Login

Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc. would like to invite you to travel to Russia on a short-term mission trip with Andy and Stephanie Nelms . We are an evangelical missions board leading short term mission trips to Russia. If you are in a hurry and just want to get to the application process click here? Or you may continue reading your personal invitation to go to Russia.

We have organized ten short term mission trips where we stayed for two to four weeks in two small towns about 100 kilometers northeast of Moscow. In the past, we have traveled with groups in size from 4 to 18 people. God truly blessed us in 2006 with a team of 18 Americans and 17 Russian interpreters. We have learned that 8-12 people makes for a wonderful experience and a warm and inviting family atmosphere.

Andy and Stephanie serve as part-time missionaries to Russia. Andy went to Russia for the first time in 1992 with a group of 33 Christians. Since then, he has traveled to Russia on 12 more mission trips. Stephanie has accompanied him on ten of these mission trips.

We do all of the usual things:

We sometimes visit children in orphanages, and individuals in their homes. Sometimes we have people over for tea and, since they are in our home, we preach the gospel to a captive audience. We are returning to Russia soon. You may view our current schedule of trips.

We would be honored to have you minister with us in Russia on a short term mission trip. However, we only want you to go if God wants you to go. So please pray and determine if this is what God wants for you.

We use Russian interpreters, so do not use language as a reason not to go. If you want to know whether God wants you to go on a short term mission trip, then ask yourself this question: “Am I a committed Christian?” If the answer is yes, then remember the Great Commission and obey it. Please read what our Russian friends have said are some of the reasons why you should go to Russia on a short term mission trip.

If you want to go to Russia on a mission trip, but you think you have a a reason for not going then please read our response to the most popular reasons people give for not going.

What will you do when you get there? You may, if you choose do any of the following:

Or you may do just about anything else a Christian can do to win others to Christ. You will be allowed and encouraged to work in any capacity that you and the Lord see fit. You may tell others how you became a Christian. You may tell how, by God's grace, they can become a Christian too. You may work in a VBS with children or visit people in their homes. You will see God bring glory to Himself by saving souls. Do you have a measure of compassion? If so, maybe you would like to visit with elderly people who may live alone. Your ministry to these people would be to speak with them for a little while. They might need water carried into the house in buckets from the street where the hand water pump is located.

The harvest is great, but the workers are few (not original with me). Will you be among those who said yes to the Great Commission? (Sorry for the sermon, but I get very excited and I am very passionate about Russia, because of my God-given burden for the Russian people.)

“Why do a mission trip in December in Russia? ”, you are probably asking. It is cold, snowy, and windy; but it is also the time of year when the young people of Russia can be reached. During the summer months, the kids and the adults work in the fields in the evenings raising small crops for their families. In December, they have nowhere to go and nothing to do. So when we invite them to attend a Bible study with Americans, they are excited and come. It is also much more expensive to travel to Russia in the summer. We typically pay $900 for a winter trip airline ticket and $1,500 (or more ) for a summer trip airline ticket.

Your being in Russia is crucial, since the Russian people want to meet and speak with Americans. The fact that you are an American Christian means that much more. If you travel with us in late December, you will be in Russia for Jesus’ birthday (not December 25th) and we use it as a way to reach the kids. By the way, Christmas in Russia is on January 7^th, so you will be there to celebrate Christmas with the Russian people.

On our trip in December of 1998, there were approximately 35 people who came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord simply because we gave witness to Him. The members of our small group had prayed for God to touch the hearts of the Russian people and prepare them for His message. They had prayed for nine months before we left and they prayed during the trip. God honored those prayers with a harvest of souls bringing glory to Himself. Pray now with us and ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” Your life will be changed, as well as that of the Russians.

If you decide to go with us on a short-term mission trip, you will need to checkout our travel deadlines. Please let us know as soon as you can. The sooner you let us know the better chance we have of obtaining cheap tickets for you. Also if you are even a little interested please download and read our 49 page Mission Trip Survival Guide. Reading this survival guide is a prerequisite for anyone wishing to go on our mission trips. Read this guide before you write to us as it will answer many of your questions. Then contact us and let us know about your interest in going with us.

Vaccinations

No vaccinations are required; however, I would strongly encourage a tetanus booster shot and Hepatitis B vaccine. A flu shot should also be taken if you are traveling during the winter, because it will be the peak of the flu season. We purchase bottled water and soft drinks when we arrive so that we do not have to drink tap water. We boil the water with which we cook.

Cost

The cost of the trip is approximately $3400. If you are interested in traveling with us, read the travel information and the information about the various deadlines .

Sasha is the oldest daughter of Volodya and Nadya. She is eight in this picture and she would like you to come and help her dad. See the expression on her face. She is 15 in the photo above.

We are an evangelical organization taking the Gospel to Russia utilizing short-term mission trips as the vehicle. While we are Baptists, we work with people of many denominations on our short term mission trips. We take with us Americans from many denominations and we work with churches in Russia from many denominations. Our primary concern for the Americans is that they have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Our primary concern for the churches in Russia with whom we serve is that they teach and believe that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone. Salvation is a major and everything else is a minor. So let's major on the majors and minor on the minors as a former pastor of mine used to say. In other words, if we can agree on salvation we can disagree about a lot of other things and still serve together. You may see our Statement of Faith .

To that end, if you wish to travel with us on a short term evangelical mission trip, you will be asked a few questions that will help us to understand that you have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Why do we do that? Well can you imagine us being in Russia and we have with us someone who is attempting to explain how to have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, when they themselves are lost?

You do not have to be Baptist to go with us, you just have to KNOW that you are saved and on your way to heaven and you must be able to communicate that to us.

If you are still interested in going to Russia with us on a short term Russia mission trip, then you may apply to go to Russia with us.

Thank you for considering our small work for Christ as an outlet for your expression of God’s love for you. May God richly bless and reward your family as we move forward in prayer about this opportunity for your family to participate in evangelism for Jesus.

Your brother and sister in Jesus Christ,

Andy and Stephanie Nelms