Russia Ministry
sharing truth and love in Russia
History
When we heard that Bibles were being distributed openly in Russian public schools, we decided to bring forty–five ATI students to Russia to help with the distribution of Bibles.
When a district superintendent saw the students, she exclaimed, “I have never seen such outstanding students. I want them to work in my schools.” We returned with three hundred students in the fall, and when the director of the Moscow Department of Education saw them, she stated, “I will do whatever it takes to get our students to be like these ATI students.”
That was the beginning of a growing relationship between the public school officials in Moscow and the ATI program. Soon we began working with Russian orphans and then teaching English and character in public schools. ATI students were invited to Russian homes and were overwhelmed with the generosity of the Russian people. The Moscow government provided a complex of multistory buildings for us so that we could more efficiently serve the youth of the city. We have been blessed to use this facility as our Moscow Training Center.
Each year for eleven years, the Department of Education has bussed about twenty-five hundred retired teachers to the Moscow Training Center to enjoy a special Christmas dinner. We honor them with a banquet, a program presenting the Gospel, and a monetary gift. This Christmastime event is the highlight of their year and ours.
Thousands of ATI students and families have worked with orphans, taught in schools, visited youth prisons, given out Bibles, conducted seminars, and worked with pensioner teachers.