You know how it works. You pick up one piece, see lines and colors on it, but there is no reasonable image. You try to match it with other pieces, but it still doesn’t make any sense. Then with the help of your friends and family, you finally find all the matching pieces, put them all together and suddenly a beautiful image emerges. Now, take out just one piece and the whole picture is ruined.
It’s the same way with God. Each one of us sees just his/her own little piece of the puzzle, but oftentimes we don’t see the whole picture. I was fortunate to witness many little pieces come together and the whole picture suddenly emerged. Well, maybe just a part of the big picture. Yet my heart is rejoicing! And my little piece doesn’t seem meaningless anymore. This is my story.
FIRST PIECE
In the 1970’s, a young couple in Texas, A.J. and Donna, were looking for ways to be a part of spreading the Gospel to all people. They joined the organization Underground Evangelism and later To Russia with Love in which they prayed for the lost and donated money to the effort to smuggle Bibles printed in the Russian language across the Soviet border. Donna also mailed Gospel letters in Russian to addresses obtained from Russian phone books.
Over the years they heard numerous miraculous stories. The Bible was a forbidden book in the Soviet Union, but sometimes Soviet customs officials, for no obvious reason, did not inspect the forbidden cargo. Sometimes they did, yet, again for some unknown reason, they let it go instead of arresting, confiscating, jailing the people involved. God was working miracles in response to the prayers of the saints. Not only were those who smuggled it across the border in danger, but also those Soviet citizens who dared to have one in their home could have been arrested and sent to a GULAG labor camp or psychiatric ward.
Years, then decades, went by and, eventually, A.J. and Donna forgot about their ministry to Russia. Then in the early 1990’s, the Iron Curtain fell and doors were opened wide, not only for the Bibles in Russian, but also for numerous Western missionaries eager to bring the Good News to minds and hearts poisoned by decades of government-enforced atheism.
SECOND PIECE
Six babushkas in Irbit in the Russia, Ural region had been praying for decades for God to plant a church in their city. The city with a population of over 38 thousand had not even one Protestant church in it. Only these six old women survived out of all the persecuted Baptists. They had regular prayer meetings in a tiny apartment with an outhouse and no running water. They had no House of Prayer and no pastor. Rarely, a pastor from Tyumen, almost 100 miles away, came to serve Communion.
Years went by and nothing seemed to change. There were still only six of them, and soon they would die and Irbit would have no source of Light. With their miniscule pensions they could not even dream of constructing a House of Prayer. They had barely enough to survive. It seemed that their petitions to God about a House of Prayer in Irbit went unanswered.
THIRD PIECE
A young woman in Russia was searching for Truth. She wanted to read the Bible, but could not find one, not even in the Central Library! She began to save money to buy a Bible on the black market. It cost 100 roubles, almost a month’s wages for her.
Lyudmila never visited the Baptists because of all the scary propaganda that included sacrificing children. But there was a meeting at the secular House of Culture. The ad about the meeting was in a secular newspaper, so she went out of curiosity. After the meeting she saw stacks of books on tables in the foyer. They were New Testaments and complete Bibles. What a happy surprise! She scoured her pockets and found she was short of 100 roubles, but she hoped they would agree to set aside a copy for her. But the young men behind the counter gently insisted, “It is free!” Lyudmila could not believe her own ears, “I was offering them money, but they refused it! They must have sincerely believed in God!”
Lyudmila eagerly began to read the Bible at the bus stop on her way home. “Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel - I have heard these names already! How exciting! Finally I will read the original story I heard so much about!” But what a bitter disappointment. By chapter 5 or 6 she got stuck. She could not understand the wisdom of this book. But the Lord did not leave her in the dark. He drew her to Himself in another way. She surrendered to Him and then He opened her eyes, enabling her to understand the Scriptures. What an incredible transformation, stepping out of darkness into His marvelous light!
Lyudmila joined the church, studied the Bible, learned to pray and to walk by faith. She began to ask God for a loving Christian husband. Nine long years passed and her prayer seemed to go unanswered. Lyudmila learned to find peace and happiness in God alone. “Lord, if Your will for me is to stay single to the end of my days - so be it! I believe Your will is perfect and my will is not!”
FOURTH PIECE
A widower in Texas was not looking for a wife. His church friends, including A.J., Donna’s husband, were trying to set him up with single ladies, but he had made up his mind, “I don’t want to remarry, it’s too late for me. Life is almost over; my children are grown. Now I want to serve the Lord as a missionary.” So he went to one country, then to another, then yet to another. A trip to India was cancelled at the last moment, so he joined a group going to Russia.
The Russian translator had not just attracted his attention. It seemed as if a mighty magnet was drawing George to her! An interpreter was assigned to each American group of two or three missionaries and they were sent to smaller towns from the center of the region, Tyumen. George was assigned to the group going to the city of Kamishlov by train. He was incredibly happy when he discovered at the train station that their translator would be that same woman who had captured his attention! He introduced himself, “George Boring,” and then added with perfect Russian pronunciation: “Ghe-or-ghi.” From that moment on, that woman’s heart was his! It was Lyudmila, from the previous episode. See? The Lord began to join the pieces to create a beautiful picture! By the end of the week, it became clear that the Lord had given His blessing to their marital union!
FIFTH PIECE
A young man in Ukraine was praying to God to make him a missionary. God sent him to Kamishlov, Russia. He and his wife sold their house in Ukraine and with their three teenage children travelled to the cold Ural region. The local House of Prayer was a dilapidated building, a former inn. A small group of Christians held their meetings there. Pastor Volodya worked to make the building livable. He fixed, cleaned and painted the building and fed the furnace with very little help from the local believers, who were mostly elderly women. He began traveling, visiting nearby villages and towns.
Irbit is far from Kamishlov, but not as far as from Tyumen. Now Pastor Volodya was visiting the six babushkas in Irbit once a month, instead of the rare visits from the Tyumen pastor.
Volodya was very excited when a group of American missionaries with a translator was sent to him in Kamishlov for one week. At the end of a very busy week in the Kamishlov House of Prayer there was an unplanned, but very important event: George and Lyudmila’s wedding! In the small group of American missionaries there happened to be a pastor and he agreed to marry them. Dave, the American pastor, and Volodya together performed the bilingual marriage ceremony.
SIXTH PIECE
Four young couples in Houston, Texas started a new class at Sagemont Church. They called it Homebuilders, but they had no idea that one day they would literally become builders of an actual house, the House of Prayer in Irbit, Russia! The purpose of the new class was to build a spiritual house to strengthen family relations, between husbands and wives and between parents and their children.
George returned home to Houston from his missionary trip to Russia, and later his new wife Lyudmila joined him. A.J. and Donna invited them to join the Homebuilders class. Years later Lyudmila learned that she was a part of answered prayers, which A.J. and Donna had prayed a long time ago for Russia, and that the Bible which she received free of charge was paid indirectly by their donations. The Lord kept putting matching pieces together to make a beautiful image!
As the class grew, Homebuilders members were curious about Lyudmila’s story: how she came to the faith from atheism, how God gave her George in answer to her prayer for a husband, and how they were married in Russia one week after first meeting each other. Lyudmila gladly told them the story and mentioned the Kamishlov church and Pastor Volodya’s ministry to many people in numerous locations around Kamishlov. The class was inspired to help, and they began to collect donations for the Russian mission. The Lord blessed both givers and receivers. Generous givers were suddenly promoted or making successful business deals. Then the Lord multiplied the donation so that it was always enough to meet the need. That is because it is the same Lord who once fed five thousand people with only five small loaves of bread and two fishes!
SEVENTH PIECE
A couple in Sagemont Church asked for God’s wisdom in dealing with their finances. God had given them a very successful business deal and they gave a large amount for the Russian mission. Pastor Volodya was to buy an automobile for the Kamishlov church. But Volodya was not in a hurry to buy an automobile; he seemed to have different plans. That caused some painful friction and passionate disagreement among the Homebuilders members who were supporting the Russian mission. Some insisted that an automobile should be bought; the others said that Volodya knew the local situation better so they should let him decide. After numerous discussions and many prayers, Homebuilders members unanimously submitted their personal opinions to the Lord because His will is perfect, and our will is not.
AN IMAGE APPEARS OUT OF SEPARATE PIECES
The babushkas in Irbit were encouraged by the support of the American church. They began to look around; an inexpensive piece of property containing a condemned building was on sale at the very center of Irbit. Pastor Volodya chose to risk losing favor with American sponsors, and instead of buying an automobile, he bought this property. He believed it was what God wanted him to do. They demolished the old house on the property, cleared the ground and began to lay a foundation for a House of Prayer.
The Homebuilders class members were curious about how things were going in Russia, but they could not afford a trip there. Finally, another active missionary from Sagemont agreed to go and see how the donations were being spent. What a joy it was for the Homebuilders class when the missionary returned very encouraged and showed them photos of a firm foundation for the future House of Prayer in Irbit! The construction site was surrounded by many high rise apartment buildings, an ideal location for the House of Prayer. All the negative emotions over the unauthorized purchase of the property instead of an automobile were laid to rest.
By the end of the summer, with God’s help and encouraged by the support of strangers from America, they raised the walls on that firm foundation in Irbit. A severe Ural winter was coming soon, but they had neither money nor specialists to build a roof. With all his zeal Volodya was still not able to raise the roof on his own or even with the best help of the six elderly ladies. They kept praying and waiting for the Lord. If there was no roof, the ruthless winter would ruin the walls and the foundation. All the labor and precious materials would be wasted.
EIGHTH PIECE
A roof specialist in Russia turned to Christ, became a pastor and enrolled in the Bible Institute. He prayed for God to use him in His Kingdom. He went to Samara, Russia for the exam session in the Bible Institute. There he met Pastor Volodya who also came to take exams, and learned about the special need of the church in Irbit. God encouraged him to offer his professional service free of charge. He went to Irbit with his assistants. With the babushkas helping by cooking and providing for this new volunteer team, in just a short time the new House of Prayer had a roof!
NINTH PIECE
Galina, Valodya’s wife, faced overwhelming difficulties. She suffered from the cold weather, the absence of normal comforts of home, the permanent lack of money, and the hostility of most of the locals. Several times her husband and children even faced physical danger from drunk and aggressive locals. But she trusted God and shared everything with Him in her prayers. Her little piece of the big picture seemed so unimportant or even non-existent. She wrote letters to Lyudmila, whom she befriended during the visit of American missionaries. She described vividly what was going on in and around Kamishlov.
If all Homebuilders had were just dry reports from Volodya, they possibly would never had their hearts on fire for the Russian strangers they had never seen before. But Galina’s letters were so emotionally detailed, that they touched their hearts deeply and inspired them to help. It is not an accident that God gave men and women very different talents. It is not an accident that He made one out of two, so they could complete each other in a puzzle picture of His Kingdom.
During her time in the Ural region, Galina’s health was significantly damaged. Her parents had moved from Ukraine to America long ago, and they kept asking her to join them with her family. But her husband did not want to leave Russia; he wanted to continue his missionary work. They prayed and finally submitted to God who opened the door for them to move to Sacramento, California. God also found a new pastor for Kamishlov and even a separate pastor for the Irbit church.
The new pastor moved to Irbit with his family, bought a flat there and settled there for good. The babushkas from Irbit were overwhelmed with joy. Their very own House of Prayer was almost ready to use in the center of the city, and now they had their own pastor, not just a temporary missionary.
It was not an accident that they had this perfect location; God had a purpose. Many high-rise apartment buildings around the location meant a lot of people were going back and forth, passing the construction ground. Curiosity was building; what were they constructing? For the opening of the new House of Prayer they did not even need much advertisement. A big crowd gathered there, and all heard the preaching of the Gospel in a simple, relevant way. Many accepted Jesus and even more started thinking. Among the curious in the crowd were many children. The new pastor and his wife planned a children’s camp. But the House of Prayer still did not have running water. God worked yet another miracle and gave them favor with a local school director, who allowed them to use the school building for the summer camp. The believers praised God and kept praying for running water!
TENTH PIECE
Volodya had become very affectionately attached to George. Now that Volodya lived in California, he wanted to see George. But it was quite a long way to Texas, where George and Lyudmila lived, and the new immigrants were under great financial strain as it was hard to find a job in Sacramento. God encouraged George and Lyudmila to pay half of his travel expenses so Volodya could come to Houston.
What a joy it was for everybody! George and Volodya were reunited after 12 years, and the Homebuilders class finally saw him face-to-face. After all their prayers for the Russian mission, here was the personified answer to their prayers! Volodya told them how much their prayers and donations meant to them in Kamishlov, in Irbit and other places. He spoke to the class and to the Sagemont congregation, thanking them for their continuous and generous help. He mentioned that the House of Prayer in Irbit still did not have running water. The easiest way was to drill a well at the property, but even that would cost $2,500. After the meeting, several class members handed him checks, and after Volodya spoke at the Wednesday service, several more people donated enough that the total amount came exactly to the needed goal!
And then just two months later, the Homebuilders members received photos through Volodya that showed a big drilling machine working at the Irbit church property and clear water running from the faucet. Even the bureaucratic red tape had ended and the House of Prayer in Irbit received permission to register officially and hang up a sign. There it was on the photo, the sign: Irbit House of Prayer!
And, of course, the most exciting photos were those with people in the worship service inside the new House of Prayer - attentive, serious faces, men and women, young people, children, and middle-aged people. But where were our six babushkas? They could not be spotted in this big crowd! Finally, they saw the answer to their long ago petitions to have a House of Prayer in their city, Irbit. They were so glad that they did not quit praying or become discouraged in the many long years!
The Homebuilders can dream about their reunion in Heaven one day at the feet of Jesus, and how they will hear stories from the saved citizens of Irbit, stories about God calling them to this strange new House of Prayer, how they heard there the Good News of forgiveness of sins and of eternal salvation.
What a wonderful image emerges! Try now remove one of the little pieces and the whole picture will be incomplete.