On Sunday mornings I worship with a local fellowship of believers: Grace Church. Worshipping with Grace has been a bit different than what I was used to in the U.S. One obvious difference is the language. Straining to understand sermons or trying to piece together a word here or there takes a lot of energy, and for a service that usually lasts more than two hours, sometimes it’s just hard to concentrate.

But it’s exciting to worship with the believers at Grace.

For the past month the head pastor has taken time out of the beginning of each service to ask accountability questions of the church. The questions aren’t a surprise; they refer to a challenge or teaching from the previous week. Have you intentionally spent more time reading the Bible? What did that look like? How has God spoken to you? Do you have a list of unbelievers for whom you pray each day? Are you praying that God will arrange meeting s for you with the unbelievers in your life?

Wow. The pastor is asking the believers to be accountable to God’s word. It’s not a time to shame or condemn, but a time to share testimonies of how God works in the lives of those who obey his word. It’s exciting to listen to local believers share how God is speaking to them or using them to be a witness. How would your life as a follower of Christ change if your brothers and sisters asked you, “What has God commanded you to do?” and, “Did you do it?”

God has given believers a great gift: accountability in the fellowship of the body of Christ. How much truer will worship be among those who know their God is alive because they work with him in obedience to his word?

Shawn B. 

I have now been in the beautiful city of Ufa for 6 weeks and 2 days. It is a weird feeling being gone this long in a completely different country.  On average, it takes 21 days to condition an action into becoming a habit; however, it takes approximately 6 months of not doing something habitually to break the said habit. The point being that I am beginning to feel at home through the conditioning of “doing” some of the same things every day, for example: coming back to the same apartment, going to the same university, going to coffee shops, grocery shopping, etc. 

Yet, there are things that will take quite a bit longer to get used to “not doing”, for example: not hearing English as the main language, not driving a car and instead taking a bus, the change in my pocket is not necessarily like change back home, when someone answers the phone they may use three different words for “hello” in procession before they begin a conversation, etc.  Some things are just different and may stay that way for a long time.

However, there are things that are not different. Just over a week ago, America celebrated Thanksgiving. My family gathered together this day, without me, and did their normal routine of giving thanks to God, eating wonderful food, and blessing the conversation with joy and thanksgiving.  

Some of the Americans I have met here, all decided to do the very same thing.  We all gathered together on that day and pursued a normal routine of giving thanks to God, eating wonderful food, and being blessed by the fact that whether we were back in the states or here in Ufa or in any other part of the world we still give thanks to the One who deserves it all.

Kevin S. 

When I moved into my apartment I noticed that one balcony window had a screen while the other didn’t. It soon became clear that there might be a practical reason for this. Visiting my friend’s apartment confirmed what I had already witnessed walking past the many other apartment buildings in the city: people lean out of open windows to smoke.

On a handful of occasions I’ve found myself staring out of a balcony window, enjoying whatever view of the city it offers, while one or two friends finish smoking. I’m often the only student in the group without a cigarette in my hand. The activity punctuates daily life, and I’ve never really gotten used to it.

Alcohol and tobacco consumption can make me feel alienated from my peers. Sometimes I wonder if cultural and communication barriers can effectively be overcome. But lingering over doubts like this can be immobilizing. Paul reminds us that God “has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant.” I regularly need to be reminded of the confidence I can have “through Christ before God.”

One night a friend visited our weekly Bible-study group. We read a story from the New Testament and answered discussion questions. After we finished I stood with him on the balcony, staring outside. After he flicked his cigarette out the window he said, “I think this is the first time I’ve ever read the Bible.”

Moments like that sweep away negative feelings. I’m left reminded that as a jar of clay, my job is to bear witness to God’s “all-surpassing power” to those for whom the gospel is veiled.

Shawn B.

Just over a week ago I found myself saying my goodbyes, to my family at an airport, and continuing the render of my life to the call for obedience, love, and adventure.  The next moment I find myself sitting in a terminal, about to board a plane, hearing unfamiliar voices, seeing unfamiliar faces, and even smelling a few unfamiliar aromas. Even the flight attendants did not speak much English, though maybe slightly broken English, as they asked if I would care for a beverage or snack, during different hours of the 9 ½ hour flight. This next plane was about to jump over the Atlantic Ocean with one American and 243 foreign speaking souls on it.

The unfamiliar voices were not because of a lack of knowing who any of these people were, but that these voices, in fact, were speaking an entirely different language.  When the plane arrived to my final destination, I understood instructions and directions by the mere force of the crowd, as it drove me along the route to retrieve our bags.  When I ordered a coffee, jumped on a bus, or even shopped at the local grocery store across the street, smiles, grunts, and hand motions are all what initially helped this American understand.

Slowly, step-by-step, I understand more and more about the culture, the language, and the people.  Through the long, engaging conversations at a table drinking tea, the delightful, cool walks around the city for hours, and the simple, tranquil times sitting and enjoying each other’s company, I learn. As I continue my time here as a student, I long for those moments when my life of following The Light will be reflected; so that, those of whom I meet along the way may see who it is I follow, through me.

K.S.

A group of tourists from America recently spent a week here in Ufa. For some, it was their first trip to Russia, but others have been to Ufa before and love returning to the city. I spent the week with them when I could, helping them find the right bus or purchase something to eat. Mostly, I was happy to spend time with fellow Americans.

They have good relationships with members of a Baptist church here in Ufa. This mix of Russian and American believers spent time together during the week doing a variety of activities, weather permitting. I think one way a person manifests his love toward someone else is by communicating. In the same way, the love that these brothers and sisters share with one another was evident through the different ways they communicated. How? With broken Russian or English, improvised hand signals, laughter, shared meals, Uno, Frisbee, prayers for each other, and singing songs together to praise God.

It was encouraging week for those of us who live here. I met some new friends, I heard testimonies of God’s work, I heard the stories of those who want to know God, and by the end of the week I had used every Russian word I knew. Thanks to my friends back in the U.S. I hope to see you next year.

Shawn B.