I could just feel blood rushing to my head when I unexpectedly learned of our house in Russia burning down. Blood pressure went sky high. My first instinct was to blame someone, but instead I dialed the phone.
“Are you ok?” I asked the wife and mother of two small children, who barely escaped the blaze.
Good people suffer losses
The fire started at about 5 AM outside, due to weathered electrical cables, and quickly spread to the house. Only by God’s mercy the husband woke up and pulled his children, aged 5 and 7, outside with his wife following him barefoot onto the -30F street.
This church family was house-sitting for us while we were away on furlough. Since our return was just a week away, they brought all of their clothing and bedding to our house to wash. Now, everything that they owned was gone. We suffered an even greater loss.
Even when one has insurance to protect from catastrophic financial loss, there are things that money simply cannot replace: grandmother’s quilt from her 35th Wedding Anniversary with patches hand painted by family members depicting events in their lives; cookbooks, where grandma wrote words of encouragement to her granddaughter, about to embark on a life-long journey of missionary service with her crazy Russian husband; pictures of the kids when they were about 2 and 3, dressed in old-fashioned outfits, that we took in Arizona while on deputation, and so many more…
Good people suffer losses not only of possessions, but also of family, presence of friends, health… Just because we follow Christ, does not shield us or make us immune to tragedies. Think about Job, Joseph, John the Baptist, Paul, and even Jesus Himself. When we suffer and experience loss, we are in good company!
But it could have been worse!
As my son asked, “Dad, did we lose our TV too?” I shared with him “yes, it’s burned up. But what if it was your skin, that the fire melted to the bone…?” I know it’s graphic, but I can’t stop thinking about God’s grace of saving our friends from death. How sound do you sleep at 5AM?
Literally the day before the fire, I received a survey from a friend, who is doing research on missionary safety. It asked questions like “have you experienced a sexual assault, civil unrest, were shot at, contracted an incurable disease, were kidnapped…” This made me realize that a total loss of possessions is nothing, compared to the deep scars many heroes of the faith wear, because they surrendered their lives to the Lord and the Gospel.
Just like wounded warriors, some missionaries suffer with PTSD, depression or worse.
A famous English Bible scholar named Matthew Henry was once attacked by thieves and robbed of his purse. Later he wrote in his diary something to this effect:
Oh, God, let me be thankful! First, I lived quite a long life, and I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my purse, they didn’t take my life. Third, although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, let me be thankful, because by the grace of God it was I who was robbed, and not I, who did the robbing.
I am so grateful to the Lord that we lost only things, and none of what really matter in life — people we love.
Overwhelming goodness of people
Through this tragic loss, God allowed us to experience amazing care and kindness of people all over the world. We received numerous calls and messages from supporting pastors and church folks praying for us and offering tangible help. We received generous money transfers from complete strangers in Russia, who opened their heart to people in need. We heard testimonies of so many people, who have gone through exact or similar circumstances, and God used them greatly to encourage us! I thank the Lord for surrounding us with wonderful people in “such a time as this.”
Sometimes help comes from people you don’t expect. And it is such a blessing!
But here’s the other, darker, side of the coin
Sometimes you expect certain people to help in a tragic circumstance, and they don’t… The problem is not in those certain people, though, but in our expectations. After all, they may be completely unaware, they may be going through a loss themselves, they may have other priorities…
Unreasonable expectations, when unfulfilled, can produce bitterness that defiles, a judgmental spirit that cripples our walk with the Lord.
“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”
God said that in Psalm 118:8. No matter the person, when we put confidence in another human being (be it a pastor, best friend, father, son, or an authority figure) – they will fail us!
The Lord offers us a stern warning in Jeremiah 17:5 “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.”
Which brings me to the last thing I learned from the fire:
God has a plan
When I first came to America, God placed me in a regular working-class family. But what many don’t know — the previous year there was another girl from Russia (we’ll call her Alyona) who, just like me, came as an exchange student.
The only difference — she was placed in the family of a bank owner.
At first, I envied Alyona, who received many gifts, made a bunch of fun trips and enjoyed plenty of entertainment.
Me? I was taken to church. A lot.
God gave me a host family, who were on fire for the Lord and served Him with all of their heart. On Fridays they led youth meetings. Saturdays were spent on bus route visitation (yes, they took a lost foreign exchange student visiting with them!). Sunday and Wednesdays — we worshiped God, on Tuesdays we had a workday at the church… I was around God’s Word and God’s people pretty much every day of the week. I was surrounded by the Gospel!
Because I’ve never even held a Bible in my hand before coming to America, my host mother immediately found me a Russian Bible. As I started reading God’s Word and listening to sound Bible preaching, the Holy Spirit showed me that I was a sinner in need of Jesus. On April 16th, 1994, three months after I arrived in the US, I trusted Christ as my Savior and was baptized shortly afterward.
Alyona experienced none of that…
Looking back, God’s hand is so evident in keeping me from the world’s “blessings” and “taking away” toxic things and rotten relationships.
I don’t know what the future holds for us. As we pack to leave for Siberia, Russia just 5 days from the moment I write this, we don’t have certainty about where we are going to live or how things will work out for us. Without a residence, there is no registration, without registration, my wife and children can’t stay in the country. We have a temporary fix for this, but it’s not long term. We’ll be staying in a Bible College dorm room in a city three and a half hours from where we minister.
One thing I know for sure, though — God is definitely working in this circumstance. He is always good, and He cares for us more deeply than I’ll ever imagine. I cling to the verse in Romans 8:28 “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Far from being depressed or crushed — I’m more excited than ever to return to Russia and experience what God has laid in store for us! Want to hear how the next chapter of our life unfolds? Send me a message and I will keep you in the loop!
You can connect with Vladimir Lukyanov by clicking here.
Vladimir Lukyanov is a veteran BBFI missionary to Siberia, Russia