BY ELFRIEDE VOLK

e have good news," Laur-An and Arata greeted the vice president of the Russian Sahmyook Institute one October morning. "We're alive."

Challenging Times
Laur-An Merginio, formerly a social science teacher at Philippine Union College, had been sent by the 1000 Missionary Movement in the Philippines to teach at the Russian Sahmyook University on the island of Sakhalin, Russia.

Arriving in March, he had to look up to see the top of the snowdrifts. Temperatures inside the classrooms were not much warmer than outside. Like most of the newer buildings on the island, the school was made of prefabricated concrete slabs assembled without insulation. Heat was controlled by the city, and people had only two methods of making themselves more comfortable-opening a window or putting on extra layers of clothing. Even in late June some teachers still wore down parkas in the classroom.

Laur-An's roommate, Arata Kondo, had spent a year teaching high school in Ebeye, in the Marshall Islands. At the conclusion of his service there he flew to the United States to join the American branch of the 1000 Missionary Movement. One day as Arata was sitting with a group of fellow missionaries, the director of the American branch of the movement walked in.

"We need a Japanese teacher on the island of Sakhalin, Russia," Dr. Lee said, looking straight at Arata. "You are the only Japanese person here."

Arata arrived in Sakhalin in September. Besides teaching classes at the Sahmyook Institute, he taught some English classes in the affiliated language institute.

Situated just above Japan, Sakhalin belongs to Russia, but residents represent many different ethnic groups. The original inhabitants were people ethnically similar to native Americans, but there are also Japanese, Korean, Arab, and Semitic people. At one time the southern half of the island, which has the highest population density, belonged to Japan. But at the conclusion of World War II the island became part of Russia and was used as a penal colony for hard-core criminals and religious dissenters.

The Russian economic and social structure has been in a constant state of upheaval since the collapse of Communism. Sakhalin is subject to upheavals of another type. A major earthquake a few years ago completely destroyed a town north of the capital city, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, with the loss of more than 1,000 lives. Roads and buildings in Yuzhno also appear to have suffered earthquake damage, but residents claim that the broken pavement and concrete are the result of collapsing infrastructure and heavy snowpack. With the city coffers empty, there is no money for maintenance.

Provincial coffers are just as bare, and some government employees, such as doctors, teachers, and miners, go months without being paid. In order to survive, some people rent out their apartments and move in with friends and relatives. Other apartments, such as the one directly across from that shared by Laur-An and Arata, become vacant when marriages split up and both parties move away.

Although Laur-An could not understand much Russian at the time, the man spoke a little broken English and mentioned Sahmyook University. Convinced that everything was on the level, Laur-An let him in and showed him Arata's room. As Arata lived frugally, the room contained nothing but books and clothes in addition to the sparse, well-worn furniture.

"How many people are living here?" the man wanted to know.

"Only two," Laur-An told him.

That night Laur-An came home shortly after midnight; he could see Arata standing at the darkened window.

"The lights went off at midnight," Arata said.

"It can't be a power failure. Other apartments have lights. It must be the breaker," Laur-An offered.

Laur-An knew the electrical panel was just outside their door, quickly found the circuit breaker that was off, and flicked it on to restore electricity.

Since classes at the language institute are in the evenings, Laur-An usually came home late and worked until midnight, then conducted his private studies and devotions before going to bed at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. When lights went off again the next night, Laur-An decided to go to bed early.

Several nights later Arata and Laur-An were working on the computer when it went dead. The power to the electrical outlets seemed to have been disrupted even though the ceiling light was still on. Arata's immediate reaction was to check the breaker box again. As he opened the steel door, he was confronted by a masked man wielding a handgun.

Hearing a commotion and strange voices in the hallway, Laur-An went to check on Arata. He too was met by the masked man. Laur-An and Arata were forced back inside the apartment, hog-tied, and left lying on the floor. Their faces covered with cloth, they guessed that three or four men were ransacking their apartment.

"Where's your money?" they demanded. "Dyen-gi?"

"My wallet is over there," Laur-An said. "Take it. Just don't hurt me. I have a young son; he needs me."

Powerless
One evening Laur-An opened the steel door of his apartment in response to the insistent ringing of his doorbell.

"I am the owner of this apartment," a Russian-speaking Korean identified himself. "I came to see if the heat is working."

Questions for Reflection or for Use in Your Small Group 1. What are the most dangerous parts of your service for Christ? 2. We celebrate answered prayers and protection received, but how do we explain situations that end less than happily? 3. What gives you the most encouragement in light of your inability to know what the future holds? 4. What made the difference in Pastor Hong, giving him an intense love for people he may not have previously cared for?

Arata answered in Japanese, and in frustration the robbers kicked him in the ribs. They searched everywhere trying to find valuables. The robbers dumped some clothes out of a suitcase and filled it with the missionaries' things. Finally they left, and all was quiet again.

Squirming and wriggling, Laur-An managed to free his legs, then went into the kitchen to get a knife to cut Arata's bonds. Arata then cut the rope that tied Laur-An's hands. The whole incident was over in only 10 minutes. Besides his money, Laur-An lost his clothes, his camera, his CD player, two watches, and a year's supply of toiletries. Arata also lost clothes and his wallet with his money. He even lost his toothbrush.

As he was lying on the floor helpless and at the mercy of the robbers, Arata was unafraid. If I die here, Lord, he thought, it wouldn't glorify Your name. It wouldn't make sense. The thought gave him peace. He felt convinced that God still had a work for him to do.

Part of that work was to continue Bible studies with one of his students, who was baptized a month after the incident. Laur-An also was able to witness the baptism of a young woman with whom he had been studying. Rather than being discouraged by their experience, both young men thank God for their reprieve and have dedicated their lives to serving Him. Laur-An has agreed to return to Sakhalin for another year; Arata has become a frontier missionary.

"There are still so many people out there who have not had the opportunity to learn about God," he says.

Not Again!
About three weeks later the lights in the apartment of Pastor Hong, vice president of Sahmyook University and director of the language institute, went off. Rather than opening his door, Pastor Hong looked out of his window and noticed that other apartments were still well lighted. So, commending himself and his family to God, he retired for the night.

The next morning as he opened his door, Hong was met by masked men with guns. With a wife and two small children to protect, Hong yelled at the top of his voice and fought his attackers. Even when kicked in the groin, he continued yelling and fighting. When he felt the barrel of a gun against his temple, Hong thought, This is it. He heard the report as the trigger was pulled and felt the blast of the powder against his head. Then as he relaxed his grip on his opponent, he saw the man turn and run away.

"I'm still alive," he marveled, getting to his feet. He locked the door, thanking God for His deliverance. He thought that the gun had just fired blanks until he found the bullet; it was rubber.

"They never meant to kill," he said. "They just wanted to intimidate. But something happened to me that day. Before, there were some people that I did not like. Now I feel nothing but intense love for everyone."

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Elfriede Volk lives in Summerland, British Columbia. For several years she and her husband, Heinz, served in different capacities at Russian Sahmyook University.