A Talk and a Walk

Well, today one of my (Jason) classes was cancelled, so I only had one class later in the afternoon.  When I showed up at class, my heart sank as I saw a small news crew in our classroom conversing with our professor.  I don't much like being interviewed on camera in English, but the thought of being interviewed in Russian was a dreadful thought.  Oh, how I longed to be a Chinese student at that point!  Then I could have slipped into the crowd and requested that someone else be interviewed instead of me.  But alas, I was unable to temporarily change my nationality.

As the lecture began I found it next to impossible to pay attention with the camera man setting up the camera in different spots in the room and pointing it at all of us.  And yes, I was required to give an interview.  But as I thought, "I wish I would have known, I could have prepared in advance what to say," these words came to me:


“So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say. On the contrary, whatever is given to you in that hour—say it. For it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

(Mark 13:11)

Even though I felt that my answers were given with horrible grammar and missing words, I realized that the Lord allowed me not to know that the news crew was coming so that I could NOT prepare beforehand.  Rachel and I had decided that when people ask us why we decided to learn Russian, that we will tell them that we believe that God wants us to learn it, and we just want to do what He tells us to do.  So that was my answer for a few questions.  I'd rather not ever see this news broadcast, because I feel that I spoke so poorly, but the Lord is in control, and more important things happened after class....

When class was over, Alyosha (one of the Chinese students) walked me home, but because he didn't want to come up to our flat, I went for an extended walk with him.  In the interview it had come up that I was going to a Baptist/Protestant church, and Alyosha asked me what Protestant meant because he hadn't found it in his pocket translator.  I did my best to explain to him in Russian the difference between Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants.  Near the end of our conversation, our need for a Savior because of our sin and Christ's work on the cross were clearly discussed.  Alyosha is searching for the Truth, and I am glad to have been there to help him as he sorts these things out.  Please pray that the Lord will open his heart to know the full and pure truth of the Good News!