Time definitely flies faster when your days are full of exciting events, visits and conversations. I am already half way through my teaching trip in Russia, mainly in and around Moscow. My Orthodox Church ministry partners set up their dioceses missions and catechism conferences every night so that I could do my teachers’ training sessions in the mornings. On a couple of occasions – in Kashira and in Kolomna – I was presenting to a quite mixed audiences of public school teachers (mostly non-believers and nominal Christians) and priests in charge of catechism and education.
In those times, it was especially hard for me to present my material in a “politically correct” way without offending either side. I had to speak of Christians in the third person (Christians believe that…, according to Christian teaching…, etc.) addressing teachers and then switch to the first person when I make an eye contact with a person in the cassock (we believe…, in our Bible…, etc.). It was both fun and a challenging task to find the wording and the material that would be appropriate and powerful for these very different groups of participants in the same classroom.
Another challenging experience for me was to present at a drug rehabilitation center run by an Evangelical church in the city of Voskresensk. I just could not resist visiting and couldn’t miss a chance presenting in this city despite of all hesitations I had about the history and archeology material being quite appropriate and effective to this rather specific audience. It turned out to be a valuable learning and very humbling experience for myself. They absolutely loved it! Their questions were always very
sharp and always to the point. Some of them happened to be former teachers, doctors and other professionals with pretty good scholarly background. Others were just great listeners and quick learners. I should never, never underestimate my audiences even if there life circumstances are very different.
The Lord also graciously showed me how powerful is the evidence He left of himself in the Bible and in our history. After one of my presentations for the open audience a young lady came up to me with her eyes shining and almost in tears. She shared with me how impressed she was with the material we studied that night. She was especially excited to learn today that it was not just her own emotional experience and not just her culture that brought her to the church some time ago but the historic fact 
of Christ’ life, death and resurrection that makes her faith in God valid and solid: “I almost regret that I have already been recently baptized. Tonight was the time when I truly committed myself to the Lord with all my heart, all my mind and all my will. I wish I could be baptized again this evening.”
I am looking forward to the next three days of teaching in Tver. I have never been there before and will be meeting many new people and making contacts with many new churches and ministries there and developing relationships for the future visits.
In St. Petersburg, on the other hand, I will be mostly teaching in
the same Teachers’ Continuing Education Centers and Universities where I have already been many times.
Please continue praying for me as I travel and for my family back in MN, ND, and UT!
