God works in mysterious ways!
Find out how God closed a door and opened another door for Lucas Orner to become InterAct Ministries’ fifth executive director.
What Comes After Siberia?
By Lucas Orner
Sometimes God intervenes and completely changes the trajectory of our life’s story. For me and my family, the beginning of the end of our relatively quiet life and ministry in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, came early one morning in December 2024.
The doorbell rang—not in the normal, friendly, ding-dong kind of way, but in the tempo of urgency. As I bolted through our small Russian apartment, I wondered if the neighbor's electric breaker box had caught fire again. Or maybe a pipe on the sixteenth floor had once again cracked, creating a 16-story waterfall down our elevator shaft. Living in Siberia over the past 17 years had taught us to expect unique adventures. However, as I opened the front door, there was no friendly neighbor, but rather a team of five FSB agents (Russia's domestic security agency). The one nearest to the door quickly stuck his boot forward to prevent me from closing the door and stretched out his hand with a search warrant. My heart dropped. But it didn’t drop into hopeless despair. It dropped into the sovereign hands of God. During the 3-hour ordeal of being questioned and having phones, books and laptops confiscated, my cry to the Lord was, “I trust You!” I knew God was wise and all-powerful. Therefore, regardless of the pressures of the moment, I could trust Him. Many years ago, I had memorized Daniel’s prayer and it cycled through my heart during those intense hours. “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings;” (Daniel 2:20-21a ESV).
I certainly didn’t want to be deported from Russia. God had placed a deep love for life and ministry in Siberia into our hearts. Our four kids grew up here. They had become accustomed to our home being filled with ministry and guests. We had the opportunity to come alongside believers in all stages of their walk with Christ. We loved where God had placed us and how He was using us. The FSB agents questioned me about our activities in Russia. While our ministry and work with InterAct were not secret and did not violate any laws, we knew that the current political climate had intensified immigration scrutiny. Over the following weeks, it became an hourly practice to ensure that worry, fear and despair did not take hold in my mind. When I sensed them entering the picture, I would stop and pause, to “be still, and know” who God is. I’d remind myself of what He has done and promised to do, and… what He was doing in that very minute. As the days passed, we heard nothing from the authorities, and our lawyer told us that we were likely in the clear. Four months later, we headed to the U.S. to visit churches and family. In early June we were passing through Tennessee when my friend who was housesitting for us in Russia sent me a photo of a notice that had come in the mail. It declared that my Russian residency permit had been canceled. It seemed that the door to our 17 years of life and ministry in Siberia had been slammed closed behind us, and we were locked out. I’ll never forget breaking the news to our kids, the tears shed, the questions asked, the lament and yet trust voiced as we took turns praying through our tears.
We sought the Lord in the following months, filled a poster board of possible places to pray over and asked God, “What’s next?” Possibilities included Alaska and Canada (InterAct’s other fields), and Mongolia and Kazakhstan (places near to Siberia). As we prayed, we always left the door open so that God could throw a curveball and lead us somewhere unexpected. We began asking the Lord, “What do you have in store for us in ‘such a time as this?’” (Esther 4:14). While we prayed about our next steps, many encouraged me to consider InterAct’s executive director role. While I initially brushed off the idea, God began to affirm the direction through various events and wisdom from godly men and women. After much prayer and several interviews with the search committee, boards, and missionaries, I was honored to be approved as InterAct’s next director. As I begin to serve InterAct in this new role, I am excited for what God has in store for the years ahead. This year, InterAct celebrates 75 years of faithful ministry! That’s huge! Our missionaries have stories not only of fruitful ministry now, but also of God working through our ministry for over seven decades. Please join me in rejoicing and giving thanks to the Lord for all He has done (Psalm 100:4). Ask that He will continue to call workers to His harvest fields in Canada, Alaska and Siberia (Matt 9:38). And pray His Kingdom would come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10).
A HEART OF AVAILABILITY
By Keith Klippenstein
In 1988, I became pastor of Territorial Drive Alliance Church (TDAC) in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, situated on the banks of two rivers. Surrounding the area are seven First Nations communities within a 45-minute drive. I wondered what the Lord would have in mind for TDAC given our proximity. InterAct Ministries had a lot to do with the answer to that question. Over time our church became aware that these First Nations communities are our neighbors, and the believers are our brothers and sisters in Christ. For about 15 years we partnered with InterAct missionaries with the goal of planting a church in the Moosomin First Nation community. Sadly, the momentum we had witnessed came to a sudden end in 2021, and for two years TDAC grieved and prayed. “Lord, what would you have us to do? We love our Indigenous neighbors and we need Your guidance to know how to minister to them.” Then the Lord impressed on us the idea of starting again with ministry to the Indigenous communities—this time with children’s ministry. But, how and with whom and where would we start? A heart of availability seemed to trigger God’s hand and His purposes. Without any effort or planning of our own He began to put the pieces of a new puzzle into place. The embers of InterAct missionaries over a period of 35 years lit a spark once again at TDAC as two plans simultaneously came to light.
Plan one involved Centre Street Church (CSC) from Calgary. In 2023, they had reached out to TDAC about the possibility of partnering together with a brand-new sports camp vision for children in First Nations communities near the Battlefords. CSC had the vision with sports ministry but needed the mission field. We lived right beside the mission field but needed the vision and the method. Plans began for a beautiful partnership between CSC and TDAC. In August 2024 we began our first week of sports ministry in two local First Nations communities. 35 CSC trained sports ministry staff and students equipped our volunteers to run our own sports camp in the city, and to bring two sports camps to the Indigneous communities. 2025 followed suit as First Nations children came again to experience the love of Jesus through sports and stories of God’s love and faithfulness. This summer will mark year 3 of a 5-year plan. Part two of God’s plan also came to fruition in 2023. A School Story Hour ministry had been run by a couple from our community at nearby First Nations schools. Quite remarkably this couple and their friends were given permission to bring the gospel story at Christmas and Easter to the student body at a number of Indigenous schools over a period of years. But their season of faithful ministry came to a close in 2023. The question came to our ears at TDAC, “Who will take this vision forward?” TDAC offered to give it a shot. The first year we shared the Christmas Story at Red Pheasant Cree Nation. Then Easter at Red Pheasant and Mosquito First Nations. Next, we added Sweetgrass First Nation and Moosomin First Nation. By Easter of 2026 the doors opened further to Poundmaker and Saulteaux First Nations.
Something we learned from InterAct Ministries early on is the power of partnerships in ministry.
Today, our Story Hour partners include volunteers from TDAC and Grace Fellowship Saskatoon, Canada’s Double Portion and Territorial Youth Services (worship music), Ranger Lake Bible Camp, Saskatoon Christian School, and Larry the balloon man! Our team of 35 volunteers arrives at the doors of the school gym and unloads in under 30 minutes. They proceed to bring tons of fun followed by the Bible stories of Jesus’ birth and sacrifice on the cross to the K-8 student body. This Easter 600 children plus staff listened intently to stories of Jesus’ love. 500 Bibles went home. One teacher returned to ask for six more Bibles for her classroom. To see and hear the children engage in the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection is really a joy I can’t explain. And as a pastor there is not much more joy available than to see our church loving their Indigenous neighbors. At TDAC our hearts are full as the Lord is bringing two cultures together because of the gospel. Jesus said in Matthew 19:14,
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
As I review this edition’s articles, I am overwhelmed by God's sovereignty in the disappointments of life. The Orner family’s heartbreak opened doors for Lucas to become InterAct’s next executive director. InterAct board member, Keith Klippenstein, experienced a trail of advances and retreats before God threw the doors wide open for ministry in First Nations communities surrounding North Battleford, Saskatchewan.
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9
As we celebrate InterAct’s 75th anniversary, we look forward to the future with Lucas as our new leader. The consideration and search for a successor has been a three-year journey, one that was bathed in prayer. Pray for the Orner family as they walk through a host of transitions, ministry responsibilities, new living circumstances, and family adjustments. God’s man needs the fervent prayers of His children. Thank you for standing with them!
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5
Our loving Father’s provision of a new director for InterAct Ministries has opened the door for me to move toward the next chapter in the Smith book of ministry. After more than sixteen years serving in this role it is time to step back so new vision, passion and energy can take the leadership baton. My heart is full of thankfulness for the years I have served as InterAct’s director. I have served shoulder to shoulder with some of God’s finest servants! I have been blessed to have had the prayers of so many. As this is the last “reflection” I will write, let me thank you for standing with InterAct and our faithful staff for many years! God has honored your prayers.
You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. II Corinthians 1:1
InterACTION is a publication of InterAct Ministries