Welcome to Kenmare

Feature Stories (Vol. 110 No. 13--3/26/2008)

Christian missionary makes Russia his home

By Caroline Downs

Jon Zwingel, KHS Class of 1989, has been remembered for 19 years as a tough, barrel-chested member of the 1988 Honkers football team that played for the state championship.

His visit to Kenmare last weekend revealed his passion and calling as a missionary in Russia.

"It’s one thing to help people with their humanitarian needs," Zwingel said during a fellowship dinner held Sunday at Faith Baptist Church in Kenmare, where he spoke during worship services. "It’s another thing to help people with their spiritual state. It’s a calling only God can do on somebody."

Zwingel’s road to mission work actually began when he was 23 years old. The son of Betty Zwingel and the late Paul Rudolph, a pastor himself, Zwingel didn’t deny himself a good time with friends. He earned a degree from Bismarck State College and started a job as a lineman in 1993, working for companies in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Vermont.

After his first job in Oklahoma, he moved back to Kenmare for a while to care for his mother during an illness, and made the decision then to dedicate his life to God. He continued his regular work, but in 2001 he surrendered to a call to the missionary field and made a trip to Belarus, a nation of the former Soviet Union.

"In the former Soviet Union, people rejected Jesus Christ," Zwingel said, adding that Christian churches were allowed again after the Communist government dissolved in 1991. "The door opened to minister without any hindrance from the government."

Zwingel returned to the United States and quit his job to become a full-time missionary. "I knew this is what the Lord wanted," he said. "When you know, you know. I stepped out in faith, and we have lacked for absolutely nothing."

He made a second trip to the area in 2002, visiting St. Petersburg, Russia, known as Leningrad under Communist rule. At that time, he met his future wife, Larysa, who was a native of Belarus and a born-again Christian conducting Bible studies, participating in orphan ministries and working as a missions translator. The two married in 2004.

When Zwingel accepted his call to missions work, he enrolled as a student at Slidell Baptist Seminary of Slidell, Louisiana, and completed correspondence courses that led to a bachelor’s and then master’s degree in theology. He maintains his studies there, currently working toward a doctorate of theology.

He also started his deputation as a missionary. "It’s a process where a missionary raises financial support," he said. "I present the mission field to the church and tell them this is what God has placed upon our hearts. (Deputation) is God using God’s people to carry God’s message."

The Zwingels officially began their missionary effort in Russia on December 1, 2007, when they arrived back in St. Petersburg, the country’s second largest metropolitan area at 6 million residents, to start a church. "Our main focus is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ so people can be born again," said Zwingel. "You have to understand, St. Petersburg is a very large city and most of the people there were under Communist rule all their lives. They were atheistic and the government hated Jesus Christ. People were oppressed by this regime, so sometimes it’s hard for Russians to understand (the Gospel). They’ve never heard such a message before."

Since beginning their work in December, the Zwingels are holding weekly services in a third-floor flat renovated as a Chinese Baptist Church in the very heart of St. Petersburg. "They’re allowing us to meet there," Zwingel said. "We would like to purchase an apartment or a couple of rooms and use that as a church meeting place, but St. Petersburg is the 12th most expensive city in the world to live in." He noted a cost of $1 million for a small apartment or set of rooms would not be unusual.

After a couple of months, the church has nine faithful attendees, including one of the best translators in the city, according to Zwingel. "We’re just getting functioning as a church," he said. "Some of our members are new converts; some are the seed from previous missionaries."

Although Zwingel is taking language lessons from a Christian Russian woman, he currently preaches in English, with his translator converting words and phrases for the congregation. "My desire is to learn the language and speak it fluently enough to carry on a conversation with somebody," Zwingel said.

The new church is not affiliated with any particular mainstream denomination. "We’re starting a New Testament church," Zwingel explained. "Our desire is to do everything as biblically as we can. The Bible is the blueprint, with all the Bible doctrines and matters of church governance taken from Scripture."

He compared the new church to early Christian churches described in the New Testament book of Acts. "It’s Holy Spirit-led, and I couldn’t be happier!" he said.

Orphanage ministry
With their arrival so close to the Christmas season, the Zwingels also participated in orphanage ministry during the holidays, which last through January 7th in Russian culture. "We went to nine orphanages in St. Petersburg, and had extra money to buy gifts for the children," said Zwingel, adding that Larysa’s sister-in-law Inessa and her friend Olga, both born-again Christians, made the visits possible through contacts made prior to the Zwingels’ arrival.

Zwingel described the gifts as relatively ordinary objects. "We’d give them highlighter markers, small trinket toys, little bottle of shampoo, little notebooks, packs of pencils," he said. "Things we take for granted and use on a daily basis."

The response of one boy, probably nine years old, resonated with Zwingel. "He came to us and said, ‘This is the greatest gift I’ve ever got in my life. I’ll never forget this day.’" Zwingel paused and shook his head before continuing, "And it was highlighter markers!"

He considered the time spent in the orphanages as a blessing. "Our sole purpose was to tell the story, why Jesus was born. He was born to save sinners," Zwingel said. "We got to reach probably about a thousand children and adults during this process. It’s a great ministry. Hardly anyone else there is reaching out to these children."

Repression of Christians
has disappeared in Russia
According to Zwingel, the former repressive attitudes toward Christianity during Communist rule have essentially disappeared. Publishing houses produce Bibles and other Christian materials, with one especially large operation in Moscow, and Christian bookstores are prolific. "As for the spread of the Gospel, there’s no hindrance at all," said Zwingel. In fact, one future direction for their ministry may be into publishing.

At this time, the Zwingels intend to make St. Petersburg their permanent home. "It’s our life’s work, unless the Lord would call us elsewhere," Zwingel said. "This is a grand opportunity for my wife and I, but it’s only the Lord’s will."

Anyone interested in staying updated on the church’s progress and the Zwingels’ lives in Russia can email Zwingel at slavicmissions@aol.com and ask to be included on a newsletter mailing list. The Zwingels receive mail at Jon and Larysa Zwingel, Kozlova 25/1 Apt. 8, St. Petersburg 198206, Russia.

Further information about their ministry can be found at their website www.slavicmissions.com.

Zwingel’s brief visit to Kenmare was marked by plenty of hugs and stories from school friends. While he grinned at the anecdotes they shared, he also made sure to tell the message of his new life. "My desire is for the (people) in Kenmare to examine themselves in the light of God’s law, which He gave to us in the 10 Commandments," he said. "Ask themselves, have they kept those commandments? We have all broken them, and the only way to have forgiveness is through the savior Jesus Christ. People here need the very same message that the Russians need, that Jesus saves."