My first three days in and around Moscow allowed for some rest after the long flight via Amsterdam and Istanbul, and crossing eight time zones. As occasionally happens with my Russian ministry partners, they “suddenly remembered” that one of my presentations fell on the same date they had already reserved for another event. Mine was automatically canceled, which I only learned upon arrival at Sheremetyevo airport.
“Luckily,” another ministry was willing to open their doors for that Monday night. They even sent me the draft of the flyer the organizers wanted me to review before it was posted on their website for RSVP. It looked so great, I didn’t even pay attention to the date – May 14. Sure enough, the doors were closed when I arrived there on Monday, May 13, and discovered the error. “More that fifty people already signed up for your presentation, which is by far more that we usually have at our events!” dear sister Elena texted me. “Can you, please, please, please come tomorrow?” Unfortunately, the next day was already filled with presentations four time zones away from Moscow, and we had to reschedule their event for mid-July.
To be honest, I was grateful for that unexpected break because the next week in the Kemerovo Region turned out to be so full of classes, seminars, and presentations, along with very intensive travel time over hundreds of kilometers across Siberian taiga! Each day Fr. Aleksiy, an Orthodox Priest and a Missionary for the Mariinsky Diocese, would drive me from town to town where I had at least two (sometimes, three!) lectures at public school, medical, technical, railroad, and pedagogical college audiences – both students and faculty. Teaming with him was a true blessing for both of us. My academic credentials and international status would not only open the doors of these institutions for my “Historic Foundations of Christian Faith” presentation, it also allowed Fr. Aleksey to follow-up with the direct call to faith and Christian moral teaching while I was (very slowly!) unplugging and packing up my gear, cables and books.
Back in Moscow, I taught two extended (four hours long) classed at the Catechism training and also had a pleasure of attending a concert by my good friend and a missionary partner Fr. Oleg and his band called “Raindrops.” I had translated a couple of songs for them into Russian and enjoyed hearing them live for the first time.
An overnight train brought me to Bryansk, where I will be teaching at the local Baptist community and at the Orthodox Missions trainings. The nightingales’ song and cuckoos’ sounds outside of Yuri’s house were suddenly interrupted this morning by anti-aircraft fire – a reminder of how close this area is to the war (the term that was just recently allowed by the official line).
