The General

I had never heard a Russian General speak.  I now know, based on a sample size of one, that they are loud and every word they utter has a purpose. 

The one I heard was retired, but still leading.  He was speaking to the majority of the Family Camp attendees and he was exhorting them to get involved with the work at TCC – to invest their time, treasure and talent to get the facility up to its fullest capacity.  He used our team as an example – indicating that “The Americans” paid their own way and are working on a building that their families will never use while he and his Russian peers attend camp with their families and enjoy the grounds.  He boldly indicated that the congregation has been making excuses to avoid the work for years and said it was time to get their hands dirty and get involved.    

He apologized to anyone he might have offended, handed the microphone back to Pastor Vadim, and walked out of the big tent where the family camp closing celebration was being held. 

His words hung in the air as a few more folks stood up and thanked the kitchen staff and the group of families for a great week.  While I don’t know if his thoughts landed on the hearts of the campers, I know they burrowed into several of our team members.  Including me.

The General enjoying the camp area with his family. 
He was much louder than he looks. :)

I’m still trying to process his words, but there are a couple of things that struck me:

His exhortation could have easily been given to me at home.  What the General didn’t know is that traveling to Russia is easier for me than helping my real neighbor.  Going to a foreign place to do physical work has its challenges, but they are seemingly exciting ones that make for good story.

Helping your unbelieving neighbor or your local congregation is physically easier, but not as religiously sexy or, in many ways, nearly as comfortable.  We cram our lives so full of activity that it’s next to impossible to squeeze anything that matters into it.  As the General said:  we make excuses.



It felt like he understood the heart of our team and it felt good to hear someone that shared a powerful vision for TCC.  Words can’t express the heart-level connection that several of us felt as we heard him speak.  It gave us hope that someone local could step in and keep the momentum going after we’re gone.



That same night, I spoke with Pastor Vadim thru an interpreter and told him how much I appreciated the General’s words and reminded him that our team was made up of unskilled laborers – not concrete experts.  It was a feeble attempt to encourage him – intended to communicate that they have the talents they need within their congregation already.  At the time, I honestly felt like I was either offending him or that my words were falling on deaf ears.  

Over the next 24 hours, the General sought out each and every member of the team to say a personal thank you for coming and working on their church’s behalf.  A firm and deliberate hand shake combined with a thank you in broken English from this powerful personality felt like a significant gift to each of us. 

Before he left, I ran him down one more time to thank HIM for his words and to give him a beat up copy of a team photo.  He graciously accepted the gift as he departed.

While I can’t guarantee that they came based on the General’s words, we had two Russian volunteers on our doorstep Monday morning.  They helped us shovel rock and do the finishing work in the final room of the project.  It was a microcosm of the potential of partnership: Russians & Americans working side by side to pursue impact for the Kingdom. 

With about two wheel barrows of concrete to go prior to being able to call our work complete, we received the news that the General had died in his sleep the night before.  It shifted what would have been a natural celebration of the milestone, to a time marked by some of the most mixed emotions many of us will ever feel.   

At that moment, the words that were planted in my head were clear: “It’s not about you.”  We weren’t intended to celebrate the work of our hands, we were intended to celebrate the work that the Lord had done in our hearts and the ongoing work he’s doing in the lives of His Russian church. 

There isn’t a clean ending to this one.  It remains to be seen how the General’s last words will ultimately land on the ears and hearts of his congregation as well as the ongoing impact they’ll have in my life.  I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to meet him, be challenged by his passion, and look for practical ways to make an impact at home in response.