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Elmira's Heart
By Cindy Vanis

I think my favorite story was when Jim, Dennis our interpreters and I went to visit Elmira in Tetsva. This was my first day in Saransk and we had just finished our children's ministry with about 16 kids. Jim and I had to go to the train station to make some adjustment to our tickets and then he invited me to go visit Elmira with him. She was a very sweet lady who was obviously very poor. She was very excited to see Jim and to meet me as well. She asked what we had done today and I had found out a little about her, she is disabled (I think her arm is paralyzed from a spinal disease). She is no longer able to go to work. While we were talking to her, her kids (who had previously been with us at the school) were in the kitchen preparing dinner for all of us. Jim whispered to me that she couldn't afford to feed us all. But that was not a concern for her since she knows with all her heart that God will provide. We had a great time eating with her and getting to know each other. Then she asked how she could pray for all of us. This is what she likes to do, she is a prayer warrior. What amazed me about this woman was that she was the one with a bigger need than all of us, but she was the one who helped everyone around her. She is so convinced of God's love for all of us that she doesn't worry about herself. I thought I would be able to teach the Russians about how God is working in my life but she showed me with her testimony. God is awesome and I loved every minute I spent in Russia. Slava Bogu!