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A letter from Alan and Ellen Smith
in Russia |
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August 31, 2004
Dear Friends,
Three-and-a-half years ago, shortly after our arrival in Russia,
Ellen accompanied Donald Marsden and Gary Payton to a conference
in Surgut, beyond the Urals, in Siberia. The trip took place in
winter, and the group came back with hair-raising stories of a
trip to the city of Nizhnevartovsk, by car, at night.
On 27 August, I set out for Nizhnevartovsk myself, but I flew
there direct from Moscow, courtesy of Aeroflot. The weather here
in Moscow was rather nice. We got off the plane in Nizhnevartovsk
at 5:00 a.m. and were greeted by a driving rain and some remarkably
fall-like temperatures. This, after all, is Siberia, and summer
is basically over.
Vladimir Tashtiev’s church is the only church of the Union
of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in the Nizhnevartovsk region—a
region of some 350,000 people. The church is very active in evangelism
and outreach; over the weekend that I was in town, church members
distributed some 20,000 tracts inviting interested persons to
participate in a no-cost Bible study program by correspondence.
They have a Sunday school program and a twelve-step program for
recovering alcoholics. In Nizhnivartovsk, as in the rest of Russia,
drug and alcohol abuse constitute a major social crisis. The congregation
is still small, but an unusually large percentage are young people
of working age, and two years ago they began a remarkable building
project. |
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The only congregation of the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists
in the Nizhnevartovsk region. Al is in the back on the far left.
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The church currently meets in
a private home not far from the airport. (I could hear the chimes
for boarding announcements during the Sunday morning service.)
Using their own resources, the church bought a parcel of land
near the city center, located on a bus route. They began to build,
still using their own resources, and had completed the foundation
before asking the Outreach Foundation for assistance. They have
continued to build, and have enclosed the walls around the second
story, where the sanctuary will eventually be located. The first
story will house the Sunday school, kitchen, restrooms, etc.
Such a building project requires a considerable investment of
labor and resources. The land around Nizhnevartovsk is almost
entirely swamp, draining into the Ob River, which flows not far
from the building site. One cannot build on a normal foundation
here—the building would sink into the swamp. Instead, the
foundation rests on “pontoons,” metal pipes laid horizontally
in the ground. Ordinary wooden doors, window frames, etc. cannot
withstand the Siberian winter. Plastic (PVC) windows and doors
last longer, but, naturally, cost more money. |
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Unfortunately, the Russian economy
is suffering from serious inflation. Ellen and I noticed the higher
prices as soon as we returned in June, and it seems to be worse
in Siberia. Virtually every category of building supplies and material
has gotten significantly more expensive, in some cases doubling
and tripling in price during the period of construction. And there
are the unforeseen problems, which inevitably crop up in construction
projects and result in cost increases. The chief culprit among these
is the need to add reinforced concrete support columns and steel
roof beams to support the weight of the roof. These are necessary
because the Russian concrete used in the walls is not of the quality
necessary to safely support the roof. Unfortunately, concrete and
steel reinforcing rods have been subject to some of the most severe
price increases. |
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Al and Vladimir Tashtiev in front of the church under construction.
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Members of the church work on construction
when they can. Virtually all of the church members, including Vladimir
himself, work regular jobs in industry, and are only able to help
with construction on weekends and holidays. Some have devoted all
of their vacation to the project. Still, the bulk of the work has
to be done by paid laborers if reasonable progress is to be made
during the short summer building season. The laborers work for daily
wages which would hardly pay for an hour’s work in the United
States, but which represent a substantial drain on the funds otherwise
available for purchase of supplies and materials. |
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The interior of the second floor. If they don't get the roof on,
this area will fill with snow and need to be dug out regularly.
The church cat is Marcelo. |
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The members of the church, after all, also work
for wages which, by American standards, are shockingly low. Also,
the church occasionally must pay for a truck and driver to deliver
materials that can’t be transported in any other way, or rent
a crane to unload heavy beams, etc. and lift them to the second
story or the roof. The cost of these services has also increased
radically since the beginning of the project. They have purchased
a thoroughly used dump truck for a very low price, and are ready
to rebuild the engine. Once the truck is up and running, they will
be able to save considerable money as they finish the building. |
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Ellen and I are glad that, through
the Outreach Foundation, Presbyterians have been able to help
with the costs of construction, and the church is very grateful
for the help. Most Russians are reluctant to visit a church that
“doesn’t look like a church.” The new building
will expand their ability to attract new members and serve their
community. At present, there is just enough money left to put
a roof on the building, which they hope to do within the next
few weeks. After that, the snow could start at any time. The church
will continue its sacrificial giving so that work can continue
in the spring. Please hold this congregation in your prayers as
they race to close up the church site and move into the long Siberian
winter.
Yours in Christ,
Al Smith
The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
182
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