One Couple’s Choice to Stay, Welcome, Invite, and Love

March 2024

“I’m not too old yet to relate to these young people.”

If you could see the person who made this statement, the last thing you would think is that she or her husband are too old to see what God is doing in their Russian city with a predominantly Muslim population.

The statement comes from the recent newsletter of a vibrant Ukrainian-American couple who have now served for many years in Russia (RU) as church planters.

Dima and Lena (names changed for security) regularly send videos of new believers in their 20s at worship services, Bible studies, or baptisms from their exploding church plant in this region in the foothills of the Urals. They are finding that the young people in their city are hungry to find meaning in life, to understand the true heart of God, and what it means to know and love him. Many are studying the Bible in a growing number of small groups, many of which take place in Dima and Lena’s small, urban apartment.

But these young people don’t have to come to their apartment to encounter love and relational stories about Jesus, or their infectious joy. Dima can often be seen in the city center performing music in one town square sporting an open piano and enjoying conversation with anyone who stops by to listen or to chat.

And Lena is known in the local shopping mall as the hospitable woman who teaches master classes in cooking in that retail venue, introducing mall goers to Ukrainian as well as American dishes. Through her master classes, Lena has the privilege to engage in friendships with many local people.

Loving through community immersion

Dima and Lena have figured out that loving people in Jesus’ name starts with entering their world and being a part of a local community in a loving and generous way. This willingness to be in community spills into hospitality as both Dima and Lena are also quick to invite people into their home and invite them to talk about deeper issues of life, including views of God, a topic that many Muslim people do enjoy talking about.

What is also really interesting about Dima and Lena’s ministry is that these relationships reinforce the existing value of community. They often invite established friend groups to explore who God is together and encounter Jesus through his word in small groups that read and explore together. They have even seen not-yet-believing youth start a Bible discovery group with another friend group so they can share what they’re learning with other groups in their community.

Bible discovery group

Dima and Lena are not so much trying to control this movement of the Spirit as they are trying to discern where it is moving and seek to cultivate it and participate in it.

Church planting among an unreached people group is less about numbers and events and much more about individual relationships. For Dima and Lena, in this Post-Soviet Russian city, the sum effect has been a movement of the Spirit that is growing local, believing communities at a rapid pace.

That same relational approach is also how Dima and Lena continue to nurture the community that God is building in their city. They bring the same zest for life in Jesus to their discipleship of new believers. With many years of learning and serving under their belt, Dima and Lena are living examples that abundant life in Christ enables us to stay relevant and vibrant in relationship building for his glory.

They really want people to come and serve both short-term and long-term. It is still possible to receive a visa to go to Russia, but it’s also true that there is some elevated risk to come to a country where freedoms for citizens and visitors are greatly curtailed. Serving in Russia will stretch new cross-cultural workers to trust God in profound, new ways. It will require resilience and courage, and a deep confidence in God’s provision of both when you need it most.

Additional Posts

By Diaspora North America June 29, 2025
Carrying the Weight of Sacrifice
By Diaspora North America June 29, 2025
Living in Fear
By Diaspora North America June 29, 2025
March 7, 2025 Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution only to break it in less than a week? On March 1, 1.8 billion Muslims began their annual fasting month called Ramadan. They are supposed to fast completely—no water or food—during daylight hours from March 1–Mar 29. It begins with much fanfare, promises, and declarations, as fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims believe that faithfully keeping the fast ensures one’s place of favor with God. But many Muslims won’t be able to keep the fast through the whole 30 days. The reasons and excuses are myriad. Sometimes they will continue to claim to be fasting, but in reality, they are eating behind closed doors. To gain God’s favor, they must fast through the whole month, not just part of it. So, they live with the guilt and shame of not fulfilling the requirements of Islam. What was supposed to help gain their salvation now stands in condemnation. A Feast Within the Fast To complicate matters even more, Persian New Year’s Day is March 20, right in the middle of the fasting month. Persian New Year is one of the most important cultural holidays for most Iranian and Afghans, as well as many others with a Persian background scattered throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. In fact, many people with Persian heritage don’t just celebrate on one day. Their New Year’s celebrations extend over two weeks! How do they reconcile these two weeks of festivities within Ramadan? For Arab Muslims, it is a non-issue. But for the Persian world, it IS a struggle. The hard-core Taliban will try to push people to keep the fast. However, many will lean more towards keeping their more ancient pre-Islamic traditions of New Year’s. I would encourage you to take time to explore with your Muslim neighbors and colleagues why they fast. Then share why Christians fast. Perhaps read Isaiah 58 with them, summarize it, and ask for their thoughts on this passage. One more thing to note during Ramadan is the Night of Power. Each year, during Ramadan, on or about the 27th day of the month, there is a special time called the Night of Power. This year it will happen on or around March 26. Muslims believe the Night of Power is when Mohammad first received the revelations of the Quran from the Angel Gabriel. Prayers offered up by Muslims during Ramadan—especially prayers in a mosque—are believed to be weightier than prayers at any other time. However, prayers on this special Night of Power, prayed in a mosque, are considered infinitely more valuable than any other prayer. Many Muslims will stay up all night praying on the Night of Power to earn extra points with God. There is a small problem in all of this, though—Muslims can’t agree on which night is actually the Night of Power. It is sometime during the last ten days of Ramadan, with tradition stating that it is on the 26th or 27th night. There are several resources to help Christians and churches pray for the Muslim world through this month of Ramadan. I would encourage you to connect with some or all of them. Please make others in your church aware of these resources. Perhaps you could even host a special prayer time at your church, utilizing these resources. Ramadan 30-Day Prayer Guide Booklet – This can be purchased as a hard copy or PDF. Prayercast – A wonderful website with many videos on the Muslim world. If you sign up, you can receive daily prayer videos that also work great during a Sunday worship service to help raise awareness of the need for prayer for the Muslim world.
Show More