Subscribe to Our Blog
Posts
All Comments
About Us
- TeamUfa
- We are a team of people trying to reach people in Ufa and Bashkortostan in Russia. It is no small task and we want your support!
Who's Visited Us
Monday, November 28, 2011
Transformed For God's Glory
8:33 AM | Posted by
TeamUfa
Oh, where to begin? God has been doing a major work in my life and has transformed my thinking in so many areas in my time here, but I think I am going to just focus on one.
I have attended Middle Tennessee State University for the past 2 ½ years. On my first week of school I showed up at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry and wanted to get involved right away, so I did. I heard a lot about the International Ministry through it. They did things like conversational English groups with internationals, retreats for them, and a Thanksgiving dinner for them. Most people, myself included, didn’t seem very interested. It just didn’t seem a priority. I am not proud of that in my life, but it happened, and thankfully God has allowed me to learn from that since I’ve been here in Russia.
It took me walking in the shoes of those internationals to realize how much they need to be reached out to. Coming into another country where you don’t know anyone and barely know the language is intimidating. I was blessed and am so thankful that I was able to make friends so easily here, but it doesn’t happen like that in America, at least it didn’t on my campus or among me and my friends, who continually said that they wanted to reach the nations for Christ. I’m not saying we weren’t doing that in some capacity, but we just didn’t recognize or grasp that the nations were so close. The people in my campus ministry love the Lord and have a desire to make Him known, but somewhere along the way, reaching the nations on my own campus was lost. I didn’t even think about it much. I helped at one event for them, and that was it.
God has changed my heart and given me a desire to reach these people that I have neglected the past two years. He has brought the nations to us. The nations are right next door to the BCM every Tuesday night to practice English. What a better way to meet them and begin to build relationships with them than that. Yes, conversation may be awkward at first because you don’t know what to say, but that often happens when you meet new people anyway.
God has begun to give me ideas of ways to reach out to internationals at home. He has also given me the chance to talk to some people on the ministry team at the BCM about it, and they are ready to reach the internationals of our campus.
I see God working in the lives of believers at home in this area, and He is definitely working in my life. I am excited to see how God is going to use this for His glory.
Shannon Selby
I have attended Middle Tennessee State University for the past 2 ½ years. On my first week of school I showed up at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry and wanted to get involved right away, so I did. I heard a lot about the International Ministry through it. They did things like conversational English groups with internationals, retreats for them, and a Thanksgiving dinner for them. Most people, myself included, didn’t seem very interested. It just didn’t seem a priority. I am not proud of that in my life, but it happened, and thankfully God has allowed me to learn from that since I’ve been here in Russia.
It took me walking in the shoes of those internationals to realize how much they need to be reached out to. Coming into another country where you don’t know anyone and barely know the language is intimidating. I was blessed and am so thankful that I was able to make friends so easily here, but it doesn’t happen like that in America, at least it didn’t on my campus or among me and my friends, who continually said that they wanted to reach the nations for Christ. I’m not saying we weren’t doing that in some capacity, but we just didn’t recognize or grasp that the nations were so close. The people in my campus ministry love the Lord and have a desire to make Him known, but somewhere along the way, reaching the nations on my own campus was lost. I didn’t even think about it much. I helped at one event for them, and that was it.
God has changed my heart and given me a desire to reach these people that I have neglected the past two years. He has brought the nations to us. The nations are right next door to the BCM every Tuesday night to practice English. What a better way to meet them and begin to build relationships with them than that. Yes, conversation may be awkward at first because you don’t know what to say, but that often happens when you meet new people anyway.
God has begun to give me ideas of ways to reach out to internationals at home. He has also given me the chance to talk to some people on the ministry team at the BCM about it, and they are ready to reach the internationals of our campus.
I see God working in the lives of believers at home in this area, and He is definitely working in my life. I am excited to see how God is going to use this for His glory.
Shannon Selby
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
"It's Good To Read This Text"
I'm working with IBT (Institute for Bible Translation) for a few years now. And during some of these years, my parents were unhappy with me. Because they thought that I had been working on translating a "Russian book" into the Bashkir language and the Bashkir people do not need it.
Once I forgot the Bashkir language draft of the Gospel of Luke at my parents' home. After a year or more I was back in the village and was doing field testing there of the draft. I read out loud to my aunt the book of Ephesians and asked a question that I'd prepared. Hearing this, my stepmother (who was nearby and doing her staff, but listening us) told me: "Oh, your father gave me almost the same thing. Some text about God. I think he took it from your room. He told me to read it." At first I did not pay any attention to her words, as I was too busy with field testing. Then she told me one more time. I was still busy. Then one more time. And finally I asked her: "Mom, what are you talking about? Please could you show me what you are talking about?" It was the draft of the Gospel of Luke, which I had forgotten and accidentally left behind. "Yes, Mom, father is right. You need to read it. It's good for both of you to read this text."
Reilya Y.
Once I forgot the Bashkir language draft of the Gospel of Luke at my parents' home. After a year or more I was back in the village and was doing field testing there of the draft. I read out loud to my aunt the book of Ephesians and asked a question that I'd prepared. Hearing this, my stepmother (who was nearby and doing her staff, but listening us) told me: "Oh, your father gave me almost the same thing. Some text about God. I think he took it from your room. He told me to read it." At first I did not pay any attention to her words, as I was too busy with field testing. Then she told me one more time. I was still busy. Then one more time. And finally I asked her: "Mom, what are you talking about? Please could you show me what you are talking about?" It was the draft of the Gospel of Luke, which I had forgotten and accidentally left behind. "Yes, Mom, father is right. You need to read it. It's good for both of you to read this text."
Reilya Y.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
English Clubs in Ufa: Gaining Life Experience In A Family Atmosphere
I have attend the English Clubs since around 2008, during which time I learned a lot, and not only about the English language. Every time I go to Chris’ place, I get some kind of life experience. Sometimes I hear stories that reach into the very depths of my soul! Everyone who participates in the English Clubs is very friendly and always helpful.
I remember the first time I came to the English club---I felt a certain uneasiness. I did not know anyone, did not know what to do, where to go, and how the Club was conducted. You could even say that I was hesitant and shy, but then Eileen came and explained everything in Russian language, and I went to join her group at the "beginner" level. I have met here with different interesting people. And, the next day I wanted so much to go back to the Club--I really wanted to feel that family atmosphere again. Everyone who comes to these clubs just understands that this will help them to obtain knowledge and skills to communicate in English and even more.
In the Clubs, we just meet and talk about different things that happen every day with each of us; we also talk about what new things are happening in our lives, in the lives of our family, and in the lives of our friends. Sometimes, we share about what we are feeling and why. English Club is not just a ‘club’; it’s a meeting of friends who have been waiting the whole week to see each other again, learn from each other, and experience something new. Chris and his family have become very real friends to me, and this is due to the fact that I always get to come to the Club meetings, no matter how far it might be from where I live!
Ufa! I’ve lived in Ufa since my childhood, and I’ve studied in this city for a very long time. Further, when I was little, I went to my Mom's work, and it was for me a big adventure. Ufa is a beautiful city, especially in the evening hours. In Ufa, there are a lot of monuments and tourist attractions. I really like my town!
I remember the first time I came to the English club---I felt a certain uneasiness. I did not know anyone, did not know what to do, where to go, and how the Club was conducted. You could even say that I was hesitant and shy, but then Eileen came and explained everything in Russian language, and I went to join her group at the "beginner" level. I have met here with different interesting people. And, the next day I wanted so much to go back to the Club--I really wanted to feel that family atmosphere again. Everyone who comes to these clubs just understands that this will help them to obtain knowledge and skills to communicate in English and even more.
In the Clubs, we just meet and talk about different things that happen every day with each of us; we also talk about what new things are happening in our lives, in the lives of our family, and in the lives of our friends. Sometimes, we share about what we are feeling and why. English Club is not just a ‘club’; it’s a meeting of friends who have been waiting the whole week to see each other again, learn from each other, and experience something new. Chris and his family have become very real friends to me, and this is due to the fact that I always get to come to the Club meetings, no matter how far it might be from where I live!
Ufa! I’ve lived in Ufa since my childhood, and I’ve studied in this city for a very long time. Further, when I was little, I went to my Mom's work, and it was for me a big adventure. Ufa is a beautiful city, especially in the evening hours. In Ufa, there are a lot of monuments and tourist attractions. I really like my town!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
First Impressions Part 2
First Impressions of Ufa
It’s funny how first impressions of a country can be completely different than first impressions of a city within that country. My first encounter with a Russian was in the St. Petersburg airport. Rachel and I were just trying to figure out what to do to switch terminals. The woman we had to talk to was very rude, but I kept an open mind for Ufa. I didn’t let her attitude affect my view of Ufa before I even got there. Plus, she may have just been having a bad day. It happens to all of us at some point.
My first impression of Ufa was definitely a good one. I spent most of the first day at Kelly’s apartment until my apartment was ready. One of the first things I remember Kelly telling us was that there were a few of her friends who wanted to meet us as soon as possible, even that night if we were up for it, which we were. They are some great people who we have already gotten to hang out with a few times since then.
There have been so many opportunities to meet people, and they all seem interested in getting to know us. They like practicing English with us, and they also like when we practice our Russian with them. I am blown away at how easy it has been to connect with people.
Going into this trip, I thought of Russia as a cold climate culture. Cold climate means that people tend to stick more to a schedule- they are always on time, people are more independent, etc. I’m sure parts of Russia are very much fit into this category of a cold climate, but for Ufa I get the impression that it is somewhere in between a hot climate (more relationship and time oriented) and a cold climate. In public, it seems more of a cold climate. People don’t tend to smile often in public; they just don’t. They all know where they are going and their goal is to get there. People tend to keep to themselves a lot. But when gathered with friends, it is the complete opposite, at least in my experiences so far.
I’m really enjoying being here in Ufa. I am excited to continue to get to know the people I have already met and can’t wait to meet more people once school starts.
Shannon S.
Friday, September 2, 2011
First Impressions
Shannon and I are a little over a week into our 4 month stay in Ufa now. What has my initial impression of Ufa been?...BIG! I am from a small town. Ufa is more than 100 times bigger than my hometown. But to the people here, Ufa is more like a town than a big city. I have definitely noticed some differences between life here and life in America. Where I come from in Texas, there is very little public transportation, but here, everyone uses trams and busses. I definitely should be in much better shape after 4 months with all the walking and climbing many flights of stairs that we will be doing. I can also already tell that my personal space “bubble” is certainly going to be tested and possibly shrink during our time here. So far though, the cultural differences have not been too overwhelming. I am so very thankful for Chris and Eileen and their family! They have welcomed us in and made us feel at home even though we are thousands of miles away from everything familiar.
We have had the privilege of meeting quite a few people by now and they are all very friendly and welcoming. Everyone wants to make sure we have a good impression of their city. So far, we have found that most people are very excited to meet us and want to attempt to talk with us so that they can learn more English (We, of course, also need to practice our Russian!).
In general, my overall impression of Ufa (and Russia) is that there are less of America’s modern conveniences here. Elevators are rare, not nearly as many people have their own cars, apartments are smaller, fold-out couches are often used as beds, and people go for walks to hang out, rather than watching TV or spending $4 on a cup of coffee. Right now, I can’t even remember how this conversation got started, but at some point in the last week, Chris said something that has been making me think. In America specifically, modern conveniences have made our lives so much easier, and we are constantly trying to figure out new ways to make life easier still. This mentality may very well be seeping into our spiritual lives as well and making us think that the Christian life should also be easy and that we can come up with ways that make it easier or more comfortable, but that’s not how God intended for us to follow Him. He never told us that being a Christian would be easy. In fact, He told us it would be difficult and that we would face trials. Perhaps it has taken a trip to Russia to show me that I do not need to be striving to make my Christian life as easy as I can, but instead I need to be willing to follow Christ no matter how difficult the road may be.
-Rachel
Friday, July 22, 2011
Frustrations Used For Good
Coming back to Ufa has been an interesting endeavor for me. Part of me feels as if I have come back home after a 6 month vacation and then the other part of me feels as if I couldn’t be any farther away from home. You see, when a burden is put on your heart for a certain group of people it only feels natural to be around them. Getting the chance to revisit with people that I had spent four months getting to know and pouring my life into was such a joy. On the other hand, having to face the stresses of everyday life like getting around on public transportation, paying different bills, grocery shopping, and others that would normally not be a problem for me in my home country, only reminds me that this is not America. The system is different than I am used to. The language is not my native language. The worldview here is different than where I grew up. These factors are all reminders of the fact that I am a foreigner!
Being a foreigner, however, is not a bad thing. Yes, it can be stressful at times, but I feel that it is something that can be used to help me connect with people here and really build strong relationships with them. Here’s an example from the past week in which being a foreigner can be used for good. I had the opportunity to go down to a youth camp and spend a night there helping out and just talking with some kids. During their evening session they asked the kids what they enjoyed most about the day. One of the responses was that the Americans came. They were just excited about simply having the presence of Americans on the campsite. I was asked to share my life story with the some of the kids that night. You see, God can take something that may at times be frustrating for us and use it for the good of His kingdom. I have learned to embrace my foreignness for this short time and look for opportunities to use it for good, knowing that one day I will be in a place in which I will no longer be a foreigner, but rather a child in the presence of my Father.
Kelly W.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Glad to be in Ufa
Hey, my name is Nathan and I’m 14 years old. I live in Ufa, Russia and I am a TCK. I love to hang out with my friends by walking around our area, going to the movies, walking to one of our city parks, sometimes going bowling, and going to each others houses and stuff. Some of my friends names are Pasha, Vitalik, Leona, Max, and Chengiz. I met Chengiz when I was 5 or 6, and have been good friends ever since. I met Vitalik and Pasha when I was either 8 or 9. I think I met Leona when I was 11. I have invited some of them to go to my church and a few of them have come, but stopped going.
Some of my things I like to do are playing video games, playing guitar, going to Mc. Donald’s with my friends, listening to music (rock, pop, worship songs…ect), talking with friends on Skype, and stuff like that. Some of my favorite music artists and bands are Skillet, Red, Brandon Heath, Newsboys, Linkin Park, and Michael Jackson. I play guitar almost everyday, mostly electric guitar. I am trying to get better at acoustic guitar. I am saving up money for a either a new electric guitar or a new acoustic guitar. Playing guitar is something I really enjoy. I recently got a new pedal for my electric guitar and amplifier.
Please pray that my friends would come to our church and that I would have the courage to tell them about Jesus. I have already talking with one of my friends about the 7 days of creation. I really love living here in Ufa, Russia and glad God sent us here.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Getting Plugged In: I Really Must Go Back!
I really had no idea what to expect of this GO trip! By the time we got on the Aeroflot flight to Moscow, I was exhausted. The flight attendants speaking and all the signs being in Russian was very frustrating. I felt overwhelmed and felt as though I had forgotten all the Russian I had ever learned. Moscow was overwhelming in a different way: a staggering amount of change, capitalism, Americanization. However, our IMB guide, Alexei Gulak, took us to Burger King in a mall and an amazing thing happened. As the BK server was repeating our order back, I thought he was speaking in English---because I understood him Russian!!! For me personally, being in Red Square, seeing St. Basil's, and touring the Armory were huge lifetime milestones. I have been to Russia and throughout Eastern Europe before but never to Moscow. Getting to spend a day just taking it in was a huge blessing.
The best part of the trip was staying with the Dzuba family: Andrei, Elvira, David, Angela and Christina. I learned so much about regular life for believers in Russia, love, and sacrificial hospitality from the Dzubas. Elvira cooked breakfast for us every morning even when her son was not feeling well and even during the days when we had no hot water because it was the week that the pipes in their neighborhood were being worked on. (Some things have not yet changed since Soviet times!)
When we arrived in Ufa, we hit the ground running so to speak. We attended the English Club at the home of Victor and Susan Bauer. According to Chris, an English teacher named Galina had never been willing to ask any of the previous mission groups to visit her class at the Pedagogical College. But by the end of that very first meeting, she seemed very excited and told us that she was going to ask her administrators if we could come. To jump ahead a bit, our time with her classes went well. We had lunch with Galina and another teacher, Svetlana, who told us all about her parents "mixed marriage." Although this was during Soviet times, her father is Ukrainian and, therefore, Christian. Her mother is Bashkir and therefore, Muslim. For ten years after their marriage her grandmother would have nothing to do with her mother. I am remaining in contact with Svetlana who is working on her doctorate studying political discourse in Russia and America. Svetlana said that we were the "best Americans" she had ever met!
And then on our last day in Ufa, Rachel and I went for a walk. On the sidewalk across the street from Chris's building, we met one of the students from Galina's class. She proudly told us her name was Kate. She was so excited she almost cried to be meeting one-on one the Americans she had seen up in front of her class. Rachel was able to write down for her the information about the English Club that meets in the Carrs home. She was so thrilled she told us that she was going to tell her teacher that she had met the Americans and she was going to tell all her friends and classmates about the opportunity to practice English with the Carrs. Neither Galina nor Chris had ever been able to tell these future teachers about the English clubs because of possible negative consequences for her career. As Chris said, running into Kate out of the literal million people in Ufa was really a "God thing"!
Another English teacher, Elvira, invited us to her class on Monday. She divided us into groups and at the end of the time I ended up with a "group" of just one--but what a one. Ksenia started right off asking me how I felt about the death of Osama bin Laden. She followed up by asking me, "What do you believe about religion?" I was able to present the Gospel briefly and she listened very intently.
Monday night we attended the English club that meets in the Carr's apartment. The advanced students asked serious questions about the teaching of Russian history, the comparison of Russian and American legal systems, and the meaning of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code. Eileen told us that after the scheduled activities of the Club are over, "the magic happens." In this case, I had a wonderful conversation with a young engineering student. He started off asking me how a student can succeed in University classes. He is Tatar; so when he told me that, I simply asked him if that meant he was Muslim. He said, oh, no, he was not. However, he just poured out his heart about his desire to know God, not Allah!
On Tuesday, Chris took us to meet with Ufa international economic development officials. I was really surprised to learn how much Bashkortostan and Oklahoma actually have in common particularly the mix of agriculture with oil and natural gas production. I think Ufa and Tulsa should definitely be sister cities!
Tuesday afternoon we went to the American Bashkir InterCollege to speak with another English Class. But at least four of these "students" were really other teachers from the College. The teacher who invited us, Slava, told us that he wanted us to consider coming back to Ufa for a camp for underprivileged children that is funded through the US State Department via the US Embassy in Moscow. I have already talked to my division chair about this and he was thrilled about the possibility. His exact words were, "You really must go back!"
On Wednesday, we went to Elvira's private language class at the Terra Language School. One of the students was a psychiatrist who is learning English for her trip to Europe. She brought her 9 year old daughter along to class that day. Elvira once again divided us into groups. My group included the psychiatrist's daughter and a 12-year-old from Vietnam. She is working on her FIFTH language! The 9 year old sang a beautiful Russian folk song for us. Elvira suggested I sing a song for them. Since I had the "children's group" I got to sing "Jesus loves the Little Children" to two "precious" little girls from Vietnam and Russia.
On Fridays Eileen hosts a "Women's Club" in her apartment. Rachel has quickly formed a very close relationship with Elvira who is a Muslim. So, for the first time, Elvira came to the Women's Club. In turn, on Saturday night Rachel attended a club with Elvira. Even though we were only in Russia for two weeks, I really feel that the Lord blessed our time there as we plugged into relationships established by the Carrs like the ones with the teachers, Elvira and Galina, to share God's love and plan with them.
Sherri Raney
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Moments of Realization
Being an American in Ufa, you finally realize you will (almost) always be a “foreigner.” The two amazing things I realized as a foreigner in Ufa were first how different everything is and second how much it is the same. For one, the difference in cultures makes you to see what is actually from the LORD and what we simply made up. I realized that my idea of what is salvation was rather culturally conditioned. For example, telling a family member back home how one young lady became a believer, I was asked, “so who did she pray with?”
“She didn’t” was my answer, without much hesitation. But it made me think. Why is praying with someone part of the plan of salvation? To be sure, repenting of sin is necessary, but… many believers come to repentance in their heart without the flagship sinner’s prayer, said kneeling with someone who explained the gospel. Salvation comes by believing, and manifests itself in one’s confession and one’s good works. That can look a lot different than we think. Being in an Orthodox Christian country accentuates this. One very fervent believer in a local church was raised orthodox (like most Russians), started coming to the protestant church two years ago, and has been growing closer to GOD and getting involved with ministries for these two years. When did she believe? Who knows. Does it matter? She believes now. By the way, the Orthodox church places more emphasis on the process of salvation and the protestant church more on the moment of salvation. But both are clearly Biblical.
My whole time in Russia was filled with moments of realization like this. Once while attending a house church that meets in the evening on Sundays, I paused in worship at the realization that I was the only one there raised in the (protestant) church. Everyone else was a convert, including the leader. By the way, if I recall, fewer than 1% of the population are protestant believers.
We believers in Ufa repeat to each other that the culture here makes sharing the gospel difficult, and that if you preach to strangers, almost no one will listen. Surprisingly after my stay, I feel that’s even more true than I did before. Things simply don’t work like that here. This is not a hard fast rule, but generally people are hostile to things unfamiliar--so it takes them a long time to trust the messenger and then they might listen to the message.
But the beauty of beauties comes not in seeing the differences between the cultures, but in seeing what is the same. In the midst of everything, the Christians in Ufa are passionate about people believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Praying together with Russian believers, one can sense the unity in focus that the HOLY SPIRIT, common to all believers, is bringing. Many of the songs that the Russian believers sing are simply translations of songs I have long known, and even the others carry the same heart of worship in their words. There is fervor among the believers for the gospel to spread wildly in the city. Perhaps the most precious thing I come from Ufa with is the experience of such unity for the gospel, sometimes with someone whom I just met but who shares the same HOLY SPIRIT with me. As someone said, there is “one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
To GOD be the glory.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Lessons Learned and Hope For The Future
I want to begin by expressing how thankful I am to Chris, his wife and family, the members of his team in Ufa, and all of the people I met along the way for making this trip so incredible and teaching me such invaluable lessons during my time there. God has taught me so much in such a very short time, and I am so grateful for all the opportunities to teach and to learn that I was given while in Ufa.
Perhaps one of the biggest (and hardest) lessons I learned in Ufa was that my story is meant to be shared. While at the House of Prayer Baptist Church, I felt an overwhelming need to share my two-year struggle with cutting as part of my testimony presentation. I have only shared this with very few people in the past, let alone an entire congregation. As soon as Chris let us know that we would be sharing our testimony, I instantly understood that this part of my story was intended for someone in that audience. Afterward, I got to talk to a girl who was very touched by my story and said it was really encouraging for her as she was going through some similar things. I knew that I had told that story for her. That experience has encouraged me to share my story more, because there are girls who desperately need to know that it only gets better. I hope to begin a project at OBU to provide help and support for girls who have struggled and are struggling with depression and self-injury.
I also learned a lot about friendship in Ufa. Chris was explaining to a group of college students one day that his friendships in America are many but shallow, and his friendships in Ufa are few, but very deep. My friends in Ufa taught me some very valuable lessons and really got me thinking about what friendships can and should be like. I felt an almost instant connection with many of the people I met there, and I knew that even though we weren’t saving souls left and right, we were preparing them through our influence. Many of the students were obviously very curious and open to new possibilities, and I hope that our conversations with them sparked even more interest within them.
Again, I am so grateful for my time in Ufa and all of the wonderful people I was able to meet while I was there. I am so excited about the possibility of returning to Ufa and cannot wait to hear more about how God continues to work through the people there.
Thanks again,
Rachel Raney
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
A Seventh Time to Serve in Ufa
June 7, 2011
It was an incredible privilege to return to Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia for the seventh time and to serve with Chris Carr, his team, and our Russian brothers and sisters in Christ. I have served on short-term trips in the former Soviet Union since 1995. I am grateful to say that because of God’s grace and mercy this most recent trip was as meaningful as my first trip and equally successful.
Thanks to the ongoing work God is doing through Chris and his team, I found that we were able to engage in meaningful ministry the entire time were in Ufa. Through a partnership with our dear friend, Pastor Zhenya, the Pastor of Grace Church, and Pastor Leonid, Pastor of House of Prayer Church, we were privileged to share God’s word with their congregations. These dear pastors and their people always graciously receive us and listen intently as a translator relays the message in their heart language.
We also enjoyed wonderful opportunities to minister to believers and pre-Christians alike during a picnic. The picturesque location and the perfect weather conditions provided an ideal environment for fun and fellowship. 
Even though we played a simple game of baseball with a whiffle ball and bat, God used the time to reveal Himself and speak to many people. I spoke with two older men who were watching nearby. Soon one of our Russian friends joined in and engaged them in a long conversation about Christ.
When I had explained the basic rules of the game with those from Grace Church and their friends, I shared the difference a personal relationship with Christ continues to make in my life. Both church members and friends listened intently.
After a game that included close plays, lots of laughs, and good-natured kidding between teams we stopped to relax and eat. As everyone finished their lunch someone called my name. I turned to see that my friend, David Scurry, a retired school principal who attends our church in America, had brought a group of Russian young men over to meet me. I was delighted yet surprised. You see, David knows not a word of Russian, yet through his friendly, outgoing nature God used him.These young men gathered around and God took over. As though it was scripted, I could sense the Spirit guiding me as I shared with them. After introducing myself, I asked each one who they were, where they were from and what they were doing or planned to do when they finished school. All were college students who were planning further education, work and one was entering the army in a few days.
After they all shared their plans to work, to marry, to own a home, to have children, to retire I asked, “then what?” To which they responded with puzzled looks, “We die.” At that point, I asked again, “Then what?”
This opened the door for a personal sharing of the Gospel with them. I was able to introduce them to Zhenya, Chris, and other friends. The young man going into the army asked me to pray for him. Each one personally thanked me for talking with them and I realized that God had truly touched their hearts.
That evening when I spoke at The House of Prayer I was overjoyed to see a couple of these young men attended. Later, I was delighted to see that another had sent a “friend request” to me via Facebook. His message reads in part:
Mark, thank you very much, you are so open and kind person, I can see God in your eyes. Frankly speaking, 2 months ago I didn't believe God. A lot of people in Russia don't believe, as an engineer, I also didn't believed, but now I'm sure about God, I know he exist and cares about us, I can feel that.
Thank you for your encouragement. I feel that God really want me to believe, because I meet more and more good people, his followers, by looking at them, I understand how our Father loves them and I also want this love. I want to be happy and do the right things in my life and I know that without God it is impossible.
Also He did several miracles for me, I would like to ask you: please Mark, pray for my health and for my future family and wife. I always ask God about that. If you want, I would like to pray for you also. Thank you Mark, hope to meet you again in the future.
The incredible joy of sharing with sincere seekers and growing believers is one of the reasons I am grateful to serve in Russia. By His grace, I hope to be able to continue to have this privilege for many years to come.
By His Grace,
Mark Bordeaux, Lead Pastor
Life Worth Living Ministries – Westside Baptist Church
Sumter, SC USA
Monday, April 4, 2011
Real Life Issues
For the past few months, Clarke and Tara Woodall have been leading an English discussion group in their home. They had their last meeting a few weeks ago and this is what they have to say about the group:
Feb. 16th marked our final “Real Life Issues” English discussion group at our home, and I look back on the evening and all of our times together with many good memories. We have made friends, met new people and developed a few lasting relationships. When we undertook the task to start an English discussion group in our home Tara and I thought, “How can we make this effective so that it relates to people here and their way of looking at the world? How can we build a bridge between our discussions and the gospel?” After much prayer and counsel, we decided to form a “Real Life Issues” topical discussion group where we would focus on issues that make people think about what is real and what has lasting value. We have shared Christ, eternity, hope, love, assurance, death, struggles, victories, job loss, relational difficulties, political uneasiness, forced lifestyle changes and how people think today. Quite often our talks involved the sharing of childhood memories.
All along the way we have been hoping for the privilege of seeing Christ bring about a harvest out of our group, but we have not seen this yet with our own eyes. We have heard recent reports of people getting new jobs, leaving old friends to be with new ones and turning their lives in different directions. We have been very excited to see friendships develop between believers and non-believers. One person even told us last week, “This is due to the type of discussions we have been having,” and I praise God for this! We can only see many of these people once or maybe twice a week and it is sometimes difficult to connect on a more personal level. We have, however, connected closely with four individuals in our group, and we thank God for this wonderful opportunity. We will spend the remainder of our time here deepening these relationships. Thanks to all of you who are praying for God’s glory to be made known to the nations!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Trip to Novosibirsk
Recently, Chris Carr and local pastor Andrei Dzuba gathered in Novosibirsk with approximately twenty other believers from Russia, Ukraine, Denmark, and Belarus for a time of sharing best practices in church planting. Each participant is involved in local church leadership, with many of them already having helped start one
or more churches or evangelistic bible study groups. Chris writes the following about their time there:
The time in Novosibirsk was very practical as we did hands on envisioning and planning together. We had multiple sessions in which we ascertained where things currently stand in our places of ministry in relation to current goals. We also spent considerable time discussing in small groups how to hear from God and dream bigger dreams and goals, the steps to start fulfilling those dreams, and who needs to be involved in making those goals reality. By the time the hands-on interaction ended, each participant had worked out overarching ministry goals and concrete steps to be taken in reaching those goals for the next two years in our respective ministry contexts.
In particular, we had these things to share about Ufa:
Currently in Ufa we know how to gather people into different groups: seekers, those wanting to hone their English, those wanting to discuss the Bible, those actually wanting to study the Bible (both seekers and already followers of Jesus), etc. We have an open door at the moment. Although some of the Bible study groups that have been started in the last year or so have fulfilled their purpose in a defined ‘season of life’ for the churches to which they were connected, we still have have 25+ groups and/or ‘points of interest’ in and within an hour’s drive of Ufa where we have an open door to access people. There are a number of believers who want to serve and be involved in obedience to the Great Commission.
Currently we are looking to fulfill the following goals. Please pray with us for these plans/hopes for our city:
1. Define a unified leadership mentoring process for Bible study group leaders
2. Develop an accountability process for participants in the current missional training project in Ufa as well as for group leaders
3. Better use the English language to gain access to the lost and connect with them with local believers
4. Begin monthly ‘missional summits’ to establish the main missional purposes for the existence of the groups
We hope to gather again in May to have a follow-up time and see how we are doing with our goals. These meetings are important for us in order to keep us moving forward with the emerging Bible study group network. The training in Novosibirsk will help both Andrei and I take the network to the next level and increase the likelihood for reproducibility.
God spoke into our hearts while in Novosibirsk about this emerging vision for Ufa. Again, please pray with us about this vision for the next two years.
1. 100 missional Bible study groups
2. At least 60 new group leaders
3. 25 mother churches (none will be the size or approach of Dom Molitva)
4. 500 believers in discipleship for evangelism and starting of new groups
5. Possibly two new Celebrate Recovery ministry centers will begin in Bashkortostan to reach those with addictions and their families, hopefully resulting in many salvations, new disciples, new Bible study groups
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Living With Change
The following comes from Tara Woodall on what it's like to be a mom here in Ufa, adjusting to a new culture, language, way of life, and raising kids at the same time. Thanks Tara for sharing your experiences with us!
I have always been someone who gets excited about a big change. I even tend to get bored when I have been in the same situation for very long. The fact that I like change so much is interesting to me because I am not always the most relaxed person. I am a perfectionist, and I don’t like thinking that I am not doing something well enough-- especially when it comes to being a mom. You can imagine the lessons I have learned coming to Russia for the first time with two small children!
Our third week in Ufa I thought I was adjusting pretty well, but my then 3-year-old daughter was faithful to give me a little more insight into the true state of my emotions. After leaving both kids (my son was 17 months) in the bedroom to play while I did housework for a few minutes, I came back to check on them (they had gotten way too quite) only to find a LOT of hair on the floor. I quickly realized that Rebekah had found the haircutting kit and had happily gone to work on herself (it took a year to grow back). I think she had just started on my son’s hair when I walked in the room. My tearful reaction to what is now a funny memory showed me that I was not as calm and cool as I hoped. I am thankful Rebekah doesn’t seem to remember my momentary meltdown.
Some other adjustment needs I experienced as a mom include realizing that I had to learn a new standard for dressing my children warmly (even when I didn’t consider it to be cold) in order to not get chided in public by strangers; realizing that shopping has to be done every day- preferably without kids- since everything must be carried home; and accepting that public transportation would become a part of every family outing or errand. Riding a tiny bus alone with two small children plus bags is always a last resort, so I have to plan carefully what I can do with the kids!
To adjust to life here I have had to accept certain changes in our lives. I have now accepted that I am not a bad mom to let my husband do the shopping most days, since he actually likes to shop and gets out more anyway. I have learned better how to plan ahead for the details of my week. I have learned how not to let fears get in the way of doing what I need to do. I am learning to let my kids have their own experiences in life with guidance but not as much worrying as before. Rebekah now attends Russian public kindergarten two days a week- it’s a stretch for her some days but she is just fine! Some of my “greatest” cultural adjustment victories are the days that I can take both kids out on a very cold day and not have a single babushka (grandmother) find a reason to chide me about keeping my kids warm! (It’s really a small thing, I know, but some days it’s just the encouragement I need.)
I say some of this lightheartedly, of course, but truly the adjustments have been many and none would have been possible without daily strength from the Lord (and much help from my husband). I have seen myself more clearly than ever during the past year, which has been painful at times but a very good experience. I hope I am a better mom than before because I have had to face my weaknesses and to realize that I will never be in control and will never have it all figured out. I still get excited about change, but I am also discovering a new appreciation for the familiar. Just being a mom keeps life interesting enough!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Visit to Uchali
The following comes from Chris on his visit to Uchali a few weeks ago.
Uchali is about 400 kilometers (a 5-hour drive) east-southeast of Ufa on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains. The population is approximately 40,000, predominantly Bashkir. There are approximately 200 known evangelical believers in Uchali, a small city with lots of manufacturing and refining work.
Andrei Dzuba, an Ufa believer, church starter, and former pastor, made the trip with me to Uchali to worship with the believers and encourage them. On the return to Ufa, we saw the beauty of God’s creation displayed in the snowy mountains and ruggedness of the glistening terrain.
A hilltop view of the city
The Baptist church we visited there has existed for a few years now, after believer Nadir Davletkildin and his family moved there from Ishimbai (two hours due south of Ufa) upon Nadir’s completion of a missional training program in Ufa about five years ago. An evangelical church from southern California has sent construction teams to assist with building a multi-purpose facility in Uchali during the past few years. Nadir’s family lives on the 2nd floor of the building, while the church body meets on the first floor. Several rooms are still unfinished, though the worship meeting room is fully functional, including a central heating-ac system. Andrei and I stayed the night in Nadir’s living room and two of the female believers joined us and Nadir’s family for lunch following morning worship on Sunday. Afterwards, Nadir gave us a short tour of the city.
Chris and Nadir
The church building
Andrei preaching during the service
Chris preaching
The church appears to be struggling because of various reasons. We need to pray for Nadir and his leadership as pastor of the church. We need to pray for several of the Uchali believers who have apparently been offended by other believers and are not active in the Baptist church. Having a nice facility is not a guarantee of success and effectiveness as a church body or missionality. There needs to be healing and accountability in the church body and a restoration of Jesus as the central figure and focus of His church. We need to pray that current Baptist leadership will be supportive and helpful to Nadir and the small fellowship of believers in Uchali. The church has great potential that is not being realized.
Chris with Nadir, his family, and some ladies from the church
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! New Year is the biggest holiday in Russia and in keeping with that, we were excited to welcome in 2011 with the rest of the city. Here are a few pictures from the evening.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19
We're excited here about what God will do this year! Please consider committing to pray for this city in 2011. Pray for the people here and pray about how you could be involved. We would love to see you here in Ufa!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)