Report from Belarus 2007
On Monday, October 15, 2007, Dr. Roger D. Haber headed to Logan International Airport in Boston for his second trip to Minsk, Belarus.
How appreciative I am for a church that is willing to "share" my ministry with young men and women who desperately desire training and equipping for ministry. After a brief stop in Frankfurt, Germany, we arrived in Minsk.
We are staying in the Hotel Belarus, a 22-story building with several restaurants and even a swimming pool.
On Wednesday, October 17th, we met with Sergei, the director of the college for an orientation meeting. We spent the rest of the day trying to recover from jetlag.
On Thursday, October 18th, classes began at Minsk Bible College. Instead of teaching the second year students hermeneutics, I taught the first year students an introduction to Poetical Books. Another pastor, who was scheduled to teach this class, had a death in the family and couldn't start today. (He arrived! He will take his class tomorrow and I will meet with the second year students.)
What a delight to also see our friend Olga, who spent almost two months with us during the summer of 2006. I was delighted to learn that she will be married while I am here. As Olga and I were talking today, I discovered that she was marrying Yuri, the son of our driver, Vladimir. What Olga didn't know, was that Yuri asked me to pray for him two years ago. "Pastor Roger, please pray that I find a Christian wife!" I am praising the Lord that his prayers were answered and that I will have the joy of witnessing the wedding of Olga and Yuri.
Another delight is that I am traveling with Pastor Larry Smith, the associate pastor of Brookville Baptist Church. Larry is a good friend. Also joining the team from MA is Captain David Springer, who has been a Boston Firefighter for thirty years!
Pastor Lamar Austin arrived yesterday. He is a pastor from Little Rock, AR. He now completes our ministry team here in Minsk. On Thursday we again arrived at the school. Pastor Lamar is teaching all the first year students.
Here you see him with his translator, Alicia. Because we put the second year students together, I will not teach hermeneutics until next week. Olga has asked me to help with her wedding, but I told her I'm not good at folding napkins!
As you know, this is my second time teaching here. It is a delight to see these young men and women of God who truly desire to serve the Lord in their countries (there are students here who are from Russia, Ukraine, Cameroon too). Here you see them having lunch at the school.
As I'm writing this now, it is a cold and rainy Saturday. I had a great walk by the river this morning. The Svisloch River flows through the city of Minsk. You can see people jogging, walking, and this morning I even saw a horse and carriage pulling a young couple that were just married.
There are many weddings taking place this weekend. After the civil ceremony, they pay their respects at a military memorial before heading to their receptions. Christians also have a Christian ceremony after the civil ceremony.
Along the river, today was also "Market Day." You see people buying their winter supplies of cabbage, potatoes, fish, meat, you name it. They endured the rain and the cold to get their supplies as this was the last opportunity until next Spring.
While we were walking around yesterday we noticed some guys wearing USA Olympic outfits. I ran up to them and found out they were here for a wrestling tournament.
So we warmed up by going into the stadium to watch some of the tournament. We met the head coach of the free style team, Kevin Jackson. He came up and introduced himself to us when he realized there were other Americans close by. Mr. Jackson won the gold medal in Barcelona in 1992. He is working with these young men who are hoping to compete in the next Olympics.
We got to watch one match between one of our guys and a young man from the Ukraine. "USA USA USA" Our guy prevailed!!!!!
This morning, after our usual Belarusian breakfast of cabbage, sausage, and bologna, we headed by car to a small village of Ganuta about 60 miles east of Minsk. If we had kept going another six hours, we would have reached Moscow! What a delight it was to worship with these dear saints in this very rural village (while we were worshipping, a horse and carriage went by!). Vladimir, our driver from two years ago (and now!) is the pastor of this little church. They can't afford a full-time pastor. Most of the people are senior saints who suffered through the regime of the old USSR. We heard the testimony (through Olga's translation) of one woman who had been in a prison because of her faith. Pastor Vladimir preached about how David experienced forgiveness. We sang (or heard!) old songs in Russian and wonderful testimonies. Captain David Springer gave a wonderful testimony. Pastor Larry Smith shared how we need to be remembered for bringing people to Jesus. And I had the privilege of preaching on "The Wonderful Grace of God" from Titus 3. We were asked to sing and I told the congregation we should not be permitted to punish them. But after I spoke on grace, David, Larry, and I sang a couple of verses of "Amazing Grace." The people were very gracious despite our obvious lack of musical talent!
We spoke with the people for quite some time. One dear senior couple played the accordion and sang during the service. This little village needs the witness of this church. Even though they are small in number, and advanced in years, I saw a group of people who had a desire to reach their village for Jesus. They are the only church in town. Would you stop and pray for Pastor Vladimir and his congregation right now?
I do need to report to our property team at CBC. I found a solution to our need for more rest rooms at our church. Here on your left you'll see the one that the church has here. By the way, the village is on well water, outside! They do have electric and telephone in most homes, but there is no heat except by wood! The average yearly income is $3,400 here in Belarus. May God enable us to be appreciative and unselfish in our support for our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in poverty!
After everyone left, we followed the gracious hospitality custom and had tea and sandwiches with Vladimir and Olga. We then headed to the one deacon's home, who also happens to be Vladimir's father. We stepped around the chickens and the cats, and had a gracious tour of this typical village farm home, with its homemade steam room, home-made tractor, and a dear saint of God who loves his Lord, his church, and is pleased that his son is helping them. Vladimir puts most of his free time, vacation time, and limited resources into making their church not only attractive with the facility, but effective in reaching their community. How delighted I was to see the lake where they've had baptisms and to hear about the orthodox priest's daughter who just came to Jesus! Hallelujah!
Pastor Lamar Austin and I went out to dinner tonight. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the sports arena in time to see a wrestling match with Steve Mocco (pictured on left) of our US Wrestling Team. We were able to see him win his match and also receive the gold medal! What an exciting night for the United States! I bet Lorin Motta would have liked this almost as much as the ballet!
Today is Monday, October 22nd. Monday is the day they do not serve lunch at the school. Thanks to the generosity of two of our people who gave me money before I left (thank you Lorin Motta and Tim Haber) we were able to encourage all the students and staff with a McDonalds lunch. This is a real treat here. The students can't afford to go to McDonalds. Some how I forced myself to buy a cappuccino while we were waiting for all the Big Macs and Fries to come! Hopefully we will provide lunch again next Monday.
To your left you see some of the Bible College Staff. What a group of dedicated people! They are very appreciative of our being here. I am delighted to be part of their team and so appreciative of you sharing me with these dedicated servants of Jesus. You should see me trying to communicate with Vladimir! He thinks he can speak English and I know I can't speak Russian!
After class we braved the chilly air to walk around, look at shops, and have dinner. To your right you see one of the beautiful government buildings here. This is the KG B building. It is truly a beautiful and clean city. I need the walks too!
Today is Tuesday, October 23rd. We headed to the school where we saw the students worshiping the Lord during their chapel service. What a delight to see these young men and women praising God. Although I didn't understand the words they were singing, I recognized the tunes. Most of the songs are the same ones we sing. I put some of the songs our youth group sings on the video projector. They loved singing some of our lively youth songs!! I was also delighted to hear about what some of the students I taught last year are now doing. Most of them are now serving the Lord in churches and in missionary service. Your prayers and sharing have helped bring people to Jesus! Praise the Lord!
After class we went to Katyn. This village was burned down by the Nazis during WWII. They have turned the former village into a memorial. Over 2,230,000 million people lost their lives in Belarus. It is a very sobering experience to walk through these grounds. You hear bells ringing constantly in memory of those who lost their lives.
The most visible feature of the memorial park is the giant statue that stands in the middle. The only adult survivor of the village was an old man who carried the burned body of his grandson out of a burning barn. The Nazis put all the women, children, and old men in a barn (the young men were already at war) and burned it down. Several children survived as parents covered them with their bodies.
Many of you know that my great-great grandfather was a Rabbi in Slutsk. Here is a memorial to the 14,000 people who were killed in a concentration camp there. How I pray for those in my family who need the love of the Lord.
Our two-week mission at the Minsk Bible College is now half way over as of today, Wednesday, October 24, 2007. Today, I took a road trip with Serge. We visited the Minsk Theological Seminary (picture on left). I am impressed with the desire of young people to become better equipped for ministry.
We made it back to the college for lunch. Every class day except Mondays, the school provides lunch for the students and staff. Every day we have soup, bread, cabbage salad, an entree, and tea.
This evening we also headed over to the Belarus Bolshoi Ballet where we saw two ballets, "Carmen" and "Bolero." The music was wonderful. I enjoyed the phenomenal orchestra, especially the trumpets!
As you can see, our team was really at the ballet, and obviously we are all delighted to be there. We might go to a hockey game tomorrow night to get back in touch with our masculine side!
The second week of class started today, Thursday, October 25th. Here you can see me teaching hermeneutics to these young people who are taking every word in (through my translator next to me, Nadia). Of course they tell me I speak too fast, so I'm trying to slow it down. They ask great questions and I'm sure I'm giving them some things to think about that they haven't thought about before!
After class, we piled into the van and went to the Old Village of Menka with one of my students, Katya, who also translated for us. This village is from the late 19th Century and it is a museum now. We met a couple of groups of excited children who were glad to practice their English on us: "hello" and "goodbye." Every day, we get more and more of a better feel for this country.
Lamar and I ventured out on the subway tonight, and believe it or not we found our way to a great (and inexpensive) restaurant that a friend of mine told me about. After a great dinner and a walk around a large department store called the "Tsum," we found our way back via the subway and stopped by the "Sports Palace" where we saw a hockey game between the "Dinamo" of Minsk and the Magnitogorsk "Metallurg" of Russian. Our Belarusian friends beat the Russians. We even saw a fight break out after the hockey game! Now what was more exciting: the ballet or the hockey? Hmmmmm.
During all the breaks in class today, I was practicing the trumpet so I can play at Olga's wedding reception tomorrow! Pray for me! I only got a trumpet yesterday and didn't have a lot of time to practice. After class we went to dinner with Hleb, who works with Campus Crusade. What a wonderful privilege it was to see his work with high school students. We played games with them. I was able to speak to them for a few minutes about self-esteem and also share with them about my Belarusian roots. Quite a few of the kids wanted to talk with us afterwards. Please pray for our brother Hleb and his ministry here with young people in Belarus.
What a day! We were picked up at our hotel by the father of the groom, Vladimir, at 11:30 am. We got back at 9:00 pm! Olga was a beautiful bride. We were honored to witness her wedding at the Bethlehem Baptist Church, this Saturday, October 27, 2007. It was a beautiful wedding and there are some great traditions they have here that would be perfect for Christian weddings in the States.
One of those traditions was listening to the bride and groom, Olga and Yuri, pray as part of their wedding ceremony! What a witness to their family and friends. Olga's grandmother also prayed and so did Yuri's parents.
After the wedding, the church sanctuary was turned into the reception area. We had great food. All homemade Belarusian dishes. I was honored and pleased to play my trumpet at the reception. Although I only got a trumpet to practice on the day before, the Lord was very gracious. Before I played "Blessed Assurance," our US teaching team sang the song and it was also recited in Russian. I told the audience how I had prayed with Yuri two years earlier. I prayed that he would find a Christian wife. I volunteered to pray with any single people after the reception! I guess it was no joke, because during and after the reception, I prayed with a young man and two young women! Please pray for these Christian young people here in Belarus.
The reception was quite the event, lasting about six hours! There was music, drama, skits, a version of "The Newlywed Game," and a comedian. As you can see, Yuri and Olga were quite the clowns too! I told the people, before I had the privilege of giving the benediction, that Olga was an honorary member of Central Baptist Church. And as her pastor on the other side of the world, I was honored to close this evening in prayer!
I can't express in words how wonderful it was to share this special day with Yuri and Olga and their families and friends! What an honor! I know Olga had a great time in the USA with us. Hopefully, some day, she and Yuri can come and be part of our church community again!
I was really rushing this morning, Sunday, October 28th! I thought I only had 15 minutes to get ready for church. After I rushed and got all ready for church, I realized that they turned back the clocks in Belarus! We do it next week (don't forget!). Well, then I was more relaxed! We did head to Slutsk, about 60 miles south of Minsk, my ancestral home. Vladimir was our driver and Katya was my translator.
It was amazing to be there! Two years ago I just saw the outside of the church. This time we went in and it was beautiful. We met with the pastors and the deacons for prayer. They were very interested in hearing my story. I felt like part of the family. This was a larger church than the one we went to last week. They had several hundred people. There was a worship team with keyboard and guitars. The music was excellent. There were three sermons, including mine! The people prayed after the sermons and many were on their knees. I was humbled by the opportunity to preach in the same town where my great great grandfather, the Orthodox Rabbi, taught the Word of God!
After my sermon, I played a trumpet solo for the people. They were so appreciative and I felt so honored. Several children came up to me and asked for my autograph. I might have been the first American many of these children had seen! After the service, we had a wonderful home made, authentic Belarusian lunch with the pastors. They truly made us feel welcome. After lunch, we went to the Jewish cemetery, but I could find no signs of my relatives. Thanks so much for your prayers. One of the older deacons came up to me and said how encouraged he was by the message that despite persecution (he had seen the communists try to destroy the church) Jesus never fails in building his church! Praise the Lord!
Today we continued our class on hermeneutics. Here you see my wonderful translator, Nadia and I contemplating one of the many questions of the students. I trust I'm challenging them to think as they study the Scriptures. Today, thanks again to the generosity of Lorin Motta and Tim Haber, we provided a pizza lunch for the students.
After class, I went with Sergei, the director of the school on a little excursion. The two of us drove about 15 kilometers to a village where another Sergei, and is wife Tanya have planted a church. In addition to their church ministry, they have opened a family home for orphans called "Happy Childhood Home." Sergei and Tanya have ten children in a home they are building. They took these children from the state run orphanage so they can be part of a Christian family. Other children come to spend holidays with them. All of the children take music lessons and go to school. They are hoping to turn the yard into a garden to raise chickens and vegetables. There are over 100 children in Christian homes in the Minsk area rather than in these state run orphanages, thanks to the ministry of Sergei and Tanya. Please keep them in your prayers. Perhaps there is something we can do to help. More about that when I come home.
On Tuesday, October 30, 2007, we had to leave our hotel. The president cancelled all reservations here. There is a big science convention in Minsk and all the hotel rooms were made available for that event. We praise the Lord that we were able to move into the seminary dormitory at the Minsk Thelogical Seminary. Later that evening, our ministry team went to the home of Sergei (pictured to your right), the director of the school. His wife, Zoe, prepared a marvelous meal for us. We were delighted by their hospitality.
Today, Wednesday, October 31st is our final day. After completing my lessons on hermeneutics, I gave the students their final exam. They all did well! Again, I am truly touched by these young people, who already know the language, the culture, and the people. And most importantly, they are committed to serving the Lord Jesus in a difficult place.
After classes and the exam, we all gathered in the chapel for the farewell ceremony. All of us on the teaching team were presented with gifts and kind words. The first year students and the second year students (pictured on the right) sang us a praise song in Russian.
As I came up to give my response, with Nadia translating, I thanked the students for the privilege of teaching them. I reminded them that one day, when I stand before the Throne of God, that I will most certainly meet people who will come to Jesus because of their ministries. I told them that I was extremely grateful that I have had a small part in their ministry. And my friends at Central Baptist, and those of you who have been praying, SO HAVE YOU!
Email me and let me know you're praying for the students and me. Click here to email me. Pastor Roger