From Baikal Lake, one mile deep, to Issyk-Kul Lake, one mile above sea level!
My nearly straight-line, three-and-a-half-hour flight through Osh was canceled at the last moment. The shortest one available that day was through… Moscow: five-and-a-half hours to the west and then another four-and-a-half hours southeast to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. After only (!) six more hours in a van with the other teachers and speakers for the camp, I was ready for my first presentation! The air around the lake was so clear (and thin) that even the tallest, snow-covered mountains looked like you could touch them with your hands. I was scheduled to teach only one class per day (plus endless Q&A sessions all day long). I spent the rest of my time simply sitting on the shore or under the shade, letting my head continue spinning after full days of crossing time zones back and forth.
This was my second time at this “Sobriety” camp. My classes, again, were lots of fun and quite challenging because of the very mixed audience in front of me. Some were solid Christians who had devoted their lives to helping people overcome drug, alcohol, gaming, and other addictions. Many of them, by the way, were using the Minnesota Model of rehabilitation, which recognizes addiction as a chronic disease rather than a moral failing, and combines medical, psychological, and spiritual approaches. They were asking me lots of questions on that subject because I was “from there.” With almost no Internet to quickly Google the answers, I just stuck to my areas of expertise—Christian Theology and Pedagogy. The most challenging part of my audience was the recently recovered addicts and the families of current addicts who came to the camp as part of their program. They were often very angry with God about their predicament. I knew that my classical “problem of evil” answers would not satisfy somebody asking: “Why did He allow our son/daughter/husband to become an addict? Why is He not answering our many prayers for healing? Where is He when terrible things are happening to us?”All I had to offer was to pray with them to God and, of course, to invite them to attend my “Foundation of Christian Faith” (a.k.a. FaithSearch Discovery) seminar to strengthen their hope and faith in the healing, compassionate, and comforting power of Christ.
One more full day on the road (two car rides and a flight), and I am was Astana, Kazakhstan, at the invitation of the Shanyrak Evangelical Church, where I taught last December. This time around, they want me to teach two seminars and preach at their three Sunday services back-to-back: one translated into English, one into Kazakh, and one for Russian speakers. I am currently sitting in my cell (a guest room at the Orthodox Spassky Cathedral) and drinking lots of ginger, lemon, and honey tea to recover my voice for the next few days of ministry in Azerbaijan and Belarus.
The city of Astana is very new and modern. I will not regret skipping the offered sightseeing tour today under the 97°F sun. The view from my window will have to do.
