On the second day, we were driving in a small bus from our hotel to a reception, and drove by a theater with a sign in Russian that read “Kosmos Cinema.” I pointed to it and said to the co-pilot, look, that’s the ‘World Theater.'”
In a flash, our interpreter jumped from her seat in the front of the bus and ran back to me and said, “On your entry forms you all said that you didn’t speak Russian. How can you read that?”
I was startled, but said, “I can read Greek and the letters are a combination of English and Greek letters. I thought that was a reasonable translation of Kosmos Cinema.”
“Why did you learn Greek?” she asked.
“To understand the Bible better,” I replied.
See looked nervously at the other “guide” (guard) and then dropped her voice to a tiny whisper and said, “I have read ‘The Cross and the Switchblade.'”
From then, we tried to steal a moment of conversation here and there in which she talked about being a Christian, despite the persecution that would come if it became known.
What a wonderful and encouraging story. Thanks.
I agree, Ed. A moving testimony. I wonder how long it might be until the prayers of those brave underground Christians are answered and we get “blessed” with our share of persecutiion in the Global North.
David Handy+
[i]”Don’t pray for the persecution to stop! We shouldn’t pray for a lighter load to carry, but a stronger back to endure!”[/i]
Brother Yun