Newsletter

The little girl sat alone on the edge of the barge, humming a tune to herself. The penetrating innocent blue eyes gazed intently with little comprehension at the lostness of the receding figures as the barge moved slowly away from the bank into the deeper water on its journey up the Vasugon river into the vastness of Northern Siberia. She was conscious only of the life-stopping drama being so vividly enacted before her; of her moving on, away from those forlorn figures left behind. She was an innocent but necessary part of the tragic scene. Anna had often watched those left behind like this with the uneasy feeling that they were being abandoned because she was going away. Many times she had also seen the bodies of those who perished on the barge, unceremoniously dumped into the fast flowing river on the long voyage down the Obb river and now up its tributary the Vasugon.

It had been some weeks now that they had been on the water. Her mother had been convicted as an "enemy of the people". A hated ‘Kulak’, (Kulaks were peasants, who through industrious hard work had risen marginally over the rest of the poverty stricken farming folk), she had been found guilty of the heinous crime of ‘dissipating the riches of the Russian Motherland’. Mother’s sentence – along with many other such families and individuals - was ‘freedom’ in the wastelands of Siberia. The journey down the river Obb from Altaiskii Krai on the Mongolian border, had already spanned more than 1000 km in distance. (Mother, with five young children, had gone to Altaiskii Krai to be with father, a German banker in Moscow, who had for some obscure reason been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the new Stalinist Government in the early 1920’s).

Their turn to disembark with the last remaining survivors came last. It was just before the Russian winter and the hastily collected provisions for the journey were almost depleted. There was the deceptive mellowing of the autumn colours around them, but the sharp bite of the coming cold was already tangible. Nevertheless they were all put ashore roughly and with the injunction to start a settlement, were also supplied with a small amount of seed for the coming summer crops! That night the families huddled together in hastily contrived bivouacs made from the sturdy birch and fir trees. The winter that followed was a frozen nightmare come true. Many starved to death with the pressing cold on the one side and the lack of food on the other. With that incredible discipline that characterises the German people, mother portioned all provisions to last the winter and to further extend their food supply she chopped up the bark of the birch into a fine matrix and after thorough boiling reduced it to a pulp, which was then cooked with flour and other edible foods. These supplements, though not palatable, extended food resources. They made the difference between life and death. Anna's family were of the few that survived the winter. All of them were still alive. They gave thanks to God for his mercy. Then it was spring and it was growing time and with the passing of summer there was a harvest of wheat, but then the Communists appeared again to requisition the fruits of their labours! It was a heart-breaking experience. And so they lived for another six years until father was released. No exaggeration can describe the scale of their suffering.

One day father arrived, coming up from the Vasugon, after many weeks of searching countless settlements along the River Obb. It was Anna’s birthday and he had saved some simple cookies to celebrate their reunion. When released he had enquired about his family. Hearing that they had been sent down the river, he started out on the impossible 1000km journey with its myriads of tributaries. They lived on through the Great Patiotic War of 1940 and the little settlement grew to what it is today. Through all of this the family had kept their faith.

Today this settlement is known as Novo Vasugon, which means the New Settlement on the Vasugon river and Anna Bogér is now 78 years of age and every night she still prays in German to keep her mother tongue alive. All her children still speak German. Every day she still milks her cow, which helps her overcome the leanness of their existence. Only 8 believers are left in Novo Vasugon - all woman - who range from 75 to 86 years of age. Their husbands have all long since departed to another life and it is at this point that we take up our relationship with Anna Bogér.

Through rather remarkable circumstances she contacted our mission with a request for help with teaching materials needed to help evangelise the young people of the town. Her letter gave instructions on how to get there. Initially, we really felt that this journey was too harrowing to manage. There are no roads to Novo Vasugon. Only the river and a ski plane. The nearest road stretches north from Tomsk for 500km to Kargasok which is still 300km from Novo Vasugon by air. Tomsk itself is 4hrs by air from Moscow. However once in Moscow, this project weighed heavily upon my spirit and rereading the letter again, a dreamlike quality appeared that I had not noticed before - as if the writer really had a dream but had been buffeted too many times in life by the messengers of Satan. But still, there was also a firmness, the resolve of someone who had authority, someone that had known victory, someone who knew the power of the Spirit, someone who believed in a living God.

It was a short, to the point letter written in archaic Russian no longer used today. It ended with the words: "We are waiting for you". Unwritten were the words hanging in the air "whenever you or anybody else decide to come, we will be here". I knew that I had to go.

Our arrival in Novo Vasugon was greeted with great joy. We were the first Western missionaries to tread their soil.

The story you have just read unfolded with a plea not to let the Gospel of Jesus die in Novo Vasugon. We discussed assisting with the audio cassettes of our recently completed radio programme and other teaching materials. They were overjoyed and immediately got out an ancient magnetophone (tape recorder) and started listening to the lessons with that great hunger always evident in all Christians who experience a lifetime of deprivation. We just could not get these beautiful old believers interested in anything else while we were there! Now they had a key to unlock doors that had hitherto been shut! Of course there was also much sharing and talking in the short time we had together. When we parted we left with that tearing pain that always comes with a friendship based on love. They did not want us to leave and we did not want to go. Although Anna only receives 600 Roubles/month ($30), she was most offended when we offered to cover costs. What a noble Christian woman we left behind.

Anna Boger did not ask but there they have some real needs. They really need a good tape recorder for small group use. They also require the full time support for a pastor and continued ministry from the Door of Hope outreach – ideal for young outreach groups. In her last letter - just received - she asks for additional copies of our cassette ministry for her town and neighbouring Vasugon river districts downstream.

Will our sister Anna live to see the fruits of so many years faithfully dedicated to the Gospel? Will she see her vision materialise? Will there be an inheritance for those left behind this time ………. in Novo Vasugon?

*In Russia today there are many who, like our sister Anna Boger, want to leave the inheritance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generation. Some are younger but the desire is the same. They cry out desperately in a world of plenty but only a few hear the now nearly indistinct call from the voice of the martyrs. How much longer must they suffer, deprived of the urgently needed resources to evangelise their own people. The work in the fields of the Lord requires committed harvesters right now. Those who cannot go but assist others who do, are just as much harvesters and missionaries as the ones they send. Isaiah 6:8

The flight from Kargasok to Novo Vasugon was with the cargo ski-plane pictured above. There was no heating and so one can imagine how chilly the flight was. Lena, unaccustomed to flight soon turned green and was violently air sick, but the impeccable flying skills of the Russian pilots was a good trade for any discomfort experienced. Generally they are better than Western pilots – I speak with some authority as I myself was a pilot myself for many years.

In all areas we had very positive response to our Discipleship Programmes. There are needs for as many tapes and cassettes as we can supply. Recently we received a grant for an initial quantity of programmes to be produced but this has already been expended and there is a growing need for more. Cassette duplication has become an expensive item and it would be far more profitable to duplicate the tapes ourselves as and when they are required – we have identified a source for cheap blank cassettes. Please pray for guidance and the needs in this area.

We praise the Lord for the many open doors we were given. Seminars and teachings were held at various localities in Ukraine and Russia. Interesting work was also initiated in various churches which we trust will soon lead to local missionary training centres – this work needs desperately to be followed up soon if real fruits of this last visit to Russia are to be realised. We were also able to minister in various Pentecostal and Unregistered Baptist Churches with good responses, which indicated the acceptance of the programme across the broad spectrum of church denominations - we even had an Orthodox Priest displaying interest in our discipleship and church leadership training material! This sensitive project needs prayer for great wisdom.

All of this has been most encouraging in a world, one could almost say, is saturated with teaching materials and programmes. We trust and wait upon the Lord for his timing and direction. We submit ourselves to His will. Please pray for wisdom in all our mission doings. Please also pray for more workers.

Our next newsletter will deal in greater depth with the work of Russian missionaries in the war torn area of Southern Russia and Chechnya. There will also be an article on work amongst the Russian Gypsies. Once again we thank you for your generous support which makes this ministry possible.

Newsletter

The Inheritance of Anna Bogér