From Russia with Blogs | support

Who cares for those who care?

I am old enough to have experienced the end of the Soviet era in Russia. When I was in school, I was a young pioneer. I was taught then that the well being of society comes before my personal desires and needs. There was a saying that went something like this: “The Party claims ‘It is needed,’ and everyone simply says ‘Yes, sir!’” But soon after the Soviet Union collapsed, those communal values were no longer common. Everyone started to live by their own principles.

The new values that dominated claimed the following: “Everyone for himself/herself” and “After my needs are satisfied, you could flood the world if you wanted, and I would not care.” But I remember that even then, I could not pursue only selfish goals. It was not difficult for me to give to others. But to ask for something was inappropriate and shameful. Asking was always out of place, or so I thought. And, of course, there would always be someone who needed help more than I did.

When I came to church, became a soldier and then an officer, I realized that the value of caring for others was not instilled by the “red” pioneers, but by Jesus Christ Himself. It was not hard for me to grasp and to accept that reality. I joined The Salvation Army because I saw that they help those who are truly miserable.

When I became an officer, I continued to serve, to clothe, to feed and to befriend those who had no friends. But often a question would appear in mind: “Who would care for me?” Or, to put it in military terms: “Who’s got my back when I need it?”

Who can I count on? Unfortunately, I cannot name many people. The people I know are not bad Christians, not at all. They are wonderful, dear people, but they cannot help because they are dealing with a host of problems and are in need of help themselves.  And it so happens that, not knowing what to do, people begin to ignore the reality of problems.

Thus in The Salvation Army we often speak of leadership, but we do not mention how to deal with the problems that leaders encounter. We discuss how to lead our people, but not many officers I know are followers themselves.

So the question of “who would care for me?” continues to linger. God? Sure. He is always by my side. He knows my needs and my fears. But I still long for the support and care that could come from colleagues. I want the senior officers who oversee my work to be genuinely interested in me as a person, and not only in the reports and documentation that I send to head quarters. I do not want to feel this cool wind of worry and concern.  I don’t want to keep  asking the same questions: “Who’s got my back? And how reliable is this support?”

Writer: Captain Vadim Khurin was born into a family of circus artists. He joined The Salvation Army in 1995 and is now an officer serving in St. Petersburg, Russia. He loves music, sports, reading and learning. He has a beautiful wife - Inna - and three children. He likes to ask hard questions and find different ways of helping people get back their wholeness and integrity.

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