Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190099A
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello, and welcome to another 3ABN Today program. 01:12 I'm Jason Bradley, and I'm so excited 01:14 that you could join us today, 01:16 as we are going to be talking 01:18 about the Russian Bible project. 01:21 And it is an exciting project that is taking place. 01:24 Here with me to discuss this is Dr. Mikhail Kulakov 01:28 and his lovely wife Lyudmila Kulakov. 01:32 Did I say that right or close? I was close? 01:37 Welcome to the program, it's so great to have you here. 01:40 Thank you, Jason. It's a privilege. 01:43 Yes, I'm looking forward 01:44 to jumping into the Russian Bible project, 01:47 finding out what it's all about, 01:49 how it got started, all of that. 01:52 But before we do, 01:53 we're going to be blessed in song by Pam Lister. 01:57 And she's gonna be singing, "When I Turn to You." 02:27 When I turn to You 02:32 You are always waiting 02:39 With a heart that understands 02:44 Before I speak 02:50 And I learn from You 02:55 All that really matters 03:02 Though a million years go by 03:07 You'll still love me 03:13 I no longer look for a place to hide 03:20 'Cause I know where I belong 03:25 When I turn to You 03:30 When I turn to You 03:36 When I turn to You, dear Lord 03:40 I know that I love You 03:48 When I turn to You 03:53 You are watching over me 04:00 Through the eyes that look 04:03 Beyond the faults I see 04:11 And I learn from You 04:16 You are always merciful 04:23 Though I remember all 04:26 That You've forgiven me 04:34 I no longer look for a place to hide 04:41 'Cause I know where I belong 04:46 When I turn to You 04:51 When I turn to You 04:57 When I turn to You, dear Lord 05:01 I know that I love You 05:29 I no longer look for a place to hide 05:36 'Cause I know where I belong 05:41 When I turn to You 05:46 When I turn to You 05:52 When I turn to You, dear Lord 05:56 I know that I love You 06:04 When I turn to You, dear Lord 06:08 I know that 06:09 I love You 06:34 Amen, thank you for that song, Pan. 06:37 If you're just joining us, 06:38 we are discussing the Russian Bible project. 06:42 I'm so happy that we can jump into this topic now, 06:46 the Russian Bible project. 06:48 Where did you grow up? 06:50 I grew up in the country that is no more, 06:54 in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. 06:57 I was born in Kazakhstan, USSR, 07:03 and my dad was a pastor and a human rights activist, 07:09 Protestant pastor 07:10 who was released from Stalin's labor camps 07:14 in 1953. 07:16 And married my mom and that's where I was born. 07:19 Wow, and what about you? 07:22 And I was born in Moldova. Okay. 07:24 And Moldova, that's also a small country, 07:28 which was in the USSR. 07:31 It was a part of Romania. 07:35 So we have the same language, like Romanian language 07:38 and Romanian alphabet and everything. 07:40 So I was also born in a family of Christian family. 07:44 My dad was a pastor. 07:46 And we were first generation I think, yes. 07:49 So you guys are both PK's, Pastor Kids. 07:51 Yes, we are. Brilliant. 07:54 Wow, what are the odds of that? 07:57 So, tell me about the Russian Bible project. 07:59 How did that get started? 08:02 In Russia, the Bible that has been used 08:06 for most of the 20th century 08:10 was the Bible that was prepared, 08:14 translated and published in 1876. 08:18 Wow. 08:20 And because the language changes, 08:23 culture changes, we change. 08:27 After so many decades, 08:31 it became very, very difficult for people 08:34 to understand the language of the 1876 Bible. 08:41 Yes. 08:42 To give you one example, for instance, 08:46 the passage that so many people 08:50 who read the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, 08:54 know and love 08:56 about the beginnings of everything, 09:00 that God created the world in six days, 09:04 and He rested on the seventh day. 09:07 That word in the 1876 Bible now means 09:13 that God passed away 09:16 on the seventh day. 09:21 And that creates a challenge 09:26 and the need to read afresh, 09:32 to read anew those ancient inspired words 09:38 and render them in clear, accurate, 09:42 beautiful Russian. 09:45 And that vision was given 09:50 to a young person in Russia 09:55 back in 1944 10:01 in the middle of the Second World War. 10:03 Wow. 10:05 And that young person was the son of a pastor 10:11 who was imprisoned by the Stalin's regime 10:16 and we have a picture of that young pastor 10:20 teaching in Daugavpils, Latvia, 10:24 teaching a class of young children. 10:27 Oh, wow. 10:28 That young person was my dad. 10:30 Wow, that was your dad? 10:32 That was my dad Mikhail Petrovich Kulakov Sr. 10:37 He and his mom and his brother 10:42 had to flee Russia proper, 10:45 and his dad, 10:48 my grandpa was already in prison 10:50 for being a pastor. 10:52 Wow, he was in prison for being a pastor? 10:56 Yes, for being a pastor. 10:59 And my dad just finished the College of Arts. 11:04 And he was the teacher of arts and drawing. 11:09 And his mom was hoping that there in Latvia, 11:14 in the Baltic Republic of Latvia, 11:17 she will protect her young boys 11:21 from persecution and arrests. 11:24 Yes. 11:25 And if we could have that picture for a moment, 11:29 once again on the screen. 11:33 In the middle of teaching, 11:37 in the midst of teaching the class, 11:40 my father was arrested 11:42 by two plainclothes policemen 11:46 who entered the class. 11:49 They were sent by the KGB 11:53 all the way from Russia proper to Latvia, 11:57 and in Stalin's 12:01 labor camps 12:04 he received just a few pages 12:11 of the old Russian 1876 translation of the Bible. 12:18 Wow. 12:19 But before he was imprisoned, 12:22 he was inspired to learn German 12:27 by an highly 12:30 educated pastor, 12:35 in the Baltic republics, 12:40 who shared with him 12:43 that going back to more accurate translations, 12:49 and learning the original languages, 12:52 Hebrew and Greek 12:55 will bring you closer to the depth, 12:58 the beauty, the richness of that word. 13:02 And my father 13:05 in impossible circumstances 13:09 was learning languages, 13:14 German. 13:16 With the help of prisoners of war, 13:19 of German prisoners of war, 13:21 who were in the same camp, 13:24 in the same labor camp in Siberia with him. 13:28 He was getting acquainted with biblical Hebrew 13:34 through rabbis... 13:35 Yes. 13:36 Who were also imprisoned by the atheistic Soviet regime. 13:42 And he had a dream of one day 13:48 devoting his entire life 13:52 to prepare a clear, 13:57 beautiful rendition of God's Word 14:03 in the Great Russian language 14:05 which every Russian 14:08 will be able to appreciate and understand. 14:12 Yes. 14:13 And the story of the new Russian Bible 14:16 is the story of using 14:19 ordinary human beings, 14:23 and imbuing them with a vision 14:27 of being led by God 14:31 to make this happen. 14:33 Yes, yes. 14:35 I think it's incredible that your dad, you know, 14:38 he was in a tough situation. 14:41 But yet during that tough situation, 14:43 he learned those other languages 14:45 to further the Gospel of Christ 14:47 to be able to translate the Bible. 14:52 Yes, absolutely. Yes. 14:53 That's amazing. Absolutely. 14:55 We would, when we grew up in Kazakhstan, 14:58 where my parents initially settled, 15:02 after the death of Stalin in 1953. 15:06 My dad and my mom established their first congregation there, 15:11 which was an underground congregation. 15:15 And we met secretly in private homes 15:20 for fear of further arrests and persecution. 15:24 And my father was arrested many times after that, 15:29 and then released again. 15:32 And after the initial arrests, 15:36 and initial five year imprisonment, 15:40 he was sentenced to life banishment, 15:44 to a small Northern Kazakh 15:48 village of Merzkoor. 15:50 And as he later told us, kids, 15:55 children, 15:56 there is nothing eternal in this world. 16:00 Only God's things are eternal. 16:02 That eternal banishment ended with the death of Stalin. 16:07 And as we grew up, 16:09 we would wake up in the morning 16:10 and our dad would be sending us off to school. 16:14 But we would come to the kitchen table 16:18 and above the kitchen table, 16:22 there was a sheet of paper. 16:25 And on that sheet of paper, 16:26 there would be the memory verse for that day, 16:30 in beautiful Russian, 16:34 in German, in English, 16:37 and if it was from the New Testament, 16:39 in Greek, 16:41 and if it was from the Old Testament, 16:43 in biblical Hebrew, 16:46 in neat handwriting of our father, 16:50 and he would read it to us 16:53 and he would say, kids, if you could only imagine 16:57 how beautiful it sounds in the Greek. 17:01 Yes. 17:02 Or in the Hebrew, 17:04 or in Martin Luther's translation in German. 17:09 And we loved our dad's love for God's Word. 17:14 I have a picture. 17:16 I would like to show of my dad 17:18 returning from his official day job... 17:22 Okay. 17:24 Where he would greet us and hug us. 17:29 And just share with us 17:32 what happened during those very difficult times, 17:37 pastors could not officially be recognized 17:41 by the government as pastors. 17:44 They had to do it very secretly, 17:47 risking their lives. 17:48 Yes. 17:50 And so they each had to have a day job. 17:53 And my dad was a photographer. 17:55 Okay. Okay. 17:56 Now, what kind of impact did seeing your dad, 18:01 experience those things and his dedication, 18:03 what kind of impact did that have on your life? 18:08 It helped me to realize 18:15 that if I give myself 18:21 to the influence of God's Spirit, 18:25 and if I will encounter God 18:30 in my own life, personal life, 18:33 that I will experience love, 18:38 peace and power that nothing else can give me. 18:44 And I remember very distinctly 18:47 that when I was about nine years of age, 18:52 I loved reciting poetry. 18:55 It all started with the Psalms. 18:57 Our dad taught us 18:59 how to love the Psalms of David, 19:02 the 23rd Psalm, the 91st Psalm, 19:06 and how to recite the Great Russian poetry. 19:11 And the teachers spotted that in me. 19:15 And my music and arts teacher 19:18 promoted me to take part in the contest, 19:21 in the poetry contest. 19:23 But I didn't wear the communist scarf. 19:28 I didn't join the children's Communist Party organization, 19:32 and participating in any kind of public event on local 19:36 and let alone regional level, 19:38 was strictly prohibited for children 19:42 who were not members 19:44 of the children's Communist Party organization. 19:47 But my music teacher, I believe, 19:51 God touched her heart 19:53 and she wanted to empower me and courage me 19:58 and she told the school mistress, 20:03 the principal of the school 20:05 that I need to be given a chance 20:09 to take part in the regional contest 20:13 for poetry, for all the schools of the region. 20:17 And on that day at that square, 20:21 there were many trucks that brought kids, 20:25 and all their props and the red flags 20:29 and the school insignia, from the entire region. 20:35 And the superintendent 20:38 for the regional department of schools 20:41 had her mobile office brought there. 20:44 And just a few minutes 20:47 before the competition began with all the music going 20:51 at the square there. 20:53 They realized that I don't have 20:54 that red communist scarf tied around my neck. 21:01 Even though I had the starch blue white shirt 21:05 that my mom ironed for me, 21:08 and the director was scared 21:12 that she will lose her job, 21:15 because the superintendent of the region told her 21:19 that all the party officials were there. 21:23 Could she have gone to jail for that? 21:25 I'm sure that she could have lost her job 21:29 and something terrible might have happened to her. 21:36 And she demanded that I would be brought up 21:39 to her mobile office right there 21:42 at that square in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, 21:45 and I remember 21:49 when I entered that mobile office. 21:55 Office, uh huh. 21:57 That very imposing lady was sitting in front of me. 22:04 I was a tiny little kid, nine years of age. 22:08 And she, her fingers were all in golden rings. 22:14 And she was very intimidating 22:19 and very powerful, I could sense. 22:22 And she was talking down at me 22:28 with disgust and irritation. 22:33 And she challenged me and she said, 22:38 do you want to be a dark 22:43 sectarian ignoramus... 22:46 Wow. 22:48 Like your dad? 22:49 Wow. 22:50 Or do you want to go to a university, 22:53 and join the Communist Party 22:57 and go up in society, 23:01 and reach the heights of Soviet society 23:07 with your gifts. 23:10 And I will never forget, I was all shaking inside 23:14 and a huge lump came up my throat. 23:18 And I immediately started thinking of my dad 23:24 and his love 23:26 for all the learning in the world. 23:30 I knew that he read German, and English, 23:35 and Greek, and Hebrew. 23:38 I knew that he loved the Great Russian literature. 23:42 And I adored my dad. 23:45 And I just looked into her face and I said," 23:48 I want to be like my dad." 23:52 Yes, yes. 23:54 And she drove me out. 23:58 And I ran out of that mobile office, 24:03 and my teacher of music 24:05 and arts found me in the crowds. 24:09 And she was comforting me and I was all shaking. 24:15 And 20 minutes later, somebody called her back. 24:20 And then she came to me. 24:22 And she said, 24:24 she allowed you to take part in the contest. 24:28 And in just a few seconds, 24:30 I was brought on top of a truck 24:34 in front of several microphones. 24:38 And it was my turn to recite. 24:41 And as I started reciting, 24:43 I was praying that God would give me strength 24:48 and courage to do it to his glory 24:52 and to his owner. 24:54 And my voice was carried out 24:56 by all those huge metal loudspeakers 25:01 across the entire square. 25:03 And I could see my music 25:05 and arts teacher sitting on the front row 25:08 and pointing to her 25:12 color of her blouse 25:15 and whispering something into the ear 25:18 of another teacher from another school. 25:22 And I could understand that she was saying to her, 25:26 that I do not belong 25:28 to the Communist Party Children's Organization 25:32 of the Pioneers. 25:35 And I won the content... 25:39 You won the contest? For our entire school. 25:43 Our school received the first place, 25:47 I recited a poem about the mother, 25:52 that was written 25:55 by a famous Russian poet 25:59 who was murdered in Nazi labor camps. 26:04 Wow. 26:06 And God showed to me that day 26:11 that the faith of my father is my faith. 26:18 The faith that I was given by God. 26:23 Wow, wow. 26:25 That is powerful. 26:27 That is a powerful testimony, powerful story. 26:31 Mrs. Kulakov, 26:33 what was life like growing up for you? 26:38 As I told you, I grew up in Moldova. 26:43 Also, it's a tiny, very small country. 26:48 Warm country. 26:50 Wine country. 26:52 Grapes, sunflowers and sun, a lot of sun. 26:58 So that's why I love sunny weather. 27:01 So I grew up in a Christian family too. 27:06 My dad was a pastor all his life, 27:10 and my mom was helping him a lot in, 27:15 in the church and we kids, also six of us, 27:19 worked in and help them in the church too. 27:23 So, and I want to tell you today a story 27:29 which changed my life. 27:33 A person which had a very strong faith. 27:40 And you know that the faith of somebody 27:44 who have strong faith can change so many lives. 27:49 And one of them was my mom. 27:54 She changed so many lives during her lifetime. 27:58 And I want to tell a little bit about her, 28:04 how we grew in the family with my mom. 28:09 Few years ago, 28:11 I received a call from my sister in Canada. 28:15 And she told me, "Luda, my mom, our mom passed away. 28:20 So we need to, all of us to get ready 28:22 and fly back to Moldova for the funeral." 28:26 So at that time, we're six in the family. 28:32 So my oldest brother, 28:35 he's the only one who lives in Moldova. 28:37 He also is a pastor. 28:39 And the rest lived in... 28:42 Two of my brothers lived, live with me in United States. 28:47 One is in Alaska, 28:50 one lives with me in Washington DC 28:53 and my sister lives in Canada. 28:57 Okay. 28:58 So, all of us got together, we bought the tickets. 29:03 And then in a few hours we left to the airport 29:06 and we were planning all this trip 29:08 to get to Moldova as soon as possible, 29:11 you know, because it's a country, 29:13 we don't have funeral homes, anything like that. 29:15 So we need to get as soon as possible for the funeral. 29:18 And it was very touching 29:21 how we all flew in to Germany, 29:24 Frankfurt Airport, 29:26 and we were walking to the terminal, 29:30 and we saw, my brother from Alaska was coming, 29:34 and we were so excited at the same time. 29:36 You know, it was a very tragic meeting for us 29:41 and my brother from DC also was there, 29:44 and we all were going to fly in one plane. 29:49 It was so exciting. 29:50 And so it was me, Michael and my two brothers, 29:55 and my sister from Canada was supposed to fly also, 29:59 and we were waiting for her to come 30:01 so we can all fly to Kishinev, Moldova. 30:07 And our sister wasn't coming. 30:09 And we were so worried what happened, 30:11 why she's not here, because I knew she was coming. 30:14 And we were, all of us already in the plane, 30:17 sitting in the plane. 30:18 And all the other passengers. 30:20 And all the passengers, and then I saw my sister 30:23 running in to the plane 30:25 and we were so excited that all of us had made it. 30:27 So she made it? She made it. 30:28 So we all flew to Moldova and my oldest brother came, 30:33 he met us and took us straight to my mom's house. 30:38 And my dad passed away, like five, six years before 30:42 so at that time, my mom was living alone in Moldova. 30:47 So we drove to our childhood house 30:50 and it was very sad and difficult 30:54 to come into the house 30:56 when she was already not alive 30:59 and when we entered the room, she was in the living room. 31:03 We heard crying, somebody was crying. 31:07 And we entered the room 31:10 and I saw there two of my cousins, 31:13 two girls, my cousins, 31:15 they were sitting around her and crying. 31:17 Bewailing. 31:19 Bewailing, you know so beautifully. 31:22 And they were in Romanian language and they're saying, 31:25 Aunty Valentina. 31:27 And my mom's name was Valentina. 31:29 Aunty Valentina, why did you leave us? 31:34 Our mom left us a few years ago, 31:36 and now you left us, 31:38 how will we live alone without you? 31:41 And you know, I was looking and thinking, 31:43 wow, they are her nieces, 31:46 and they are so crying at the funeral. 31:49 And I was thinking and wow, what does this mean? 31:53 And I remembered, I remembered my childhood. 31:57 I remember how she was helping my cousins and their mom, 32:03 they had a very, very difficult life. 32:07 And my aunt's husband was an alcoholic. 32:12 So he died very young. 32:16 You know, he froze in the winter outside 32:20 somewhere so she was left with children, 32:24 and my mom was coming from the store, 32:27 from the market. 32:28 And every day she will stop by and bring them something 32:32 to eat and help them to, to live and have a nice life. 32:38 And I remember all of that. 32:40 My mom also had a very difficult life. 32:43 She grew in a well to do family, 32:49 and my grandma passed away 32:52 when she was giving birth to the seventh child. 32:57 And my grandpa was killed, 33:02 were murdered in front of my mom 33:06 when she was seven, by a Nazi soldier. 33:10 And my mom was so shocked and so traumatized 33:14 when, she was seven years old at the time 33:17 when grandpa came into the house, 33:19 and I don't want to describe the terrible thing, 33:23 but he fell on the ground and blood gushed out. 33:29 And my mom saw that 33:31 and she just collapsed there in front of him. 33:34 And, of course, he passed away right away, 33:36 and after that she couldn't speak. 33:40 She lost her speech for three or four months 33:43 after that shock. 33:45 So she was very traumatized, 33:47 and all the kids were left without parents, 33:50 so they became orphans. 33:53 And the government took away two of her brothers 33:57 and my mom was left with her sister. 33:59 And with the baby which was born 34:03 and they didn't have anything to feed of him, 34:06 and my mom will tell me that they take a piece of cloth, 34:10 put a piece of bread in that cloth, 34:14 put it in the water and give it to the baby 34:17 so he can suck at least some water 34:19 with some taste of bread, 34:21 because they didn't have any milk or anything. 34:23 And as I told you, they were work to do, 34:26 but when my grandpa was murdered, 34:30 all the neighbors, you know, how it happens in life, 34:33 they came and they took everything from the house 34:35 because only kids. 34:36 It was the war, the town was occupied by Nazi. 34:39 It was during the war, it was in 42 or 43, 34:42 something like that. 34:44 So they were trying to survive and my mom saw 34:48 and grew with poverty, 34:51 and it was a very difficult life. 34:54 So she, every time when she saw people in need, 34:58 she was there to help them, to do something for them, 35:01 so that's why she was helping all my cousins, 35:04 feeding them, bringing them stuff. 35:06 And at the funeral, 35:09 I will never forget the funeral day. 35:12 We were at the funeral and going to the cemetery. 35:18 And in front of the procession, 35:21 I saw two boys around 10 years old, 35:24 and they were two brothers 35:27 and they were holding my mom's picture 35:31 and walking in front of the procession. 35:35 And I was looking at these boys 35:37 and I was thinking and asking my brothers and my sister, 35:41 who are these two boys, I don't know them, 35:43 who are they? 35:44 Why are they having my mom's picture? 35:48 And my sister told me, oh, they are the two boys, 35:51 do you remember? 35:53 Our mom was helping them out all this years, 35:56 and I remember their mom had these two small boys 36:01 and they didn't have a place to live. 36:03 And my mom had a old house which was almost, 36:07 you know, collapsing, 36:10 but she went and she fixed that house for them. 36:13 She paint it, you know, everything she, 36:16 they had a stove, and she'll bring them some wood 36:19 so they can warm and she grew. 36:22 She took care of these two boys of mom 36:24 in that house. 36:25 And every day, she'll come from the market 36:28 on the way home, 36:29 she'll stop at that house, bring some food for them, 36:33 to the boys, 36:35 and then come home and cook something, 36:37 eat something and then will bring them 36:38 some other food. 36:40 So she was taking care of these two boys 36:43 until they grew like 10 years old. 36:46 So they knew Mama Valentina, my mom's name was Valentina. 36:51 So, they came at the funeral and they were there, 36:55 you know, next, like was their mom. 37:00 And I knew that many people will come to the funeral. 37:03 I knew that, because she was helping everyone. 37:05 That was her heart, you know, she couldn't, 37:08 you know, leave without helping anyone. 37:10 And she took such great care of you guys 37:13 as you grew up to dress you. 37:16 And so she earned money by knitting, By knitting. 37:20 Because my dad was a pastor, as Mikhail said. 37:23 And he also had a day job which was construction. 37:28 Okay. 37:29 And, but at the same time, he was a pastor, 37:31 they didn't get paid a lot. 37:33 You know, very little so, and we were six 37:36 and my mom wanted us to look nice kids. 37:40 We have a picture of Lyuda at high school, 37:43 with a bow tie, with a bow. 37:46 So that's how she was, me with that white bow. 37:50 So, she was making money knitting 37:52 and she taught me how to knit 37:54 and she will sell it and try to dress us, 37:58 because she was so worried that people think about us, 38:01 that you know, we are Christian sectarians 38:04 and all my relatives were not Christians, 38:07 because my mom became a Christian 38:10 when she was 17. 38:12 So, all my relatives were looking down at us. 38:16 Look at these Christian kids, 38:18 you know, they, like we lost everything in life. 38:22 So for her it was important that we look decent. 38:25 Yes. That we are dress nice. 38:27 Yes. That we are fed nice. 38:28 Yes. So, that was very important. 38:31 I don't have time, I think now to tell the story 38:34 how we became an Adventist, 38:37 but in a few words, I will tell it, 38:40 because it's a very moving story too. 38:42 When she was 17, she really felt 38:45 that she needs to find a church. 38:49 She just felt, she was telling us, 38:51 but I want to go somewhere, so I can pray, you know, 38:56 and be with people who believe in God. 38:59 So she had some girlfriends, 39:01 and they started looking for a church. 39:04 And it was after the war, you know, 39:06 the country was devastated. 39:09 No electricity, cold, no food. 39:13 So they found a church, not a church, 39:15 a house, a building, 39:17 where they heard that there are people meeting there. 39:20 So, it was during the winter. 39:22 She went with her girlfriends there. 39:25 And there was a meeting in some kind of the basement 39:29 and it was dark, cold dark, 39:32 no light, just, you know, candles. 39:36 And everyone was praying in that room. 39:39 And suddenly, 39:42 mom felt that somebody jumped to her... 39:46 Something. Something to her neck. 39:50 She starts screaming and it was a huge rat. 39:55 I would be screaming too. 39:57 So they run, the girls run out of that building 40:01 because she was bitten by a huge rat 40:05 and how I found out the story. 40:07 You know, when I was a baby, I was sitting on my mom's lap, 40:11 and I looked at her neck, I said mom, 40:14 what's that, you know, like kids, 40:15 what marks are these, you know, what's that? 40:19 I was so curious. 40:20 And she would tell me the story, 40:21 how she became a Christian. 40:23 So, after that they didn't go there anymore. 40:27 And then they, some girlfriends told them 40:29 that there's a church, a Seventh-day Adventist Church. 40:32 What is Seventh-day Adventist Church? 40:33 I don't know, let's go and have a look. 40:35 So they went into the church. 40:37 And they saw that the people were there, reading the Bible. 40:41 She was amazed. 40:43 She had never seen a Bible in her life. 40:45 And they were talking, you know, discussing thing. 40:49 And then she loved it, 40:51 and she decided to come to the church. 40:54 And then she was baptized 40:55 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 40:57 And that's how she became an Adventist. 40:59 And I was born in an Adventist Church. 41:03 And on the day of the funeral, 41:06 as we entered into her bedroom, 41:11 her Bible was still open 41:14 and her morning devotional was open. 41:18 And the Sabbath School lesson book was open the day, 41:22 that last day of her life. 41:26 And also what was interesting, you know, 41:30 my dad was a pastor all his life. 41:32 So they'll wake up every day, early in the morning. 41:36 And I remember that picture is in my mind all the time. 41:39 I wake up to go to school 41:40 and I will see my mom sitting and knitting, 41:45 because she needed to go to the market and sell it. 41:47 And my dad was sitting and reading the Bible, 41:51 studying Bible lessons and devotional, 41:55 that was the picture which I had. 41:57 And you know the funny thing? 41:58 I thought all my life that my dad is reading 42:02 because my mom can't read. 42:05 Because I knew she went to school only for four years. 42:08 I felt, oh, my mom didn't know how to read. 42:11 And then when my dad passed away, 42:14 my mom started reading the Bible. 42:16 And I was amazed. Mom, you can read the Bible? 42:19 Yes, of course, I can read. 42:21 You didn't read the Bible all your life. 42:22 Okay, because your dad wad reading it for me. 42:26 So when she was left alone, 42:28 she was reading the Bible every day. 42:31 And for me, it was like, wow. 42:33 And she will tell me what she read and how. 42:37 And at that time, she knew that 42:38 Mikhail was working on the translation on the Bible. 42:41 And she was praying for Mikhail and she was so excited. 42:45 And actually in 2015, we finished the Bible. 42:49 And she died in 2016. 42:52 So we're telling her how Mikhail finished the Bible. 42:56 She was very excited. Praise the Lord. 42:58 Yeah, before the funeral. 42:59 And at the funeral, 43:00 Mikhail decided to read a chapter from the Bible 43:06 from the new translation, you know, 43:08 because it's a modern translation 43:10 and it sounded so beautiful. 43:13 And Mikhail was reading. 43:14 I will not read it in Russian. 43:15 He'll read it in English, but when he was reading it, 43:18 I said, "Wow, that's my mom. 43:22 That's exactly what my mom did in her life." 43:26 Would you like to read it, Mikhail? 43:27 Before you read that. 43:29 As I listened to you guys talk about your parents. 43:33 I can tell that they've had a significant 43:36 amount of influence on your life, 43:40 like what you went into with the translations 43:43 of the Bible and all of that stuff like, 43:46 is a result of your parent's faith and dedication. 43:48 Yes, of course, yeah. Yes, yes, yes. 43:51 Absolutely. Absolutely. 43:53 And, as we worked on the translation 43:58 of the last chapter in the Book of Proverbs, 44:03 I thought about Lyuda's mom and my mom. 44:10 And I wanted to dedicate it to Lyuda's mom. 44:15 Nice. 44:16 And this is how I shared it 44:21 with all those people 44:23 who gathered at her place there, 44:29 as we bid her farewell. 44:33 A wife of noble character, 44:36 who can find she's worth far more than rubies. 44:43 Her husband has full confidence in her 44:47 and lacks nothing of value. 44:51 She brings him good, no harm. 44:55 All the days of her life, 44:58 she selects wool and flax 45:01 and works with eager hands. 45:06 Her husband is respected at the city gate, 45:11 where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 45:16 She makes linen garments and sells them, 45:21 and supplies the merchants with sashes. 45:25 She is clothed with strength and dignity. 45:31 She can laugh at the days to come. 45:35 She speaks with wisdom 45:39 and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 45:44 Many women do know both things, 45:48 but you surpass them all. 45:52 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, 45:56 but a woman 45:57 who fears the Lord is to be praised. 46:03 Give her the reward she has earned 46:08 and let her works 46:10 bring her praise at the city gates. 46:18 And that's what we witness to that day. 46:20 Yes. 46:22 Let me ask you a question, 46:23 because I would imagine that you face a lot of opposition 46:27 in what you're doing with translating these Bibles. 46:30 What happens when God closes one door? 46:35 He opens another. 46:37 God opens another door. 46:40 There is trying times, 46:43 difficult times in Russia right now. 46:46 And religious liberty is being limited in many ways. 46:52 But our Bible continues to inspire people 46:57 in the high society. 46:59 The learned people at universities, 47:01 people in the orphanages, in prisons, 47:05 and recently, a leading Russian actor, 47:09 Nikita Perserovski, 47:12 who is deeply respected and known by all the Russians, 47:18 has decided to produce 47:22 an audio version of our Bible. 47:26 He dubs Robert De Niro for the Russian audiences, 47:32 for his movies. 47:33 He dubs the batman into Russian language. 47:37 So everybody recognizes him. 47:39 And he said, first of all, 47:42 I want us to build a proper studio 47:45 for the Bible. 47:47 And he now travels to the Zaoksky University 47:50 to build the studio, 47:52 and he's devoting all the free time 47:55 that he has to producing a new version, 48:02 that even those in Russia 48:04 who cannot read will be able to hear. 48:08 That's beautiful. That's beautiful. 48:10 And I think with that type of influence too, 48:13 that's going to go in front of a lot of people, 48:16 a lot of people. 48:18 So God opened that door. 48:19 God has opened that door. 48:21 What else is going on in Russia? 48:24 We, for instance, 48:27 are experiencing another blessing. 48:30 Okay. 48:31 People are telling us that they love 48:34 that the first edition was a study edition. 48:39 But they would like us now to produce a smaller, 48:42 more compact edition of this clear, modern Bible 48:48 that young people could carry around. 48:52 Ladies could put into their handbags. 48:55 And there is a great demand and we're working on that 48:58 and we need your support for that, 49:00 and without you 49:04 we would not have been able to produce the first edition. 49:09 There is a conflict going on between Ukraine and Russia. 49:14 It's a war. 49:16 You know, I'm half Ukrainian and half Russian. 49:18 These are two brotherly, great nations, great people. 49:24 And nothing can be brought from Russia into Ukraine. 49:28 But I was recently sent a document 49:31 that the Ukrainian government produced, 49:34 and a list of accepted goods that can be brought to Ukraine. 49:39 And particularly, our Bible was singled out 49:44 for the government workers in Ukraine 49:47 who work on radio and television 49:49 in the Russian speaking areas of Ukraine, 49:53 that they are permitted to bring and use our Bible. 50:00 So in other words, 50:01 God's word can cross any borders. 50:03 God's word can cross any borders 50:07 and can reach hearts. 50:09 Amen. 50:11 What are some of the needs of your ministry? 50:14 There is an opportunity for us 50:18 to use the largest publishing house, 50:24 a printing press in Russia, 50:26 which publishes the novels of Leo Tolstoy 50:30 and Pushkin's poems and Dostoyevsky's books, 50:35 and prints all the western classics. 50:39 If we could together raise the funds 50:45 to publish the new compact edition, 50:51 and have it circulated across the 11 time zones... 50:56 Yes. 50:57 That will change many, many more lives. 51:02 And that's what I would like to share 51:06 with our wonderful friends, 51:09 the viewers of Three Angels Broadcasting, 51:12 who started this project with us. 51:14 Yes, yes. 51:16 Danny Shelton interviewed my father 51:18 who started the Bible translation project here 51:23 many, many years ago. 51:25 Wow, that is incredible. 51:27 I can't believe our time is running a little bit low. 51:32 I definitely want people 51:33 to get involved with this project. 51:35 We're going to go to your address roll, 51:38 because I want you to know 51:40 how to get in contact with them, 51:42 how to support this wonderful ministry. 51:45 And then we're going to go to a news break 51:46 and we'll be right back. 51:50 The Russian Bible Project has spent decades 51:52 working on a modern 51:54 and accurate translation of God's Word 51:55 into the Russian language. 51:57 And now they finally reached their goal. 51:58 Visit their website for more information 52:00 on how you can help, 52:02 as well as a list of their published books. 52:04 That website is RussianBible.org. 52:07 That's RussianBible.org. 52:10 You may also call them at (301)-613-2809 52:16 or write to them at Russian Bible Project, 52:18 PO Box 10988, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904. |
Revised 2021-02-08