CEE Story From The Mission Field
‘Our miracle has finally come’
October 8, 2007
IMB missionaries Rusty and Lori Hart had heard that Alapaevsk, Russia, is closed to evangelical Christian work. The Russian Orthodox Church dominates the emerging religious culture, while people refer to the city as the “Orthodox Mecca.” A growing number of Muslims permeates the area. In the entire city with a population of 60,000, only one evangelical Christian church and no Baptist churches exist. Recent estimates calculate the number of believers in the city to be somewhere around 100.
Despite these facts, Rusty and Lori said they had to respond to the Lord’s guidance.
“We felt strongly that God was calling us to minister to the people of Alapaevsk and plant a new church there,” Rusty said.
They invited a team from First Baptist Church, Hot Springs, Ark., to help do humanitarian work with the goal of establishing relationships with the city government. And then they prayed.
“Our initial efforts met with politeness, but no firm commitments from city leaders to support our work in the city and surrounding areas,” Rusty said. “The mayor refused to schedule a meeting with the group. We were very unsure of what to expect, but very confident in the power of prayer.”
By the end of three days in the city, the team had not only talked with the mayor in an official meeting, but were his guests at a special luncheon in their honor. A representative of the governor’s office and a mayor from another city also attended the luncheon. Both of these men expressed appreciation to the group for their humanitarian efforts. The governor’s representative commented that he could see kindness in the faces of the team members, and that it was obvious they truly had the best interests of the people in their hearts.
“What unexpected blessings!” Lori said. “The city that was supposed to be so closed to the Gospel was opening before our very eyes. The mayor of the neighboring city invited us to work in his city, also, which just happens to be one of our targeted cities for 2007!”
The group was able to establish a relationship with the director of all orphanages that will allow them to meet the needs of local children. The group also visited schools, hospitals and other organizations, where they found many open doors. Virtually everywhere the group went, the blessings continued to appear.
While some might say coincidence is the reason everything went so well, the volunteers immediately began to feel God was answering the many prayers being lifted up on their behalf. This was confirmed during a meeting with the Pentecostal pastor of the only existing evangelical church in the city.
The 80-year-old man, upon hearing of all that God had done during the three days, said he had prayed his entire life for a miracle in Alapaevsk. He had been beaten for his beliefs and forced to do hard labor during Soviet days, but now the pastor lifted his hands to heaven.
“Our miracle has finally come!” he said. “We have never seen anything like this in Alapaevsk.”
The volunteers returned to Arkansas with plans to send groups in 2007 and 2008. Future projects include helping with construction and remodeling needs in orphanages and a city museum. When not doing physical labor, volunteers plan to share the love of Christ with children and honor those who give their lives to teach and care for the youth.
Rusty and Linda also will be exploring partnerships with others in the city to develop a Christian Rehabilitation Center. The mayor gave this project not only his blessing, but also a building in which to meet.
Why did these miracles happen, and why is it that the city that was considered closed suddenly opened to the Gospel message? Maybe it was the sacrificial spirit of love displayed by the team; the incredible spirit of unity and brotherhood shown by believers of different denominations during the few days; or the work of others who have gone before, but not seen the fruit of their labors. Maybe it was all of these—but Rusty said he is certain the single largest reason is because thousands of people were praying for the team, city and city officials, and for God to do the impossible.
“Everyone present agreed that only the power of God could have been responsible for the things we witnessed, and that it had to be a result of the intense prayers of God’s people and His faithful response,” Rusty said. “God gave us everything we prayed for and then blessed even more by doing things we never even dreamed possible.”
Rusty said believers all over the world should celebrate the way the Lord has moved in this area—he knows his family and the team of volunteers are not the only people involved.
“We rejoice with you in the great things that God has done and hope that you will join us in committing to continue to pray for Alapaevsk and all that God intends to do there,” he said. “When God’s people are praying, miracles are not only possible—they are probable!”
If you are interested in helping with the work in Alapaevsk or want to know how you can be involved in the Harts’ ministry in Russia, go to ahart4russia.com.