And the Race Goes To

After watching real life events, we see that the race doesn't always go to the steadiest participant, or the most qualified. We know from reading the tortoise and the hare that it doesn't always go to the fastest contestant.

That's an interesting thought—so, who does the race go to? Sometimes it goes to those who figure out what to do, and do it.

Here in America we like the phraseology 'git 'er done'. We want what we want and we wanted it yesterday.

Old Fuzzy has done short term mission work ever since the year after we were married. We began by doing local work for advertising our local Gospel Meeting.

Back in June 1993 he had the opportunity to spend three weeks in Russia on a preaching campaign with a group.

Each person was instructed to take a suitcase with clothes and a suitcase with food.

It hadn't been long since President Reagan had stood at the Berlin Wall and with the challenge 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!' And indeed, things were changing.

There was a trickle of missionaries allowed to come into Russia and teach the Gospel, but...

Things had been difficult under Communism, and life was not like it was in a free market society. The story was told of a Russian citizen who had applied for a telephone. It had been fourteen years and he was still waiting.

Here in the states we have whole house heating and cooling. During Old Fuzzy's first trip to Russia he had the experience of 'whole city' water supply.

The city had central water system. Water was pumped from a city central supply, and they were flushing the pipes and for a whole three weeks. There was no hot water for showers.

Old Fuzzy would get up in the morning and shower, then tell his roommate, Bill, 'I made the sacrifice—I took a cold shower and so you could have all the hot water.'

Ephesians 1:15 "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16) Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17) That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:"