Partners in Russia

Last summer, I was part of a team of 15 students and staff on a Global Project to northwest Russia. For four years, our region has had an ongoing partnership with our sister student ministry in that part of the world.

A year ago, I never expected that God wanted me to go to Russia. I had my summer all planned out with a great job lined up and was looking forward to a summer of comfort and security. It took me a long time to realize that my plans weren’t necessarily God’s plans, and though I thought mine would be best, it turns out that his were incredibly better.

While in Russia, God had a lot to teach me about trusting him, about relationships, and about his passion for the world. I wouldn’t have been able to learn these things like I needed to without the Global Project experience. It was both difficult and exciting to trust God for the trip in general as well as for the day-to-day results.

Seeing God build relationships much deeper than we could ever do or imagine and allowing him to guide us in those relationships and conversations was a new joy everyday. And learning more about what God is doing in other countries and through other cultures was essential to learning about and becoming more effective in my own culture.

Not only did we Americans see things we needed to change in ourselves and begin that process, but we also saw that happening in our Russian roommates and friends. One of my roommates, for example, noticed the change in herself. She told me toward the end of our program that she felt something was different in her, even though she couldn’t yet pinpoint it. I knew she was right because I saw it as well. She went from being someone who was very sure about what she believed (and not very interested in Christianity) to someone who was excited about exploring the Bible and the different aspects of being a Christian and how that relates to everyday life. She developed a hunger, and it was amazing to see her heart soften to the power of the gospel.

A mission trip like this is so crucial to understanding more of God’s heart for the world. He has big things going on all over the place and he wants us to be a part of it. If someone were to ask me if this experience was worth giving up the time, money and what I thought was a well-planned and secure summer, I would again and again say “yes.”

—Rosanne Rougemont is a senior at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD.