Here we are in Russia – by your faith, prayers and sacrificial gifts. (01.30.16) The days leading up to our departure were full of blessings. The affirmation of friends and family was a little overwhelming. Almost daily we were receiving visits and phone calls from around the block and around the globe. (For a pictorial account of these early days visit our GCI Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gciweb.) Our GCI “D.E.P.O.R.D.” countdown sheet begins a full month before departure. I can remember, early on in our calling to the mission field, a sense of panic setting in, as I realized all that had to be done. I remembered the admonishment of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I broke the “do list” down into 30 daily increments. Now, each day I only had to do four or five things. I could handle that. This decision piggybacks on Eleanor’s life verse. She memorized this as a young Christian back in her college days at the University of Texas and it has remained true to her ever since - 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” First things first – Eleanor’s orthopedic surgeon gave her the OK to go. If you want to reflect on how remarkable this is, only a few short months ago, she was bedridden from hip replacement surgery. She has gone from hospital bed, to walker, to cane, to mission field in less than five months. Again, the miraculous power of prayer, as exerted by you our prayer warriors, shows itself true. There are a myriad of daily duties--arranging international flights, insurance, medications to be preordered, doctor visits, shopping for our supplies, shopping for missionaries and churches, message preparation and more. As the day drew near, our excitement grew. Our longing for our Russian brothers and sisters in Christ, the longing to preach the gospel in Russia, the longing to serve in building up the church--all this and more pulled at our heartstrings as the time drew near. You can see this same fervor in the heart of Paul as God the Holy Spirit reveals in Romans 15:23 “But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you,” and again in 1 Thessalonians 2:17 “But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.” So we were ever-longing for the Russian church as the departure time neared. Three big events are milestones in our trips. First – the mission shopping day. Having refined our list, having gone through what we have vs. what we need, having heard from the churches of their needs, Eleanor I headed to Wal-Mart for the big shopping day. What a joy to see your generosity expressed in meeting the needs of sacrificial pastors and missionaries in Russia. Then on to the Christian bookstore for the same purpose. We are happy to be God’s mules, bearing your gifts of faith. Even Balaam’s donkey got to speak and I praise God that this donkey not only gets to bear your gifts but to preach God’s holy, eternal, inerrant written Word as well. The second big event was the packing/stuffing party. Usually we pack boxes of Bibles, Bible study aids and Bible reference works and stuff prayer letters for the months we are gone. (In this case, we will purchase Bibles and aids in Russia, so the time was spent preparing prayer letters to go out while we are overseas.) Laughter filled the air as we shared stories from past trips and those who have been with us on mission trips joined in excitedly with their stories of God’s abundant grace. This time is always followed by a season of prayer as we ask God to bless His possessions and to guide us and keep us safe. I was especially touched by the sincere prayers of my grandchildren during this time. Now is the last event. Suitcases were opened up on our bed and Eleanor, the master packer, went into action. Like a giant 3D puzzle, she got all of our possessions and gifts into four 50lb. suitcases. I have to keep an eye on her or she will be taking her clothing out to get in just one more item for a missionary or pastor’s wife. This is pretty much a two-day event with washing clothes, transferring medications and other items from their store packing into Ziploc bags, sorting and weighing, sorting and weighing, until at last there are four suitcases by the front door. Now it is real!! We spent the last day shutting down the house for three months – stopping mail, draining sprinkler lines, notifying individuals and setting up bills to be paid, etc. We got up the next morning and it was time to go. Mark and Rowena Brooks came to do the airport run and what a wonderful time of fellowship and prayer we had in the car! At the airport, the skycaps all know us and the head skycap was waiting to help us. They loaded baggage on the cart and then we prayed. He always wants me to pray with him on our way through on a mission trip and this day was no exception. Another skycap joined in and there we all were, holding hands, circling the baggage, praying for God’s blessing and protection. At the ticket gate, we checked our bags and, again, those working the counters knew us and the purpose of our mission. Many times we are asked to pray for a special need. Then it was through passport control, through security and up to the departure gate. We had a smooth and uneventful flight to Heathrow Airport and then the process began again. Unboarded, hurried along countless hallways, through passport control, through security, just had time to grab a cup of coffee, down another long hallway, down an elevator, took the tram to the next concourse, up several flights of escalators, down a long hallway and just in time for our boarding to Russia. Once in Russia, the power of your faith and prayers was once again exhibited. We got smoothly through passport control, all four bags come tumbling down the conveyor belt and we were waved through customs with nothing more than a nod. Outside, Natasha Miranova, the seminary administrator, and Pastor Oleg Volkov were waiting. Into the waiting car and then we zipped in the snowy darkness into the great city of St. Petersburg and the Baptist Seminary and Conference Center where we are staying—in a lovely efficiency apartment with hot and cold running water, a shower, a toilet, a nice bed, kitchenette, desk and chairs. We are truly spoiled. This will be our home for the next three days until we start the process again, taking the over- night flight to Tyumen, in central Siberia. The next morning started with a bang, as we headed to the Christian book store to pick up the Bibles, Bible reference works and Bible study aids requested by Pastor Ravil and the church in Tyumen. Then it was back to our room for El to repack and organize, while I worked on my messages for Sunday morning. I am speaking twice and looking forward to a fond reunion with church members and Elders. Once done, there will be an afternoon reception and then home. Monday morning we will be up, packing and getting ready to head to Tyumen for a month of ministry. These are exciting times to be in the service of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we praise God for your faith, prayers and sacrificial generosity which makes this ministry possible. By His mercy, II Corinthians 4:1 Rev. John S. Mahon Director: Grace Community International – St. Petersburg Russia, heading east into Siberia with the Gospel of Christ and the holy, eternal, inerrant written Word of God.
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