From Russia with Love
Spring 2002

I returned from my missions trip to Russia on March 10, but I’ve still got Russia on my mind.  It’s been hard to contain all the memories and ideas that have been floating in my brain, so now I am officially recording my thoughts and feelings about my experiences overseas.  For those hardy souls with a little time on their hands, here is the unabridged version of my recollections of 16 days in Russia.

Each morning our Trip Director, Basil Oke (rhymes with Oak) led our team meetings and devotions to prepare us for the day’s activities and to remind us why we were in Russia.  Each devotional centered around the theme, “No Little People, No Little Places,” borrowed from a Francis Schaeffer series of the same title.  This theme became very appropriate for our entire stay in Russia; in God’s economy, we were sowing seeds and “feeding” the spiritually hungry, allowing someone else to water after us.  Like Moses’ staff, what seems like dead wood may sprout fruit some day.  We truly believe that each team member and each person that we were ministering to is important to the Lord and to His mission.

The following pages have more information about:

• Support letter - Provides background on the purpose of the trip.
• Trip Overview - A quick summary of the Rostov trip.
• Answers to Prayer - Interesting vignettes.
• Sights and Sounds Around Town - Images and impressions of the trip.
• School Visits - A glimpse of the schools and local culture.
• Churches - A look at Russian Orthodox and Christian contemporary churches.
• Beginnings and Endings - What I'm going to be taking with me...

Most photographs were taken by me or by someone on the team.  Some images taken from:
WebShots.com
http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/russia/moscow97.html

Website Assembled by:
Lou Ann Aepelbacher