Another Pocket

By God's help, we can maintain a clear sense of the mission to which God has called us and rely on the strength of the Lord moving in and through us. Hebrews 12 provides these words of encouragement:
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

While Moldova, an eastern European country that borders on Ukraine, is an independent nation, there is an area of the country that is controlled by Russia.

It's called Transnistria, and George Thomas of CBN News recently traveled there - a 5,000-mile trek. He writes:

We began the 5,000-mile journey from the U.S. East Coast, stopping first in the tiny former Soviet republic of Moldova's capital Chisinau. From there, we drove north along Ukraine's southwestern border, where Moscow has recently stirred up political turmoil.

We made our way through several Russian checkpoints to Transnistria's capital Tiraspol where a huge statue of Lenin still adorns the town square.

A Ukrainian pastor named Yuriy Semenyuk sensed the call of God to move to this tiny region. The article notes:

In 2000, Pastor Yuriy, his wife, and 3 children decided to move from their home country in neighboring Ukraine to Transnistria. The first seven years of ministry as a missionary family were not easy.

He said: "I was targeted by some people from the government, policemen, KGB, and gangsters. The worst of course was from the gangsters because they tried to kill me, they tried to kidnap my children. Once I was kidnapped, but praise God, God let me escape..."  He was faithful to preach, and even some gang members became Christians.  But the harassment continued.

CBN quotes Yuriy as saying: "Each morning, I wake up I say to myself, 'Yuriy, you are still alive, and you have one more day to preach the gospel, one more day to do something for God's Kingdom'..." He adds, "We have an unbelievable revival," he says. "We are still alive 24 years later on the mission field, we are still alive!"  

The church he leads, Church of Christ Savior, is the largest in Transnistria.  The article notes:

Each Sunday, hundreds pack the church with many hearing the gospel message for the very first time. Semenyuk says the secret to the church's growth is simple: "We love God, we try to be very obedient to His Word and to His Spirit, and because we love people, we do whatever is possible to help people."

CBN reports that, "In 1990, Transnistria broke away from Moldova to establish its own government, currency, and statehood. And while it's not recognized by the international community, the breakaway territory became economically, politically, and militarily dependent on the Kremlin. Russia has about 2,000 troops stationed here." But the Russian invasion of Ukraine casts a long shadow over the region, with residents concerned that the same sort of thing could occur in this area. But, Yuriy is undeterred in following Christ's direction, stating: "We know our calling. God told us to preach the gospel and make disciples, so nothing changes, war, or no war, doesn't matter what kind of situation we face around us, we have the same calling all the time."

There are several principles we can take away here.  One is: Go where you are sent.  We can recognize that God has a plan for us, and we should seek His face and discern what He is calling us to do.  And, when we have that clear sense of His direction, we can be faithful to do His work, confident that He will guide and empower.

And, whatever He calls us to do, it's important to realize that you may be in it for the long haul. There may be challenges, there may be discouragement - the likelihood is high, I believe.  But, we can know and rely on the Lord who goes before us and with us.