Story number 3 for 28 Jan 2000

The Russians have been trying to wrest Grozny from Chechen militants for a
month, and the fighting has left the area pock-marked and battle-scarred. The
violence has also caused foreign ministry to slow down or evacuate, but as Book of
Hope’s John Young says, that doesn’t mean that the work of the Gospel has stopped.
“Right now, we’re not doing any work in Chechnya because of the war that’s going on
down there. But, we have folks in our national churches that have been involved in
ministries in the southern Russia area-there’s always something going on, and that just
continues to give God opportunity.” Young explains the phenomenon that changes
evangelistic outreach in these times. “When things are smooth and going great is when
people are satisfied, and they don’t feel like they need any spiritual help, but a place
that’s in turmoil is a place where God is and where God wants to reach out and touch
the hurting people. Even though there’s constant turmoil there, it continues to be an
open door.”