BY PASTOR MARK HOPPER
Pastor Mark Hopper
My wife and I were in western Russia recently with a team from our church. We have maintained a partnership with a Russian church for almost 20 years.
Our primary activity on this trip was to teach English to students and young adults. Students in almost every country in the world love to learn and improve their skills in another language. This is true in Russia as well.
Several translators helped us communicate with our Russian hosts and with the students who attended the English camp. We were impressed by the ability of many students to understand and speak English. They were excited to get to practice their speaking skills with us. Many have studied English in school, but very few have had the opportunity to practice speaking with Americans and other English speakers.
Each day was filled with classroom instruction and individual interaction. There was also time for other activities and recreation. Many of the students were connected with our host church. But, others were non-church guests and friends. We enjoyed opportunities to help them with their English skills and to talk about their personal faith in God, too.
I know there are political tensions between our nations, but we found the Russian people we met to be warm and gracious. We were thankful for the opportunity to reconnect with these delightful people.
Pastor Mark Hopper is from the Evangelical Free Church of Diamond Bar, 3255 South Diamond Bar Ave. Sunday services are 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. For more information, call (909) 594-7604 or visit http://www.efreedb.org.
