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By Linette Schut
MORE THAN 100 people crowded the small lawn in front of First Lutheran Church in
east Vancouver June 6. As a family appeared in the doorway of the church, the
crowd cheered. “Let Mikhail go free!” cried a loud voice above the applause.
Mikhail Lennikov, his wife Irina, and his 17 year old son Dmitri have been
living with the threat of deportation for almost a decade. After years of
fighting to stay in Canada, Mikhail, a former KGB agent, has finally been
ordered to leave the country.
Rather than return to Russia and be permanently separated from his family,
Mikhail has taken up sanctuary at First Lutheran Church, living in a small room
in the church basement – unable to leave the building.
The Lennikovs are members of the church, and Mikhail has been welcomed by the
congregation to stay in the building, until he is permitted to return to his
wife and son at their home in Burnaby.
The Lennikovs were demonstrably calm about the situation when they spoke to BCCN on the day of the rally. “How am I able to keep this composure?” asked Mikhail. “I have a good teacher: Jesus Christ.”
He spoke of the strength he draws from remembering how Christ suffered much more
than his current situation, saying: “This is exactly where I draw my serenity.”
His wife has also learned to rely on God’s strength in their difficult circumstances. “We’ve lost a lot . . . but we still manage with huge losses,” Irina said. “When you go through all this, you have to have faith; it makes you stronger.”
Faith has been an integral part of the Lennikov family’s lives since they moved to Canada. Mikhail said he began searching for some
sort of faith in his early 30s, while still living in Russia; but because a
church community was not readily available, nothing became of his searching.
But when he came to Canada, finding a church became a priority, along with a
continuing development of his faith. The Lennikovs have been involved in a
number of local churches throughout their 12 years in Vancouver.
For a time, they were a part of local evangelist Audrey Mabley’s ministry. Mikhail was baptized during this time and became involved in other
aspects of the ministry. “Mikhail was in our fellowship for about a year, and led worship,” Mabley said. “He is a fine, wonderful, faithful man of God.”
They found First Lutheran through one of Irina’s coworkers, who encouraged them to come to the church, ensuring them they would
be welcomed and find a family there. They said they have not been disappointed,
and have found unconditional love and forgiveness among the church members.
“We open the door, people walk in, and stuff happens,” said First Lutheran pastor Richard Hergesheimer. “Sometimes the Spirit gives us a swift kick, and reminds us what it means to love
one another and take care of each other.”
Hergesheimer said inviting Mikhail into the church was a “no brainer.” He admitted: “It’s not going to be easy, but we’re in this together because we’re part of the body of Christ.”
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Speaking about Mikhail’s past, Hergesheimer said it didn’t matter: “The slate is wiped clean. I said from the beginning the reason I’ve chosen to stand with Mikhail . . . is because of what’s happened since he’s been in Canada. Everybody has things in the past. This is our way of putting
forgiveness into practice.”
Mikhail’s deportation order came after a long struggle. The government finally decided
that because of his former involvement with the KGB, Russia’s former secret service, he is a potential threat to the country.
Mikhail’s final bid to stay in Canada was rejected by a federal court judge June 1. He
was scheduled to return to Russia June 3, after obtaining a one week extension
to be able to attend his son’s high school graduation.
A letter, co-signed by 23 MPs, was sent to Citizenship and Immigration minister
Jason Kenney and Public Safety minister Peter Van Loan, asking them to halt the
deportation; but at press time, the government still stood firm on their
decision.
A number of people have found sanctuary in Vancouver churches. In 2007, Iranian
Amir Kazemian was granted permanent residency on humanitarian and compassionate
grounds, after spending more than two years at St. Michael’s Anglican Church.
Although the federal government has generally honoured this form of evading
deportation, it is nevertheless technically illegal. Yet the Lennikovs and
their supporters hope Mikhail’s stay in the church will end well. Hundreds of citizens, along with many
government members, are rallying around the family. “We will not give up – and we will not give in until Mikhail is free,” declared Hergesheimer at the June 6 rally.
Irina and Dmitri have both been granted permanent residency on compassionate and
humanitarian grounds.
“This is the place I wanted my son to grow up,” Irina told the crowd at the rally. “I really hope this is the place the three of us will continue to grow together.”
After the rally, Hergesheimer encouraged Mikhail and Irina with words from an
old story about the faith of Hildegard of Bingen: “In the end, Jesus said all shall be well.” As the Lennikovs wait to see what will happen next, they continue to believe in
the truth of these words.
July 2009
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