SOUND THEOLOGY
written by Paul Ridenour
Before we went to the USSR:
Winter 1991
Don McCall, who is on the staff of the
Southern Baptist Convention of Texas and interim choir director
at Casa View Baptist Church (CVBC) in Dallas, received a phone
call from Southern Baptists in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
They asked him if he knew of a Contemporary Christian band that
could go to the Soviet Union for a cultural event for 18 days.
The cost will be about $2,000 a person. Don thought of
three bands but told the person - Sound Theology."
Sound Theology had a simple goal - to do
free concerts for churches in and around Texas and to give an
invitation to Christ each time. We have been doing that for
several years.
Don asked us if we could go and if we had
the money. We said we would love to go (I was in disbelief)
but did not have the money. We would also need about $6,000
for the cost of shipping our equipment around the world and back.
Our church decided that they would raise the money for us. They
raised $20,000 in about eight weeks. Our band consisted of
Mark Smith, Dennis Mink, David Seay, Mike Judd, Chris Chumley,
and myself. We asked Clay Camp to join us. Clay was
the original drummer of the band and was now living in Oklahoma.
We thought he could help with our equipment, sing backing vocals,
play percussion, and/or help with the sound engineering.
Mark Smith
Not all members of the band went to CVBC.
One guy went to a Bible church and another guy went to a
non-denominational Pentecostal church.
Our pastor, Jimmy Smith, said to go ahead
and baptize if we get a chance even though we are not ordained
ministers. Another staff person, Dr. Dockins, told us that
we were going to the USSR to plow the fields."
We learned that 300 people from all across
the US and from different denominations are going to be involved
in a cultural event in the USSR. We would visit Moscow, but
our final destination was Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, a Muslim republic
of the USSR. Kazakhstan is the home of the Soviet space
program and a nuclear testing ground. We will have doctors
with us to treat the sick, construction workers to rebuild the
earthquake destroyed areas, business people to teach them free
markets, religious leaders and preachers to talk about religious
freedom, plus actors, musicians, and singers to perform concerts
and/or teach. Sound Theology (ST) was going to perform 12
concerts in three cities - Alma-Ata, Chimkent, and Tashkent (a
city in another USSR Muslim Republic called Uzbekistan).
We were told not to wear our expensive brand
name clothes and tennis shoes. So, we bought lots of brown
and green army-navy shirts and pants. ST also bought 1000
Russian New Testament Bibles we ordered from the International
Bible Society.
The following are my notes from each day of
the trip. I hope you will find this writing inspirational,
humorous, and realize the blessings we have.
===========================================================================
One of
my drums fell out of the van on the way to the airport. We
recovered it but that is not a good way to start a trip. The
airlines only charged us $700 for our excess equipment. We
had prayed about it. The normal cost would have been $2400.
First miracle!
David Seay
I had
studied the book of John because I felt that it would come in
handy on this trip. John is the best book to use for
witnessing.
We
arrived in New York the first day and spent the night. A
guy walked up to me in the hotel and saw my nametag and said,
Ridenour." I looked at his named tag and said,
Mike Stone from Bryan Adams High School." He
graduated with my older brother Dale. He had moved to
Pennsylvania and was going on this trip as a construction worker.
Stone and I had recorded a Christian album together at CVBC for
Steve Kern back in 1977. That was the last time I saw him.
It is a small world!!!
Mike Stone
We ate
at the Airport City Restaurant with some of our newfound
American/Christian friends including Beth Myers from Arizona.
We were still unsure of what we were really going to do in the
USSR for Gods Kingdom. Were we going to plow the
fields, plant seeds, fertilize, or was God going to reap the
harvest? Beth told us we were going to plow the
fields." Second time we heard that. We are now
convinced!
I
wanted to stay with Dennis Mink (in the hotels) on this trip
because he had the gift of faith." I do not.
If I was going to go to the USSR and especially a Muslim country,
I wanted to stay with the guy who had faith. I found out
that Dennis also wanted to stay with me because of my gift of
wisdom. Now, they say your gifts are your top three. Wisdom
is not in my top three, but it is number four.
Dennis
was now having a faith crisis. His wifes father was
diagnosed with cancer and they are going to operate on him the
next day. Dennis had just gotten the news from his spouse
who called us in the room. There was talk of possibly her
father dying. Dennis, being the only other male in his
family, felt he should go home and take care of his family.
Dennis said that God brought him this far as an act of faith and
that he would still be faithful to Gods Word by going home
and tending to his family. Dennis asked me what I thought.
I asked him Remember the guy in the Bible who told Jesus I
will follow you but only after I bury my father? Jesus
said, Let the dead bury the dead, follow me. Dennis
was not expecting that. He expected me to tell him to go
ahead and go home. I personally did not want to go to
Russia without Dennis and we also needed him as our lead guitar
player. The band got together that night and prayed about
it. We had decided that if his father-in-law died, there
would be 2,000 people at the church who would take care of
things. Dennis could not sleep the entire night. He
fully expected his wife to tell him to come home. The next
morning his wife called and said that he is going to Russia
because God gave her a verse. The verse was Luke 9:57- 62.
It was the same story that I told Dennis. I read the
passage to Dennis and the last verse read He who puts his
hand on the plow and looks back, is not fit for the Kingdom of
God." WOW! There it is again - plow the
fields."
Day
2 - June 22, 1991
We are
100 baggages over the airplane limit. That was including
all 300 people. The band alone had 17 pieces of equipment.
Each bag over the limit would cost $131. Aeroflot also
could not find our reservations. We prayed about
everything. They found our reservations plus we paid
no extra freight charges." Another miracle when
it came to freight charges. If we would have been charged
the normal rates, we would be out of money already. It
appeared that the band would pay any extra charges (for
everybody) because we had the extra cash and no one else did.
There
was a 10-member Russian band at the airport in NY. I gave
them three Dallas postcards and they gave me some USSR pins and
Lenin pins. One guy asked, What is Sound
Theology? He said he had studied theology in college
but had never heard of Sound Theology. Of course, Sound
Theology meant - music (Sound) and Theology (John 3:16) -
Theology that is sound!
We flew
on a huge plane over the top of the earth to Moscow. It
took nine hours.
Day
3 - June 23, 1991
On the
flight I saw the movie Awakening." I never saw
the sun go down. We were at the Moscow airport for four
hours. The guy who checked my passport looked like your
typical Russian KGB person. He reminded me of Rolf from
The Sound Of Music." The airport was dank and
dark. We left for the hotel in Moscow. I brought
about 40 pre-labeled address labels so I could mail postcards
quickly. I bought some Moscow postcards and labeled them on
the bus on the way to downtown Moscow. We stopped at Red
Square, the Kremlin, and the Olympic Stadium. Moscows
buildings were gorgeous. Moscow and Russia looked like a
third world country. All of the concrete is cracked. All
metal streetlights and polls are rusted. The grass is two
feet high around the buildings and it makes them look deserted.
The most amazing thing - in the heart of Communism (the Kremlin),
there are four cathedrals. Of course, they were now just
museums. One of them had several Bible stories painted all
over the walls and ceiling. I am surprised that they were
never destroyed.
St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, Russia
Russians
marry on Saturdays and Sundays and like to have the ceremony at
an area that overlooks the Olympic Stadium. The stadium was
built for the Olympics the year the US protested the Afghanistan
war and did not attend. We saw at least 20 wedding parties.
Across the street from the stadium is the University of Moscow.
Moscow
was founded about 1100 A.D. and named after a bear that was
looking into the river, the river that runs through the heart of
Moscow.
We did
some shopping and I bought some spoons, coins, and mailed the
postcards. We went back to the hotel to get ready to take a
five-hour flight to Alma-Ata, a city of one million people.
The
airport was small and a dive. Sound Theology actually had
to load every bag on the plane. The 300 of us had 600 bags
and the freight was going to cost $2,000 extra. Each guy in
the band had a money belt with $1,000. I guess I am
considered the guy who handles the money. Therefore, the
airport officials told me that they would only charge us $400 if
we gave them the money under the table." I gave
them $500 in case they changed their minds. Third miracle!
What else did we give them? Bibles and cassette tapes of
our music. One guy had his luggage opened and it was full
of Bibles and Christian literature. The woman behind the
counter asked, What is all of this? The guy
said marketing and training materials. She just wanted a
Bible. A supervisor came over and asked, What is
going on here? She also wanted a Bible. He gave
a Bible to both of them. I thought Bibles were
illegal in Russia. Was Glasnost changing Russia
that fast?
Since
some of us were loading the plane and others had no boarding
passes, nine of us almost were left behind at the airport. Some
of us began to hear things like Christianity and rock music
do not mix." An older man asked some older women if
they had brought Bibles to pass out. The women thought they
were going to be provided with some Bibles so they did not have
any. The older man told them that Sound Theology brought
1,000. The Bibles and Sound Theology loading the plane
began to be an encouragement to everyone. Everyone was also
an encouragement to us. Moscow is an eight-hour difference
in the time zone from the US and when we landed in Alma-Ata, we
were 11 hours ahead. I slept through the flight.
When we
got there, the Mayor greeted us. He announced that it was a
National Holiday in celebration of us. They took our
luggage and treated us like US Ambassadors. We were made
Honorary Citizens of Kazakhstan. One of our religious
leaders mentioned God and the mayor said Ah, Allah!
They took us immediately to a helicopter. That was the last
thing I wanted to get on. They took us up about 8,000 feet
into the mountains. The Aeroflot helicopter looked and felt
as if it were held together with a rubber band.
Our
Kazakh interpreters were Azat (male/pronounced Ah-Zot) and Janna
(pronounced Zjohn-nah). Janna surprised me when she said
that she had attended Grand Canyon Baptist University in Phoenix
for one semester. Her English was excellent. She was
about 20, very pretty, a model, and personally knows the
president of Kazakhstan. Mike, our single guy, said,
No matter what country you are in, Janna is a babe!
Janna Sabalakova
The
mountains were gorgeous and the Kazakhs are basically a nomadic
people. They were riding horses and it looks like the 18th
century. I am 31 and rode a horse for the first time in my
life. Actually, the horse rode me.
Singing with the Local Kazakhs
It was
quite a feast - music, games, lamb, fermented mares milk (I
did not try it), and a professional horse race (their top sport).
The weather was very cold and a huge rain cloud was coming right
over us. We prayed and then we watched the cloud go around
us. Another miracle! Mike had also felt really sick. We
prayed for him and he got better.
Mike Judd
Igor Lutsiv
Alma-Ata
is a beautiful city. It reminds me of Phoenix, AZ. In
fact, its sister city is Tucson. Kazakhstan has about 1/8
white Russians and the rest are Kazakhs, Mongolians, Asians, etc.
Even though Russian is the official language, there are over 100
languages. Ghingas Khan made journeys through this land.
We went
to the Hotel Kazakhstan, which is very nice. Dennis and I
had Azat up in our room. We gave him some food and listened
to Christian CDs. We prayed before we went to sleep.
Our non-practicing Muslim friend had never experienced prayer.
I slept great for the first time in two days.
Azat
Day
4 - June 24, 1991
We did
our first concert. About 6,000 people attended. It
was great! Smoke machines and lights. Mark, our lead
singer, received roses. One in ten Russians probably knows
English. The audience did not know our songs. However,
they knew at least one song. We just had to do one American
secular song so we did Johnny B. Goode." I
signed many Dallas postcards and gave away ST tapes, gum, etc.
I received Russian pins. The Russian and Kazakh people give
gifts all of the time. We were told to pack one suitcase
with clothes and another suitcase with gifts to gift away. That
second suitcase would store the gifts we receive.
The
food is great - beef, potatoes, and rice. All we had to
drink was hot Pepsi and hot tea pronounced Chi".
The fruits looked great but I did not eat any. I do not
like tomatoes or cucumbers anyway. I was afraid the fruit
would make me sick.
Dennis
had a terrible headache. We prayed and it went away. We
are learning for the first time in our lives to depend on prayer
and Gods Word all of the time."
Igor
said he is honored to play on my drum set.
Before
we all went to bed, ST and Armour Patterson prayed together.
We had just met him because he was staying in the same room with
Chris. Armour is the son of Paige Patterson, the president
of Criswell Bible College in Dallas. We prayed an intense
45-minute prayer. We were all crying afterwards and it felt
as if we prayed drops of blood.
Vladimir "Bob" and Chris Chumley
Day
5 - June 25, 1991
We went
to the market and there was food everywhere. The plums and
cherries look great. I bought a Russian chess set and a
Kazakh hat. The ruble is valued at 27.5 to the dollar.
Which basically means a ruble was worth 4 cents. For one
ruble, one could buy a hot Pepsi, an orange, or an ice cream.
The average person makes $20 a month. When we exchanged a
$20 bill and received 550 rubles, we were rich!
ST felt
we did not play well at our concert. It was on National TV.
Kazakhstan is four times larger than Texas and has about 16
million people. Not sure how many watched.
We are
very tired. Many Americans were at our concert and loved
it. I met a Russian couple in the crowd while
A' Studio
was playing. I danced with this girl during one of
A' Studio's slow songs. Her boyfriend was so happy
to meet me that he gave me a cross on a chain. I gave him a
tape, postcard, Bible, and my brother-in-law Tenos cross
and chain. They both kissed me - it is their custom for men
to kiss men on the cheek.
The couple I met
I was
amazed to hear the crowd of 8,000 sing A' Studio's #1
hit song Julia." Julia is about a
Russian girl who goes to America and becomes a prostitute. The
song asks her to come home.
Dennis
gave Azat and Baglan some guitar strings.
Dennis Mink
Day
6 - June 26, 1991
I
finally got a hold of Dottie. I think the phone call was
about 25 minutes and cost me $50. The operator apologized
for the price being so high. It was so worth it!!!!
We went
up into the mountains to Medeo, which the Kazakhs call
Kazakh-Colorado.
We were
told not to openly hand out Bibles at the hotel. I met a
Kazakh girl named Janet. You have to assume that everyone
you meet is Muslim. Most of them are, but the majority are
non-practicing because of the 75 years of atheistic Communism.
She said, I am a Christian. In fact, I am a
Baptist." I started laughing. She told me that
some people want Bibles. I took her up to my room where
Dennis was talking with Azat. I asked her if it was okay
for her to come inside the room and she said, Of course,
Im a Christian. If I was a Muslim, it would be
wrong." We got some Bibles and passed out about 30 in
the lobby to anyone who wanted one. An older man kept
looking at me. He looked like a member of the KGB. He
asked a young man where he got that Bible. The young man
pointed at me. I thought I am dead now! The
old man came over and said his name was Konstantine. He
wanted a Bible. He wanted me to sign it. He wanted to
know if there was a verse about Love is patient and love is
kind." I wrote that chapter under my name. Who
is Konstantine? He was once a member of the KGB. He
was once a college English teacher. Now he teaches English
to second graders. He is also a coin collector. He
told me he always wanted a 1976 bicentennial dollar. Dennis
brought 10 of them with him. We gave two of them to
Konstantine and he gave us some Russian coins.
Janet
Konstantine Volkov
Just
like the Vietnamese, the Russian and Kazakh people love the
Beatles. It seems as if every one of them can play the
piano or guitar and sing Beatles. So, we sang Beatles in
the afternoon. I just happen to know almost every word of
every song.
I met
another Kazakh girl named Dana (pronounced Donna) who gave me a
cartoon script that she wanted me to mail to Disney.
Dana
Another
Kazakh guy I met was named Chocan but goes by Chuck. He
drove to his home and brought back a Paul McCartney album for me.
It is only available in Russia. I was quite touched.
We were
all feeling ready to do our third concert. We did our best
and so did A' Studio. Probably 10,000 people attended.
The security is starting to get tight to protect A' Studio
and us from the crowds and people backstage. We are
becoming popular. Several girls approached Dennis and Clay.
Mark received many flowers. This same guy I gave
Tenos necklace found me and gave me a flute made in
Turkistan.
Sound Theology in concert in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, USSR
Every
time we meet A' Studio, they kiss us on the cheek. We
started to do the same. We have given them many presents
and they gave us their albums. We gave Bob some bass guitar
strings. When they saw that Dennis had 12 sets of strings,
they said he was the richest guitar player in Kazakhstan. Igor
said, I feel bad because you are guests in our
country."
We have
given many interviews for TV and the papers. Our songs are
being played on the radio. We gave an interview to a
ladies' program. They asked if we like Madonna. Madonna
at that time seemed to take off her clothes more than sing new
songs. I said that I did not like Madonna. I prefer
Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Amy Grant, etc. I think they were
surprised I did not like Madonna. One interview with a
Muslim guy said, Maybe Jesus does not like Rock and
Roll." We told him it is not the music, but the lyrics
that are the difference.
We are
starting to crack jokes and having a blast with A' Studio.
I have passed out many postcards and gum. We taught some
kids and adults how to do the High-Five." That
may become a fad. Mark also put an American flag on his
head like a do-rag. That may also become popular.
We saw
a Russian guy wave an American flag at us and say, America
is the promise land."
Everyone
is starting to joke about my lack of hair. Some call me
Homer (Simpson) while others say I look like Paul
Newman. They also call me Mr. Postcard Man."
I am getting lots of coins and gifts including a Kazakh flag with
the hammer and sickle. That is something that you cannot
take out of the country. I will try and sneak it out.
I am making several Kazakh and American friends and have lots of
addresses.
The day
was just overwhelming:
1.
Spoke with Dottie
2. Saw God move in the lobby
with the Bibles
3. Received a McCartney album
4. Our best concert
I broke
down!
Day
7 - June 27, 1991
Today
is a travel day to Chimkent. Chimkent is called
Kazakh-Texas. Chimkent is a one-hour flight south of Alma-Ata.
The city is smaller than Alma-Ata and located very close to
Pakistan. I took an American girl named Kim Stout (who
attended Dallas Baptist University) to buy some film. The
eight rolls I brought are all used. I bought 6 rolls for
$1.50.
None of
us have really become sick except Dennis is having some stomach
problems. We are drinking bottled water and it is great.
Hepatitis is very prevalent in the USSR. I saw an outdoor
juice machine that had a metal cup on a chain. You put a
coin in the machine and share the same cup with everyone. No
thank you!
We
found out that the concerts cost seven rubles. That is not
even ten cents.
I met
an interpreter named Olga. She is an interpreter for some
of our top religious leaders here. She told me she is
sometimes an atheist." I gave her a Russian
Bible and my red letter English Bible. She could speak
Russian, English, German, and French fluently. She was
about 20 years old. I spoke as fast as I could and she
still understood me. She has a meeting at 3 PM with
religious leader Wallace Williams. I told her about the New
Testament Gospels, Paul, and the Second Coming. She will
become a believer soon. She also plays the piano, but only
Beatles.
Since
this was the first time we traveled with A' Studio, we saw
them carry their equipment in old bags and boxes. Amazing!
These guys are the #1 band and had no money, or maybe these
things are not available to purchase.
The
guys in Sound Theology told me that my knowledge of the Beatles
is a blessing in disguise.
Our
plane ride was bumpy. It is difficult to write. A
guitar fell out of the overhead bin and hit my shoulder. We
sang Beatles and I think And I love Her is the song
everyone likes the best. Chris prayed for a safe landing
and for faith.
Even
though we ate like kings, I have lost five pounds so far.
We
discussed both bands doing a song together in concert. We
may do Ticket To Ride."
A
flight attendant walked down the aisle selling toys and trinkets.
We got
a royal welcoming at the airport. The local girls were all
dressed in their native clothes. They brought food and
gladiolas for us.
Chimkent
is very very hot but not humid. Looks and feels like
Odessa, Texas.
We went
to Igors room and had hot tea. We listened to a
Christian rock CD by Liaison." Igor wanted to
keep the CD and look at the words. He bought me a gift from
the plane. The other guys got gifts too. We are
beginning to become very close with A' Studio. I gave
Igor a Bryan Duncan tape. Igor said, Ah, more
gifts!
Me and Igor in Chimkent
We each
got our own room for the first time.
Igors
sense of humor is quite dry and I loved it. Even when he
was serious, I laughed. From out of the blue he said,
All Leningrad Ballet dancers are gay. The Moscow
Ballet
.every other guy is gay."
I need
to mention one person here.
A'Studio has a young woman
who is their manager named Lezat (pronounced Lay-zot). She
is definitely a Muslim. Her brother married the daughter of
the president. She can speak English fairly well. She
does not trust me. I find it easy to remember Russian words
and phrases. I pronounce the words correctly. The
Russian language is not that different from Spanish. She
believes I understand everything they say in Russian. She
thinks I am a member of the KGB or the CIA.
Lezat
Day
8 - June 28, 1991
I woke
up at 4 AM with some stomach problems. I was okay by 8 AM.
That Imodium AD really works. The bathrooms are so old.
The pipes are rusty. The commode flushes with a chain that
you pull from the ceiling.
I went
to the market and then to band practice. We will have to
use our own sound equipment and speakers for the next six
concerts over three days. All of the rented equipment went
back to Moscow. The concert hall was like a small college
auditorium, holding about 1,000 people.
We did
a concert at 6 PM. We lost power and had to finish early.
Terrible concert! Bass guitar was too loud. Even
A'Studio said it was bad.
Igor
said, Whats wrong with the system? Whats wrong
with the power?" I said I do not know. He said,
I know the problem with the system. It is the system,
the system of this country." The power was fixed and
A'Studio did their concert.
The
second concert was great. Batyr came out and played his sax
with us on Johnny B. Goode.
Batyr
After
the concert, we watched two versions of MTV - Soviet and European
(Weird!). Igor said that all business in Leningrad and
Moscow is criminal. I finally decided to taste the fruit
plum, cherry, peach, and a tomato. The tomato was
the best I have ever had and I hate tomatoes.
Day
9 - June 29, 1991
I feel
great. I had crepes for breakfast.
We went
on what can best be described as an excursion." I
rode a camel. I drank camel milk. It came right out
of the camel - hot and thick like malt-o-meal. I almost
threw up. I had not had any mares milk but I heard it
was tons better than the camel milk. We have a couple of
new guides or interpreters. One is Victoria (Vica) and the
other is Irena. I sang Yesterday and And
I Love Her for Irena on the bus.
Irena
We rode
an amusement train operated by kids and three young girls sang
for us. We sang Old McDonald and Ticket
to Ride for them. Clay took a picture of an old woman
with her child on the train. The picture was perfect - a
typical Russian woman with a little girl. Then something
really funny happened. The woman whipped out a huge
35mm camera and took a picture of Clay.
"Thanks Clay for the memory!"
I am
getting a soar throat. It may have been that camel milk.
I am letting Clay play drums tonight. I will run the sound
and monitors. Lezat gave me a jar of apple juice. She
is starting to trust me I guess.
We
visited our first museum. We saw that a few days earlier
Mrs. Gorbachov signed the guest book. Irena and Victoria
are a lot of fun.
We had
a press conference at 3 PM with A' Studio. Dennis said
they are some of the finest musicians we have ever met. Mark
then said, After the concert, everyone over to Igors
for tea." Everyone laughed! The papers and radio
have been billing us as two rival bands. They are surprised
that we got along so well and that there is no rivalry.
Our
first concert was bad again but the second concert was great.
Clay ended up not playing drums because the soundboard was
foreign to me. After the concert, we had more tea in
Igors room and we sang. A'
Studio gave us buttons
and signed their group postcards. We gave them tapes, an
American flag, and for the first time, Bibles. Bob had a
tear in his eye talking to Dennis. We found out that Bob
was a Christian but his life was difficult.
Vladimir "Bob"
Many
times I began to weep and it will be very difficult saying
goodbye to A' Studio.
A' Studio
Day
10 - June 30, 1991
We went
up into the mountains to what can only be described as a
Love Commune." The place had hippies and
hashish. The mountains were beautiful with flowers and a
fast flowing cold river. The food was delicious. I
ate something that is pronounced Shishlish." It
is lamb on a metal stick (shish-ka-bob). I must have
had six to eight of them. Some Soviet/Kazakh girls danced
for us. It was like a floorshow, and called House of
Fashion." We took lots of pictures. It was so
hot, dusty, sandy, and windy, especially during our bus ride
back. I crashed on the bus. My allergies are starting
to bother me.
Supper
was great! You learn to love hot Pepsi if that is all you
have. We are now drinking this green stuff in large
bottles. It is not very good but it is very cold. We
need it!
I
walked up to about 50 kids swimming in a fountain and pulled out
lots of gum. I was attacked! Finally, one of the
bigger kids got all of my gum and he handed them out one by one.
They stood in line for him but they would not stand in line for
me. It was quite a site. There are no swimming pools.
Kids swim in the public fountains.
Both
concerts tonight were great (our last two). At the end of
the first concert, both bands did Imagine by John
Lennon. I sang lead vocals while Clay played drums. It
was like a dream come true for me. The crowd went wild and
gave us flowers and books about Kazakhstan. It is pretty
weird to have people storm the stage and give you things. I
changed some of the words to Imagine to make the
lyrics less New Age. The second concert we did
Imagine and Get Back." Igor sang the
verses on Get Back in Russian and I sang the chorus
in English.
Clay Camp
We were
supposed to do three more concerts in a city called Tashkent.
The concerts were cancelled and we never knew why.
We had
more tea in Igors room and stayed up until 2 AM. I
gave Igor my cymbals, drumsticks, drumheads, tambourine, and my
Stoker pants. He was speechless. He said, Life
will be over when you leave. I will be depressed."
Bob saw all of the new gifts and said, Igor, you are a rich
man!
Day
11 - July 1, 1991
I got
up a 6 AM and had breakfast at 7 PM. We flew back to
Alma-Ata. Our twin-engine prop plane was hot and full of
flies. I was having more allergy problems. I slept
from 2 7 PM. I spoke with Dottie at 7:30 PM.
A
Russian maid (about 60 years old) was in my room and saw the
Bibles. She shouted Biblia! Biblia! She
wanted to pay me six rubles for a Bible. I told her it was
free. She said, Three rubles! I said,
Free." She kept insisting that she pay for it.
I finally looked in a Russian dictionary and told her in Russian
that it was a gift." I gave her the Bible and
she went ahead and gave me a small doll from her pocket. She
knelt on her knees and thanked me. Janet came up to the
room and interpreted for us. The housekeeper wanted another
Bible. Now, Russians do not ask for anything. It is
not their culture. She asked for just one more Bible
because she wanted to give it to her mom on her 80th
birthday. I asked her How many do you need?
She said, Three." I said, Take five!
You have friends!
Igor
gave me a silk scarf. We had tea in his room between 8 and
9 PM. They made jokes about me - Paul is dead
and I shot Paul." Of course, they were playing
off the Paul McCartney is dead rumors from the
Beatles days.
I went
to the airport at 10 PM to pick up A' Studio. They came
back on a different plane. They arrived at a different gate
and we missed them.
We met
an American missionary in Kazakhstan named John and his spouse
Joan (I have to protect their names). I told him about how
wonderful the Shishlish was. He said, Oh
yeah, hepatitis on a stick!
Day
12 - July 2, 1991
Everyone
slept through breakfast. We went shopping with
A' Studio. Igor bought me a nice pen. Baglan
bought me four rolls of film. A'
Studio bought us
coffee, ice cream, and apricot juice. The ice cream is
always a little melted. I bought some earrings for Dottie
and the same for Lada (only 60 rubles).
Baglan
Lezat, Janna, and Batyr
We did
a street interview with a Kazakh TV station. One guy asked
How do you like Alma-Ata? Our women?
It
rained for the first time. It was cold but it felt great.
The
stores were all empty. They only sell black and white TVs
and they were out of stock. Igor said, We have bad
air, bad food, and bad water. All we have is
Chernobyl." Igor also said, First time in my
life I am happy."
We had
more tea at Igors. Olga was in Igors room and
in her own little world listening to Beatles on headphones.
We brought many interpreters up to A' Studio's rooms.
We always asked A' Studio if it was okay to bring someone in
their room. Some of these interpreters never imagined in
their life that they would be sitting in the same hotel room with
A' Studio.
Olga and Mike Judd at the piano - "Beatles?"
I did
an interview with Connie Price of the Baptist Press.
We
heard that one part of Kazakhstan had not had any rain in two or
three months. I think it was close to the location of the
Aral Sea. The Aral Sea is dried up and there are large
ships sitting in the sand. Some Americans prayed on a
Wednesday for rain. It rained Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
To us, it was like the crucifixion and resurrection - three days.
The mayor of that Muslim town said, Surely, the God of
these guys must be the one true God."
Day
13 - July 3, 1991
We are
getting ready to go home. All we are doing now is shopping
and hanging around with A' Studio. We have about $4,200
left for hauling our equipment back to America. The
equipment is worth about $4,000. We could buy new equipment when
we got home. Therefore, we decided to leave all of our
sound equipment behind so a local church could use it. We
left four speakers, three crates, extension cords, a 1000-watt
power amp, 1000 and 2000-watt transformers, microphones,
microphone stands, and all cables. The best part - we did
not have to haul it back home.
Saga
(pronounced Sah-gah), who was like a security guard over our
equipment the entire time, gave us old Russian banners. These
banners should be in a museum (pro-Communist stuff). I hope
we can get them out of the country. Batyr gave us records
including another Paul McCartney album.
Batyr
sought out one of the top leaders named Brian Grimm and told him
what Sound Theology has meant to them individually and as a
group. He said ST has given them hope, encouragement,
happiness, and love.
I
shared the Four-Spiritual Laws with a guy named Murat (pronounced
Mer-rot). He also wanted me to write the words to the
Beatles song Bad Boy."
I
bought many gifts including two Kazakh 9-piece tea and coffee
sets for $7.50 each. For some odd reason, the stores were
full of merchandise for the first time and all of the locals were
buying up everything.
The
guys in the band left me behind in the late afternoon so John and
Joan took me to dinner and shopping. We ate steak,
potatoes, dessert, and tea - total bill was about $1.79.
Everyone
wants our Bibles. John and the local Baptists are happy to
have our equipment.
Igor
gave me his drumsticks and a compass. Murat gave me a
cassette tape. I gave Murat a bicentennial dollar because
he is also a coin collector. I gave Andre a New Testament
Bible and my army-navy pants.
Day
14 - July 4, 1991
We did
some more shopping and had ice cream.
A' Studio said we
have formed a new band called A Sound Theology
Studio."
All of
the Americans attended a 3 - 5 PM conference to discuss a
possible American festival next year. Saga said, Two
weeks in Alma-Ata with A-Studio and Sound Theology, next year,
six months in America." Everyone laughed! Saga
went on to say good things about us.
Everywhere
we went people said, Congratulations." We did
not know why. Ah yes - it is July 4th,
Americas birthday. There was a special concert at
night. The local Kazakhs performed for us in their
beautiful concert hall.
Boris
father performed. He is a famous pianist and vocalist.
One problem - the commodes in the bathrooms are gone - only holes
in the ground.
Boris
I had
an impromptu interview with an opera singer.
After
the concert, there were fireworks and a Kazakh woman sang
God Bless America in English. Our religious
leaders have been working hard the entire trip. On July 4th,
1991, in Communist Kazakhstan, Americans and Kazakh leaders
signed the first Freedom of Religion document. I
feel there is more religious freedom here than in America.
I gave
Igor my portable Sony Walkman (He had wanted to buy it). I
gave Lezat my World Map jacket. I gave Janna a Sound
Theology T-shirt, a pink shirt, and a bottle of Oil-of-Olay.
I bought many souvenirs and received many gifts. We enjoyed
another tea party at Igors. I spoke with Igor and
Lada using Vica as the interpreter. I presented the Gospel
to them. I was up all night with them and Vica. Igor
said we gave him Jesus Christ or Christianity. Their
marriage was on the rocks, but not now. I prayed with Vica.
I gave her a green shirt and a Bible.
Victoria "Vica"
Vica
and I had some interesting conversations. She thought
America was everything she saw in the movies. She said they
were always told that America was going to nuke them first.
I told her that we were told that Russia was going to nuke us
first. Russians and Kazakhs are the most grateful people I
have ever met. They are right up there with the Vietnamese
and the Mexicans I have met. I realized that if it were not
for our governments, Americans and Russians would get along just
fine.
I went
to bed at 10 AM and woke up 2 ½ hours later.
Day
15 - July 5, 1991
Igor
told Clay If I die, I will be with Jesus." I had
another 2 PM interview with the opera singer. She had
invited me to dinner that night but I told her I could not go. I
also wanted to spend these last few nights with A' Studio.
Some of the American girls told me I should have gone because I
would have had a delicious meal. I guess I could have taken
an interpreter with me. I think she spent all day preparing
food. I feel bad because she must have asked me during our
last interview to come eat dinner and maybe she thought I said
yes. She gave me some fruit and I gave her some American
food.
I went
shopping with Kim Stout. I bought a lady's hat for an
American girl named Kristy Langford. I also gave a hat to
Olga and her friend Anna (pronounced Awn-nah). The hats
were less than one dollar each. Anna gave me a sheet of
Kazakh stamps.
Kim Stout and Olga
Anna
Kristy Langford, a Soviet, and Kristy's soon to be husband
Scott Harris
Remember
the doll the maid gave me for the Bible? I saw it in a
store and it cost six rubles. Amazing! I told her it
was a free gift and she still gave me something costing six
rubles.
People
are beginning to call me Fast Talker." Some of
us in ST did an interview with the Southern Baptist Foreign
Mission Board. I said goodbye to Victoria and gave her an
English version of the Four-Spiritual Laws. Igor had us
over for tea. We met five more Americans Joe, Beth,
Paula, and two Native Americans (Navaho and Kiawah).
A' Studio
was amazed at the Native American stories. They had
beautiful Indians paintings and art with them. These
Russians had never seen a Native American.
I gave
away some of my medicine, crackers, vitamins, Kleenex,
toothpaste, Visine, and the rest of my toilet paper. I had
carried toilet paper in my drums. Toilet paper and duct
tape are like gold to them.
I gave
Igor some M&Ms and asked him if they were good. He
said, Better than good! I gave Olga the rest of
my rubles. It was probably a lot of money for her.
If I
had one more day, I would have baptized Igor, Lada, and perhaps
Vica in a public fountain.
Igor and Lada Lutsiv
Day
16 - July 6, 1991
Today
was the last day in Alma-Ata before we boarded a plane to Moscow.
Igor said, I am reborn." I gave him a
Four-Spiritual Laws tract in Russian. He and Lada pulled it
out 3 times to look at it. Sound Theology and
A' Studio
ate breakfast together. We went to the Airport and we sang
Christian songs and Kazakh songs. It was very emotional.
Olga cried like a baby at breakfast. Janna bought us some
Pepsi. There were many hugs, tears, and picture taking.
Lada hugged me for the first time. An airport woman got mad
at me taking pictures of the airport and the airplane.
A' Studio
kept opening a secured door and waving goodbye to us. She
got mad at them. I turned to the woman and gave her some
carnations and said, I love you." She laughed
(everyone laughed) and gave me a big hug and she was no longer
upset.
The
airplane had bald tires.
Mike
again said, Janna is a babe."
Igor
recorded all of our Christians CDs and tapes. He gave me a
live A' Studio tape. It was interesting seeing
A' Studio sing For The Sake Of The Call in
four-part harmony. Batyr sings just like Stevie Wonder.
It is a funny site seeing these Soviets singing Christians songs,
the hokey pokey, Old McDonald, and wearing American T-shirts (and
Baptist Student Union T-shirts).
Day
17 - July 7, 1991
We
arrived in Moscow. Mark, Clay, and I went to Red Square
with some other Americans. We left Four-Spiritual Laws
booklets in Red Square and around St. Basils Cathedral and
watched people pick them up and take them. We shopped at
the famous Arbot Street. It is illegal for them to take
American dollars. Of course, they were happy to take
dollars under the table." We went back to Red
Square and the Kremlin at night. The clean Moscow subway
only cost 15 kopecks. That is not even a penny.
Day
18 - July 8, 1991
Today
we are traveling from Moscow to NY. A woman at the airport
asked me what was in my luggage. I said drums. She
said to walk through that door. I paid no shipping for my
drums (it should have been about $80). I asked Mike,
"When are we going to go through customs?" He
said, We just did!
The
flight was ten hours. Dennis had written nothing about the
trip so he wrote on the plane for nine hours. I saw two
movies - Defending your Life and
Overboard." I also saw Nightline at 10 AM, which
was strange. An Edwin M. Ridenour was the guest on
Nightline. He is the current head of the Parks Department
under President Bush. I talked about going back to Russia
and got addresses of some of the Americans I met. I did a
short interview at the NY airport with a guy named Dennis. Going
through customs was a piece of cake. I gave a sky cap $60
to carry my luggage. I called Dottie. It was so good
to be back in the US.
We
left NY and flew back to Dallas. Our families had a
wonderful reception for us at DFW Airport. When I got home,
yellow ribbons were tied around the oak tree in the front yard.
I
lost 15 pounds.
A
few weeks and a few years after our trip:
I
really missed Whataburgers with cheese and jalapeno, 7-11 Big
Gulp Cokes, and French fries. I gained all of my weight
back and more in a week.
It
seemed as if Christianity had taken a backseat in America and New
Age Thought was now permeating everywhere in our society,
especially in the workplace.
Mark
and I did an interview with Christian radio station KCBI in
Dallas.
The
Iron Curtain fell less than three months after we got home.
Kazakhstan became an independent nation. Alma-Ata changed
its name to Almaty.
We had
dinner at Paige Pattersons house. Paige told us that
he always felt that Christianity and rock-n-roll music were an
oxymoron. Because he saw what we did and what Armour told
him about us, we changed his mind. He said he often talks about
Sound Theology in his seminars.
Igor
and Lada came to NY in Christmas of 1991. Mark, his family,
Dottie, and I went to see them. Igor and Lada never went
back to Kazakhstan. A' Studio was now without a drummer.
I made
many phone calls to Kazakhstan and it was not unusual to have a
$400 phone bill. I also mailed over 60 packages containing
Bibles, books, and other gifts. All packages were received
without any problems.
A' Studio
came to America in 1992 along with Vica for the American/Kazakh
Festival. Mark, Dottie, and I flew to NY to pick up
A' Studio. We gave them a tour of D.C. and Nashville before
arriving in Dallas via a van.
Baglan
cracked everyone up when he didn't say a word of English the entire trip from
New York to Dallas and then right before we got to Texas, in perfect English he
said, "Bridge may ice in cold weather."
We did some concerts in Dallas with
them. A' Studio became Honorary Citizens of Dallas.
ST and A' Studio did an interview with secular radio station
KVIL in Dallas. Sergei, the sound engineer for
A' Studio, stayed behind and lived in my home for 20 months.
A' Studio
Sound
Theology went their separate ways at the end of September in
1992.
A' Studio
came back to America in 1993 for some concerts in Little Rock,
AR. Several of us including Sergei went to see them. Sergei
ran sound for them. A' Studio had moved to Moscow and
are now very rich and even more popular.
A' Studio, Lezat, and Sergei in D.C.
Igor
and Lada divorced a few years later.
Arbot
Street in Moscow only takes US dollars now.
Konstantine
came to Memphis to give his testimony at a church and Dottie and
I went to see him. He had become a Christian two months
after we left Russia. He said that God took him from his
high social standing as a KGB agent and a college English
professor to a second grade teacher to humble him. He also
spent some time in California getting a Bible degree. Dottie
and I also saw him there. Konstantine loaded me up with
tons of coins. I also gave him a bunch of coins.
Dottie
and I went to Paris in 1997 and had dinner one night with Dana.
She had moved from Almaty to Paris and worked for UNESCO.
A' Studio
came to Miami and NY around 1998 but we could not go see them.
Sergei did go and ran sound for them.
Janna
also came to America, became married, and never went back.
Almost
everyone we had met in Kazakhstan became Christians and many of
them are now living in the US. Janet went to Shorter
College in Rome, GA. She became married and now lives near
Atlanta, GA.
I was
at DFW airport the night Katherine Harris certified George W.
Bush the winner of Florida. I was watching it on the
airport TV and noticed that Paige Patterson was sitting next to
me. I had not seen him since the dinner at his home. Paige
had just finished his term as President of the Southern Baptist
Convention and was back as President of Southeastern Theological
Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He said, Paul, Sound
Theology did more for Kazakhstan than all of those
preachers!
A' Studio came to America in March of 2001 for concerts in LA, Miami, and New York. Sergei was the only one who could go see them. Batyr left A' Studio to pursue a solo singing career. Their new singer is a female.
Sergei
went from delivering pizza to a wireless telecommunications
technician for Nortel. He is still waiting to become a
citizen.
Sergei
A'Studio has had a couple of female singers and they continue to win awards for best song and videos in Russia.
A' Studio's webpage - http://www.astudio.ru/
August 2006 - Baglan killed in a car accident in Moscow -
http://www.caspionet.kz/index.cfm?id=17724 and http://zhizn.ru/article/culture/2617/April 28, 2015 - Bayter passed away from a heart attack at age 52. Thousands mourn his death.