Twenty Years in Russia

The photo above is of my rented apartment in Moscow a few years ago. It was like being in a home in rural America in the Forties .Russia was stuck in a time warp with living conditions of Pre-WWII.

The more mature readers will remember when we were kids and held drills that sent us under the desks and into the hallways of school to survive an attack from Russia.  We sat with our hands over our heads and our knees up in our faces expecting any minute to hear an atomic bomb go off and kill everybody. Russia was a dreaded enemy that was dedicate on killing every kid in America.

Thankfully the US and the USSR never hit the nuclear button that resulted in Mutual Arms Destruction (MAD). I think there were enough sane people in both countries that counted the costs of MAD and decided to hold back the craziness.  One of my most anxious times came when two addicts were Presidents of Russia and the USA. One was addicted to sex and the other to vodka but both were emotionally out of control. Thankfully they took their insanity out on more sex and drugs not with war.

When the wall came down in 1989 after Gorbachev saw that a total breakdown was coming and tried to open a window of freedom, I wanted desperately to go to Russia again. I had been there in 1979 just before the Olympics when our ship landed for two days in St. Petersburg, "The jewel of the north" and I wanted to return to take the good news of healing and freedom to the captives of Communism and its habitual terrorism.

One night while a group of us was in Norway in 1986 training Christian leaders, two of the team members had words from the Holy Spirit about our future ministry. One saw a volcano arise from the snow of Norway and spew thousands of trained people out the top to slide down the mountain to do ministry. The words were, "Go to the East!"

Our team was sure that meant the USSR but I was skeptical. I did not think the Communists would allow us to minister in the USSR.

I was right and wrong. Right then the Communists would not have allowed us to enter to minister. But it was not long before they wanted ministries to come and equip volunteers in Soul Care because the needs were so great. For two decades we have been healing addicts, restoring families and overcoming evil spirits. Come and join with us.

If you want to support a ministry that is being strongly used by God to change a nation, send a big donation to Russian Love in care of Sweeten Life Systems, P.O. Box 498455, Cincinnati, Ohio 45249.

If you want to learn the skills and theology to "Heal the broken hearts and set captives free follow the link in my name.  Gary Sweeten 


God has used the ministry to heal many people over the last 20 years. Below is a photo of three Ministers who rejoice in the fact that they have been healed, delivered, set free and equipped to bring God's grace, mercy and love to their fellow church members.