wo years ago Bob and Sharon Simonson left everything comfortable, packed up their three children (aged 2, 4 and 8 at the time) and moved to one of the former Soviet Union countries. Though the journey has been difficult at times, they believe they are exactly where God wants them.

This article will not disclose the specific location of the Simonson family (nor their real names). The country does not welcome missionaries in the traditional sense. Just in the past few months, authorities have detained and questioned Christians, raided churches and outlawed small group meetings. Those who share their faith openly and overtly in this country do so at their own risk.

Beginning the journey

Bob and Sharon met in 1994 at a Bible college. They each knew early that God had a call on their lives for missions. Sharon remembers the early stages of their friendship, “We were like sandpaper to each other at first. We worked well together but there was a part of my personality Bob was not comfortable with.” Sharon admits she had a crass sense of humor that challenged Bob’s more conservative manner.

Bob agrees, “She was not my type,” he told a mutual friend. But God continued to put the two together: first at college, then working together as interns at a church, then teaching at a Christian school together. As interns they also worked as counselors at a Christian summer camp. One day at camp, Bob noticed Sharon ministering to some teenage girls. He watched from a distance and says he finally woke up and thought, “That’s the kind of woman I want to marry.”

After that Bob picked wildflowers for Sharon, made her tea and publically demonstrated his affection for her. On Christmas morning in 1995, Bob proposed and the couple married in June 1996.

Bob was raised in a Christian home, went to church regularly and attended AWANA as a child. Though his parents were not ideal Christian role models, Bob knew at an early age that Jesus was his Savior.

Sharon received Christ via a middle school youth ministry. Her parents were indifferent towards her “religious stuff,” so Sharon went to church and youth groups on her own initiative.

With their backgrounds and strong faith, the couple always had in mind that they would get married and go immediately to the mission field. A wise pastor advised them to wait until they had been married for a while so they could solidify their relationship. They agreed and settled into local church ministry.

Bumps in the road

In 1998, their first son was born and in 2002, their daughter. By then Sharon was getting impatient to fulfill their missionary plans. Bob was a little less enthusiastic about leaving. “I didn’t want him to go because of me. I wanted God to nudge him along. I decided to wait patiently and pray for God to move in Bob’s heart,” Sharon says.

First God gave Bob a stirring and discontentment. Soon after he heard two messages surrounding the Gospel passages of Jesus walking on water. Bob felt this was God telling him it was time to get out of the boat into missions. The Simonsons had no idea of the battle that was just beginning.

The first mission agency they applied to rejected them almost immediately. Bob was taking antidepressant medication and the agency had a strict policy against commissioning anyone on psychiatric medications. Though crushed by the news, the couple never doubted God’s will for them to go overseas into ministry.

It would be several months before they found an agency who accepted them. The decision to go to a nation where they wouldn’t be “traditional” missionaries came in 2003, after a 10-day trip to the limited-access country. While there, a pastor shared his testimony and talked about the walking on water passage. That was all the confirmation Bob and Sharon needed to know they were in the will of God.

They returned home and began raising support, attending missionary training and learning the Russian language. They also had their third child. The training uncovered some unresolved issues in the marriage. They added marriage counseling to their schedule and postponed leaving until the issues were resolved. Bob experienced a high level of anxiety from the language courses, so high that his doctor switched his medication. That made things even worse. Bob struggled daily with depression and even contemplated suicide.

A new psychiatrist revealed Bob actually had bipolar disorder and Bob spent a couple of weeks in an outpatient mental health facility. Eventually they found the right combination of medications, and the marriage counseling strengthened the couple.

Support along the path

Sharon thanks God that during that time she had a strong support system in place, “One good friend and a ‘real’ church family were a gift from God. We were completely humbled during that time, but I still knew God wanted us to go through all of this. After all we’d been through; there was no turning back on our journey to the mission field. It would have felt like death to give up.”

She continues, “From an early age, God has given me the ability to believe in him against common sense. My faith in God as being true, real and loving was never shaken. Yes, I did, and still do, get angry and frustrated, but the reality of who God is doesn’t shift.”

In 2007, the family left for their assignment. During the two years since, they’ve adjusted to a more basic lifestyle. Simple things like a clothes dryer, central heat during difficult winters and stocked grocery stores are luxuries now for the Simonson family. Ironically, the biggest adjustment for Sharon has been being rich in the eyes of their new neighbors. She says, “I have a laptop computer, money to buy coal to heat my house and I can feed my kids. A lot of people in this country can’t have these things.”

The couple has made friends with other foreign missionaries. They want to live Christ before the people. Sharon concludes, “Isn’t that the job of every believer? To live their faith so people will want what they have. We’re just doing it in a different environment.”