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Trip To Beslan
April 11-18th, 2005
“Blessed is The God & Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, The Father of Mercies and God of all Comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3)
I want to thank you all for your continual prayers and financial support of His work in Jerusalem and in Beslan! You are sharers in the great things He’s doing, & may you rejoice to see what you’re sharing in! Glory be to The Lord Alone, for He has done great things!
YHWH blessed a small group of us to share the love of Jesus with the hurting community of Beslan, a community still dealing with the slaughter of around 350 people - most of whom were children. Pastor Bradley Antolovich (Calvary Chapel Jerusalem), Pastor Kostia Kretov (Calvary Chapel Moscow 1905), and I traveled to this small town of around 30,000 people where we worked with Pastor Jumbul, a local believer working full time in reaching out to Beslan.
As I start to write this report, I realize that nothing I can say or show can completely convey what our Lord allowed us to see and be part of. But with the help of God, I hope to do the best I can.
After a crazy time at Ben Gurion, Bradley and I flew to Moscow on Monday (the 11th) and we spent the night with Pastor Kostia and his family. On Tuesday morning, after a good breakfast with Kostia’s wife, Shari, and their two young kids, Bradley, Kostia, and I flew to Vladikafkaz (which is right next to Beslan) and were met at the airport by Pastor Jumbul. Jumbul is a dear brother that reaches out full-time in Vladikafkaz and Beslan, and he’s well-known and respected by many. Our first stop after arriving was the new cemetery - made to bury those that died in the Beslan Massacre. Unlike most cemeteries, almost everything on and around these graves looked new; indeed, I believe that many grieving family members still go daily to mourn there. There were lots of bottles of water and other drinks around the graves – Kostia explained that they were there because the terrorists had kept the people in the gymnasium for three days without water. A little girl, perhaps only 2 or 3 years old, showed us where her Mommy was buried, as the grandma grieved. Like I said before, how can one put these things into words? We also went to the graves of the Totiev family – Pastor Tamaraz Totiev and his wife, Raya, lost four of their five children in the school massacre. Tamaraz and Raya are still active in the church, and are an amazing example of Job-like faith… though I’m not sure how many days pass without them crying and asking, “Why?”
We then went and visited the building where Jumbul and the church meets; it’s an old, run-down house with nothing too impressive about its appearance. And that’s the beauty of it: they don’t have any fancy building or great programs, but the church still goes there to meet. We later stopped by the beautiful Vladikafkaz Mountains, where the greatness of God’s creation can be seen so clearly. We also went to Jumbul’s house, and visited with his family. Jumbul and Marina have three young children, and they live in a tiny two room house, along with Marina’s mother. They served us tea and torte, and also some pastries that a local pastry company of believers gave to us for free. Jumbul and Marina shared a lot about some of the hierarchy problems there, and how they’ve both been hurt. They later showed us a video of the Beslan massacre aftermath – I had seen many pictures and a video beforehand, but the video we watched that night was far more graphic. This was an uncensored film that showed charred bodies and more terrible things than any person should ever see… and most of the slaughtered were children.
The following morning we had a great opportunity to minister to Manana, a relative of Jumbul’s (his sister-in-law, I think). Manana stays at an apartment that’s been rented to help house missionaries, and that’s where we stayed as well. She has been through quite a lot of heartache, and The Lord allowed us to pray with her and be a listening ear. 22 years ago, Manana gave birth to a boy with no hand, and her husband said to leave the baby at the hospital because he didn’t want a son like that. She said ‘no,’ and he told her he’d leave her if she brought the baby home. She did what was right, and went to live with her mother and the boy, who died just 4 months later. Her husband tried to come back to her, but she couldn’t take him back. Now, he has a wife and kids, and Manana doesn’t.
We later met a lady named Marina (not Jumbul’s wife), who runs a computer/internet club. As she speaks good English, Bradley asked her if she would be willing to work on collecting the stories from the families and survivors of the Beslan massacre. She later declined, but she told us one story of a boy that had survived. On the first day of the three-day siege, the boy thought that everything was some sort of game. On the second day he realized that it was really happening, and he kept fainting. On the third day, when the kids started running from the gym, he thought to himself that maybe it would be better to die… that way, he’d never have to go through anything else like that again. But the kids started running and someone pushed him, and so he ran. He made it out alive, but his brother didn’t. Who will be there to share hope with this survivor?
We went to the school where the massacre took place, and though it took place last September, the school still has not been totally cleaned. There are still remnants of body parts on the walls, as well as some blood from one of the terrorists (on some wood, if I remember correctly).
At the building where the church meets, Bradley and I were able to briefly share our testimonies with Medina and Alana, two young girls that seemed to listen. It’s really remarkable – young people go to the building every day, just to hang out. There is such an open door to reach out to them! Beslan is economically depressed, and I didn’t notice anything in the city like a bowling alley or the like… the youth just seem to hang out on the streets with nothing to do. The town reminded us a lot of what America was probably like in the 30’s; people actually have time to spend with one another, and it’s a common sight to see people outside having picnics, talking, and so forth. Almost each time we stopped by the building, there were usually at least three youth just hanging out there.
At night, we visited a mother who lost one of her daughters in the massacre. Kostia, Jumbul, Bradley, and Sasha (who’s kind of like an assistant pastor with the church) shared The Good News for about three hours with the mother and other people that seemd to keep coming to the apartment as the night went on. They were asking questions like, ‘Does a soul exist,’ and, ‘Why did God allow such a tragedy?’
On Thursday morning, Brad, Kostia, and I had a really good time of praying and talking about things. We looked at Matthew 15; Yeshua knows our hearts, and we’re to be real with God. We later visited Pastor Tamaraz and his family - his wife Raya made us a good meal, and it was a nice time of fellowship. Raya showed us pictures of her kids, and some of the many, many letters they’ve received – reading one of the letters was especially difficult to do, and my eyes couldn’t stay dry. Before we left, I told Tamaraz and Raya (through Kostia), ‘Even though I can’t speak Russian, I want to tell you that I prayed for you, and I will pray for you. And I think you understand God’s grace more than most people ever will. Thank you, and it’s an honor to be here.’ Tamaraz replied, ‘The only honor we’ll have is to be with the Father.’ Could I say such a profound truth if I had lost four children?
We then went to the house where Jumbul and the church meets, and a bunch of the kids were just hanging out. The Lord blessed me with the opportunity to share with about 10-15 kids (through Kostia). Some of the things God blessed me to say were, ‘I’m happy to be here… people in America are praying for you. If you have a candle in the sunlight, you can’t really see it. But if you have a candle in a cave, the light is really bright. Beslan is like the cave. Jesus is the answer for Beslan… only Jesus.’ They said, ‘Thank you,’ and they really seemed to mean it. One girl in particular really seemed to be listening and paying attention.
Brad and I had a good late-night chat; he asked if I’d be willing to serve here. He’d release me early with his blessing. There are no missionaries here… though there are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
On Friday we were treated to lunch by some local pastors, and we later visited a couple from Azerbaijan who have recently come as missionaries. I recognized the husband’s face, and asked if they knew of The Voice of the Martyrs (a Christian ministry that helps persecuted believers) – and they did! The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) had featured them in a prayer update, and it was funny to travel around the world and run into them. Pastor Roman is also a Jew, and wanted to hear a Hebrew song sung for him. For more info on VOM, check out: persecution.com
We then went to visit 2 girls that survived the massacre, but they weren’t home, and so we visited with the grandmother. She told us that the younger girl (in 6th grade) is afraid to be alone… she lost ten of her friends, and her older sister lost seven.
In talking with Pastor Jumbul, I also learned that seven children that survived the Beslan massacre have since committed suicide.
God blessed us to visit Alla, a dear lady that lost her younger son (maybe around 7 or so). Brad, Kostia, and Jumbul ministered The Word to her. As we were leaving, I asked Kostia to share Psalm 62:8 with her as I think The Lord put it on my heart, and he read it to her in Russian. And I spoke of the encouragement of pouring out her heart to Him. She said, ‘That’s what I’m trying to do,’ or, ‘That’s what I’m doing.’ When we left, I said good-bye in Russian, and she grasped my arm and said ‘Spaseeba (Thank you),’ and really seemed touched. Brad said he could get me a multiple-entry visa for a year, and he’d be the first or second church to support me.
We had a meeting at night, and Brad taught. Marina, Kostia, and I played some worship songs. Jumbul also taught, and Pastor Roman shared. There were around 14 adults and 5 kids there.
On Saturday, Kostia returned to Moscow, and Brad, Jumbul and I went to visit a couple that lost their only daughter in the school massacre – Elvira was a cute little girl that (I think) was only in the fourth grade. Both Elvira and her mother were in the gym for the three days, but somehow the mother made it out alive. I can’t imagine all the questions she’s probably wrestled with over and over again in her mind… ‘Why couldn’t I have saved her?’… ‘Why did I make it out alive, but not her?’ One thing about this visit was particularly amazing; I’m not one to flippantly say that The Lord said this or that, but I really believe He sent a message to Elvira before she died. In August, the month before the massacre, she wrote a poem to her parents – a poem quite strange for such a young girl to write. Elvira wrote something like the following: ‘I love life. I want to live. I have a good life. But if I can’t live here, the angel from God will take me. Mama… Papa… I love you. I write this so that you’ll know that I love you…’ How amazing to see how God can inspire and provide comfort in advance! I’m sure that poem has touched their hearts many times, and yet, it won’t bring their daughter back. The father talked of how different things are dragging his people into more and more gloom, and he asked, ‘Who will stop the spiritual killing/murder of the Ossetians?’
Earlier in the day, Bradley and I talked with Jumbul about the possibility of me serving there. Jumbul really seems to want it, and said that an English club would be really successful.
On Sunday, we had quite a full day as Brad was blessed to speak at three different church services. First, we went to the Baptist church that Tamaraz pastors, and then we went to a Pentecostal service. And later, we met with the new church that Jumbul teaches, and Brad commissioned him as the official pastor (Kostia wasn’t able to be there, but had also recognized God’s call on Jumbul). We had a Jewish girl help translate for us, and she hung out with us for most of the day. She doesn’t yet believe in Yeshua, but said that she now has a lot of new things to think about – pray for her, her name is Irina.
The new church is amazing… so simple in terms of appearance, and yet so happy to fellowship and be with one another. The service went for about two hours, but it was very refreshing to not be so organized into slotted times for this, and then that, and so on. It was relaxed, and probably much more like the early churches were. We all had lunch together afterwards, and then hung around for several hours. Bradley and Jumbul went on a home visit, and I stayed and hung out with the youth. I had a great time, and was able to find out more about what’s on their minds and things. God willing, I believe there would be many more great opportunities if He blesses me to go back. People in general are very hospitable there, and they seem especially so towards Americans.
Later that night we went to Geeya and Zarah’s house, where we enjoyed a late-night meal and time of fellowship. We ended late, and they prepared bedding for us to spend the night. They again provided us with a great meal in the morning, and the love they expressed seemed deeper than I’ve felt from most believers. The grandma also was very loving, and really wants me to come back.
As we prepared to leave Beslan, we met with a few other believers. Marina, Jumbul’s wife, told me that the youth really liked me, and that I had made an impact. We stopped by the new building where the church meets, and one of the kids asked me, ‘When are you coming back?’ As we arrived at the airport, we were met by Tamaraz and Raya – and it was very apparent that God blessed us to touch their lives.
So much more could be said, but I hope this has shown you how The Lord blessed us all to share in reaching out to the people of Beslan. There are open doors for future work, and – Lord willing - we hope to go back and share Christ’s love with them once again. Please keep those written about in your prayers, and please also pray for me... with the help of God, I really see the possibility of making a big impact in Beslan. I’m praying about returning for a longer time of service, and I believe this is a door that our Awesome God has opened up. Thanks again for your prayers and support; glory be to our Great God!
He Is Faithful,
jason
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God's love is eternal
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