A young Russian woman had been sent to a hospital in Japan for a rare, life-saving procedure. After she arrived she couldn't stop crying. The doctors and nurses, who didn't speak Russian, were unable to console her. Finally they decided to call an American missionary in their town to see if he could help her.

The missionary came to the hospital and tried to comfort her, but he didn't know Russian either. When the patient saw his Bible and the communion wafers and juice he had brought with him, however, she smiled and nodded to indicate her approval. Then, with no verbal communication at all, this American man and Russian woman shared a common bond in Christ. He later learned that this fellow believer was encouraged and strengthened as they shared in remembering the Lord's death.

I'm not surprised. This experience illustrates the unity we have as believers in Christ. We celebrate that oneness as together we remember His death and the forgiveness and new life He has given to us.

Sometimes, as in the case of the American man and the Russian woman, Christian unity transcends language barriers. Followers of Christ will always experience a common bond in Him.  — David C. Egner