April, 2003, Belarus
“And we know that all things work together for good, to them who love God, who are the called according to His purpose.“ - Romans 8:28
We were headed to Belarus, a country we knew little about. We had been asked to assist an American missionary family that was serving there and after praying, we decided we should go. The year was 2003. After the problems we had getting into Ukraine and Russia in 2000, we asked Bob, the missionary we were partnering with, to do all he could to get the proper permission for us to come and work at the orphanage where he had a ministry to the orphans. He and his wife and children were also planting a church in this quasi Communist country.
We had anticipated trouble getting into the country but things went pretty smoothly overall. The one problem that surfaced was not a small one, though. Bob had gotten the proper permission for us to enter Belarus and that included permission for us to practice dentistry on the children at the orphanage as well as the teachers and staff. He wasn’t aware that he was also supposed to get separate permission for our equipment to enter the country. The official at the airport allowed us to take the equipment with us but warned that we should get the needed permission for it. We arrived on a Saturday and we were to begin work on Monday morning. Bob explained that he was in a “Catch 22” type situation. If he tried to get the permission required, he would be in trouble for not getting it sooner but if we were caught working with the equipment without permission, he could be in even more trouble. He decided to chance it. He had been anxious for us to come and help the orphans with their teeth but another goal he had was to win favor with the staff and teachers at the orphanage. As a result of Bob’s ministry with the orphans, a number of them had turned to Christ. As soon as they became Christians though the teachers persecuted them. Bob was hoping that by bringing us to help that he might change the opinion of the teachers toward Christians and soften their hearts toward the children who were now saved. So we reluctantly agreed to go along with a less than perfect situation.
We enjoyed the church service on Sunday. The believers were warm and friendly and it was a pleasure to worship with them. They met in an old movie theatre and there were listening devices underneath the seats. Bob joked that he enjoyed preaching there because then the Communists could hear how to be saved. After church Bob and his family showed us around the capital city of Minsk. The houses were quaint with small gardens beside them. There were a few Western restaurants downtown but mostly it felt like we were in the 1940s.
On Monday morning, the director of the orphanage, Vladimir, picked us up for our first day of work. He was a pleasant man and could speak English. We learned that he was one of many orphanage directors in the country. Bob told us later that Vladimir was unique because he truly cared about the children in his charge and he was pleased that they were going to get some help with their teeth. Many of the children had been abandoned by their parents, some because they had birth defects. These were the result of exposure to the fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident that had taken place just over the border in Ukraine. Few, if any, of these children were ever adopted.
These and other children would be our dental patients. Bob was disappointed that only children were scheduled for treatment. We decided to try to help as many children as we could, in the best that we could, even if the objective of changing the hearts of the teachers wasn’t met. So we treated a lot of children that first week that we were there. The teachers and staff were shocked to see them leaving our little dental treatment room with smiles. As in Ukraine and Russia, the dentists in Belarus didn’t use anesthesia for any procedure unless the patient purchased it himself and brought it to his appointment for the dentist to use. Anesthesia was expensive and hard to obtain so few people did that. We were using anesthesia on all the children so no one was experiencing any pain. They had come expecting torture but were thrilled to leave with their teeth fixed and not feeling anything. Day after day the teachers watched this go on. When the second week started, the teachers announced that no more children would be coming for care, only teachers and staff personnel. We were sad about this as we had treated most of the kids but not all. But the decision had been made and that was that. We were hoping that perhaps we could finish all the teachers and staff and squeeze in more kids at the end.
We began treating the teachers and they were so happy that they were having pain free treatment. One staff woman came back almost every day to have more and more white fillings done. It was a little frustrating because it wasn’t working well with our thoughts of treating more children. This woman was almost eighty years old but maybe she had always wanted to have beautiful teeth.
In the middle of the second week of our ministry, something wonderful happened. The Home Economics teacher came for care and Bob invited her, as he had the other teachers, to attend a ladies meeting that evening at the church. She accepted! Jennifer shared her testimony of salvation at the meeting. The teacher heard of God’s promise of eternal life for those who would believe in His Son’s sacrificial death for their sins. She wanted to know when the next meeting would be held! It seemed as though God was changing at least one teacher’s heart!
During that week, Vladimir accepted a shipment of much needed clothing for the children from Germany. The shipment had come unexpectedly and Vladimir had nowhere to put all the clothes that had been donated. Also the paperwork was incomplete but it was either accept the clothing or refuse it. This is where Vladimir’s heart for the children got him in trouble. The kids really needed the clothes so he accepted the clothing and had to store them in the basement of the orphanage. This was against regulations but he thought it would be a temporary solution until he could find a better place. Unfortunately, a fire broke out in the orphanage that night and in the morning there was a multitude of stern faced, uniformed officers investigating the fire. Of course the clothing was discovered in the basement and the incomplete paperwork was discovered as well. Things were not looking good for the director.
As we came for clinic that next morning, we found one of the very serious looking officials standing outside the door of our dental treatment room. Bob’s heart sank as he thought of the unregistered equipment and all the questions the officials were asking at the orphanage about everything that went on there. The official didn’t say anything but neither did he leave. He just watched all morning as we treated the staff and teachers. It was nerve wracking for all of us. Finally, Jack persuaded Bob to go and talk with him. We were going to have to face it if we were in trouble. The pressure of him watching us was making it hard to work. Bob asked if there was a problem and the official said that he had a tooth ache and was wondering if we could treat him. We were so relieved that we almost laughed out loud that it was a dental problem.
But things were not so funny for Vladimir. The fire had revealed his two infractions of the regulations about clothing shipments. It would cost him his job. Poor Vladimir, the kind director, who truly cared about the orphans, would be reassigned to another orphanage far away. Vladimir was the one who helped Bob stay in the country as a missionary. Now Bob would be unable to renew his visa without Vladimir’s help. Without the visa renewal, it was also the end of Bob’s ministry in Belarus.
On our last day at the orphanage, the children put on a program to thank us for treating them. In spite of all the trouble he was in, Vladimir, had arranged this thank you program for us and had a bouquet of red roses and some gifts for us. It was such a kind thing that was done for us and we felt sad that everything was changing for Vladimir, who loved and wanted the best for the kids. We felt sad for Bob too, who now would not be able to help the children or reach out to the teachers, including the one who was so interested, nor continue with his church that had been started. But we had to ask ourselves “Was God not in control of these circumstances that had led to these men being displaced from the church and the orphanage”? He certainly was. Does not the Judge of all the earth do right? He certainly does. Could it be that He planned it all? He certainly did.
Bob and his family went on to church plant in Poland, one of the most spiritually needy places in all of Eastern Europe. Vladimir is now at another orphanage filled with children who desperately need a kindhearted director who really cares about them. We can look back at that ministry and be thankful that we could painlessly help so many of the children and the adults with their teeth and maybe help to change the hearts of the some of the teachers toward the children who were Christians. Even though we didn’t understand all that happened we can rest in the truth of Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”.