December 2001

Dear Friends,

Camps, sports clubs, craft programs, outreach to orphanages. These are some of the programs that our partners are implementing to reach out to the children of their communities. The need is great. Alcoholism in Russia is endemic. The resulting neglect is a veritable crisis. Orphanages in Russia are filled to overflowing, many of the children having been removed from their homes because of neglect. Then there are the children who have not yet been removed, who suffer from hunger, loneliness, and indifference.

One of the partners works with an orphanage that is an intake facility for
children of alcoholic families. The children don’t have the social skills to function in a regular children’s home. Some don’t know how to use eating utensils or flush toilets. Among other things, the church supplies toys
to this home. As the children move on to regular facilities, the congregation gathers new toys, because the children have taken the other ones with them. In a country where children have few toys and where toys available for purchase are very limited, this is no small undertaking. The church understands though how important it is for children like these to have something precious of their own.

Soccer is a passion here. Volleyball is also much loved. Often, though, there is little opportunity for children to play sports. If there are facilities in a community, many children will live too far away to be able to participate. One of the partner churches has begun a sports ministry. They have a missionary who is working with neighborhood children, as well as children in the orphanages, teaching them to wrestle, play basketball, and other activities.
The children in the orphanages are often so poorly developed from years of poor nutrition that they cannot participate fully without preliminary conditioning. The church recognizes this new ministry as a way to meet the needs of children who might never have a chance to hear about the love of Christ.

Leosha and Katya come from a very poor family. The mother works two jobs in order to feed the family. The father is an alcoholic. Normally, these children would face Christmas at home with their drunk father, hungry and alone. This year, though, they will be at a winter day camp sponsored by one of our partners for the Christmas holidays.

Last year, Anton’s mother and one of his grandmothers wanted him to attend a day camp at the Baptist Church. His father and other grandmother were adamantly opposed and refused the request. During the camp, however, something happened to change hearts. Anton was walking with friends when they were approached by a gang of youth who demanded money from them. Anton’s friends scattered and the gang tried to beat him up. He ran and hid in the church. The leaders of the camp, finding him, helped Anton to get home and found the children who had attacked him, making them give back what was taken. The next day, the grandmother who had been so opposed personally escorted Anton to the church so that he could participate in the rest of the holiday camp and a Christmas party. He is still attending the church and looking forward to this year’s camp. There are still many adults in Russia
who oppose any connection with the church for their family. Seventy years of oppression and propaganda against the church are not so soon erased. By being present in the community, a witness to the love of Christ, putting no pressure on reluctant parents, but being available to answer questions and meet needs, these Christians profoundly touch lives.

What does all of this have to do with Twinning? Through the twinning relationships, material support is shared, as well as ideas. Our Russian partners do a lot of listening. They glean what is useful to their communities. They are keenly aware of the needs around them and work tirelessly to find new ways of meeting them and of sharing the love of our Lord, Jesus
Christ. Funds are very limited. Russia is a poor country and the members of the partner congregations are no better off than their neighbors. They scrape together whatever they can, doing a lot with very little. Funds donated through the partner program allow them to extend their resources and try new ideas. The American partners share in this outreach and both sides experience our brotherhood in Christ and what can be accomplished by working
together to His glory. We see both sides filled with wonder at the bonds that develop across continents.

This holiday season, we look forward to the arrival of our eldest daughter, Allison, and we are working with our partners to prepare for two holiday camps and outreach to a number of orphanages. Children are open to our Lord in ways that adults have often forgotten. Through their children, sometimes the adults find their way home too. This is a hard country. Alone, survival is threatened by hunger, by want, by despair. We see the shattered lives around us of people who have lost their way, who have given up. We seek to support our brothers and sisters in Christ as they minister to those in need. With Christ, we are never alone.

We would ask for your prayers for those who are cold, hungry, and alone. They are here in Russia, in the United States and throughout the world. Please pray for our colleagues here, who work so tirelessly for those in need around them, often suffering from chronic health problems and poor nutrition themselves.

Yours in Christ,

Alan and Ellen Smith

The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 94