Gospel Expedition

On July 21, we arrived in downtown Kansk. We preached and gave out New Testaments to all the people who came by. The inhabitants of Kansk who did not know anything about God came together in the square by the Spassk church. They came to see the official “holiday of healthy living,” not knowing that the real healthy life begins with repentance and acceptance of God, church attendance, Bible reading and Gospel preaching! We told them about it. Only the Lord knows if our words reached the hearts of the people.

Making the Most of a Town Holiday

As we alluded earlier, there was indeed an official holiday in Kansk that day. The town administration proclaimed July 21st as the Day of A Healthy Way of Life. The festive program organized by the local Youth Council consisted of a greeting and three dances.

Finding out about the arrival of the Expedition, the local leaders became very glad and invited us to participate. Our bicycles standing in front of the stage sent the message to the people that we were sincere about a healthy lifestyle. Evangelical Christians-Baptists are for a strong and spiritually healthy Russia. In each location we say with conviction, “Modern Russia needs to repent and needs spiritual renewal.”

According to some statistics, drug addiction in Russia has increased 5 times among adults and 300 times among teenagers. About 10 million crimes are performed in Russia annually. According to the Home Affairs Ministry, the underground economy is about 750 billion rubles. Such a situation exists because of a huge gap between rich and poor people, which creates antagonism, social envy, spiritual crises, and a distortion of moral values. Greed dominates in the behavior and actions of people. The Lord is their only hope.

A Bit About Kansk

A prison-fortress appeared in 1636 on the bank of the Kana River to protect Russia against invaders from the south. Later in the 18th century, the highway to Moscow crossed through town. It became a postal station, and its inhabitants had to cover all expenses connected with maintaining the highway. The first stone building was erected there — the Spassk church. The lands of Kansk remember the thousands of prisoners who went through this town to places of exile — the gloomy faces of bond peasants and Decembrists (an organization of Russian nobles who wanted to overthrow the Tsar). In the early 18th century, the government issued a series of decrees about sending people to exile in Siberia.