About Stephanie and Andy Nelms  

Andy and Stephanie Nelms founded Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc. in 2007, although the ministry that started as Four in the Fire Ministries began in 1995, when Andy and Stephanie led their first mission trip to Russia. The purpose of the organization is to lead short term mission trips to Russia. They organize one or more VBSs each year for the Russian children as well as host Bible studies and English as a Second Language classes.  

Stephanie is a software developer working with NCR in Duluth, Georgia. Andy was a software developer for 24 years, and is currently in school retooling so to speak. He is acquiring new skills and sharpening old skills to learn to be a Web Designer. He also serves in full time ministry here at Four in the Fire Russia Ministries.  

Andy Nelms said, " We both feel that God called us in 1995 to do part time ministry work in Russia. We have worked many years with Pastor Volodya Kochelev in Alexandrov to help them with their ministry, but now we will be working with many churches." They met the Kochelevs in December of 1995 on Andy's second mission trip to Russia. That was Stephanie's first trip and their first trip together.  

At the time, the Kochelevs lived in Kolchugino, a small town about 100 miles northeast of Moscow. In December of 1998, the Nelms' traveled to the city of Alexandrov, a city of about 100,000, and helped the Kochelevs plant a new church. 

In December of 1999 and December of 2000, they returned to Russia with friends and continued the work of disciplining the new Christians and evangelizing others at the church. Then they returned again in July of 2002 with 15 Americans, the largest group to that date.

 

About 80 children attended a vacation Bible school and about 16 adults attended a nightly Bible study. Approximately half of the children who attended the VBS professed faith in Jesus Christ for the first time that week. The Nelms' said "With children you can't be sure if they completely understood, but some of them believed and that made the trip worthwhile." 

Pastor Volodya Kochelev and his wife Nadya Kocheleva are pictured to the right. This was one of their more serious moments. We were touring Red Square at the time.  

They returned again in December of 2004, 2005 and 2006.  "On each trip we see further spiritual growth among those who have been worshipping and working in the church in Karabanovo since 1998", said Andy.  He gives praise to God for the growth of the church in Karabanovo and for growth in his and Stephanie's ministry.    

Then in January of 2007, while on a mission trip that had been filled with problems and challenges Andy was feeling down and thought that maybe God no longer wanted him in Russia. But rather than telling this in the third person, here is what he said happened. 

"This story starts in April of 2006 when Skip Cain told me that he thought we should do more trips each year, rather than just the one trip and that we should go to different countries." 

"I thought about it and researched it and after a while stopped thinking about it, because it just didn't seem that God wanted me to go to other countries. And then in November the idea resurfaced, but this time it was about going to Russia multiple times per year. " 

"That is when I ran across Al McCroskey's ministry web site, Bibles for Russia.  I wrote to him and he was very gracious and said that he was looking forward to hearing a report of our trip.  Well he has planted over 900 churches in Russia and led 69 mission trips to Russia, why would he ever want to hear from me?  Mostly because like me he loves the Russian people and loves hearing about what God is doing in Russia."

"Of course these were the positive moments, the lull before the storm if you will. Soon would come the storm."

"On December 23rd, 4 days before we were to arrive in Alexandrov, Russia with 18 Americans and 17 Russian interpreters I was told we have no housing. My thoughts were all over the place.  I am thinking I must cancel the trip, law suits, God has left me...and then I began to pray and an idea came to me from God." 

"I called Luba an interpreter in Vladimir, Russia and asked her to arrange an entire mission trip to her town and to do it in 48 hours and oh by the way we will arrive in 4 days.  Well that is impossible she said, to which I said not with God." 

"Luba, with God's help arranged for our mission trip team to go to Vladimir.  She had a church with whom we could work and transportation, housing and all the other myriad details worked out when on Sunday we were told that we had housing in Alexandrov, the original destination for the team." 

So we proceeded to Alexandrov, Russia on December 27th, but the problems persisted. Then one night when I was very down and thinking that because of all of the pre-trip problems and some problems on the trip that maybe God was finished with me in Russia. For me this was a huge thing, because all I have done for 14 years is think about the Russian people and bring groups over and teach about Jesus in Russia. So if God was through with me, what could that mean? Had I failed in some way, was I no longer useful to Him. These were real thoughts running through my mind." 

"Then one evening, while I was in this black pit of thought, at about 2:30am I was praying to God and I told Him, 'God I have a vision for what I think you wanted me to do and it involves multiple trips to Russia per year and in many locations in Russia, but God I feel like you have left my ministry and that you no longer want me here. Lord, I am thick headed and I need proof that you want me here or I am never coming back to Russia, because if you don't want me here, then I don't want to be here because I cannot succeed without you.'"

"I continued with my prayer, 'So God, I need Luba in here to talk about the plans and to answer some of my questions. If you ever want me to come to Russia again then I need for you to wake her up and bring her in here so that we can talk.' I waited a minute or two and then I said, 'God, Stephanie (my wife) is closer to me, so get her up and bring her in here and I will know you want me in Russia.' I waited a few seconds and beginning to have doubts I said, 'God, ok just get someone in here and right now or I will know you no longer want me in Russia.'"

"A couple of minutes went by and I started to hear some rustling in the bedroom. I assumed it was Stephanie and sure enough,in another few seconds, she came into the kitchen where I was praying and she was my answer to prayer. I told her, 'It's ok you can go back to sleep, my prayer has been answered.'"

"So what happened to me in Russia? God told me in no uncertain terms that He was not through with me and that I most certainly was to come to Russia and my plans to come more often were to be blessed by Him."

"Thank you Jesus for answering the prayers of a country boy from Macon, Georgia, who never dreamed he would ever travel to Russia even once and certainly never dreamed he would have a ministry there and that God could use Him to bring the Gospel to the Russian people." 

"Now our ministry will be to lead teams to Russia as often as possible.  Will you join us?"

When not in Russia, which is most of the time, Andy and Stephanie attend Chestnut Mountain Church. Both have hosted and facilitated a small group fellowship/Bible study on Sunday evenings. Andy also leads a Sunday School class on Sunday mornings and a Wednesday evening Bible study. Andy has a real estate business which can be found at either of these two links www.theNelmsTeam.com or www.myFirstCastle.com.  

If you are interested in a short term mission trip to Russia, you may read about the trip in the letter of invitation or in the Summer Travel Fact Sheet, Winter Travel Fact Sheet , or in the itinerary.  

Sorry for such a long article. 

Andy and Stephanie Nelms