Operation Bear Hug

My youngest daughter, Kristin, and I traveled to Magadan, Russia, in the summer of 1992 to be part of Operation Bear Hug. In Russia, we were to hand out copies of The Desire of Ages, along with invitations to a health fair and evangelistic meetings at a recently built church. Interpreters would go door to door with us in apartment buildings and seaside homes, although I had studied beforehand a sheet of conversational Russian words. So I felt confident. Many of the people I met were so appreciative of the books. They’d gaze, tears streaming down their faces, at the picture of Christ on the cover. They’d hug the book and invite us in. Down by the seaside with my young interpreter, I felt quite confident (overly so) about going to the doors alone, so my interpreter and I split up to cover more territory. As I came out of one home, a man with a heavy scent of alcohol came toward me. He angrily shouted words I’d not heard and which certainly were not on my vocabulary sheet. I sent up silent prayers because of his threatening gestures. About that time, my interpreter appeared. When she saw and heard the man, she explained his anger. Many people had been told by local religious authorities that we were doing evil work and our books should be burned. At that moment, I believe the Holy Spirit calmly spoke through me. To the man, I said, “God has given each of us beautiful minds to think and discover truth. We should never take what someone else says as truth without studying it for ourselves.” The man completely calmed down, apologized, and asked for a book. As we visited another home, the man of the house excused himself because someone was banging on his gate. He returned and said someone wanted to see me. It was the previously angry man! He was so excited —but now in a wonderful way. He had stopped an ambulance driver and had told him all about his new book.

The driver now wanted one also! God is always present, unseen, watching over us, ready to help when we recognize our need. His Holy Spirit wants to use us. When we are willing, the Spirit will take over our thoughts and words.

I will never forget the sense of calm that came over me when I should have been terrified and how the words given me calmed an evil spirit that had taken over that man. “For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:12, NKJV).

Susan Anderson