Marlene (second from right) with some of the volunteers to the Russian Federation.

Our eager volunteers come from many destinations, filled with a desire to serve God, and an overwhelming sense of awe at the task that lays ahead. They are sent to English schools all over the Russian Federation, armed with raw courage and the optimism of youth. After a limited amount of training they are asked to teach English as a second language. It is a frightening experience to find yourself on the other side of the teaching desk, to realize you are a teacher not a student, and that all eyes are on you. However with warmth and love they tackle the task and become both proficient teachers and spiritual leaders. I love these young people who are willing to sacrifice at least one year of their lives to take part in a tentmaking project. However, many of them attest to the fact that they receive far more than they give. And of course it is true that God always richly rewards any service we render to Him

How important is this task force? Without them we would be unable to run language schools. The gospel would not be spread to a large group who would never hear of Jesus if it were not for their brave efforts. Each one brings to his or her task their own special personality, and together they make up a wonderful whole. The young people of the former USSR were raised as atheists. The goal of the communist party was to encourage the youth to worship Lenin and the Soviet leaders. Parents faced a prison sentence if they took their children to church. The result is a large group of very intelligent young people who have no concept of God and would never normally attend an evangelistic campaign. They come to learn English and end up making friends with our teachers, observing their beautiful lives, attending Friday night outreach programs ostensibly to practice their English, but in the process, getting to know the God we love.

We also have a school in Kazakhstan, a Muslim country, where it is impossible to conduct evangelistic campaigns. It is indeed lovely to watch our young missionaries in this area ministering to the students in the International church that the school has organized, to see these dark haired and dark eyed mid-Eastern people partaking of the Lord's supper or preparing for baptism. It is wonderful to behold how God can use willing young people to achieve the impossible, to be His tools in reaching the unreachable and changing the hearts of young men and women. Only in heaven will we be able to measure the fruits of their work. The volunteer program is an unbelievably successful program, and my only prayer is that more and more young people will meet the challenge. It will be, after all, an army of young people who will finish the work

By: Marlene DeCoito, Volunteer Coordinator for the Euro-Asia Division