November 6, Tuesday “Telling the Story”

I am still struggling with jet lag. I have been absolutely exhausted since I arrived back home. I have slept 25 hours in the first two days. It is like glue has held me to the bed in the morning. But I will recover soon enough!

It has been a real joy to receive words of welcome back from so many. I even have a business associate who has been following me throughout the journey. I am glad that the blog has had over 4,500 page reviews, as I desire to raise awareness about the Far East of Russia, the cause of missions, and the work that Pastor Steve Graham has accomplished in the Primorsky-Krai region since 2004. And he affirmed his desire and commitment to return in 2014.

I am focusing now on how to tell the story. Not once, but many times. I have the opportunity on November 18^th to tell the story in the evening service of our church. Thankfully, Pastor Selph has agreed to give me a “tutoring” session on how to make an effective missions report presentation. Gotta learn from the masters! J

November 6, Tuesday "More Pictures"

Steve prepares to speak at FEFU's International Safety Conference

Private reception at the FEFU Conference

Reception was a real moment of honor for us!

Vladivostok is the home of the Russian Navy's "Officer's Fleet"

Alexi, Sasha, Sasha's mom, and Steve. Sasha is a 24 year-old architectural student we met at the University. She is working on her Master's Degree

Alexi and Steve in the Lobby of the Student Center at FEFU's new campus

Large meeting room at FEFU's International Meeting Center.  

The youth at Alexi's church (minus Saib). Let's pray for this generation of the Russian church.

Here I am with Alicia (9 months) and Arisha (3). I was so impressed with how their parents (Alexi and Katia) are raising them in the Lord.

One very cold classroom; three very different students! These classes are a great way to make contact with Russians for friendship, cross-cultural exchange, and introduction of the Gospel.

November 5, Monday "Twenty Six"

Twenty six hours since I arrived back at my house here in Greer, SC. I slept fourteen of those hours. I did not realize how tired I would be from the trip. It was wonderful to be greeted by Cheryl, Kristen, and Alicia at the Charlotte Airport yesterday. Today I drove a car for the first time in a month. I still have not watched any television since October 5. And I haven't missed it.

I want to thank Pastor Steve Graham, our hosts Alexi and Luda Pavlenko, my family, our GBC church family, and my associates at HBI for their support before and during my trip with Pastor Steve. I am very thankful for Pastor Selph's support and encouragement from a distance of 10,000 miles. His notes of support give me confidence for future mission endeavors. By God's grace I never worried nor was I ever sick during the trip. My wife Cheryl was so helpful at attending to details where I did not need to concern myself with what she handled so ably. It is another reminder: trust others to handle matters when you are not able to handle them. Not blindly, but freely - and with confidence.

I will post more pictures, observations, conclusions, and learned lessons in the next several days. Stay tuned!

November 3, Saturday "Vladivostok Airport"

It is 8:45 AM on Saturday morning. I am sitting with Alexi Gibadullim here in the beautiful new terminal in Vladivostok. He is the Alexi who is married to Katia, with whom we spent our last night in fellowship. He volunteered with Alexi (our host) to bring Steve and I to the airport. I have just declined Aeroflot's offer of $ 100.00 surcharge to put me on the same flight as Steve. He leaves for Moscow 1 1/2 hours earlier than me. However, we fly together to New York's JFK Airport.

Just the use of the free WiFi in this beautiful airport reminds me of the benefits of technology (rightly used) for travel, missions, and the advance of the Gospel. New friends (both Christians and non-believers) want to stay in touch via email, Facebook, and Skype. We have the ability to initiate and grow friendships from farther distances than ever before. Tools like Google Translate allow us to bridge language differences.

I have been asked on quite a few occasions, "When will I return to Russia?" or "Will I come back" I answer, "Lord willing, but with my wife Cheryl." A month is the minimum for me. You spend almost 2 days coming and going when you travel each way. And you miss events when you are gone for a month: your daughter's Parents Day at her university (Alicia); your friend's daughter's wedding (Jeremy and Julia). But we hope for fruit here in the Far East of Russia.

I asked Steve yesterday for his assessment of the Far East - "How evangelized is the Far East?" His answer - "People are pretty much unreached here in Vladivostok."

Once I return to the States I will post on my blog some final observations and lessons I have learned from the trip. I will also propose some thoughts for the practicality of month-long mission endeavors to far away places.

One thing I know: Jesus Christ is worthy. He is worthy of month-long trips to far away places. He is worthy of our attempts to build cross-cultural friendships, eat new foods, drink more tea (chai) than you ever thought possible, learn the Cyrillic alphabet, speak minimal ("chut chut") Russian, sit with contentment through worship services almost entirely in Russian (experiencing the reality of Revelation 5:9). His Gospel is the answer for men, women, and children in every country. He is worthy of our lives, our praise, our talents, our time. This trip only confirms that for me. To see God at work in His church here - to see the power of His salvation - draws my heart in praise to Him.

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.  To Him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).

November 2, Friday Last Blog from Ulganay

November 2, 2011 Last Blog from Ulganay

8 ½ hours and we leave for the airport. We have now been here on the ground for 25 ½ days. This is my last blog from the Pavlenko apartment in Ulganay. I have uploaded a bunch of pictures which I will caption and put on the blog. Today included: lunch with Cristina Kuzmenova, lots of time talking with Alexi, and bought flowers for Luda.

Tonight we spent a final couple of hours with Alexi and Katia, their two daughters Arisha and Alicia, and their friends Katia and Maryna. At Alexi and Katia’s apartment we had borsch, tea, cookies, etc. Russian hospitality is very generous. Steve was a very honest and wise counselor. I realized that the church faces very similar problems no matter where you go: the need for godly, stable, and effective leadership; Biblical practices; contentment with slow progress; trust in leadership; timely and thoughtful communication, etc. 

More in the morning...but the trip has been a great blessing to us and hopefully for all those with whom we have come into contact.

October 31 – November 1st Last Class, Twelve Inches/Last Class

We leave in 21 hours for the airport, so I am working on my last couple of blog entries from the Far East.

Last Classes: The last two days we have had our last classes at both the Bible school and the university. I will post as many pictures as possible. Our last Bible school class was Wednesday; our last university class was last night (Thursday). For that we brought snacks and drinks. We looked at pictures on Losha’s laptop of the Outer Banks, New York, and Washington D.C. from his trip to the States in the summer of 2011. Steve wondered this morning about the eternal impact of our time here. Again, our time was a combination of ministry in churches, meeting with Christians (from several churches) and unbelievers here in Uganay and Vladivostok, teaching in the Bible School, and speaking as guest “lecturers” in the University. There was no lack of work to do, people to meet, conversations to have, Gospel contacts to make. I have sought to be respectful of the relationships Steve had built prior to our trip here. So I have listened much. There were times when it made more sense for me to provide my presence than words, opinions, or counsel. Sometimes our presence, a smile, and a reassuring look are valuable enough.

Twelve Inches: Yesterday on the train to Vlad (50 minutes on way), we met a gentleman named Igor. He is a scientist, a hunter, desirous to learn English, and very curious about America. He sat twelve inches next to Steve for the 50 minutes commute. Leaning right into Steve’s space he and Steve talked for almost the entire time. He wanted to trade English lessons for Russian. Steve had to tell him we were leaving on Saturday; that would not be possible. But we made a contact. However, he would not let me take his picture. There still remains distrust here in Russia of the authorities. They have come a long way since 1986, but their freedoms still have a ways to go.

11/2 Friday Pictures from the Week (10/30-10/31)

Steve, Ira, Ira's daughter Sonja, Ira, and Luba (Sonja's English teacher). A wonderful dinner at Ira & Sonja's house in Vladivostok!

Ira with pictures of Michael (22) and Sergei (23). Michael is halfway through a 6 year prison sentence.

Ira and Sonja: a single Christian mom raising a teenager by herself - all too common in Russia.

Dennis (Bible school coordinator) and me. I grew to love this brother quickly.

The last goodbye: Mark, Natalia, Serge, Steve, Ira, Alexander, and Ann. Ira and Alexi (our host) were excellent translators.

Steve's notes on the final lecture. Look up Romans 15:4.