Four days, four cities, four night trains/buses… But most importantly–it is four degrees warmer here in Chelyabinsk! I was sunbathing this morning at -2F!

Back in Izhevsk, famous for being the birthplace of Kalashnikov machine-gun and the largest man made city pond in the world (10 miles across) my presentations in both secular and church audiences were definitely effected by the cold outside: nobody was in a hurry to leave the comfortable and well-heated conference rooms! Each lastedover four hours and we were still discussing the material on our way to the bus stops. Or, maybe, the weather had nothing to do with it and the topic of knowing Christ was indeed so important and so exciting?

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Amazing! These teachers came for my hour-long training on how to teach the “Intro to the Christian Culture”; and two-thirds of them were willing to stay for the complete two-and-a-half-hour long FaithSearchDiscovery presentation! Even the organizers of this event in Nizhniy Novgorod were caught by surprise: “How can you hold your audience’s attention? Our teachers always complain about our trainings being too long for their busy schedules.” Well, I shouldn’t actually be surprised–they were learning about the most important thing in their life and they clearly knew it!

They also realized that as teachers they cannot present the “ICC” course to their students without knowing first what all this Christianity is about. They wanted to learn what stands behind those masterpieces of Christian art, literature and music they will be teaching about in their classrooms. They needed to know who is this God Jesus Christ who inspired generations of artists, philosophers, scientists and statesmen throughout Russian history. My presentation on the “Historic Foundation of the Christian Faith” (a.k.a. FaithSearch Discovery) comes in very handy!  [Read more…]

Thank you for all your prayers! I am back home–safe and sound!–and in time for Christmas.

My last presentation in Kashira, near Moscow, for twenty-some teachers started an hour later due to a power blackout. None of those teachers however left the room before we completed the training, and all their questions were asked and discussed. One last comment still makes me smile when I remember it:

What a wonderful Christmas gift you have just given to all of us! I will be celebrating these holidays with a meaning that is completely different than ever before–not just a nice folklore story or a beautiful custom but as a real historical event! I cannot wait to share it with my guests around the table and to see their faces when I tell them the Good News–that the Nativity story actually happened! Was it fun for you to see my face today when I heard it for the first time in my life? I will have that same fun too!

Have a blessed and fun time around Christmas and New Year!

Pray for my quick recovery from jet lag, especially as I am jumping right into preparations for my next trip in the end of January!