Russia (MNN) — As John Lowrey of Christian Resources
International prepared for his trip to Tyumen, Russia, he had several misgivings
about how successful the trip would be. Lowrey has now returned and gives reports of God's blessing and favor.
"One of our big goals was to help
establish an English library in the Christian Cultural Center there," Lowrey
said. So he brought Christian books and Bibles from the U.S. to establish the
library. There are many in the region who would frequent the library because "there is a university nearby that
has a fairly significant English studies program. There are also a lot of other
people in this town who are seeking to learn English."
Through this library, missionaries at the Cultural Center
hope to have many evangelistic opportunities: "The Russian people are
coming to them and asking questions about the books they're reading, which is
the open door to be able to present Christ without being
offensive or without breaking any current Russian laws," Lowrey said.
Getting the
resources through customs at the airport was one of Lowrey's major concerns about the trip. He feared that authorities would search
their extra bags, see the Christian material, and confiscate it. Instead, Lowrey
said, "We not only got all of our extra bags through, but we didn't have to
pay a dime for them."
In addition to the resources Lowrey brought, he saw God at
work in the hearts of the missionaries as they brought books from their own
home libraries to add to the Cultural Center library. In total, almost 300
volumes were added to the library, making it the second-largest collection of
English literature in the city.
Lowrey was surprised by the response to the library and
how quickly word spread. As the books were being unloaded, people saw them
and wanted to borrow them before they were even on the shelves.
Your prayers, Lowrey said, were part of the reason God's
hand was so apparent throughout the trip. "We certainly saw the result of it as
we worked. So many things went so well, and God was so
obviously involved."
Even though the trip is over now, Lowrey asks you to
continue praying: "Pray that people would come for a book and through that
book, that they might ask some questions. And ultimately, of course, we want to
see people come to Christ for salvation."
Visit CRI's Web site to learn more about the resources they
are sending around the world.
