My name is Vera Izotova and I am the director of “Christian Women in Partnership – Russia.” This project was born out of a common vision by the Russian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists, East-West and Entrust. In 1998-1999, a six-year study program was established, and pastors in seven strategic cities across the country recommended 21 students who traveled to a Base Training Center in Moscow. I was among these. Over the course of the studies we ran into academic problems, difficulties in student’s families and health issues—seemingly impossible situations. We also saw God’s guidance and many miracles.

The program is designed on the multiplication principle presented in 2 Timothy 2:2, and includes four levels: basic, regional, local and city training centers. At this time we have started 38 centers where 550 women are studying. This autumn the third level of training will finish. Now the biggest challenge is maintaining the level of care in the fourth-generation groups to preserve the high academic demands for our studies and the level of teaching. One dream is to create a website where all of the materials would be accessible. This will allow us to promote the program more widely and provide a forum for discussions among the participants and facilitators spread across 12 times zones (all of Russia and Belarus). A pilot version will debut in September.

Pastor Abramov, from the Far East, was not supportive of the program at the beginning. He wanted to send just one woman to the Regional Training Center, but then reluctantly sent four. After their graduation, he became committed to helping the program continue. His wife is now involved in a City Training Center, which is in his church’s budget!

So many relatives have come to Christ, been healed from drug addiction and alcoholism, and communities have been transformed through this program. I have a dream that one day in heaven everyone involved with Entrust—leadership, missionaries, students, families, supporters—every person who has been transformed by this ministry will have a celebration. “For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete. (Deut. 16:15)”