Anu Väliaho  - missionary to the Finno-Ugric peoples in Russia

Anu Väliaho has served the Ingrian Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Ural district since 1993, working among the ethnic Mari people.  While many Mari are nominally Orthodox, the ancient animistic religion remains the dominant religion. 

Together with her Finnish husband, Juha, they began their work when there was only one Lutheran church in the district.  Today there are 12 churches and just as many preaching points which have not yet been registered as churches, but where people gather for services.  The congregations target the Finno-Ugric Mari people, but welcome people of all nationalities. 

While the district covers a 700 kilometre radius, the Väliahos have worked mostly in the congregation in the city of Joškar-Ola which now has an ethnic Mari pastor, as well as church musician, childrens' workers and so on.

After 12 years work in Joshkar-Ola, the Väliahos moved to the region of Bashkiir and the city of Birsk to continue their work among Maris living in this region.  In two years in Birsk they have built a church building, prepared a mission house and started a theological institute to train workers for starting daughter churches.

Anu was born when Stalin still lived.  As a child she heard her grandmother sing religious songs, but besides that the family did not talk about faith.  Her father was chairman of a collective farm.  Studying to be a teacher brought Anu to Tallinn in the 1960s where she attended church at Christmas times, just for fun.  She eventually gave birth to twin daughters and a son.  In 1989 at a choir concert in the Rannamõisa Lutheran Church outside of Tallinn she heard the gospel for the first time.  She soon joined the confirmation class and was baptised in 1990.  She went on to study at the Estonian Lutheran Pastoral Seminary and worked in the Finnish People's Mission.  Anu, now a widow, married Juha, a Finnish missionary, and so began their ministry in Russia.