Leon Bailey nearly didn’t make it to Russia.
leon bailey
‘I was involved in a bus accident,’ he says. ‘It crashed into some roadworks and I was left in hospital for a week. I had loads of people praying for me, but recovery seemed like a big enough task in itself. Russia seemed unreachable, but my health improved and it seemed that this was something God was calling me to do.’
Leon recovered in time to take part in one of the 30 Transform teams that were sent out from Tearfund this year, each working with local church-linked partner projects – bringing practical and spiritual hope to poor communities. Some, like his, lasted four months, while others were shorter (two, four or six weeks). While the locations varied – from Peru to Malawi, Thailand to Rwanda and beyond – every one of the 500 people who were part of a team found themselves facing poverty, testing their faith and witnessing transformation – much of it within their own lives.
rehab patients from the Salvation Centre
Living 900 miles east of Moscow in the medium-sized Russian town of Asbest – named, he says, after the asbestos mines nearby – Leon worked with drug addicts and alcoholics. With six other team members he served alongside a large local church – Christ’s Love Church – in rehab centres as well as working on streets, in schools and orphanages.
‘I’ve been amazed at how God restores people and wants to heal and transform lives,’ says Leon.
And what about Leon’s own life?
‘It was the spiritual emphasis of Transform that appealed to me, and I’ve found the last four months awe-inspiring. My whole perspective on what’s important in life has changed.’
communing with nature!
While the flight home at the end of it all may only take a handful of hours, it’s clear that this is one journey Leon will continue for years.
Article written by Craig Borlase