Unfinished Business
Like most great moments in history, Team Unity’s story began with more questions than answers: How do we effectively spread the Gospel among the unreached Muslim peoples of the Ural Mountain Regions of Russia? How can we, as a team, become more aware of what God is doing in the hearts of our Muslim neighbors?
Birth of Team Unity
The vision behind Team Unity was formed twenty years ago, when a young Ukrainian couple felt God’s call to work in Russia. *Slavic and *Katya moved to one of the big cities to work with youth. Through their ministry, two young men became brothers in Christ from Muslim backgrounds.
Eighteen months ago, Slavic returned to this initial area of ministry and found both of his young brothers in key leadership roles in the national church. The men were overjoyed to see Slavic! After a sweet time of fellowship and reunion, the men became serious and expressed to Slavic their main concern: “You left some unfinished business here.”
The men went on to explain that Slavic and Katya had left before teaching them how to reach their own Muslim families and peoples with the Gospel. This is where the vision for Team Unity was born. Late summer 2016, Slavic and Katya’s dream to return with a team of long-term workers became a reality.
Team Unity is now working with national believers to establish indigenous churches among the more overlooked unreached people groups in the area.
Our desire is to mobilize these national believers in developing their own system and plan for engaging groups like the *Pantu and *Wakso Muslim peoples, and other unreached peoples around the world.
*Names of SEND workers and people groups have been changed for security reasons.
Living at the Crossroads
For many in our region, our city functions as a crossroads- a major geographical and cultural hub of commerce, trade, and cultural blending for over 100 ethnic groups from different backgrounds, histories, and religions. We believe now is the time that the Father wants to write another page in his story for our region of the world. He wants our city and region to be the spiritual hub that influences all nations and ethnicities around her.
Join us in Prayer
Our team is new; thus, our staff is working to master multiple languages present in our region, building relationships, and spending weekly time praying about God’s plans for this place. We are seeking 1000 brothers and sisters who will commit to join us in prayer for this new ministry.
We are so privileged to be a part of the great story God is writing her in the Ural Mountain Regions of Russia. We know the best is yet to come!
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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Explore Georgia's spiritual heritage and the impact of SEND International's mission. Join us in fostering authentic relationships today!
