My, my, how time does fly! It’s hard to realize it has already been a month since our group from Elk City, OK landed in Ufa! What a blessing it was to spend the time we had with the whole team there! It was amazing to see God’s hand at work throughout the entire trip. We were all amazed when He brought the lady from out of nowhere in the Moscow airport and took us right to the head of the line sending us straight through. Experiencing the sweet fellowship with Chris and Eileen and their beautiful family as well as the gracious hospitality of Jesse and Matt….He was there!!! Attending the services Sunday morning in House of Prayer was very emotional to me, realizing He had brought me, an old farm boy, around the world to worship Him in this beautiful place with these beautiful people…a most humbling experience! That afternoon at Grace Church, I didn’t understand all that was said but, there was no question…”the Lord was in that place”. Attending the Men’s Club and interacting with our Russian brothers and the fellowship with the team on Thursday evening were occasions I will always remember. I truly enjoyed God’s handiwork in the beautiful parks and monuments we were able to see. The Bashkir and Tatar heritage and learning of the history of Ufa was very interesting to me. As a farm boy, I love good food; the Bashkir and Tatar dishes we had were nothing short of fantastic. In the university, the students’ desire for reading and cultural interests stood out to me. I really enjoyed listening and sharing our traditions with them. I am very thankful for God’s hand and guidance in assisting Chris in developing those relationships. I enjoyed Ufa and its people very much….would definitely go back to do His work. I am thankful for God’s grace that placed me in Ufa. We are blessed to have the leadership of Chris and Eileen and the support of Jesse and Matt. Love you all!!! John G.

How can it already be a month since we were there in Ufa? What a wonderful experience it was to be the hands and feet of God!! As I think back over the time we were there, the thing that best defines it is that it was just a small taste of heaven. Two languages - one God; two cultures - one Savior; two people groups - one eternity!!! I will never forget the smiles and joy of the ladies who were able to attend the Women's Club that Wednesday evening, and my prayer each day is that any of those ladies as well as any of the students and faculty at the university that we encountered would be drawn by the Holy Spirit into a saving relationship with Christ. We also enjoyed meeting with the two pastors of Grace Church and the House of Prayer and learning ways our church can assist in their ministries - but by far the best part was meeting and getting to know the Carr family as well as Jesse and Matt, and I will never forget the last evening at Jesse's when we enjoyed such a great time of laughter and fellowship. Keep up the terrific work!!! Tell everyone hello and that I miss them all and am ready to come back ANY time the Lord says to!!!! In Christ, Ronda

As a member of a group from Elk City (OK) that came to Ufa in September 2013, it was a great experience for me. God opened my eyes to the fact that He is at work in the hearts of people that speak another language other than English. One of the activities that our team was able to do was converse in English at one of the universities in Ufa while we were there. This was a wonderful experience for all of us as we were able to share with the Russian students about our traditions in America. We were able to share with them what the real meaning of Christmas is and that it meant we could all celebrate the birth of Christ. The students were very eager to learn about life in America and we also became aware that the Russian students were very proud of their homeland and traditions as well. The students were very knowledgeable about American movies and sports figures in America. At the end of every class time we were able to invite the students to an English Club in the home of Chris and Eileen. The students found their way on Monday evening to their apartment and enjoyed a wonderful time of English club. God is working in the hearts of the people of Ufa and we could tell that in the first worship service we attended at House of Prayer on Sunday morning. The excitement in the voices and faces of the choir members at House of Prayer made me realize that their main focus was to give glory to God. The music was just like our music except in a different language. God is good all the time and I am so thankful for our faithful team in Ufa. Our church may have an opportunity to help the churches in Ufa with their summer activities by providing funds to drill a water well at a campground. May God bless Chris, Eileen, their family and Jesse and Matt. Thank you for all you are doing for the Lord in Ufa. I pray God will bless you and your family. Tony Mikles

As my first missional trip, I was set with the plan to go to Ufa as a sponge, ready to absorb all the knowledge and examples I could from my fellow brethren and servants. I was certain my contribution and influence would be didactic at best, and because I had based my preconceived station on my lack of familiarity with missional outreach, I must confess a bit of timidity on my part entering into the Russian Federation for the first time. Yet, as I was welcomed into the homes and lives of my brothers and sisters, fellow followers and believers of our beloved King, I soon discovered a mutual curiosity and desire to truly know who I was, not only as a fellow Christian, but as an individual personality. Never have I witnessed a more genuine and heartfelt interest from someone else that truly came from a longing to bond our two societies together under the same banner of unified brotherhood and understanding. It was not until the days spent at the joint vacation time, where both our cultures were blessed to work as one people for one common goal, did I find God showing me that I was to be more than a sponge extracting the remainder of other’s experiences; I was not to be a shadow, but a member of the Body of Christ, with my own devotions and abilities to be employed with the others and performed for God’s great Work. And what a great Work indeed! For as ministers or servants, overall Disciples of Christ, where’er we go, we go as sowers of the Gospel. If there is just one person where the seed may be planted then it is a great Work worthy of a lifetime. As we went to serve at the joint vacation time this truth became more than evident as one young mother found, not by preaching or worshiping, but by living testimonies and daily illustrations of Christian uniqueness and distinction, a group of strangers and foreigners who had more sincerity, affection, and genuine compassion for her and her child because of the Truth in Jesus Christ, her heart and mind was opened to the seed of the Living Gospel. It was an immense blessing to observe God working on this young woman; it was also a great joy and humbling experience to one’s self to be reminded of our own story. For my part, the joint summer vacation time provided me the opportunity to reflect on how often I tend and care to the seed that was planted within me so many years ago. I am not pleased to admit that it was not until my time in Ufa and at the summer vacation time, did it become manifested in me that my seed also needed to be watered daily. I, like many of the families we encountered, needed the faithfulness and convictions of my brothers and sisters, but most of all the loving Grace of our Father, with just as much fervor and delight. Thus, I believe the Lord placed me in this missional outreach, for my own growth as well as the growth of others. It is not easy to set aside everything in one’s life and go marching into the missional field when our Father calls. Deadlines pile on the desk and professional commitments are extended, and not always with the most considerate of attitudes. Familial schedules are shuffled about, and household tasks are put on pause with a silent prayer through the lips as you board the plane, “protect my loved ones and let the plumbing hold.” However, I found with absolute confidence, that no matter where the Lord has taken me, He and He alone has gripped me into His embrace and security, and I have never felt safer in any endeavor I have ever been engaged into than when I am serving His purpose and fulfilling His Will. I am also blessed that the Lord has given me a strong family who recognize that the call to the ministry and mission of their husband and father is their call as well. For my beloved wife, my hallowed companion, my most cherished friend, and my children, conquerors of my heart; by their sacrifice and devoted patience I had found the strength, courage, and reassurance to go and serve in peace. Julian V.

Looking back, it seems as if my time here in Ufa has flown by. I moved here in July 2011 and began taking Russian language courses at a local university. I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to be a part of this city and culture for the time given. I personally have learned a lot and have seen many changes in the people around me. Of course, there were times when I thought I would never see the end. Times when I felt like there was no progress being made and everything I was here for was in vain. It’s during times like those when I learned to look to the Father and just trust in Him. Let me tell you, it is almost worth the trouble and hard times just to see the answer to prayers and understand that God is there and He is alive and working. During my time here in Ufa I had the chance to take part in many different English groups. It is through these groups that I met most of my friends. The highlight of my time here was definitely Friday nights at our music group. I was able to connect with younger people here in Ufa and just share life with them. This has led to many good memories and fun times. My hopes are to keep in touch with these people and continue to be a part of their lives. Thankfully, the amount of technology now-a-days will help stay in touch even though we will be thousands of miles away!

I can’t believe we’ve already been here 3 weeks! How the time has flown! First impressions of Ufa: it’s bitterly cold and there’s more snow on one block than I’ve seen in my entire life. Outside of those obvious observations, I’ve grown to love this city as if it were my own. I love how friendly the people here are; perhaps not at first, but once you get to know them and show interest in their lives and what’s going on in their world. I love getting to see behind the cold, harsh mask that they wear in the streets. The mask they slowly let down as we’ve invited them into our apartment and gone out to do stuff. The students especially seem so very eager for companionship and friends! I don’t know how much of that is just due to the fact that we’re Americans and a “novelty.” I hope it’s more than that. I love the history of this city, the union of the Bashkir, Tartar, and Russian people groups. I love the historical monuments and stories behind every building and street. I love the eagerness with which our new friends have shared and explained their culture to us! Since we’ve been here, we really have not wanted for anything at all. From our sweet landlady giving us her extra fridge when ours broke, to people helping us out learning the bus routes, guiding us around the city, and being so patient with us, we have just been amazed at the kindness of the people here! I was surprised at how much people want to communicate with us! They want to go to movies and discuss the concepts afterwards. Strangers on the bus or on the street or in grocery stores hear us speaking English and come over and try to communicate with us. Though everything’s cold and frozen outside, I’ve never received a warmer welcome. School has been great! The grammar can be somewhat of a nightmare, and I feel like I learn better just hearing stuff from friends and language spoken and learned on the go rather than in a classroom. But our teacher is amazing, and even though she speaks no English and we speak no Russian, she already has us reading the Russian alphabet and getting words down and conjugating stuff! We’ve already had an incredible amount of opportunities to share and talk about religion with people. I’m amazed at how open they are in wanting to discuss this with us. Now that it is February, many people (*cough cough* including two FROZEN lil southern gals) are already looking forward to Spring with anxious expectation. It reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia... "Aslan is on the move." God's moving in Ufa and I’m so excited to get to see it firsthand! I’m thankful for all that we’re learning and the friendships God has given us here already. -Kelsey Abbrat

When I first arrived here in Ufa, my immediate impressions were the following: it’s pretty cold, Russian is especially difficult to learn when your professor knows no English, there’s a lot of snow, this is such a busy place, confusing bus systems and the people will not so much as look at you on the streets. I now type this in my apartment in Ufa, having now been here nearing three weeks, and I realize that while these things have not changed, my initial perspective of them has. Yes, it’s still cold (by my native south Georgia standards), but one gets used to it quickly. The other day, it was in the 20s Fahrenheit and I was actually hot. Yes, Russian is difficult and one will embarrass herself countless times within the course of three weeks with her terrible language skills, but only patience and smiles have been given once a local sees my attempt. And my professor has gotten easier to understand. The snow is still here, but it looks like the famed fantasy world Narnia before the beloved character, Alsan, arrived to save the land. That is actually a good description of the city of Ufa. This city is a busy place and there are a lot of people here. People are everywhere-jammed together on that last minute bus, rushing across the streets before the light changes, grabbing a few items from the local stores. At a glance, they don’t seem to desire more than their usual daily pace. Behind the security of one’s home, however, a foreigner sees quickly that they desire much, much more in this life. They desire spring, in the spiritual sense. They are inspired-you can see that plainly by all the theaters here and their discussions on their latest readings. They are passionate-you can see that by the light in their eye when they speak on a subject that they care dearly for. They are curious-you can see that by the way heads turn my way once I begin to speak English. They are also loyal and kind-I have want for nothing since I have been here due in part of the locals and their desire to see that a stranger in their city is cared for. They are a people who desire spring, but who do not realize that this desire for spring is a desire for God. The people of Ufa have begun to tug on my heartstrings more and more each day. My only desire is to see these people come to spring-to come to a relationship with Christ. –Melissa M.