Beginning Tomorrow Today - By Timothy Sherman

crowd opened up I saw five men coming toward me. Several young men had run in before the others and were talking excitedly with my interpreter in Russian. I was asking others what was happening and, as I looked again, I saw the face of the leader. The interpreter was now telling me clearly, "These men are here to see and speak with you. Three of them think they may know you. The leader is a famous Pentecostal preacher and thinks he may know you from the past." I later found out that Nikolai was famous because of the torture and abuse he had endured because he would not deny the Lord Jesus Christ. His reputation was well known all over Russia because his testimony of Jesus had held strong. My interpreter told me he was well known by the college students.

I looked again, closer. I could not believe what I was seeing. What I felt flood through my emotions was indescrib able! It was a dawning of shock, then wonder, and then joy; excitement

The translation was real; very, very real.

and doubt all at the same time. We advanced toward each other. We bounded forward a couple of steps and then we were suddenly greet ing each other with a vigorous handshake, looking each other in the face, staring into each other's eyes with an amazing sense of reunion. 1his was unbelievable and yet real at the same time. I was experienc ing a prophetic miracle of Biblical proportions! It was Nikolai, the leader of the eight that I had met in the Russian prison. He was real and alive! Something unexplainable and miraculous had really happened! Nikolai and I gave each other a Russian bear hug and laughed and cried all at the same time. We were amazed that this was really happening but it was. The transla tion was real; very, very real. God can do anything! 85