How does a Church develop? Seven Stories of Changed Lives in Bryansk.

The History Makers Church Camp ended last Sunday, and we wanted to share just seven stories of individual lives. These are young people who are currently leaders at History Makers. Enjoy and be inspired!

Babs and Daniel:
Daniel, a key leader-pastor and initial planter of the Church is a Ukrainian-Russian who had moved with his brothers to Bryansk years ago. Born in a good and conservative Baptist home, and one of 11 brothers and 1 sister, he has for years now had a passion to reach the disconnected young people for Christ. Realizing early that evangelism was not something you do effectively in the confines of a church building, he began to go out and meet people by playing christian music with his guitar in Kurgan Park. Kurgan has this huge 3D star looking monument rising 100 feet in the sky as a celebration of communism. A time capsule inside was placed there in 1970 and will be opened in 2020 to honor 50 years of Soviet rule. Babs (his real name is Alexander...but uses this nickname) is a new age modern hippie looking and thinking guy with long dreadlocks and often colorful hair. He is an artist and naturalist who loves to play the congos. He gravitated toward Daniel and the music one day and began playing along. They became friends playing music together and engaging in long discussions of faith. Daniel took Babs to youth group at a church he was attending at the time, and over the years this young man Babs searched for truth thoroughly, and eventually accepted Jesus Christ. Today (about 5 years later) he is a leader of History Maker Church. He reminds us of a modern day Johnny Appleseed as he seems to just go everywhere, know everyone, and invite anyone. He is the best evangelist in the church. Babs will marry to a lovely girl Marina, and their ceremony will be July 17 at Camp Yolochka. That whole week before their wedding he and Marina have been asked by a conservative pastor and now their friend from Seltso to help lead his church's childrens camp. Even though they are way beyond the bounds of traditional dress and lifestyle, they deeply impressed this Baptist pastor with their passion for God and huge heart for children. Marina and Babs have felt that God wants them together to use their unique gifts in ministry all their days. We've never met a couple quite like them. We know God has used them in amazing ways so far. We pray for the years ahead, praying for God's hand on their lives and ministry.

The Twins:
Veeka and Lira are identical twins and were hanging around Kurgan park where Daniel gathered up friends to play music together. In an attempt to meet more peopke Daniel decided to hand out invitations to his birthday party to everyone he passed by in the park. Veeka and Lira thought it was funny and decided to show up. They became friends with Daniel and the group hanging out together and started meeting with them to discuss spiritual truth and the Bible. Veeka and Lira were not raised in a Christian home. These sweet, sensitive and talented girls began to investigate faith with this group. The group was meeting in a home sometimes, and during summer days they would have church in a field down by the river. These girls accepted Christ into their lives through the influence and teaching coming from this group. They are extremely talented young artistic dancers, and now use their abilities to dance to glorify God and gather up others to dance and share Christ that way. At the camp this year not only were they small group leaders, but they taught a master class in dance.

Katia:
Katia has dreadlocks and a few piercings and does not look like your everyday hostess, but she and Natasha have an amazing ability of making people feel loved and cared. She is an organizer and a wonderful hostess with a flair for the creative. At camp this year she set up a creatively decorated tea tent that was used small group disussion time and tea events for ladies. She has a passion for helping women face the tough challenges unique to them. To hear Katia talk about her faith in Jesus and how one should conduct their life in a way that is glorifying to God is like age old wisdom coming from such a young woman. It is amazing. She like so many others in the group, came to be exposed to faith in Christ through a simple invitation in the park not long ago. This was certainly not her background, but is the center of her life today. At camp this year, Katia was a strong small group leader and organizer of womens ministry events.

Nikita:
Babs meets people just about everywhere. Nikita had recently been released from prison on drug dealing charges. He was discouraged with his life and was looking for something to fill the void he felt. But with no family Christian influence or strong moral background, it was natural when old drug friends immediately connected with him with a call to fall back into his dead end lifestyle. A hopelessness flooded over his life, but Nikita just didn't know where to go or how to deal with it. One night after coming back from being with his old friends he decided that they did not really care for him and that he needed new friends. Babs entered his life after a simple encounter through music in the park. Babs invited him to the group. Nikita was quickly intrigued with words of faith in God. On a summer day 3 years ago, the group was gathering in a field by the river. Billy happened to visiting that day and while waiting for others to arrive Nikita came over to Daniel and Billy and asked how he could have this faith in Christ for himself. On that summer day in a simple prayer his life was transformed. He was baptized in that same river on a snowy day in March. He is a talented bass player for History Maker Church today. Even though Nikita has moved to Moscow for work he travels 6 hours by train 3 of 4 weekends a month to help out the HM band by playing the bass. He also is involved in ministry in Moscow. At camp this year, this young believer was an outstanding small group leader.

Julia:
I can still remember Julia at our first summer kids camp held in that run down school at Selso 12 years ago. She had the same long straight dark hair but in pig tails with 2 big pom poms on each side , the same big brown eyes and long eyelashes, and a bright smile. She was sitting in a desk in summer kids camp class led by Diane Arnold (now Jackson) and Alise Pommer, LifeWay Church summer missionaries that first year. It was the 6-8 year old kids camp class that was made up of about 60 children stuck in the hallway of that old school. When it rained a river of water flooded down that hall. Julia, 8 at the time, loved 12 year old Diane and a friendshop blossomed. A dozen years later they are both married, and both are missionaries, and they are very close friends, talking on skype frequently and spending summers in ministry together. Julia is married to Daniel and as a minister herself she has the amazing ability to connect with non-believers. Coming out of a more traditionally oriented and conservative church, Julia has had to stretch herself and she has risen to the occasion. At a previous History Makers camp several Muslim friends she worked with were invited and came. They were blown away by the fact that our group prayed for them and explained God clearly. Julia has a passion for the down and out people of the world and her city. Julia was baptized 2 years ago in a frozen March river with 4 other History Maker believers. She believes she is called to the mission field, and I believe she is already living out part of that calling now.

Patty and Billy Arnold
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