Angela Jenkins lives her life layered like an onion, wading through blankets of snow.
But in her mind, there’s nothing special about her being a Southern Baptist representative in the cold climate of Russia.
“I think it’s just an intentional lifestyle — something that we all get to do wherever we are in the world,” said Jenkins, a member of Grace Heritage Church, Auburn. “Some people have very specific calls to a particular place or people, but I think for me, I was just willing and eager to go to a different culture.”
And God opened the door for her to move to Russia.
“I didn’t have a particular interest in Russia, but I was, in general, interested in Eastern Europe,” Jenkins said. “When I saw the request for someone to come and teach and work with students too, it seemed like it was written just for me.”
Jenkins spends her day homeschooling four preteen and teenage girls — the daughters of other Southern Baptist representatives in the city where she lives.
She also teaches English to Russian speakers, helps with English camps and spends time building relationships with students so she can share the gospel with them.
“I think God is working to bring people to Himself here through long-term relationships with a lot of trust built and time spent talking through questions and reading the Bible together,” she said.
“I think young people are in general open to spiritual things, but not Christianity in particular. Post-communism has left some people very hopeless but has also opened the door for faith. People are looking for answers to life’s questions.”
The place where she lives was a “secret city” during Soviet times — the site of a missile factory.
Many residents of the city are working-class people, but a prestigious segment of society exists too.
The people in her city are not known for being friendly right off the bat, but once you have met them, they are “extremely open and generous,” Jenkins said.
The population, about a million strong, lives in a city of ice and snow surrounded by dense forest.
“Almost everyone lives in apartments, and everyone likes to walk outside — even taking their infants out for a brisk stroll in the negative-degree weather,” she said.
The people are diverse, not the fair-skinned, blue-eyed, bearskin-cap-wearing stereotype often thought of for Russians, she said. Many are from Uzbekistan, the nation of Georgia, Kazakhstan and other countries. And not all are from orthodox traditions — many are from Muslim backgrounds.
“This city needs God’s power and grace to open eyes and bring people to Himself,” Jenkins said.
And, she said, it needs for its churches to get a passion for their city and for reaching out.
‘A living hope’
“It is my prayer that the local church and believers here will become more and more equipped to share the truth in their own culture and context with their own friends and family,” she said.
The biggest need for people with a religious orthodox background is “to have truly opened ears and eyes to hear the gospel and have changed lives — a living hope that pervades all of their lives and not just their weekly traditions,” Jenkins said.
Marjorie Davis, a Southern Baptist representative who also serves among Russians, said Jenkins’ life is helping to turn that ship around.
“Most Russians know about God and about Jesus Christ, but many associate Him with rituals, condemnation and the outdated ways of their grandmothers,” she said. “They need to see Him as real and true, and that’s what Angela does — she brings the nearness and love of God through her gentle and compassionate spirit.”
Her sincerity shines, Davis said.
“She really listens and really cares, and that’s what gets through to a people group that many consider difficult to reach out to. I’ve seen how people are drawn to the love of Christ in her just by how attentive and genuine she is, and that’s something this culture desperately needs — to know that God is real and near and that He really cares.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — Names have been changed for security reasons. (IMB)
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