Sharing the Gospel in Russia

This week's Russianism: People shop several times a week, so there’s no reason to have multi-packs. Besides, there’s not a lot of room for storing extras in the apartments. The missionaries have commented on some of our unusual storage places (such as inside a stool).

A comment made by one of the Elders explains a lot about the struggles the missionaries face here. He said the culture in Russia is that everything is very short term, especially here in Barnaul. They simply live for today. Jobs provide just enough money to get by; there aren't a lot of career opportunities in Barnaul, which is fine with them because they probably wouldn't take advantage of them anyway. They shop several times a week because they just need enough to get by for another day or two. Short expiration dates on dairy products? Not a problem, we'll use it up and buy more tomorrow. Not a lot of bulk buying opportunities? That's fine because we only need a little today. We got a kick out of the individual packets of cat food. Going out and getting drunk is very common, especially among the men. They don't care about tomorrow because they'll deal with that when the time comes, hangover and all. Now try introducing the idea that they can be with their family forever or the concept of eternal life. It just isn't comprehensible to them, and they don't even want to try. It's totally against anything in their culture and upbringing. Not only is it foreign to them, they just can't get their minds around it. We have such a wonderful message to share, but it's hard to get past the cultural limitations.

The family unit isn't valued much here. We see a lot of women pushing strollers or buggies by themselves. That isn't because their husbands are busy doing something else--in most cases there are no husbands. Either they're divorced or more likely never married. Even among those who do marry, divorce is almost inevitable. Families are small, often a mother and a child, occasionally two. A member of the Church introduced herself and said she has a large family--she and her husband have 3 children.

Another problem we face is that the Russian Orthodox Church, or Pravoslavia Church, has made a big deal out of "If you're Russian, you're Pravoslavia. If you're not Pravoslavia, you're not true to your country." That doesn't mean they attend church (because most don't), just that they can't be part of any other church. Some people, especially the older ones, feel very strongly about that. Others simply choose not to believe (logical after the atheistic doctrine of communism) or will grasp at a multitude of religious ideas, embracing the good they see in all religions and ignoring the parts that don't mesh, or looking for multiple gods. In spite of all of those challenges, occasionally we find someone who is ready to receive the gospel.

That said, we are seeing some limited success. The goal in Barnaul is to have one baptism a month. This year so far they had two baptisms before we got here, another one yesterday--Anna, and have some people investigating who look very promising. It is so exciting to see the change in their lives when they come to understand how much their Heavenly Father does love them, and the joy they feel as they learn the gospel principles and gain a testimony. It brings hope to them in a way we'd never realized could be such a blessing, just because we've always had it. Thanks Mom and Dad, (and their parents and grandparents and . . .) Recently we were talking to someone from Ukraine and she asked if we had been raised in the Church. When we answered yes, she asked about our parents, then grandparents. When we told her that we both had ancestors who crossed the plains to Utah, she was amazed. To me our heritage is just part of my life, one more thing I now realize we take for granted.

Here are some pictures from yesterday's baptism. Anna is very sweet and reminds me a little of a reserved Emily Fuller (my niece). Maybe it's because they're both artists, or Anna's smile or eyes, but we both sense it. We've been able to sit in on some of the discussions the Elders had with her and fell in love with her very quickly. She asked us to give the opening and closing prayers at the baptism. Fortunately they allowed me to do it in English. Dave got brave and gave his prayer (written out ahead of time) in Russian.
This is Anna with the three sets of Elders in Barnaul. One Elder is from Latvia and all the rest are from the U. S. They're all good guys. Elder Hansen, one of the Zone Leaders, is the missionary in all white.


This is everyone who came to the baptism except for the person behind the camera. Of the twenty people, eight are members of the branch--including Anna now, one is a friend of a member, three are investigators, and then the eight missionaries. It looks like I'm holding a rose, but Anna (in purple) is holding it.