About Us
We are a family called to reach the Russian speaking people of the former Soviet Union with the saving Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This journey began with David’s first missions trip behind the iron curtain back in 1988, when he travelled with a church group to Yugoslavia. Anita went with him on another trip later the same year. After several more trips to Yugoslavia and other eastern and western Europe countries over the next few years, God developed their global vision for the Kingdom.When David graduated from Shepherd’s School of Ministry (note: Shepherd’s School of Ministry is the four year pastoral level training institute of their church, Kansas City Baptist Temple), the family believed God would send them somewhere in Eastern Europe as missionaries.
But God had other plans. KCBT had begun a new ministry to Russian speaking immigrants, and they needed pastoral leadership. So David was asked to accept this position and after prayer decided to do so. For the next seven years, as the children grew into teens and young adults, the family ministered to Russian speaking people in Kansas City. In 2000, a missionary came to KCBT and invited the church to participate in an evangelistic campaign in Belarus. While the church formed teams to go for 10-14 days and participate, David, Anita, and their five children committed to go for three months as short term missionaries. While they were in Belarus, they felt the call on their lives – individually and corporately – to come to the former Soviet Union as missionaries. So, in 2004, the oldest daughter, Jennifer, married Matt Leonard and began her new life. A little more than a month later, David, Anita, Sophia, Joshua, Lydia, and Annabelle got on a plane for Belarus, after selling all and leaving all. For approximately the next two years, the family labored together in language school and the ministry of the local church in Belarus – preaching, evangelizing, serving – while learning the language and adapting to the culture. They returned to the States in 2006 in order to enroll Sophia and Joshua in College. The plan was to return to Belarus early in 2007. But God had other plans. The government in Belarus closed their organization, effectively closing the door for them to obtain visas. So after many months of prayer, doubts, anxiety, frustration, despair, and joy, God opened the door to the ministry in Crimea. Now Lydia, Annabelle, Anita, and David are serving in Southern Ukraine until God moves them wherever He chooses!
