“Intending to minister love and aid to thousands, our entire GO TELL Team came away knowing that we had received far more than we had given. The Russian people grabbed our hearts and will never let them go.”
GO TELL Volunteer Team, 2006
Ministering love and hope in the city of Bryansk, Russia, Rick Gage and 20 GO TELL Team volunteers were recently used of God to lead 130 precious Russian people to Christ, while encouraging and ministering aid to thousands.
The GO TELL Team consisted of volunteers from fourteen different churches throughout the Southeast and Texas and included two medical doctors. The gospel was shared through evangelistic meetings and in schools, churches, orphanages, hospitals, on the streets, and from door to door.
Over 800 pounds of food, clothing, and medical supplies were distributed, along with more than 500 New Testaments in the Russian language, 2,000 gospel bracelets, and hundreds of gospel tracts and Christian literature. The medical doctors provided medical assistance and diagnosed children’s ailments in several orphanages.
“Our team’s efforts are not without sacrifice,” said Bob Thompson who leads Gage’s overseas ministry teams and logged his 25th trip to Russia, “but while ministering love and aid to thousands, we always come away feeling that we receive far more than we give.”
School teacher Laynne Earnest from Tupelo, Mississippi, was one of the trip’s volunteers. She became concerned for the Russian people when she attended a GO TELL Camp last summer with young people from her church and saw a video clip of the previous Russia Mission Trip.
“I was immediately drawn to the faces of the children,” she said. “I really tried to dismiss it as reasonable because I deal with children daily. It was more than that! I could not get the faces of those children out of my mind; their eyes were so hopeless. I began praying immediately; almost trying to talk God out of what I believed He was telling me.
“I obeyed the Lord and went to Russia, and at every turn He confirmed that He had me there for reasons that will shape my life forever. I went expecting to join with my team to be used of God to bless others, and came away blessed beyond measure! The smiles on the faces of the children warmed my heart and to see a glimmer of encouragement sparked in a brother or sister's eye to keep pushing toward the Kingdom in Russia was truly a work of God. I will never forget this experience! To be God's hands and feet in fulfilling the Great Commission has truly been a defining moment in my life.”
Volunteer Crystal Pierce of Tampa, Florida, almost missed her connecting flight when her plane from Tampa was delayed. She said of the trip, “My experience while in Russia was extraordinary. God showed Himself strong at every point. From the Tampa airport being closed so that my flight was late to Atlanta and getting there to find the captain of the plane had held it for me, to seeing an interpreter in Russia ask one of our team to help her find Christ while standing in the snow, my heart was warmed and challenged. Praise swelled in me as we ministered to precious children, telling them and their workers of the love of Christ.
“The Lord opened my eyes to a world that is far bigger than Florida, a world that needs love and hope and Jesus. JOY truly is Jesus, others, and you--last. That is exactly what I found to be true while ministering and serving with the GO TELL team. The trip to Russia was, and always will be, unforgettable. I am already planning to go again next year for another very meaningful and awesome trip.
Dannie and Beckie Dempsey have been going to Russia with the GO TELL Overseas Team for the past six years. Says Dannie, “Each time I go, I feel that it cannot get any better, and each time God shows me more and more of His miraculous working. Each year I find myself opening up to the people of Russia as well as the other team members in ways that I usually would not at home.
“I’ve seen the Lord reach into hundreds of Russian hearts with His love. Going back year after year to share and pray with our Russian brothers and sisters in Christ greatly strengthens and uplifts them. They receive an indescribable blessing just from us showing our love and care for them. I come home each year on fire for God, feeling rejuvenated and longing to keep working for Him and seeing the same moving of the Holy Spirit here in America.”
Teenage volunteer Jessica Wetherington of Centerville, Georgia, commented, “Going to Russia was a very big eye-opener for me as a Christian young woman. Growing up in a Christian home was something I was used to and being around Christians was a lot easier than being around non-Christians.
“Over the summer I made the decision at one of Mr. Rick's camps to go to Russia. At first, I thought it was just a conscious decision, but as I searched deeper, I realized it was God speaking to my heart. My best friend Brittany had gone to Russia two years earlier with Rick Gage and the team. She told me that this trip would change my life forever, and she was absolutely right. Now I know what it really means to be a Christian and to love and give of myself to others, depending on Christ to help me to share my faith as I find my strength in Him.”
Everything that is done through the many outreaches of GO TELL Ministries revolves around the central purpose of evangelizing the world and making disciples. Ministering love and hope overseas is a vital aspect of the ministries.
Since beginning its ministry in Russia in 1992, God has greatly blessed the efforts of the GO TELL Overseas Team as they have seen literally thousands of Russians come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, while also ministering to the physical needs of the people.
“The Spirit of God is moving in Russia, a land greatly in need of hope,” says Rick Gage. “It is amazing year after year to see Russian men, women, and children giving their lives to the Lord. Those who go on an overseas mission trip with us are forever changed as they share their faith and experience the power of God in a foreign land.”
Rick Gage has witnessed countless decisions for Christ through his many evangelistic outreaches in America and abroad. Rick Gage GO TELL Ministries include crusades, summer youth camps, school assemblies, church revivals, and overseas mission trips.
“Everywhere I go people are personally embracing the gospel message,” says Rick. “It is the only hope for the individual, for society, and for the world. Saturating our communities across America and the world with the gospel must be done at all costs. It takes time, money, and involvement to reach lost people, but it will be eternally worth it one day.”
For more information about Rick Gage GO TELL Ministries, please call 1-866-I-GO-TELL; email at info@gotellministries.com or visit his website at www.gotellministries.com.
