Interview with the Bishops of the underground church in Russia

All I knew is that the Bishops in Moscow’s undergrown church wanted to see me. I tried to pray much about it and wondered what they would ask. Questions like: who sent you? What do you think about this verse in the Bible? The questions were so many to list in my Western mind. I could only pray for favor. GOD, you send who you want and where you want, so just open the way for me to stay in Russia to help in the church.

The night arrived and the Pastor Eugen led me through the dark streets of Moscow. It was in an old part of the city unfamiliar to me with low brick buildings and narrow streets that were blacken by the night sky. We finally reached the proper address and rang the busser in the cramped entry way. After a few words from Pastor Eugen the buzzer sounded and the door was unlocked. We headed up the stairs and knocked on a simple door. A brother opened the door and welcomed us. We entered a rather large living room with little furniture and a linoleum floor that was not glued down, it was held in place by the few items of furniture on the edges of the wall. There were no more than a dozen brothers there each a Bishop of different parts of Moscow Region. After a small conversation the brothers started to kneel down on the hard cement floor covered with the patterned linoleum that served no padding at all.

After the first hour of praying, my knees were filled with pain and my eyes flowed freely with tears. The prayer went on and on and I started to wonder what extra bone did GOD give these men that they could stand on their knees so long. Two hours came by and the pain was so much that I was sure I would never walk again, so I prayed even harder. The prayer became fervent and I could only praise GOD for saving my soul. Again, and again I thanked GOD for His mercies on my life and that I knew He cared about all people and nations the same. The time slowly passed and it became almost three hours in prayer. Oh, my legs were asleep but these brothers who have suffered so much in their life time for the sake of the gospel. They have gone to prison, been beaten and would not speak about the church, but only about Jesus Christ that had saved them. This was a unique room with unbelievable servants of GOD and I could not be the first one to stand to my feet. The prayer meeting lasted over three hours and everyone got up and greeted each other and that was it. No resumés to look at, no credentials from Bible school to consider and no references to check up on. Only the Holy Spirit could have endorsed an American with open doors in the underground church in Russia. The small pain that I had was multiplied with open doors to minister in the church. Thank you, LORD!!!