Across the Globe: Kent Wilson and Todd Murphey of Micaiah Ministries in Russia

Over the course of the last few months, during a weekly life group at my Pastor’s home, I was privileged to me two gentlemen who are remarkable in their love for sharing God’s word. They have been unable to go back to their mission field in Russia due to covid. On behalf of Christian Women Living Magazine, I would like to introduce Kent Wilson and Todd Murphy of Micahiah Ministries.

CKG: Will each of you please give us a brief introduction to yourself?

Kent Wilson: I’m from Pennsylvania. I’m one of the founders of Micaiah Ministries which was established in 1981. I remember first singing in the church when I was four years old. I prayed and committed my life to Christ at age 8. I was baptized in the Holy Ghost when I was 14 years only three weeks after first having attended a little Pentecostal church. I began singing with two different Gospel quartets when I was 16 and then became a Jr. High youth minister at 18. I began leading worship in various churches when I was 18 & 19 which is what led me to Snowflake, Arizona at age 20 to become minister of music in a little Baptist church. That’s when I met Todd Murphy, because I needed to borrow a set of drums. He and his friend were hanging around the convenience store where I was working. They were interested in the boss’s daughter. Someone there told me that he played the drums.

Todd Murphy: I was raised Mormon. Although I was Mormon, I was known as a “Jack Mormon.” In other words, I wasn’t committed to religion. I was a troubled teenager smoking, drinking, doing drugs and in trouble with the law. I was depressed so I cried out to God, “If You’ll get me out of this mess I’ll do anything that you want.” I thought that if I stopped smoking and doing all of the other stuff that I wouldn’t be depressed any longer, but that didn’t work. God started to bring people into my life including Kent, who began witnessing to me. One night at a Bible study at his house I prayed and asked Jesus into my heart. Shortly after that, because we were doing the worship for the church, we decided to make ourselves available to minister in song at other churches.

CKG: Tell us about Micah Ministries.

KENT: We began as a three-man music team. There wasn’t enough money to sustain us in that first year so the third man took the opportunity to work at his father’s business in another state. The plans were that he would join us later after we had scheduled more meetings for the following year. Although he never re-joined the ministry, Todd and I pushed forward. In 1982 after ministering on a local Christian TV show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we were encouraged to attend Victory Bible College. What a great opportunity!

We continued to minister in various churches while attending college and instead of just doing music in the churches, we began team preaching. The ministry began to metamorphose into what it is today. We’re a ministry with a heart for the local church worldwide as well as we have two homes in Russia for youth in crisis. We’ve ministered in numerous countries including the United States, Russia, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Canada, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Romania, Norway, and Israel. The ministry includes a variety of conferences including leadership conferences, teaching in Bible schools, crusades and speaking in local churches.

Although we’ve recorded seven albums and CD’s, music is pretty much on the back burner today because so many other things have moved to the forefront.

CKG: Tell us about Restoration House.

TODD: In 2001 we were introduced to a group of street kids that were hanging around Victory Church in Saint Petersburg Russia. Well actually, I guess we first met them in 1995 when our team was asked to speak to a special group of kids that the church was feeding. At that time, we didn’t realize we would years later be involved as much as we are today.

But in 2001 during a Micaiah Ministries Leadership Conference an 11-year-old boy named Valodia came to ask for prayer. He was beaten by his drunken parents and thrown to the streets. Some missionaries had made a strange request asking us to bring some socks and underwear for some children they were ministering to. After Kent prayed for Valodia, we told him to meet us and that we would have clothes, food and a blanket for him. He said, “I have nine friends too.” We met with all of them and provided for each one. That’s when it all began.

Each time that we would return to Russia we would fill our luggage with supplies for the street kids. We helped to sponsor three feeding organizations so that young people would be able to warm themselves and receive food and clothes. After numerous visits to the feeding centers and watching them turn the kids back out onto the streets into the cold after a few hours, we knew that we needed to build a home so that they could live there and receive help including life skills training.

We began with one small home for boys. We continued to meet with kids on the street and noticed that more and more girls were also appearing on the streets. It was time to build a home for girls. We have made three additions including an apartment for our directors. By the way, five phases of building debt free even in the middle of the world financial crisis. God is so good!

CKG: When did you know that you were called to an overseas ministry?

KENT: I think that I knew from childhood. Gospel quartets would come to our church and community and my family would host some of them in our home. Traveling ministry got into me from them. Watching TV ministers and seeing the crusades and listening to the missionaries that visited our church made me long to go and tell others about Jesus. Of course I read the book of Acts where Jesus told that they were filled with power to be witnesses of Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the entire world.

CKG: What is your earliest memory of church?

TODD: My earliest memory of church is the Mormon church, attending “Primary” or what we would call Sunday School in the Christian church. There we learned songs like “Give said the little stream” and “Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.” Later they tried to teach us the doctrine of Mormonism, but by that time I was caught up with my friends from school and didn’t pay much attention to doctrine.

It wasn’t until I was 19 that I began to attend a Christian church. I remember that although they fought among themselves a lot at the business meetings in this church, they loved the visitor’s. When I agreed to allow Kent to use my drums at the church, I was playing in bars on the weekend. I would take any opportunity to play the drums any time I could, so I told Kent that he could use my drums but that I go with them. He told me later that he prayed and felt that God told him that if the church would allow me to play the drums that they would love me into the Kingdom. That’s exactly what happened.

CKG: What is the most profound instance of witnessing a miracle of God?

TODD: Which one is more profound than another? That’s so difficult to say. There have been so many miracles that we have seen in this ministry. I have to say that I am amazed at how many times that God has used this ministry to pray for people who were told that they couldn’t have children, yet God performed a miracle and they have children. There was also an instance in Salem, Ohio when a lady came to a Wednesday night revival meeting to ask for prayer. She had been to the doctor earlier in the day and was told that the baby she was carrying had pulled away from the placenta and that she would miscarry that night. The doctor told her to go home and rest and wait. She told him, “No, Micaiah Ministries is at my church. I’m going to church and they will pray for me and everything will be alright.” We prayed and they had a baby boy.

KENT: For me it was my own miracle when I was 18 years old. I was in a car accident where the car rolled four times and on the third impact I was thrown approximately 50 feet into the air and fifty feet across. I landed with a broken right wrist, a laceration in my head, a collapsed right lung, a blockage of the colon and a severely crushed back. Two vertebrate’s crushed over 70% and one over 50%. The doctors said that if I lived through the night that I would never walk again. I was told that there were thousands of bone particles that were encircling my spine and that if I moved incorrectly that they would sever my spine and kill me instantly. This was just days before my 18th birthday.

I was in the hospital one week and then on Sunday morning I was watching a minister on TV who was showing miracles as he prayed for people. Then he spoke to the camera and said, “You in your hospital with your severely crushed back, if you’ll just reach out right now and believe, God’s going heal you.” I reached out and believed and God healed me.

The doctors tried to disprove the miracle but couldn’t. I was released a few days later but told that I would be crippled up and in a wheelchair by the age of 30 because of the impact to my body.

A few years later symptoms including severe pain began to show up all over my body, and when I returned to another doctor he in fact diagnosed me with a form of arthritis and said that it was as if my joints were turning to sand and there was nothing he could do other than give me a pill that might slow down the process.

I began to pray for others that were diagnosed with arthritis. God woke me up at 5:00AM approximately six months later and told me to throw away the medication and that I would never need to take it again. I’m 60 years old and I have no symptoms of arthritis in my body! Hallelujah!!

I’ve been privileged to share that testimony all over the world and then pray for people and watch God heal them.

CKG: Where is your favorite place that you have ministered?

KENT: Each place that God places me is special to me. After my second trip to Russia I told God that I wanted to move there to minister because the people were so responsive to me. The day I returned to the United States I felt that God told me that I had lost sight of my first love which was for revival in America. I sensed him telling me that if I would once again be passionate about revival in America that He would “Open up the windows of the world to me.” He said that He would give me a message to take out to the world and while I was there He would give me a message to bring back to America. It was after that, that God made opportunities available in so many countries.

CKG: What has been the biggest challenge during your years of ministry?

TODD: Ministry always has its challenges. I don’t think that I have a problem hearing God’s voice, but I’m continually learning to be quick to obey. Also, we’ve had to learn how to be flexible because we interact with so many denominations and churches, and with so many different personalities of people. That’s not always easy.

CKG: You haven’t been able to go back to Russia in over a year, what have each of you missed during this time?

TODD: RUSSIA… the people, the ministry, the interaction. I smell a smell or while driving I see something and my mind goes to Russia. I miss getting to work on the projects that still need done. We have a vision for the growth of the ministry there, infrastructure, building projects and land development, and I feel like I need to be there to help the process along.

KENT: I miss our pastor friends and getting to minister in the churches. I miss getting to spend time with the residents and staff at Restoration House. They are like family. Many of them call me either dad, uncle Kent or grandpa. I have an adopted son in Russia. Although it’s not official because he was only three weeks from turning 18 when he asked me to adopt him, we have a relationship like I had with my stepfather. My dad (stepfather) never adopted me, but I always loved him as though I was his own son. I never had his name, but I always had his heart. It’s the same with my son. I also have an 8-year-old granddaughter and Sergei and Olya, the directors at Restoration House, have two boys who are like my own grandchildren and I miss the three of them terribly.

CKG: If you could go to dinner with anyone (past or present) besides Jesus, who would you dine with and why?

KENT: Of course you knew I’d say Jesus. There really are too many others to name, like so many of the people who helped to get us started in ministry and are now in Heaven, that’s why I’m looking forward to The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. I look forward to thanking them and rejoicing together over the many accomplishments that they are a part of. If I have to name specifically, I would really love to have dinner with Joseph from the book of Genesis, my granny and my dad (stepfather). I see in them the passion and compassion for people, and love for Christ.

CKG: If you could go to one place that you have never been for a week, where would you go and why?

TODD: Mongolia, Tibet and Bhutan. I don’t even know why it’s always been a passion in me other than I suppose while growing up I saw movies or television programs. Maybe it’s just the mystery of those countries that intrigues me. While in Bible college T.L. Osbourne would ask us to choose a particular nation to pray for and I would choose those.

CKG: Favorite quote?

TODD: My favorite quote is from the movie “Luther.” When Martin Luther is talking to his mentor he said, “That day when you sent me out so boldly to change the world, did you really think that there wouldn’t be a cost?”

KENT: Micah chapter 7 and verse 8, “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.” Because the only time the devil gets to rejoice over us is when we fall down and don’t get back up. I fail, but I’ve learned to get back up.

How can our readers get in touch with you and support your ministry?
Thanks for asking. And thanks for this opportunity for others to get to know the ministry and us. They can write to Micaiah Ministries PO Box 1592 Tahlequah, OK 74465 or they can give online at www.micaiah.org. Our email is micaiahmin@aol.com if anyone wants to communicate further with us.

I would like to thank Kent and Todd for taking time to share their ministry with our readers. It was an honor to get to know you and get a glimpse of your work for the Kingdom.