CEE Story From The Mission Field
Visiting Jesus
June 9, 2003
One of the most haunting passages of Scripture in the New Testament is the dividing of the sheep and the goats. Jesus tells the sheep (those that are His) that they will enter into their rest because they visited Him in prison. When the sheep cannot recall Jesus ever having been in prison, the Lord replies, “If you did it unto the least of these, you did it unto me.”
A tall, Russian brother by the name of Valentine with a thick mustache and a ready wit recently gave SBC missionaries Larry Moon and Chris Carr a chance to do just that. After a two day shopping spree for house shoes, T-shirts, and medicines for the convicts, Valentine led them down a dirt road that led through a forest to one of Ufa, Russia’s, many prisons. Stepping out of the car, Larry recognized straightway that the guards were wearing the uniform of the OMON, the Russian Special Forces.
"Is this an OMON base?” Larry nervously asked Valentine. Placing two fingers to his mouth, Valentine signaled that it was best not to say anything. They were led through the main gate to a large building where they met a major who was the administrator of the prison. Paying due homage to the major’s position and authority, Valentine introduced Chris and Larry and presented their gifts for the care of the Major’s charges -- 14 criminals who ranged from age 8 to age 14.
Such children are often warehoused after their arrest and virtually forgotten. When budgets get tight, clothing and medicine for prisoners is generally not a high priority. Most of the young prisoners have parents who either disowned them when they were arrested or are substance abusers who never really cared about them.
The men were led to a holding room where the children were being kept. The major saw to it that the children all took a seat and then left the room. Valentine spoke first, telling the children who he was and about his work in prisons throughout the city. He too then left the room to have a few words with the major, leaving the two American missionaries with the young convicts.
In broken Russian, Chris and Larry read the story of the prodigal son to the small group of children and told the children that though they where in prison for a reason, and though society and even their own parents may not love them, God loves them, and is waiting with open arms for them to turn to Him. Some of the children wept when they heard that God loved them. There were no souls won that day. Chris and Larry don’t have any spiritual scalps to point to, but they will never forget the sight of children weeping upon hearing about God’s love for them. They left the prison moved, vowing to return, and thankful for the high privilege of being God’s ambassadors.