From Russia with Love

Bruce and I had the pleasure yesterday to have lunch with the Muzart family. Jan and Eric, who have spent the last 14 years as missionaries to Russia, have three young daughters, another child 'on the way', and are currently itinerating in the US till later this year. They plan to return to St. Petersburg, Russia, where they lead a thriving ministry to university students, called SFC (Students For Christ).

Because I'm a big romantic at heart, I was particularly captivated by their 'story' (Jan thinks she may write a book some day). Jan grew up in a small town in Ohio and committed her life to Christ as a young girl. She graduated from DePauw University, with B.A. degrees in French and Music. She wasn't really sure how she would put the two seemingly unrelated areas together in a career, yet, an opportunity opened up for her to spend a year at a Bible College in Leognan, France as a music teacher. She had previously entertained the idea of being a foreign missionary, and the position gave her a chance to explore that option.

Meanwhile... Eric was born and raised in Nice, France. His father was French and his mother, Russian. A gifted athlete, he had been part of an athletic horseback riding troupe as a young man, and after completing his formal college education, was a professional alpine ski instructor, training the "Nice Cote d'Azur Ski Team", and also "l'Equipe de France Citadine". During that time, he accepted Christ in a ski station hotel room, and soon after, he "offered his athletic career to God", feeling called to become a missionary to Russia. He enrolled in a Bible College in... (can you guess ??) Leongan France... et Voilà... Eric and Jan met, fell in love, and were married a year later.

They trained and worked as Bible translators at first, and then in 1993 moved to Kemerovo, Russia in south central Siberia, establishing a ministry to university students. It was then that they connected with our church, when our pastor, Jeff Leake, traveled to Siberia and spent time with them there.

I am hooked with life stories that showcase a God who purposefully orchestrates individual lives, weaving 'seemingly unrelated' training, experiences, and perspectives into His handiwork... nudging and guiding, shaping and guarding, equipping us to fulfill His purpose in us, for us and through us. His plan isn't bound by geography, and His ways are jaw-droppin' marvelous :D
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 96:3, 118:2