Frequently Asked Questions



Question: How much does it cost to go on a mission trip to Russia?
   
Answer: Our mission trips usually cost approximately $2,500-$3,000 for a 10-13 day trip. This cost includes everything except souvenirs. Like Ragu, it's in there!
Question: Am I qualified to go?
   
Answer: If you are a Christian saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are qualified to go? You must also have been saved for at least a year. And there is one other item. Please pray about your decision to go to Russia with us, before committing to the trip, to ensure that God wants you to go. If God wants you to go we want you to go!
Question: When is your next trip?
   
Answer: Please read the information in the Future Mission Trips Section. We always schedule a trip immediately after Christmas. We are usually home by the time school starts in January. We also go all year long so check out the future trips.
Question: Is Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc.associated with any particular denomination?
   
Answer: Yes and no. I am not attempting to be coy, but we are and we are not. The ministry itself is purely an undertaking by Stephanie and Andy Nelms, with guidance from the Holy Spirit. Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc.has no official tie to any denomination. However, Stephanie and I are both Baptists.
Question: Are you (Stephanie and Andy Nelms) compensated financially in any way by Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc.or your local church?
   
Answer: Neither Andy nor Stephanie are compensatd by our church. In the past neither Andy Nelms nor Stephanie Nelms were compensated financially by Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc.but as of January 2008 there exists the possibility that we may be able to do more than one trip per year and we may then start to give a small salary to Andy Nelms for his full time participation in missions.  This will allow Andy to make multiple trips each year. In addition, Stephanie likes to eat nearly as much as Andy so yes Andy may be paid a small salary by Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc.to compensate him for the hundreds of hours he spends each year planning the trips and the many weeks he spends in Russia, rather than running his business.
Question: Does Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc.make any profit from the mission trips?
   
Answer: In the past, the answer was no.  Any extra funds remaining at the end of the trip were given to the pastor with whom we were working to support his ministry.  Now we continue to give funds to the ministry of which ever pastor we are working, but yes Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc.may make a small profit in order to pay Andy a small salary.  As explained above, Andy and Stephanie like to eat.
Question: What monies are given to the ministries in Russia associated with the churches with whom you work?
   
Answer: Stephanie and I have given a substantial portion of our income to support Pastor Volodya and his ministry since 1998. In addition, when we ask friends and family to give money to our ministry, we include that money with ours as part of the support for Pastor Volodya's ministry. And our church, Chestnut Mountain Church, has given money to support the ministry from 2000-2006.  Other churches before that also gave money. We want no glory for this, the glory is all God's. Besides, we would not have had the money in the first place, had God not given it to us.
Question: Who oversee's the ministries in Russia to make sure the funds given are used for the ministries properly?
   
Answer: Stephanie and I obtain reports from the pastors regarding how the funds are used and we return to the churches we have worked with to observe those churches to verify that progress is being made and funds are not being wasted.  Lastly, each pastor to whom we give support is accountable to God directly for the use of those funds.  If he fails to use the funds properly, he will answer to God in a much more powerful way than we could ever exact.
Question: What will I do on a typical mission trip?
   
Answer: You will serve as a leader or helper in a VBS (vacation Bible school). This means you may tell a Bible story to a small group of children or you may help keep the children quiet during the telling of the story. You may act in a skit, or you may lead or help during the arts and crafts time. You may sing a solo or as a group. You may lead or help during the games and activities. In other words, you will be able to do anything you want to do that you would normally find in a VBS. You may also work in medical clinics when we hold them and possibly work in ESL classes where there is no training required.
Question: May I visit with people in their homes, or in a hospital or orphanage?
   
Answer: Yes, we can do all of those things.
Question: What will I see while I am in Russia?
   
Answer: You will see lots and lots of people in desperate need for Jesus Christ. You will work in Moscow and eat in the largest McDonalds in the world. You will work in Red Square and see Lenin's Tomb. On trips to Alexandrov, Russia you will see Ivan the Terrible's castle and meet with Pastor Anatoli Mikhailovich, an old Russian pastor who was a Christian pastor during communist times.  He will tell you what it was like to live as a Christian under communism.
 
Question: Will Four in the Fire Russia Ministries, Inc.advance me any funds to help me meet the deadlines for funds?
Answer: In the past we have ocasionallu done this, but as of January 2007 we will not.  We will not because we have been taken advantage of in the past.  If you miss your funding deadlines we are very sorry, but we cannot help you.  Also please note that we cannot refund any of your funds, because we are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.
 
Question: What happens if I have paid funds to go on the mission trip and I cannot go?
Answer: We cannot give refunds because we are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.  You are strongly encouraged to purchase Trip Health and Cancellation insurance from a reputable insurer.  We list two such insurers on the Steps to Go to Russia page.