John White - Developing Church Leadership in the Russian Speaking World c/o Eric Yodis, Postal Box 3644, Donetsk 83076, UKRAINE October 2000 jwhite@alumni.princeton.edu http://www.marucheck.net/jw
I never understood this Bible verse as well as I did on my trip to Siberia. It was a wonderful trip, and I was amazed and overwhelmed by seeing so much of Russia and meeting so many church leaders and missionaries. Yet I realized, too, how woefully inadequate I am here. In America, I have wonderful qualifications for doing many, many things. In this part of the world, I know little about the church, I'm young, I'm single, and I can't speak the language. My resume, like Paul's, has been thrown away- and I've realized it's time for me to seek God to find my true worth (which is not based on how quickly I learn Russian either!).
In addition to my humbling, my eyes were opened to many things that God is doing across Siberia. Here I can only give some highlights, but you're welcome to go to my website (above) and see some more pictures and commentary. In Novosibirsk, we met a veteran missionary couple named Charlie and Phyllis Hardie who have planted several churches and who humbly served us and met our needs for transportation and contacts. In Irkutsk, we met with a new Russian Baptist pastor named Victor Zaitsev who would like to learn more about how small groups work in America and who would love to take us on a trip up north to share about Christ in the small villages. In Vladivostok, it was great to see several of my Russian friends (and see their growth) from two years ago, including Alexey, Marina, and Tanya.
What will the future hold? I really don't know, but there are many opportunities to work in churches and possibly in Bible schools in Siberia. Please pray that God will guide me and others to meet the many needs.
But for now, I'm living in Eastern Ukraine, where I've begun the task of learning Russian (yes, in Ukraine- I get asked that a lot!). I'm taking classes at the state university, where I meet one-on-one with a teacher named Galina 5 days a week, 3 hours per day. I'm also living with a Ukrainian Christian family named Yuri and Luda Fyodorov and 16 year-old son Igor. They have been very encouraging and helpful in learning Russian. I have also felt tons of support from the CBI team already here, and I am very thankful. I'll be putting more pictures on the website about life here as soon as I can!
Your partner in Ukraine,
John