Gospel Expedition

The Larionov music team took part in the first portion of the Gospel Expedition, which began in Germany. We are happy to share this personal word from Yuri and Julia, which we just received . . .

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:30-31).

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38).

Praise be to the Lord for His guidance and blessings!

Thanks to God’s mercy, we had the opportunity to take part in the first leg of the Gospel Expedition together with our precious brothers. We were with them for a week in Germany, and during this short span of time we could not stop marvelling at their courage, endurance, patience, brotherly love and single-minded pursuit of their goal.

At first sight, the trip across Western Europe seemed like it would be an easy trip. But we can say with confidence that it was one of the most difficult parts of the whole Expedition in our opinion. Why, you ask? Travelling along the roads of Europe requires great care and responsibility. It is not legal to travel by bicycle along all roads. Because of that, we had to add 30-40 kilometers daily to the route. The road grade was often steep going down, and equally steep going up. Add to that rain and strong opposing winds, and we used a lot of energy. The roads got straighter the nearer we got to Poland. We averaged a daily distance of 250 kilometers. Leonid Kartavenko had to make quick decisions about which way to go, all while driving the accompanying vehicle and watching over our safety on the road. He regularly checked the map, trying to identify the right way.

The team members often found themselves sleeping on cold floors and sustaining themselves on sandwiches. To our great regret, “Christian Europe” in most cases is indifferent to the needs of their neighbors. Cold calculation, personal plans and overly strict punctuality are destroying the spiritual life of the brotherhood. We prayed and cried. The Lord will soon come and many will not recognize His visit.

But we never heard any of the cyclists grumbling. We never saw any discouragement. We were inspired by their zeal and spiritual joy. As in all times, there were faithful to God people who welcomed us, fed us and encouraged us with open hearts. We cordially thank our brothers and sisters in Germany who helped us by organizing services and accommodating of members of the Expedition, and thus sacrificing their time. Their names are written in God’s Book. They were a comfort for us. May the Lord bless them!

“The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” For the people of Germany, the Expedition is another trumpet call. Many will not pay attention to the REAL purpose of the Expedition. But while we were with with our brothers, our hearts filled with the thrill of serving the Lord. While in the car one could sleep and relax. But we were well aware that the bikers could not allow themselves to do anything like that.

The same is true about spiritual life. Now is the time for work. It is time to wake up seeing that the coming of the Lord is near. Comfort and amusement in the ministry puts us to sleep and relaxes our spiritual forces. The call of the Lord is to keep vigilent, watching with prayer, and not growing weary. How much strength and patience one has to use to go to the end. We followed the men on the car, and already in the middle of our route, we got weary because of exertion. But the cyclists continued to wheel along. The Lord gave them the strength to remain faithful in the ministry to which they had been entrusted. They had enough courage not only to move on, but to share their testimonies with Russian-speaking people during spontaneous, unplanned meetings, telling of how God saved them from eternal death.

The Expedition for us is, first of all, is a call for work in the field of the Lord. Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest (John 4:35). Blessed is the one whom the Lord finds doing ministry!

Yuri and Julia Larionov