June 21, 2007

Ellen Smith writes: Al and I have been on a journey this past week that filled us with awe at the grace and peace of our Lord. We have had a journey of rich hospitality, warm fellowship, and extraordinary care. After efforts failed to write a joint letter about it, we decided to share our journey in two letters. Read Al's account first.

What’s a timing belt? – Ellen’s version

The week began with the annoyance and frustration of email failure. It is merely annoying under the best of circumstances, but as summer groups will be arriving shortly, it was also a concern. The fact that we were getting ready to leave on a five-day trip added to the concern, but there was nothing we could do. It failed to come up before I left, so I sent out a few messages by another email address to those due to arrive shortly, gave Meg passwords for my email accounts with instructions to check regularly, and left hoping the email problems would be resolved shortly.

The purpose of our trip was to visit churches involved in Roma ministry and to explore the possibility of partnership with them. Piotr Romme came in from Kostroma to travel with us. Leaving Meg in charge of email and animals, we set off with Emma for a journey that would cover nearly 2,000 kilometers, carrying us through at least five new regions, and visiting four congregations. Emma abandoned us after the first 400 kilometers.

Our first stop was the city of Michurinsk in the Tambov region (400 kilometers south of Moscow). Raphael, the pastor, met us on the road and led us to his home, located not on the other side of the tracks, but in between the tracks. A mob of six children were out in the road, all his. His wife Anya had a meal ready for us. As we ate, Emma shyly watched their two girls slip in and out of the room with food. By the end of the meal, she was out in the kitchen helping too.

We had an evening gathering at the church, a chance to get to know one another. We shared about twinning, and they shared about their ministry. Raphael seemed almost embarrassed by their ministry, because the congregation has only meager financial resources and they cannot engage in extravagant projects, but they are remarkable people. Most Russians don’t have any use for Roma. This congregation not only welcomes Roma, but feels a deep call to reach out to them. Kolya, a Roma evangelist, has recently joined the church. When Raphael and Kolya speak about outreach to Roma in the villages surrounding Michurinsk, their faces light up. This is tough ministry, but the most essential ingredient is already present—love, love for the Roma.

Al and I stayed with another church member, while Emma stayed with Raphael’s family. By the time we returned for her in the morning, she had an invitation to stay and was more than ready to accept it. My first response was “no,” but almost immediately I felt the need to reconsider. We had a long road ahead of us, and here were new friends for Em, and a chance to practice Russian. We exchanged phone numbers, bid farewells, and headed out for the next leg of our journey, a 500-kilometer drive westward to Shebekino in the Belgorod region. By mid-afternoon, we were very thankful that we had left Emma behind.

From Michurinsk, we headed through Lipetsk toward Voronezh. Somewhere between these two major cities, on a remote stretch of highway, the engine of our car suddenly self-destructed. A fault with the timing belt, so I understand. We found ourselves stranded in the middle of nowhere with a foreign car. As we were reminded repeatedly in the coming days, our problems would have been less severe had we had a Russian car. After the initial shock, we pulled our wits together and called Meg in Moscow to search out a KIA repair service in either Lipetsk or Voronezh. She found one in each city. Further calls suggested that we were better off going forward to Voronezh rather than back to Lipetsk, but how to do that was far from clear. None of the repair places seemed to have a tow truck. As we sat in the hot car with horseflies buzzing around us, wondering what to do next, a purple Lada suddenly pulled off the road in front of us. We looked on in amazement as Roma friends from Michurinsk got out of the car. Al, Piotr, and Pasha discussed the situation. The last thing Al wanted to do was to ask Pasha to tow our car with his little Lada. Without engine power, we would lose power brakes, and at highway speeds it could be very dangerous for everyone, not to mention hard on the transmission of Pasha’s lighter car. Pasha did not wait to be asked, and our two cars were soon connected by a tow strap for the 70- kilometer drive to Voronezh. The Good Samaritan had come to our aid and we felt in the palm of God’s hand.

What a ride. The tow strap broke twice. We knotted it, but with each knot the strap became shorter. I sat in the back and let the men handle things, but I could tell that Piotr was far more of a backseat drive than anyone I know. He was constantly telling Al when to brake and when to ease up, and I knew it was driving Al crazy, but he was very patient. Finally, we reached a repair center, though not the one Meg had found on the Internet. This turned out to be another blessing, as they took the car in immediately and began to take apart our poor engine. It was already late in the afternoon when we arrived, so they could not finish the exploration, but it was clear almost immediately that this was going to be at least a two-day job. Piotr had already called Piotr T., the pastor in Shebekino, to tell him that we would not make it to him, thinking we could get it fixed in time for our third stop. With this unforeseen news, we called Piotr T. back, and like Pasha, he did not even hesitate. He told us to hang tight and he would come get us, a nearly 300- kilometer drive.

Four hours later, at 11:00 p.m., Piotr T. arrived in his ancient Volga, and he greeted us with warmth and joy. Quickly he loaded us and our things and set off for the return journey. Again, what a ride. The Volga resisted ignition, growling and sputtering. Once on the road, it lurched back and forth, screaming loudly and pulling like a cart horse whenever Piotr put on the breaks, but Al and I felt an amazing peace. Another brother in Christ had come to our rescue. We arrived in Shebekino at 3:00 a.m., Piotr’s wife, Nadya waiting for us, ready to tuck us in. Their joy in having us was evident.

The next morning, we worshipped with their congregation and then went down to the river to relax a little. While there, the garage in Voronezh called to give us the complete picture—our engine was totally destroyed and would need to be completely rebuilt. The five of us sat down by the river sorting through all the options. Finally, we decided to go ahead and repair the car, but that meant we would have to return to Voronezh before going on to Kursk (our third stop). Again, Piotr didn’t hesitate. He agreed to carry us back and then on to Kursk. Then he stopped the car and prayed for us. It is a moment we will not soon forget.

We spent the evening with a Roma clan out in the countryside. The Shebekino congregation has also welcomed Roma Christians into their midst and also feels a strong call to evangelize to other Roma families. We spent hours chatting outside the gates to their homes, and then moved into the courtyard for tea and a light supper. The meal was served on a low table with people sitting on rugs on the ground. Flies buzzed around until dark, and then the mosquitoes came out, but I would not have missed the fellowship around this table.

Early the next morning, we set out again in the old Volga for the 300- kilometer drive back to Voronezh to pay a deposit on repairs, and then another 200- kilometer trip to Kursk. With each church I shared that we do what we do because we are one family in Christ. Piotr T. expressed this far more profoundly through his care and sacrifice. He left Kursk for the return drive to Shebekino (another 200 kilometers) at 9:00 p.m. that night.

The next day, we headed out to Kurchatov to visit another congregation—still another warm reception by our family in Christ. Everyone had made plans around our having our own car, but they quickly and seamlessly made new plans. The congregation in Kurchatov is Russian, but their pastor is Roma, Igor. It is a small congregation, but rich in fellowship. At one point, it was a congregation of pensioners, but they have rejoiced in a growing youth ministry, encouraging the youth in special ways. At the end of the worship, the church gathered to bless a couple, Victor and Sveta, who were moving on to a new and distant church. After praying for them in a circle, Igor laid his hand on Victor’s shoulder and told him, “If at any point you are in trouble, call me, and I will come.” This is the family of Christ.

We spent the afternoon with another Roma pastor, Andrei, at his family’s farm. It was a wonderful afternoon with more warm hospitality. Many Roma live on farms, but they don’t really work them. Most don’t know how. Andrei is the very opposite. He has fields of potatoes and other vegetables, an orchard and a wide array of livestock—geese, ducks, chickens, sheep, and, of course, horses. Al and I both went for a ride in the horse cart. This is not for the faint of heart, but it was a gift from our Roma friends. At the end of the evening, Andrei drove us back into Kursk for a train back to Moscow.

I don’t remember what I expected from this trip. What we experienced in fellowship made our car troubles seem trivial. Again and again I looked around me wondering if you would understand, but wanting you to come and visit and know these brothers and sisters in Christ. They are your brothers and sisters too. These are people that fully understood the problems we faced. They have faced them before and will face them again. They embraced us, encouraged us, and supported us, humbling us to our very core.

We will search for partners for these churches. At least two of them could use a team for renovation work. All of them would welcome the opportunity to put on a children’s day camp. More importantly though, they would cherish the opportunity to welcome you into their midst and worship our Lord together with you.

Al fetched Emma from Michurinsk yesterday. The first group arrives this Saturday. We hope that the car will be ready some time next week, at which point, one of us will return to Voronezh to get it.

Sincerely,

Ellen

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 186