By Barbara Hoyle
Presented to the Russia Networking Conference August 15, 2009
White Memorial Presbyterian Church (WMPC) in Raleigh, N.C., is a very large congregation — nearly 4,000 members. I have been a member since 1966 and one of the things I have learned by experience is that in a very large church you can feel very alone — I have! Or you can work hard to become an engaged disciple and experience community. It really falls on each member to figure out how to do that as the opportunities are many. Mission is one of several of the many ways that I have explored. Mission yields great blessings and it is rarely done alone.
I want to tell some of my experiences, impressions and thoughts from our spring 2008 mission trip to Russia and how our faith community was involved and engaged. Our focus was Smolensk Baptist Church and our twinning partnership with that church. Our trip not only included a visit to our sister church in Smolensk, but allowed us a tourist view of Moscow and St. Petersburg through the guiding eyes and interpreting words of one who has lived both in Russia and the United States. It was a glimpse into the Russian culture on a number of fronts.
First, a thank you to all who have participated in this mission trip and continue to participate in this mission. This includes a lot of people! Any who have contributed money, or who found a way to contribute goods — underwear, toothbrushes, toiletries, stuffed animals, play equipment, medical supplies, T-shirts and more. Some donations came from the community at large because of member connections and their sharing of the mission vision. Thanks to all those who have prayed! Thanks to the Russian culture group and any who strive to learn about the Russian people, their culture, their history and their language. And this especially includes those who spent countless hours sewing and knitting making beautiful love gifts of quilts, coloring-book bags, caps, scarves and mittens. Sixteen of us had the privilege of taking these gifts to our mission partners. We each took two large duffle bags loaded with gifts.
It was a sacred journey, filled with responsibility because we transported these precious gifts. But we took those who gave them with us in spirit and in mind. The gifts were for the children and members of the Smolensk Baptist church and for the children of the 14 different orphanages that the 276-member church supports as just one of their widespread mission ministries.
As we gathered for a period of reflection our first night in Moscow, we each received a packet from a White Memorial prayer partner, reminding us that we were not doing this mission trip alone, but we were the representatives of a congregational effort to support our mission partners in Smolensk. It was a welcome touch of home and I noticed through my own tear-filled eyes that others were as touched by this spiritual link from home as was I.
The gifts were received in Smolensk and in the orphanages with joy and appreciation. We watched the faces of the children as they clutched the book bags close and eagerly talked with each other and compared their gifts. We could tell that they had received a special gift. We are told that most of these children have very little extra that they can call their own. A gift truly becomes a treasure. We felt we had helped sow some seeds of faith and hope.
WMPC has contributed funds to purchase materials to rebuild bathrooms in one of the orphanages. The men from the Smolensk Baptist church supplied the labor. We saw and smelled the before and after bathrooms and you can believe this was a necessary and good use of our funds and their efforts.
Ellen Smith, Presbyterian missionary who lives with her family in Moscow, is our link to the Smolensk Baptist church. She is a remarkable person with a skill set of special gifts that make her really great at this job. She was our guide. She shepherded us, taught us, nurtured us, protected us and loved us. She is special as God’s servant to his people. Please pray for her — her tasks are monumental and the obstacles are great. She has described herself as ordinary. See what God can do when he calls ordinary people to do super-ordinary tasks and they say, “Here I am, Lord! Use me!” Glory be to God for our ordinary Ellen!
We needed to listen to Ellen as she translated, not just the Russian language, but the Russian culture for us. She translated what we thought we saw into what was really there and helped us understand what we were doing and seeing.
Our pastor Art was everywhere in Russia. I am referring to pictures, paintings, sculpture, mosaics, architecture, music and theatre. The creative genius of a people was present as a way of life. It was present especially in the children’s artwork, much of which was displayed on orphanage walls. It is present in a truck made by one of the boys in the wood shop at the orphanage. It is a treasure that I brought home for my grandchildren. They love it and we talk about Russia and the children who want to be their friends. We experienced the art of music as our hosts, Ivan and his extended family and friends, played guitars, piano and sang after supper in Ivan’s home. It was spontaneous and fun and they are good! Obviously it is something they do together a lot. I liked their togetherness.
Moscow and St. Petersburg are huge cities that rival any I have ever seen. They are quite modern and still retain their architectural reminders of past ages. But when we got to Smolensk we were reminded that all of Russia has not caught up with the money centers for commerce and tourism. In Smolensk the neighborhood streets are not paved. Even in what might be considered the higher-end homes. The yards were not manicured, but seemed to be gardens of dandelions. Most were not cut. Homes were being lived in that were not finished. Example, Ivan and his family had been living in his home for 15 years and only two rooms were finished. Those were finished nicely, but Ivan is the builder and his emphasis is on building character in his children and building his ministry to the orphanages through the church. This emphasis on others rather than self was evident in our mission partners and in the care-givers at the orphanages.
On our 13-hour van trip from Smolensk to St. Petersburg we learned about a different kind of highway than we are used to. It was partly paved! Mostly not! Occasionally there was new pavement that was smooth and we could ride along at a good clip. But during most of the trip our driver worked hard steering us all over the road to miss the potholes and it felt as though we were driving on a washboard with no shock absorbers. At the beginning of the trip we stopped at three gas stations that were closed before we found a fourth where we could fill up with petrol. Not many stations along the way. When we did stop, we did not find restrooms like on our interstates, but rather a lone leaning outhouse or the woods as a choice. We were definitely outside our comfort zone, but we adapted and learned and grew closer in relationship. Eighteen people in one van! Very close!
There seemed to be a lack of big farms on land that appeared lush and green and available. I remember seeing only one herd of cattle along the way. The houses were clustered together, well-kept, and again had an artistic flair. We learned that the young people are moving to the city and farming isn’t really happening. Another globally felt problem. The lack of a good highway system contributes to the problem.
Mission trip! When you say I’m going on one or I’m on one, or I have just returned from a mission trip, people ask questions, sometimes in amazement, and they say they want to hear all about it. Usually that means only one or two sentences. But there are those who will allow you to witness to a reason for going, and it is often an opening to tell the gospel story. As one who has found that difficult to do over the years, I am finding joy in sharing what a blessing it is to join with other Christians in different places and to realize that the ministry of presence in the lives of others is powerful.
Do you want to be a part of something way bigger than you are? Do you want a personal connection to a group of people in your church community so you can feel you fit in and are an engaged disciple? Go on a mission trip! I am so glad I did. I have not talked to a single person who has been on a mission trip who has not been blessed by the experience. If you can’t go you can still be connected in your faith community by working in a support role and you will still be in the mission.
What then can we, as congregations, do to support our friends in ministry in Russia? After being there, I believe we are called to be witnesses and supporters of their ministry rather than doers of it. Our ministry of presence and friendship in support of what they do helps them do their outreach, which is hard. We cannot do it for them. Our financial support and our gifts in donations, items lovingly stitched, knitted and crocheted in community, and our prayers are all in support of their efforts. But we should let the Russians be the givers of these gifts according to the priorities that are important to them. They see the big picture and know the needs. We get only a glimpse. They are there for the daily grind and the hard work. We are there for show time. And in our time in their mission field we received far more than we gave. To God be the glory for the workers in Biloxi, the seminary in Poland, and the Smolensk Baptist Church and the work they all do in mission. I am grateful, blessed and renewed by my opportunity to witness a part of it.
