September 2002

Dear Friends,

The Republic of Kalmykiya is situated in the northern Caucasus on the Caspian Sea, between the Volga and the Don Rivers, west of Astrakhan and north of Dagestan. It is the steppe, a broad plain sweeping outward for as far as you can see. The steppe sweeps into a more desert-like region in southern Kalmykiya. It is very dry, so even though it is a large region, it has quite a small population, 320,000 inhabitants. The population is a mixture of Kalmyks (of Mongolian extraction—Ghengis Khan’s people), Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Dagestanis, Chechens, Tatars, and Kazakhs. There are only three cities in the republic—Elista, the capital, being the largest with 120,000 people. Kalmykiya is one of the poorest regions in Russia because its resources are limited and its infrastructure has collapsed—transportation, agriculture, and industry. The rail system has ceased to function, and many of the residents live on government stipends.

After hours of working, searching on the Internet, traveling about Moscow chasing down false leads, Ellen finally found a commercial flight to Elista on a sunny day at the end of August.

The people of Kalmykiya endure harsh conditions. Elista is so dry in the summer that the city water is shut off most of the time. People have wells, but must ration water carefully. They recycle water for washing and watering their gardens. While I was there, we ate watermelon in order to conserve water. The summers in Kalmykiya can be blazing hot with temperatures over 100, while the winters are very cold. The wind blows constantly over the steppe.

I had not known what to expect in Kalmykiya. Given the violence in neighboring territories, I had some concerns. They turned out to be unfounded. What I found in the city of Elista was a very peaceful community with a diverse population that lives in harmony. In other parts of Russia, relations between the different ethnic groups are often strained, to say the least. Racism is alive and well here. I sensed community in Elista. The church I visited is a Russian-Kalmyk church. I saw no lines of division, just fellowship. I was moved by the warmth of this congregation.

The church in Elista is 100 years old. Its roots are evangelical. Under Stalin, their building was taken away and most of its members were sent to Siberia and to prisons. (Many in Kalmykiya suffered this fate—there are no families that did not have someone sent off to prisons.) During this time, church members could only gather in small groups in apartments to pray. After perestroika, the church began to revive. They purchased a house for their worship and began to preach and evangelize. Starting with 30 members, they have grown to a congregation of 80, with a strong youth ministry. They have three missionaries that work in outlying villages, working with orphanages and running children’s camps. Several women in the church told me about their “Mothers in Prayer” group. Everyone seems involved in the life and ministry of the church, and in spite of the poverty of the region and the harsh conditions, this is a congregation full of joy in His service.

We met the young pastor of this congregation last spring at a meeting of pastors in Moscow. We had gone to the meeting to meet partners. As usual, people began to pull us aside to meet other pastors. Out of the crowd, this young man emerged, seeking us out on his own accord. We didn’t have a clue then even where Elista was. In the weeks to follow, he provided us with a report about the republic, the city of Elista, and the church’s ministry, then followed up with phone calls and worked with us throughout the summer to coordinate the visit. We have been very impressed with his initiative and his perseverance.

We know that it will be a challenge, but we will be working this fall and winter to find a partner for the church in Elista. We are deeply impressed with their ministry and the spirit of the community. They struggle under difficult circumstances, but accomplish a great deal—largely through prayer and good stewardship. Partnering with the church in Elista will require a U.S. church with a frontier spirit and people willing to travel the distance and stand beside these people where they are. The plumbing is primitive, the food is simple, but the wisdom is deep and the love is warm and generous. There is a lot to be shared here.

We would ask for your prayers for the church in Elista and for their evangelization efforts with different ethnic groups. We ask for your prayers for our family as we enter the fall season and begin a new stage in our ministry. Al has begun teaching at the mission school that our children attend. We ask for your prayers for his new work and for my work, as I take on a larger share of the partnership work. We ask for your prayers for our children—for Emma as she begins Kindergarten, for Meg as she enters middle school, and for Allison as she sets off to college for the first time. September has brought a great deal of change for our family, but change is good.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with each of you.

Al & Ellen Smith

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