Archives for 2017

It was intense: eight class sessions per day, four days in a row. All I could do between sessions was to eat, sleep, and make a quick walk around the building to catch some fresh air. Oh, yes, I had to also keep in touch with my event hosts to confirm, to cancel, to change, and to correct my future presentations. So far not one of them was deleted from my schedule, and two more added on my very first day in St. Petersburg.

Staying in a seminary dorm definitely has its advantages – it costs less than a hotel and it provides valuable contacts for future ministry. The only disadvantage is, of course, that these young men and women do not ever feel like going to bed and are willing to continue our theological conversations way past midnight. Luckily, I was teaching in two different seminaries and had a chance to catch some sleep on the overnight train between the two cities. [Read more…]

First of all, I want to thank everybody who answered my call for saving this trip when I found myself short of funds. May the Lord bless you for your generous and timely response!

More about timing: Most of my events on this trip were tied to certain conferences and retreats. As a result, I had very little flexibility in choosing my dates and routes. That said, some of my ministry partners felt at liberty to suddenly change their dates when they “discovered” that some of them “unexpectedly” fell during Passion Week before Easter. As a result, I will spend quite a bit more time traveling back and forth between Moscow and St. Petersburg on those overnight trains. On the other hand, I’ll be saving money on lodging and giving my host families in both cities a little break while I sleep on the train!

Apart from the “two capitals,” I will also be teaching in smaller cities within a 300 km radius around them – Gatchina, Ivanovo, Vladimir, and Dmitrov. Those events will include all three of my “target audiences”: secular school teachers, lay leaders (and clergy), and the general public—in about equal proportions. I am looking forward to helping them celebrate the Easter holiday as a remembrance of the real historical event, supported by evidence and delivered to us in the most reliable of ancient documents—the Bible, the Word of God!