Poor Russia - so far from God, so close to Siberia. This old Russian folk expression is a quaint reminder of the severity of the vast and frigid expanses that begin at the foothills of Russia's Ural Mountains and end, some 3, 500 miles later, by the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Boasting the northern hemisphere's coldest re-corded temperatures (-71 °C), the slightest wind can raise and freeze tears in an instant. During the winter every breath taken by man or animal is preserved in a misty cloud overhead; if the temperature is extremely low, exhalations will freeze with a crackling noise referred to locally as the "whispering of the stars".

To keep warm in this rigorous climate, foxes and sables grow prize-winning furs, and si'biryaki (devoted Siberians) drink ninety-five percent alcohol liquid called spirt. To further insulate themselves against the intruding cold, the sibir-yaki have learned to layer everything from their bodies to the homes and vehicles. Cars and trucks which cannot be brought inside are left with their engines running twenty-four hours a day - if they are turned off for any reason, their drivers may have to wait until spring to restart them. Plumbing is also a problem, and water is often purchased by the square metre in the form of massive blocks of river ice delivered by truck or horse-drawn sled. Similarly, litres of milk are carried home, not in cartons, but on wooden sticks.

Despite the hardships, many Siberians proclaim fierce devotion to the beauty, solitude and relative freedom of their frontier. Again and again visitors are struck by the friendliness of the people as they are caught in the embrace of the "broad Siberian spirit". Locals are puzzled and even hurt that their land and way of life should be considered by anyone - including their own government - to be a place of exile or form of punishment. Many are in fact glad to be well distanced from what they perceive to be the rudeness of European Russia's big cities. "Going back to Russia after Siberia," states one young man, "is like eating borshch after you've had ice cream."

Comprising more than 6 million square miles - an expanse one and a half times the whole of Europe, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Urals -Siberia is possessed of extraordinary natural resources. Gold, diamonds, platinum, uranium, coal, gas, oil, timber - it's all there, plus a collection of mighty river systems that, if linked together, would circle the earth some twenty-five times. Symbolically, Siberia has taken on tre-mendous political significance as a new frontier; and the incentives are high for those prepared to continue "building Communism" with boots and mittens.

Although smaller tribal peoples are scattered throughout Siberia, the region's main indigenous people are the Yakuts, Evenks and Buryats. All possess strong Mongoloid features and, until fairly recently, practiced shamanistic "magic" with panti, the velvet horns of Siberian deer, and white ginseng roots. The Buryats, whose autono-mous republic borders Mongolia, represent the USSR's largest Buddhist group. Further to the north the nomadic Yakut and Evenk people continue to practice their age-old livelihood of herding reindeer and wild horses. The Yakuts, who traditionally afford great respect to women, have been governed locally for years by Alexandra Ovchinnikova, a Yakut woman known affectionately as the Snow Queen.

For those not transfixed by the crystalline beauty of icicles hanging precariously over intricately carved window frames, or renewed by the pristine air and stillness of Siberia's endless taiga, not to worry. As the old Russian proverb says: "In Siberia the winter lasts twelve months, the rest is summer."

* Some time ago a young drug addict from Vladivostok was given a New Testament by a believer he met in Estonia on the opposite side of the country. Returning home, the young man began reading the New Testament, found the Lord and gave up drugs. Through his witness a revival has broken out in Vladivostok, with many drug users coming to Christ. PRAY that the revival will spread and that many more will turn to the Lord.

PRAY:
-that Russian and German congregations across Siberia will be bold in their witness.

PRAY:
-for the fruitfulness of Christian radio broadcasts into Siberia and the Soviet Far East.

10 Years On: UNFORGETTABLE SIBERIAN TREK
IRR/TV Russia Report - April 2000

The 8,000 kilometer (5,000 mile) Siberian missions trip has been full of adventure and challenge. But the fruit has made it worth every mile of it. The missions team reported and documented the decisions and commitments of many indigenous Siberians as they accepted Jesus Christ. In addition to the services, many memorable moments took place as recorded in the diaries of the missions team:

"We made our way from town to town. Temperatures inside the vehicle plummeted to -20 C! The sisters traveling with us put on every extra piece of clothing they could find as additional insulation against the cold. They weathered it out patiently, so to speak. This morning we ate our last piece of bread. We still have a fair way to go to the next outpost where supplies can be obtained."

"...We arrived at the town of Topolin. We slept in the car all night. The town consists of about a thousand reindeer herdsmen. The service began at 3 pm and continued until midnight. What spiritual hunger! God blessed the meeting. We left them Christian literature."

"...We came to Deputatsk. Our vehicle had to be serviced. A passing driver stopped and wondered at the text on the 4x4 tundra-vehicle. It read: CHRIST FOR THE NORTHERN NATIONS. We were about to continue on our journey when the driver of the passing car asked us to stay a while. 'We too are human beings. Many of the townsfolk want to hear about God.' We stayed and talked with them about our Lord late into the night."

"...Town of Borulah. Shamanism is practiced widely in this area and the locals worship trees. The tribal chief allowed us to use his meeting hall and he called everybody who had a telephone. He asked every one of them to tell their neighbor about the service to be held that night. The hall was packed out at 7 pm. We spoke for two hours. Nobody wanted to leave. Then we suggested a moment of prayer for those who wanted to pray. Everyone came forward and we prayed the prayer of salvation with them. Now these people need a pastor to work with them - a shepherd, missionary."

The trip across the frozen wastelands of northeastern Siberia is over. The weather will be warming up soon - making the region inaccessible until next winter. Next year will be a new challenge. There are so many who need the Lord - and so few to tell of Him. IRR/TV television programs in the Yakut language will start airing this year - reaching villages, homes and families the team could not have. Please pray for the forgotten, largely unknown to the outside world - "off the beaten path" - peoples of Siberia!

- received from Russia Intercessory Prayer Network, April 12, 2000
http://www.RIPNet.org/

NEXT PAGE