CEE Story From The Mission Field
Finding the Cross Under the Golden Arches
April 30, 2003
Sometimes Americans find themselves having a feeling of nostalgia when they live in a foreign country that has a McDonald’s. There are times when a family just needs a hamburger and french fries. However, in this incident, I had a purely Russian experience under the “Golden Arches” and praise God for it.
Our family attended a Russian Baptist Church on the south side of St. Petersburg, Russia, one Sunday. We walked and traveled by metro train for about an hour for Buck to have the opportunity to preach and for our family to worship with one of the four Russian Baptist Union churches in a city populated with 4.7 million. Before the service a gentleman, whom I assumed to be a believer, approached me and asked if I would meet with him and his two daughters to help with English as a second language. One of the daughters attends a university in Saint Petersburg. She was having a written exam later in that week and the father was concerned for his daughter’s learning and asked me to dialog with her. We exchanged phone numbers to set up a meeting time and place.
Three days later, I met the family at McDonald’s. Sitting down to eat, I noticed that they did not ask a blessing; therefore, I suggested that we pray before we eat. I began to notice other things as well that indicated they were not believers. Immediately I remembered Buck casually saying, “Leslie, this may be a witnessing opportunity for you because the girls may not be saved.” I had the privilege for an hour before we started speaking in English to give a gospel presentation in Russian. I finished by asking specific, culturally based questions about beginning a personal relationship with God.
Then three miracles took place. The father, Anatolly, his oldest daughter Anna, and his youngest daughter, DeAnna, prayed to begin a relationship with the Father on the top floor at a middle table in McDonald’s. Praise God people can find the Old Rugged Cross anywhere, even under the Golden Arches!
Story by Leslie Burch
Buck and Leslie Burch, and their three children currently live and serve in St. Petersbug, Russia