“I HAVE no idea how to explain this.” said my friend Collin. “I mean I just don’t know how to explain this week that we had in Moscow.” As our vision trip debriefed our seven days of meeting students, exploring campuses, interacting with the culture and serving a children’s hospital similar statements were made by the staff and students. For nearly all of the 14 who went this was their first time in Moscow.
Our goal was to give the students and staff we took with us a chance to catch the vision of what God is doing in Moscow and open a possible window for their return. To do this the staff team in Moscow created a balanced schedule that allowed them to do ministry on several campuses, be tourists and hear from the staff about what they are doing to reach the 1.1 million students of Moscow.
One of the biggest highlights for us was when Jess was able to use her expertise in Dietetics to lecture in a dormitory. Eight Russian girls showed up in one of the student leaders’ dorm rooms to hear Jess share her knowledge and debunk common myths about beauty, dieting and health. As Jess spoke the Lord helped her direct the conversation from medical facts about health to spiritual truths that she has experienced personally and how it is all connected. All of the girls who attended said they wanted to know more about both physical and spiritual health and are already in touch with the long term team in Moscow.

The most exciting thing for us was how normal Moscow felt. It was no longer the big, scary city we remembered, but rather a very familiar (though not so warm) place that we enjoy. As we pray and think about our future Russia and the Moscow campus ministry continues to be a part of that conversation.
Thank you for sending us and praying for us. This trip would not have been possible without you. Your love and generosity are a massive support to us!

Dave & Jessica