Oma's kitchen

One evening this week we invited the congregation to hear Ivan's (not real name, man on left) story.  When we first arrived his family donated their recently deceased grandma's entire kitchen- cupboards, counters, stove, sink, washing machine.  Through a Mennonite contact at the social services it came to us.  Ivan brought it and Jack and a student at Friedenshaus, Bilal, installed it.
Ivan told us this amazing story of his grandma and we wanted the congregation to hear it and you too.

We can't serve you yummy German cookies, fruit and munchies.  You'll have to get your own cup of tea to go along with this story.

Ivan's family is from Kazakhstan.  Both his great-grandparents' families were German immigrants to Russia.  One was Mennonite, the other was Catholic.  His grandma (Oma) married a man, who was the only person in his family to become a devout Communist.  In fact, he was the director of a large Kolchoz, a collective farm.  He forbade any Christian symbols or literature in his home, so Oma grew up as a communist.

At 47 she was working summers in Sibera to be closer to her daughter who, because she had completed her teacher training, was randomly sent to Karaganda.  Oma actually did the housekeeping on a ship that her son-in-law captained.  While in the city she discovered one day that women's shoes were for sale - quite a rare occasion in the USSR.  In those days people waited all day in long lines.  Often they didn't even know what they were queuing up for.  Everything was so scarce.  When she finally got to the salesperson, she discovered the only pair of shoes left was a 42 (size 10), four sizes too big!  She quickly decided to buy them anyway, thinking she could always re-sell them back in Kazakhstan.

No one in her circle of family or friends had that shoe size.  So they sat in her closet.  One day she was at a bus stop back in Kazakhstan, when she saw a woman with large feet.  She asked her what her shoe size was.  Sure enough, size 42!  The woman immediately agreed to come to her house the next day and buy the shoes.  She not only brought the necessary money, but also a Bible.  She read a bit to her and invited her to come to church the next Sunday.

On Sunday she picked Oma up.  When Oma heard the sermon she got very angry.  She couldn't believe that this woman had told the pastor all about her, her life, her struggles.  How could he possibly know all this pertinent info?  The woman was puzzled and assured her that she hadn't told the pastor anything. 

The next Sunday she didn't hear anything of the sermon, but was entranced by the verse on the wall, John 3:16.  Again, she felt personally addressed.  The next week she spoke with the pastor and he assured her that God was speaking to her.  She decided to believe and become a Christian.  At that time in Russia, Baptists and Mennonites and other protestants all worshiped together, and tried to stay under the communist radar.

She had to wait over two summers to be baptized because she could only be immersed in the summer and she'd always be gone in Siberia.  As it was, the river wasn't frozen yet one September and she was baptized.

There is so much else, many historical details, and other amazing ways in which God reached into this family, but a blog isn't the place.  I just wanted to share this story, which Ivan told from his heart.