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During the hot Russian summer, students from "Faith In
Action" Bible School were given practical assignments for
evangelism and they found surprising opportunities. There are
so many unchurched villages in Primorye Region that we could
not send students to all the ones we wanted to. But even our
small efforts produced amazing results.
A group of students went to a certain village to do street
evangelism. This village is a transit settlement near the Russian
border with China, where thousands of Chinese traders pour into
the Russian towns and villages of Primorye.
Can you imagine this town, with many people of different nationalities?
There are always lots of people in the Chinese market, but this
day there more than usual. The bustle of the market is inviting
the shoppers to come and spend their money. The vendors cry out,
advertising their products: pies, shoes, clothing, electrical
goods. Now many products made in China are cheap enough for Russians
to buy. But the people from the villages are poor, and don't
have much to spend.
Suddenly, amid the clamor, there are some unusual sounds.
Two men near the entrance have attracted a small crowd. One man
is playing a guitar and the other is singing "Jesus, my
heart is overflowing......" The gathering of the curious
begins to swell as more come to listen. Then the song comes to
an end and the young man begins to preach. The listeners are
captivated by his message.
This is a typical day for most of our students during their
outreach. The reports show that a total of about 1500 people
hear their street sermons each day. Of these, 700 are seriously
listening, and 150 accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. These are
approximate figures, and unfortunately not all remain in the
churches. But the pastors in these villages report that their
churches are almost doubled as a result of street evangelism.
The village of Barabash-Levada was known as Vladivostok's
main supplier of Marijuana. The locals nicknamed it "Little
Colombia". If someone went there to preach, they would be
lucky to get out alive. Everybody there was addicted, even children
as young as three. Violence and immorality had touched every
family, with child abuse common. The locals were so stoned that
they hadn't baked bread for three years, and children didn't
even know what bread tasted like.
Then a team of our students was assigned to this village.
They thought they would be lucky to last there a week. But now
they have been there nearly three months. 75% of the people have
heard the Gospel, and about 30 have accepted Jesus as Lord and
Saviour. Most important, there is now a church in Barabash-Levada.
Students from "Faith In Action" Bible School have
pioneered churches in many new regions. Not only have they preached
the Gospel, but they have taught and encouraged believers, and
helped the elderly and poor too. About 80% of those who graduate
are now involved in serving the Lord. Some are pioneering churches,
others helping Pastors in established churches.
"Faith In Action" Bible School is meeting a great
demand for workers in the Lord's harvest field. We need your
prayer, your participation, your financial help to train these
messengers of the Gospel to reach Primorye and all of Russia.
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