The Beat Goes On In the fall of 1995, Mark Rollins and CFH board member John Little traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, carrying a two- chamber Medtronic pacemaker for a desperate heart patient — Tatyana Redeuko. On September 10th of that year, the pacemaker was surgically implanted. For the first time in several years, this single mother was able to function normally. This act of Christian charity opened the door for evangelism at the St. Petersburg Academy of Medicine. Doctors and patients heard the Gospel message from Christ for Humanity's Russian ministry team led by Steve Gregg, affording many people the opportunity to accept Christ. During the past seven years, Tatyana's heart has continued its steady beat, despite hardships and tragedy. Three years ago, her daughter died, leaving two children without a parent. Tatyana's granddaughter (age 19 at the time) went to live with her paternal grandmother. Tatyana's 8-year-old grandson came to live with her. Life in Russia is hard at best, but the responsibility of raising a child can be overwhelming, particularly when your health is fragile. But love is a powerful weapon against difficult odds. Since 1995 the St. Petersburg Medical Academy has checked Tatyana's pacemaker yearly. Early in 2002 the doctors noticed that the pacemaker battery was no longer functioning at capacity. They estimated that the battery would be dead by August. Without the help of a pacemaker, Tatyana would weaken and eventually die. So Tatyana contacted Lena Gregg at Christ for Humanity in Tulsa, seeking help. Lena immediately called Tulsa cardiologist José Medina. Dr. Medina was the physician instrumental in obtaining Tatyana's original pacemaker. He promised to do everything in his power to get a replacement for the dying battery. Dr. Medina notified Medtronics of the problem, and the company agreed to furnish the replacement battery. However, Christ for Humanity would be responsible for getting the device from the United States to Russia. As with any donation of humanitarian aid going abroad, the successful delivery of the pacemaker battery would require mounds of paperwork. Lena Gregg, who handles international shipping for Christ for Humanity, quickly set the heavy wheels of Russian and U.S. red tape in motion. By September of 2002, the pacemaker was approved as humanitarian aid both in Russia and the United States. Now the problem was finding a way to get the device from Tulsa to St. Petersburg. Lena learned that Buckner International, a Texas ministry with which CFH works jointly on a regular basis, was sending a mission team to St. Petersburg at the beginning of October. That team agreed to deliver the pacemaker to Dr. Yashin as soon as they arrived in Russia. As the doctor had predicted, Tatyana's pacemaker failed in August. Medication kept her heart beating, but she was again a complete invalid. Tatyana's prayer for many years has been that God would allow her to live long enough to see her grandson into adulthood. Faith and prayer gave Tatyana the strength to survive two long months until the Medtronic battery arrived. God answered Tatyana's prayer, using many to accomplish His purpose: Dr. José Medina, a cardiologist who cares about the life of a woman he will never meet; Medtronics, a company willing to put the "bottom line" aside to save a single life; Tatyana's friend Lena, who spent countless hours arranging the battery's safe deliver; Buckner International, a Christian ministry amenable to hand-delivering the unit to Russia; and finally, Dr. Yashin and his staff, who successfully restored Tatyana's pacemaker. Today, Tatyana feels well and able to care for her 11-year-old grandson. Jeremiah 29:11 states clearly God's design for the life of the believer: "'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'" Tatyana can claim this verse, for God has demonstrated his great and wonderful mercy to her and her grandson.