Experiencing God’s Heart and God’s Healing
An Interview With OMS Missionary Jim Hogrefe
How did you receive your calling to be a missionary?
I was 52 years old, sitting at our church missions conference in January 1996. Then First Lady of OMS, Betty Crouse, was sharing that OMS needed 10,000 people to go to the former Soviet Union for a year. This was OMS’ fourth year seeking missionaries for this area, and they only had 1,400 people. I thought, “That’s terrible; people should go.” A voice answered me inside my head and said, “You could go.” I responded, “It’s gonna be four years before I’m eligible for early retirement and four years before I finish seminary.” The voice said, “I didn’t send you to seminary for a degree; I sent you there to prepare you for this.” Mine was a pretty clear call, kind of like Moses and the burning bush. I made my excuses, but God wanted me to go. So, I went.
What kind of obstacles did you encounter while fulfilling your calling on the mission field?
The first one was I had no idea what I was doing going to Russia. I told God that I would go, but he would have to do everything. I didn’t know where I’d get the money; I didn’t know what I’d do with my house, car, job, and family. I leaned heavily on God, and he came through. One time, no donations had come for in for a whole month. I started getting anxious, but I thought, “No, this is a test. I am not going to beg people or call them.” The next day, $3,700 came in. I said, “Okay, God, I trust you.” When I got to Russia and was left alone in a worn-out flat, I thought, “What have I done? I’m here for a year, and I don’t speak the language.” But I knew God had called me. I asked that he would give me his love for the Russian people and make Russia my home so I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, and he instantly did. I was so excited to be there. Going through that was a good thing because when people would ask, “Jim, why did you come to this crummy country?” I responded, “Because I love you,” which led to some interesting conversations.
There was one interesting situation. I was on a train. There were a bunch of drunk soldiers there. I entered my compartment, which was packed with four people. One was a very drunk KGB major. I introduced myself; he pulled me to his face and said, “I hate Americans.” My heart started pumping, and I prayed, “Help me, Jesus.” I smiled at him and said, “I understand …” I didn’t know much Russian, but I knew how to say that. “… but I love Russia and the Russian people.” He just blinked, all the steam went out of him, and he slid back. Later, he apologized to me and offered to help. I thought, “Wow, a gentle answer turns away wrath.”
Have you ever seen any miracles of God?
Lots. In India, we were on a mountaintop where a tribal people had come to the Lord. The tribal elder’s wife had been serving us cookies and tea in this dark room with one little candle. It was a rainy, cold day, unusual for India. The woman’s right foot was crippled; she walked on the tops of her toes on the stones and in the mud. And at the end of the night, we prayed for her. Compassion for her overwhelmed me. I knelt down and started weeping over her feet. I laid my hands on her foot and prayed for the Lord to heal her because she had such a servant’s heart. She ended up walking with us in the mud to another village and back. I asked our leader, “Why is she doing this when she has a crippled foot?” He asked her, and she said that Jesus had healed her foot. I looked at it and didn’t think it looked healed. But later, I asked people what had happened to her foot, and they said that it was healed and normal. They took pictures of it and showed them to me. That was a miracle God did.
Do you have any advice for new missionaries or missionaries currently on the field?
There’s definitely a preparation aspect. I didn’t become a Christian until I was 39. I was 52 when I was called to the mission field, so that was 13 years. But that’s common. I mean, look at Joseph: 13 years passed between when he was sold into slavery and when he became prime minister of Egypt. There are other cases; I think Paul was one. It took him 13 years before his first missionary journey. I think you have to intentionally seek what the Lord’s will for you is. You can’t just sit in a pew; you can’t continue with what’s easy. You have to always be asking, “Where do you want me to be going? What do you need me to give up that’s holding me back?” The first verse I saw when I became a believer was there when I walked into church. It was from Revelation 3, which says, “I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15b-16 NKJV). And I thought, “Wow, God’s serious about this.” So, I thought I’d be serious too. Christians today can’t just go to a Christian college and can’t just attend church and maybe tithe. We must really seek that great adventure that God has for each of us. It’s different for everyone. Expect great things from God … because he’ll do them!