Gospel Expedition

Leaving the Novosibirsk region, the Expedition crossed the border into the Kemerovo region. We were accompanied by the usual police cars along with Rev. Pavel Bak, the regional pastor for Kemerovo. The Kemerovo region is located in western Siberia. Roads there are not bad, but long grades up and down made our cyclists weary. One cyclist fell on one of the uphill grades. Though Yaroslav assured us that he fell asleep while cycling, it seemed to us that he lost consciousness for a moment. After we rendered first aid to him, we continued our trip.

The Kemerovo region is very beautiful and is often called “Siberian Switzerland.” But I have never been to Switzerland. The main natural resource here is coal, which is being mined in 13 local towns. Kemerovo is the largest industrial centre in eastern Russia, a town of energy, car manufacturers and chemical plants.

Greetings from the Governor

There were no spare seats at the evening worship service held in the local church. People from other towns of the region came to meet the cyclists. Mrs. Catherine Stas came to the meeting to greet guests on behalf of Mr. A.G. Tuleev, the Governor. She is vice-chairman on culture and national politicsm and a counselor on religious issues. She assured the audience that local authorities make every effort to see that local peoplem despite their nationalities and religion, feel free. As a sign of appreciation for our message of living a healthy lifestyle, she gave each Expedition member a box of sweets. We gave her a Bible and a set of Christian books.

The worship service was held with the presence of the Holy Spirit and His power. Four persons responded to the altar call. After the service, many church members shook our hands and sincerely thanked us for encouraging them in the sphere of missionary ministry. This day was spent not in vain. We rejoiced that we were able to tell unbelievers about the unlimited love of God, and to stimulate Christians toward more active ministry in God’s field.

On behalf of all members of our team I would like to express sincere and hearty appreciation to Vitaly Bak, the pastor of the Central UECB church in Kemerovo, for his care, attention and hospitality.

Piotr Lunichkin