CEE Story From The Mission Field
Send Someone to Tell Me More
March 26, 2003
In the last week of February 2003, over 100 families gathered together from three of CEE’s most remote fields for their Annual General Meeting in Cyprus. The sunny island was to be a respite from the frigid reaches of Northern CEE and was to provide a time of refreshing, fellowship and renewal, but that’s not all.
They also gathered with the hope of proclaiming a clear witness to the native Cyprians. Many islanders speak and understand Russian, so that was to be the common language. The missionaries came with tracts and bibles and planned a day of ministry devoted to evangelizing their host country. Even though there were difficulties of language and cultural familiarity, God used our missionaries that day. One missionary in particular was touched with the request of an old shopkeeper. “Please send someone to tell me more,” she said.
Tom Bevers is the Strategy Coordinator for Georgia. Since he is not allowed to live there, he resides in Moscow. He speaks Russian and came to Cyprus prepared to share the gospel in this second language. On Ministry Day he went out with a group to prayer walk and talk to anyone that God brought in their path. By the end of the day they didn’t feel like they had made a huge impact on anyone, as there were no relationships to build on and many communication barriers.
They headed back to the hotel somewhat discouraged, but trusting that God would honor His Word and their prayers. They were tired and thirsty so they stopped into a shop to buy a drink. This particular shop was one that they had all visited frequently throughout the week, so the lady who worked in the shop knew them. As they were buying their sodas, she showed them a Russian Bible and asked if they were with the group that had left it for her. After telling her that they were, she proceeded to tell them that she did not speak Russian and asked if they had anything in Greek or English.
That evening, Tom and his friends searched among the group to find that people had only come prepared with Russian material. No one had anything in English, except of course, their own bibles. The next day Tom returned to the shop and gave his own personal Bible to the lady. He was then able to explain the plan of salvation to her. She was disappointed that Tom and his group were only there for a conference because she really wanted to hear more. Her last request was for someone to return and explain more about the gospel to her.
All throughout our region people are hungry for God’s Word. We need laborers to come to CEE prepared to take the gospel to wherever God opens doors because often there is someone waiting, saying, “Please send someone to tell me more!”