Waking up the Sleeping land....

Friends of mine know about my passion for Russia. My family (including my wonderful wife) was from there, and it is something I have always felt that God placed on my heart. There is a Canadian missionary family living in Novosibirsk (where Marina was born and raised!) and they have a blog! Wonder of wonders! Anyway, I regularily check it out and a recent post really spoke to me, because of the insite it brings to this wonderful yet dark nation.
He writes:

I have recently been reminded about the darkness that exists in this country. Let me explain it to you. Before I do though, let me say that I know it is tempting as a westerner to always be able to find solutions for problems. In my first five months here I have had a long list of solutions as to how this country can be fixed. But the longer I live here the more I realise how much those ideas of mine are rooted in my own world view. I need to take the time to truly see this country through the eyes of God.

He also writes:

Russia is a depressed nation. Alcoholism is rife, suicide figures are overwhelming and the AIDS pandemic threatens to wipe the nation from the face of the earth. If current trends continue, it is predicted that Russia's population by 2080 will be 52 million. In one person's life time that is a drop of 90 million people. Putin has described the situation as a national crisis. Yet it remains to be seen what the national solution is. So few Russians have the will to live. So many men become alcoholics at an early age. It is very common to see 10 year old boys walking the streets smoking. It is also very common to see a Russian man with cuts or bruises to his face as a result of a drunken brawl with his mates. Russia is dying. The population is decreasing by 700, 000 people per year. In 1991 when the USSR was dissolved Russia's population (not the USSR) was over 150 million. Today it is 142 million. This is not just because of emmigration. It is because many are dying of AIDS related illnesses and many are simply killing themselves.

So, what hope is there? There is always hope, and Pasha knows it too:

Let me leave you with one more encouraging verse that promises that God's glory will be made known in Russia. Habakkuk 2:14 "For the time will come when all the earth will be filled, as the waters fill the sea, with an awareness of the Glory of God."

So, folks, whose on for my next trip to Russia? If you want to go, or if you want to help, drop me a line!