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A Fisher of Men
By Steven Wright

In July, 11 of us set out from Phoenix, Arizona and headed for St. Petersburg, Russia. The previous four months were spent training, praying, reading and planning for our trip, but nothing could prepare us for what was going to happen.

We connected in Frankfurt, Germany and were boarding the plane when we were informed that two of our team members couldn’t board because the dates on their visas weren’t right. We were so shocked, especially when we were all but forced to board the plane without them. I still remember seeing their faces as they turned their backs and walked away into the unknown. Uncertainty is not an easy thing to deal with, along with the shock of a brand–new experience and culture. But I vividly remember sitting in my seat praying and having a feeling of peace that everything was in control, that it was out of our hands and that it would all work out for good in the end. I cherished that feeling.

Well, we landed in St. Petersburg and met Sasha, the pastor of Comfort Baptist Church in Rybatsky, and headed off on an unforgettable journey. For the next few days we spent time adjusting to the time difference, culture, food and bonded together as a team, playing lots of late night Skip–Bo games. We then packed into some vans and headed for the Bay of Finland where we ran a week–long English summer camp for 35 students, most of them from a local orphanage in Rybatsky. The week was filled with many laughs, songs, games, English lessons and volleyball; but the most important and memorable aspect was the power of God moving in the hearts of students.

I remember sitting in my bed on Tuesday night, trying to sleep but unable because of the white nights and thinking that we weren’t making the spiritual impact that I had thought we would. I became a bit discouraged in my heart, but knew that God was working in the hearts even if it wasn’t visible for us. Well, the next evening there was this energy that hadn’t been there for the first three days of camp. Worship was awesome, the message was great, the Spirit was moving, and to top things off, the two team members who were stranded in Frankfurt were on their way to join our team that evening. The night couldn’t have been better, or so we thought.

After people headed to bed, one of the students from the camp gave his life over to the Lord for the first time. I got word of this and was immediately encouraged in my spirit, as was the rest of the team. The next morning, we had him share the decision that he made, and I can’t even tell you how the Holy Spirit was moving through this young man in a powerful way. Because of this young man’s decision and courageous testimony in front of his peers, four others came to Christ for the first time and two rededicated their lives. I was blown away at how greatly God had worked, even when we couldn’t see it at the beginning.

The week ended and we went back to town and spent the rest of our time painting playgrounds in the neighborhoods, hosting free concerts for the elderly in the community, visiting a drug rehab center and hearing testimonies of how God is breaking the bonds of substances, and making lasting friendships with students from the church and the orphanage.

When you prepare for a trip of this nature, you can read all you want, plan all you think you need, train and attempt to learn the language, but you will never be able to completely prepare for what God has planned. We serve a big God with big plans for His people from all countries and cultures. What a privilege it is to witness God working for His people and to see the amazing things that He is doing through Sasha in Rybatsky and all of St Petersburg. We are all encouraged and excited to see what God will do this coming year when we return to St. Petersburg.

Thank you for your prayers, your support and your continued dedication to lifting up Russia to the Lord.