From Russia with Love

Larry and Bette Johnson are serving in Russia with the Wesleyan Church.

They wrote the following letter:

Five of our good friends from Central Wesleyan flew to Russia help us provide a five day winter camp for the Wesleyan Church in Nizhny Novgorod. The Nizhny Base Camp was designed to bring encouragement and new life through fellowship, prayer and scripture.

On Thursday morning we bundled up and piled into the van and headed east for a frigid 4 hour drive to the campground. Olga, our translator, said she was a believer, as many Russian Orthodox members think, but the majority of these Russians do not have a personal relationship with Christ and little understanding of the Bible. We were hoping that this camp would give Olga a new perspective on her faith. Little did we know what was in store for all of us.

As we waited for our rooms to be cleaned we heard the news that there wasn't any hot water in the building. Our meeting rooms were being used by another group, so some of the time we will be meeting in a dimly lit bar. A few of the interpreters from Nizhny were at odds with each other. The pastor of Nizhny Wesleyan church was so discouraged he was ready to leave the camp and go home. So, the Russians and Americans began to pray. We asked God to take over this camp. We prayed for unity, the Holy Spirit to fall on the camp, and for hot water. God answered all the prayers but the last.

Larry and Bette spoke on the basic foundations of prayer and scripture, but the Holy Spirit taught us all when we were one on one, praying and sharing with each other. Olga was touched by our willingness to share personal spiritual moments from our lives with her. She said that the camp experience helped her better understand the Wesleyan church and that her heart was open for more. Our driver, Andrei, said he thought you had to be perfect to be a Wesleyan. He had a big smile on his face when Larry shook his hand as a fellow believer in Christ. He said it must have been God s plan to bring him to his job as our driver. An older woman from Nizhny said that it was the first time anyone had ever prayed for her. She cried happy, cleansing tears as other believers hugged her.

Isn't God good? He is faithful to answer our prayers. He was there with us at the camp and we were all encouraged. We were blessed. Thank you for your prayers for us and for the team from Holland. Lives were changed, seeds were planted and new life was sewn into the fabric of the Nizhny Wesleyan Church. Please remember our brothers and sisters in Christ from Nizhny Novgorod in your prayers. They will be eternally grateful.