God's Miracles Among Russian Jewish Children

How the MESSIAH Jesus Continues to Touch Jewish Lives TODAY

By Pamela Schuffert presenting investigative journalism from a Christian perspective-

How I LOVE to witness the miracle power of our LIVING GOD, manifested through His wondrous Son, Jesus the Messiah and Savior of the world! Many people mistakenly believe that miracles died out with the early Church. THIS IS NOT TRUE!

I have personally witnessed many Scriptural miracles, often validated by doctors' confirmations (including my very own) and I can testify that GOD IS STILL PERFORMING MIRACLES TO THIS VERY DAY!

It was my privilege to work among Russian Jews out of Chicago, New York City and New Jersey for many years, in a wonderful Russian Christian retreat center based in Connecticut. These wonderful Russian Christians hosted Summer camp for underprivileged Russian/Ukrainian Jewish children out of NYC and NJ every summer, often numbering over 100 children each time.

I was personally assigned about 15 young Russian children to my cabins, as senior counselor over them, every summer. This was in fact a long term overnight camp as well. IN effect, I became "big Momma" for these adorable children that I will forevermore love. Sasha...Lyuba...Tanya...Nastia...Olga...Vera...these were my children, and all with distinctly Jewish last names. Zilberman...Vayneberg...Kogan...and more.

Unless God has touched your heart deeply for the Jews, you may never understand how much they meant to me. But I knew HOW MUCH THEY MEANT TO GOD, and to THE MESSIAH! And I therefore treasured them deeply with all my heart. And they in turn loved me back.

I can never forget a young Russian teen, Yana Strutin. She had sever chronic pain in her leg, and often it brought tears. Sometimes Yana could not sleep at night due to pain. One night, her counselors came running up to my cabin frantically. Yana's pain would not go and she was screaming for help. It was late at night and the infirmary was closed. "We KNOW you believe in MIRACLES...." exclaimed one of the counselors. "Please come down and PRAY FOR YANA!"

I threw my clothing on and rushed to her dormitory at the camp. Dozens of young Russian Jewish teens had been awakened by Yana's screams, and now watched intently as I approached her bed. I took Yana up into my arms, placed her upon my lap, and softly began to pray for Jesus to touch her and heal her. The Holy Spirit guided my words as I continued to pray.

Unexpectedly, Yana BEGAN TO LAUGH...even as tears remained on her cheeks! Astonished, I listened to her in amazement as she exclaimed, "WHY??? WHY do I SEE JESUS! WHY is He on the CROSS! I see Him dying on the cross for ME! And.....my PAIN is GOING! It is GOING.....!" All the young teens in her dorm that night were silent as they witnessed an obvious miracle of the grace of God moving in Yana's life through the POWER OF PRAYER and Jesus the Messiah!

All I know is, I had done NOTHING but to pray for her, using Jesus' name, as the Bible says to do. And everything that followed was THE WORK OF GOD, and not mine.

Yana then got off my lap and stood up immediately. She kicked out her leg and said, "THE PAIN IS STILL GONE...I can kick my leg!" I began to join with others in thanking God for this incredible move of His grace among these Russian teen girls that night. And the next day, I approached Yana, and asked her how her leg was doing. She smiled and admitted to me, THE PAIN WAS STILL GONE!

Miracles like these were subsequently taken back home to the Jewish neighborhoods of NYC and spread around like wildfire. I had spent much money, in fact, purchasing quality Bibles for these children to take back home with them to NYC. One was given to one of my favorites, little red-headed Ella Vayneberg one summer.

Many years later, I returned to the Russian Jewish neighborhoods of Brooklyn, "Little Odessa" ("Malinkaya Odessa" in Russian.) I began to pray intensely as I walked up and down the colorful sidewalks in front of Russian stores and deli's. I asked God to send me even ONE child, now grown up, that was at our camp. I wanted to know how these children were now doing as teens. Suddenly, I found myself almost walking into the person in front of me. Looking up, I said, "excuse me.." and saw THAT IT WAS MY ELLA! She was overwhelmed as she recognized me. "Miss PAM...it's YOU from CAMP! Do you remember me? It's ELLA...I am now a teenager!"

I started to cry right there on the streets of Brooklyn. "Ella, it IS you!" She hugged me and smiled excitedly. "Miss Pam, I STILL HAVE THE BIBLE you gave me...and I am still a virgin...and I still BELIEVE IN JESUS!" Amazing words, considering the sinful neighborhood this was, often filled with vice of every kind and sexual immorality, Russian mafia, and much more.

I told her that SHE WAS MY ANSWER TO MY PRAYERS that very day! We finally parted, but not without prayer. I said, "Ella, let me FIRST PRAY FOR YOU." But Ella's response was, "No...let ME pray for YOU!" What a woman of faith she had become, all because of her discovery about JESUS HER MESSIAH at our wonderful summer camp. Glory be to the God of Avraham and His Messiah, Yahshua (Jesus) for such great things!

SO many Russian Jewish children had similar experiences of the power and reality of God at our summer camp. Many children, sent to the camp with money for ice cream, spent it instead on BIBLES...something most of them never had back in communist Russia. We witnessed dramatic answers to prayer every summer there as well. And many discovered for the first time the amazing reality of JESUS THEIR MESSIAH in their lives. And they took their new found Messiah back to the streets of NYC with them. Many of their parents also came to Jesus as well as a result.

I will never forget my years of working with the Russian Jews of New York City, Chicago and elsewhere. And the glorious miracles brought forth through the power of Jesus their wonderful Messiah, truly the Savior of the world.

-Pamela Schuffert