Lottie Moon Emphasis

We're so excited to be here today and get this.

serving in Russia and in the Balkans

You know, it's hard to believe not all that many years ago.

First Baptist Owasso

But God had brought us there and we were going. Stay there. The rest of our lives. I like to say it was.

But you know, we'd had a missions.

and Randy was in charge of getting them to the Valley to share during the day the missionaries were like we do is talk and talk and they said Basketball it was all men. They started talking with Ray me about why aren't you overseas? I'm not the kind of person you need and you know, they shared a statistic with us that just touched her Hertz. They said she know.

Stay here in America to Venice.

No, God just began in pressing on our heart. We were replaceable here in this state there were people that could. Ernest mini people I began working in our heart and just bringing us to the place where we felt called. So we started talking with the international Mission board. And at first we were just sure we were going to go to Africa. And so we told him to

what make a person in this job request for Russia and we were like we told you we are going to Africa.

Houston to Alaska and Africa when there's openings in Russia where we need

praying about that and then Randy had the opportunity to go to

an article in a about a place called Cabarrus and the head of the Baptist Union there said we need help and we knew that's where God wanted to ask. How going to language study. Full-time like everyday will last for 5 hours about four hours of homework. Where is she doing? Everything by scratch their? I'm washing clothes by.

But we studied language full-time and then we went out to the city of Jabara.

Realize it covers 10 times so from Moscow.

and the City of Cabarrus

we could see China across the river. It was a city. diversity

Far East Russia Russian Baptist, how can we Minister? How can we help you?

Help us with you. So we started working. Ministry

Did business courses with all sorts of things and eventually we had. students that came on Thursday nights and they loved it because the new contemporary Bible study

have Bible study and student.

so exciting

Basta Russian Baptist

To the union they are and so we started this church meeting on Sunday, and it was called transform. Because it was all young.

My God what we were so excited and I remember.

We're getting ready Randy you sleep. Someone else but I was helping I was playing the piano. Let the music and all those sorts of things. So we're getting ready I come in and okay in Russia.

You know, it's like that your perennial student there and he was a little bit older.

But the minute we looked at.

He was wearing the outfit he had. Certain look you can recognize them. They're in this black leather coat. pocket just glaring and I'm like going to do you know, I'd like to shake it stand for the offering afterwards.

But he was a theory just frowned as he didn't really see. Afterwards we went out and said hello, and another one of the students a business kept coming and kept sit back there glaring thought we would go talk to him every week. All these things in elodea the student that it invited him said one day they were sitting in a car outside of a one of their places of arguing about Jesus now, that's the way it not the way Americans Russians.

They were yelling about Jesus and finally all legs it okay, I believe it. I want to pray to receive. So you did right there in the car? talked for a little bit and then

he came back. He said Danny.

I can't live this life.

God changed his heart.

You don't leave the mafia.

I totally Got him out of that and he became one of our staunchest church members, and he was one of five that Randy tree.

States on furlough for a year, but you know he had a lot of extra.

connection and

apartment building there. It only cost like $20, but I had to go to get a million. In a big backpack cuz if they take up so much room and I was at an egg.

He did and he adopted his rather Mafia just look and followed me down the street with my backpack full of money, but he bothered me.

passport overseas

and have a police report before you.

Call the police.

They did it all I went with Randy to help him but he got in a fight with the police and they kicked him out all by itself.

So we waited two days and we're driving up to our apartment.

bored as passport bat

Call them.

So, you know, what was amazing is.

Who is this? We didn't eat. And her name is Oksana, and she started coming in one day. I'll leg called.

over

are we did Russia use?

talking

I've seen such a change in all of Egg & I started jump.

And whatever's happened to him I wanted. I want to be a Christian because I've seen the change in his life. And there are 12 year olds. So happy to baptize all of them and see.

They became a pillar of that church and you know one day I asked.

the fact that every week we would

You know, we had to admit to him at that point our Russian was so bad. We couldn't say much more than high, but you know. Are terrible language?

And so never say that you don't know.

to make a difference 7 years in Jabara We left there on a gears for low back in the States.

I need the story on the Conchester peninsula.

And it was some people live there called.

Called small not coasters. Is there small numerically in there?

Watch a little video right now about the small people.

Slideshow of images plays in their heads Saint Basil's Cathedral Red Square statues of Lenin and Tall cement.

Behind These convey

the government

They have any names Cory act given you could carry chukchi an Audi and then a few 26 and Disney Cruise have been lumped together under the Russian government spending America small table with the North.

For centuries, they've called The Plains hundred steps and coasts of Russia their home subsisting off of the land. They live quietly seeking harmony with the natural world around them and asking for little their Lifestyles revolved around Hunting Fishing trapping and reindeer hurting.

Under communist rule these people groups summon tribes the smallest 400 baht to preserve their Heritage there, their language sadly most of these things were added to the security in posed to russification.

Speaking them was forbidden and has led to a constantly diminishing number of people who speak it few or none under the age of 20 speak the native languages. Today they struggle to find a balance between their cultural heritage and to survive in the modern world of Pop Culture pieces that have become increasingly accessible in recent years in these times of uncertainty. The small peoples have actually responded to the unknown with the return to spirituality but most are returning to a traditional Faith grounded and folklore amongst some groups. The central figure of religious life is still the shaman and intermediary between the natural and Supernatural worlds while the small peoples of the north have been overlooked and forgotten by their government and their neighbors. They have not been forgotten by the god of the nation's his plan for them does not involve the loss of their culture its fulfillment. How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?

When we left, I asked and began to make the move to Kamchatka. We realize that there was a group of people that have never been touched by the gospel because they live lived in the northern reaches show. We ask for permission from the Russian government. You always had to register whenever you move from one city to the next so we ask for permission to live it you can't live there and we said the why we want to work with these people. We want to plan to church we were on missionary Visas. So everything we did was aboveboard but they said there's no church there. So you can't go there you have to go where there's a church because the church sponsors you those we moved to the City of Petra Pablo switch was the big city on the peninsula of Kamchatka. We found a Russian Baptist Church there it was small may be about 30 people but they were gathering faithfully and talking about doing Outreach and starting churches in Kamchatka. And we said can we help we want to help especially with reaching the native peoples. They said, oh no, we don't go that far. Deal with the cities here with the Russians map and I said but what about those people who do not have access but when they said where we can do trips up there, maybe once a week. But now we're going to focus here. So we began working with the students that were in that church and begin to prepare them to be a team of evangelist to go out into the villages. I'm so we would go out at Christmas time. We would do Christmas concerts. And then in the summertime, we would go up into the villages and we would conduct a summer camp in the weed invite all the kids from The Villages. They teach them the Bible will be actually able to lease some property in the little village of s o which is about 300 miles from the City of Petra paw place where we were living so we would drive out there in a bus over, you know, a gravel road that was about 250 miles of gravel about a hundred miles of of pay payment when we would get there is basically this Village was at the end of the road. You couldn't go any further you had to turn around come back over anywhere else and it was there that we begin to build some relationships with Choriok and have any reindeer herders we started doing the caps with the children and then we realize that hay if we could stay here on Camp property and say we're doing a camp Ministry. Maybe we can get the Russian officials to give us permission to live here. So we went to them again and we said a part of our church ministry is camping and we have this property here. We want to develop if we want to have a camping Ministry. Can we live here? And they finally said, yes, you can so we built the cabin there on the in the Esso and began working with natives in about three different villages in that part of Russia. We were excited about what God was doing several of the festivals that they would have that you saw on the video. We're great opportunities for us to connect with people we would go to these festivals and and they would start talking about you know, when we have the reindeer and we kill the reindeer for the festival. We all take the blood and we drink the blood and I'm like yuck. That sounds terrible walk you to do that and they said will the blood represents a life. And when we take the blood in in a sense, we're drinking in the life and the good fortune that comes from this animal that's giving up his life. And you know what? I begin to think. You know what I know the story in the Bible that talks about the living blood of Christ and how he gave it is a sacrifice that all people might have life and life eternal without a bridge. We had the opportunity to share the message of Jesus Christ with people who can background who was a lot of spirit but did not believe that they understood from about who Jesus Christ was longer. We had a small group before they were meeting in our little cabin for Bible when our mission agency said we want you to become the supervisor for all of us and Aries in the lounge of of Russia, but in order to do that, they got to move back to the city, but we were think of here a couple of years and we're getting our feet planted in these people are accepting Us in and now our mission agency wants us to believe that Ministry behind but as we move back to town and apartment that we had been living in before that our mission agency. There was a Russian couple there. They were doing evangelism among students like carried on the minister either weed helped start and we said, you know what we're going to have to move back into our president and you're going to have to move out and they were like, so where we going to go and I said, well, why don't you go up to the Village? We got a cabin up there you can live there and you can carry on the ministry never I wanted to say. No, it's too hard to live in the village, but I'm rushing I understand my culture and You Came As Americans and you went to the village and you did it. He says, how could I say? No, so he packed up his family and they moved to the city of s o and today is Yaya and Svetlana khorkina are leaving the ministry and continuing to build a house Church in the village of s on their beginning beginning to extend their reach into several of the other villages in the interior parts of Kamchatka. What was an exciting Ministry, but God said after we move back to town and we had lived there for about two years. I was traveling across the the Russian Far East we had about five teams. In places like booty idea and Jabara scan lot of us talking and achutam and so we were actually looking at trying to plan a new church in the city of Vladivostok the largest city in the Russian Far East, but then our mission agency called and they said you know what we have another plan we have another idea and I'm like, okay. What kind of plan is it this time? You need to move to Greece. I'm like, oh, yeah. Alright. This is a this was April 1st when our mission administrator called and I'm like, yeah. Yeah, April Fool's joke. I know. What you doing here. He said no, I'm serious. I want you to pray about this. I'm like, they don't even speak Russian in Greek in Greece. You know how I spent all this time learning this language 14 years we've been serving and now you want me to move to Greece. It just don't make sense. So I told him I would pray about it, but honestly, I was like God there's no way this doesn't make sense. I think he's crazy and he's lost his mind. We wanted to plan a church and let us talk and we know the people we know what to do. Pray. God reminded me of the time that Robin was sharing with you and our commitment at that time was Lord, wherever you want us to go. Whether it's Africa where there is Russia wherever you want us to go will be willing to go and once again the Lord humbled it since and we said Lord if that's your plan will go So we moved to the city of Thessaloniki Greece and again the whole time. I'm still trying to answer this question. This doesn't make sense. Why me. I don't know the language. I don't know the culture. I don't know the people. I don't know our Personnel, but I was asked to supervise missionary Personnel in nine different countries of the Balkan country like Serbia Greece Bulgaria Montenegro Macedonia, Albania. These were the countries that he was going to say, I'd hardly knew anything about these people that is we moved there and began to to get to know our our missionary personnel and begin to learn about the people. They were ministering to we realize that God had gifted Us in certain ways to provide encouragement and Leadership for these missionaries, but we still didn't see a lot of responses specially among Greek people Greek are Orthodox people's they believe that their Christian their Orthodox Christian, but it was very hard for us to talk to them about Jesus, but they said who do you think you are coming? We've been here two thousand years. We received the fur. Missionary Paul and we are Christians. I didn't live the Christian life, but they said we're Christians so we don't want to listen to your message. So I was really beginning to question Lord. Why do you have us here? And then all of a sudden things begin to happen in the Middle East countries like Afghanistan and Iran war at war Syria even today at War Sudan Somalia. These are all Islamic countries and people were leaving in droves to get away from the radical leadership in their countries and they were wanting to move into Europe and you know it begin to make their way to the Mediterranean Sea and begin to travel on boats. Sometimes in life rafts across the Mediterranean Sea from North in the Middle East and they would come to Greece because Greece was a European nation and would receive refugees and soon as they came there. They begin to try to find a way to get on further up into Europe into places like Germany and Switzerland where they would receive refugees provide housing for them provide jobs for Can help them establish a new life. Well, of course the the numbers began to come in droves and finally the European nation said they're too many they begin to close off the border and these refugee camps began to just build up on the border between Greece and Macedonia. Well, we took our team and we said, you know what we're going to have to put our Greek Ministry on hold because there's people who we need to feed people who don't even have we need to go in and help these people and share the message of Hope message of Jesus Christ. So it'll be getting into the cab. These were Muslim people who have never heard about Jesus Christ. The fact could never ask the question who is Jesus because they were afraid that somebody would take them and arrest them and take them away from their family. But now for the first time they can ask, who is this Jesus that we hear Europeans and westerners talk about we begin to tell them about Jesus Christ and these people begin to come to Faith in Jesus Christ. We we going to baptize now and begin to disciple them like you would do with any new convert butt. First thing about refugees. Is there here today and gone tomorrow the Border open before work leave. We don't know what time they're going to get there. We don't know how to follow up. So we just begin to pray for them said Lord. We don't know where they're at. Now. They're on their way somewhere in Europe before praying God to somehow you will connect them with other believers so that they can begin to continue their their faith walk with the Lord. All of a sudden we begin to hear from some of our colleagues in Europe. They said you know what we went into the City of Paris and and out on the outskirts of Paris is an Iranian church about 2020 Believers. They're all Iranian and they're worshipping God studying the Bible together and they began to ask a question. How did this church start and the leaders that church said, you know what when we came to Greece we were in the camps and some people came and told us about Jesus Christ and we knew that we had me we received a Mazar Lauren levetan, we knew we had to study God's word. Well when we left there we couldn't find anybody. So we just began together in our home. We just began to talk about Jesus and study the Bible together. Are we doing wrong? He said no, you're not doing it wrong. You're doing it right? That's exactly what you need to be doing. We begin to hear stories about churches in Germany and Switzerland that we're growing up. They were all Afghani so are Sudanese or Somalian syrians who were Believers come to faith in Christ through the refugee camps. I didn't see it at first but weekend to realize that in God's sovereignty and in his special planned for us. He had us designed to stay there. Let me just quickly. I conclude here this morning by saying when we left to come back. We really didn't know what God was doing. That's another one of those moments when he was like God don't understand. Why are you sending us back home back to the States? But God begin to open the door for us to come back to Alaska. And honestly, we thought we would never be able to come back. But you know why we left our hearts behind we knew that God had something else in store for one of the things that we did leave behind was not only our hearts and and a legacy but we left children behind our daughter Cori and her husband Jared had served in this part of the world ended work with Muslim people and they said God wants us to go and serve with Muslim peoples and we said was there by some people's in the Balkans. I in fact in Macedonia, there's a large group of albanians for Muslims in and the gospel is not reach them and they said we need to go there so did they are Daughter and her husband and their two children are starving in Macedonia working with albanians taking the gospel message to Muslim people. Now I've been a mission was a missionary for 22 years and the support that we received through the Cooperative program and through the Lottie Moon Christmas offering allowed us to serve in the places that we serve for 22 years without ever having to worry about whether we're going to have money for a place to live whether we were going to have transportation or whether we would have enough funds to fly out of country to get new Visas so that we could come back in it's only through the generous sacrificial giving of Southern Baptist to give to the Cooperative program and the Lottie Moon Christmas offering that we along with another 3500 missionaries were able to stay on the mission field. It's also a tremendous encouragement to me today as a father. That I know that my children who are serving the lord in Macedonia being taken care of because Southern Baptists just like you who give Faithfully so that they can serve in a very difficult place our grandchildren are there every once in awhile. I will call up and say Are My Sunshine has an infection we have to take him to the hospital. We say thank you Southern Baptist that they can go to the hospital and get treatment for their children. So let me just say thank you for what you do for for not only believing the missions is important. It is a mandate that was given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because you are faithful and giving and supporting the work of missionaries around the world, especially through the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. Thank you for your faithfulness.