Did you ever try to put God in a box? Well, I did! My box was my limited human reasoning and worldview, which God wanted me to expand.

When we were working in Ukraine, there was a retired couple I visited regularly. Sergey and Natasha were both hospitable and happy to see me, but Sergey was the only one interested in Bible studies. Every time I visited them, Natasha had other work to do. “I was born Orthodox, and it’s a sin to leave this religion behind.” This was the extent of our conversation about religion. I kept praying for both of them, but naturally I focused more on Sergey. He was looking forward to being baptized, and I just hoped he would influence Natasha.

Sadly, we had to leave our project in Ukraine before we could see Sergey make a commitment to the Lord. But a few weeks ago, I called him to see how they were doing. He was surprised to receive my call, but not nearly as surprised as I was when he said, “Oh, and Natasha got baptized last month.” I hope each of you gets to experience this feeling at least once in your lifetime. It’s indescribable! After I took a few seconds to recover from my shock, I asked, “But what about you, Sergey? Did you get baptized?” He mumbled something about needing more time. I don’t remember the rest of the conversation, but I clearly remember how humbled I felt afterwards. Please pray for Sergey that he will finally step out in faith!

A predictable situation with an unexpected outcome. This is one of the things I love about being a missionary—watching God turn everything I think I know upside down and hearing Him say, “Cristian, you are not actually making things happen. I am.” We truly serve a great God, and I’m learning my lesson about underestimating Him. He doesn’t fit in a box.

We can’t wait to see what God has in store for our next project in the Republic of Georgia. Thank you for helping us get there.

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