
to faith in Christ. We pray that there will be others. But, at the same
time we acknowledge that it was all worth it – if only for one. In God’s
eyes, a soul is that precious. Pray that Ufa’s English students will
turn to Christ in faith and repentance.
former middle weight boxing champion of Bashkortostan. He said that Joe
had the face and build of a boxer and dubbed him "the boxer" for the
duration of our visit. He lived alone on a pension and had taken up
painting. His work filled much of his small apartment. It was obvious that
he possessed some talent. But of late, he intimated, the pace of his
artistic expression had slowed due to illness. He was chronically out of
breath as though he was suffering from emphysema or some sort of lung
ailment. And yet, he was so excited to have guests that we could not get
him to sit down. He was an interesting fellow indeed. Finally, the Tulsa
boys began to look over the many canvases that were stacked in his living
room and Larry took the opportunity to turn the conversation towards
spiritual matters. The man expressed great respect and admiration for Christ.
He felt that He was probably the greatest man that ever lived. But, he had
difficulty with the notion that Christ was divine. "He was a man, a great
man," he said, "and more than that we can not say." Larry asked the old
man whether he thought that Jesus was capable of lying. "Of course not!"
he exclaimed. "This is a question that cannot even be asked," he said.
Larry noted that Christ had identified himself as the Messiah, the only
was to a relationship with God the Father. Roman historians also connect
Jesus with such claims. And so if Jesus cannot lie, then he must have
told the truth. Faith in Him must be the only way to a relationship with
God. The man resisted such a notion, but sensing that he was not long for
this world, Larry pressed his point a while longer over tea. The two men
parted amicably and he invited Larry to visit him again. Our prayer is
that he might come to know Christ as savior and Lord before his temporary
earthly raiment fails him, before the boxer fights his final round. 
There we worshiped in four languages (Russian, English, Bashkir,
Tartar) with everyone singing well known praise songs by artist such as
Michael W. Smith in their own language. Greg preached. We prayed together
and then entered into a time of extended fellowship. The Russians had
heard about an American camp fire delicacy called Smores and pastor Stas
had procured all the necessary ingredients from Moscow. We couldn’t
believe that he even had marshmallows! The Russians asked the Americans to
show them how to make the all-American treat. Finally they were done and
in seconds they were gone. It would be safe to say that they were a huge
hit. Everyone had a blast and the conversation lasted until well past 8
p.m. As usual, it was difficult to say good bye to the brothers and
sisters at Ufa Bible. But, we were all a bit worn, and so we headed back
to the apartments for a good night’s rest. We had spent the entire day in
worship and fellowship. Isn’t that what a Sabbath is supposed to be? 
resist. "Can you believe it? It’s snowing," he quipped, "Who would have
thunk it? – snow in Russia." Everybody laughed. With the exception of day
two, the temperatures had remained in the upper 20s for the duration of
the team’s stay, which in Ufa, almost always means snow. Day nine was a
souvenir hunting day. The Tulsa six sought matroshka dolls, lacquered
jewelry boxes, fur hats, and even china. The day was capped by a debrief
at the Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant (the only Chinese food in town).
It was a relaxing time after a week that saw many a spiritual seed
planted. Our prayer is that those seeds will grow and produce fruit.