My six days of video recording and preaching in Kursk will be remembered by the background sound of air-raid sirens which went off multiple times every day and nearly every night. I was probably the only one, however, who paid any attention to them. Life was just going on as usual on the streets of the city. My camera crew didn’t even stop recording my lectures when explosions were heard in the distance. “We’ll just edit it out,” said the sound guy.

All-in-all we recorded eighteen academic hours of classes, plus a few short devotional messages they will offer to audiences in Russia and other countries (with subtitles).

Transitioning from a week of family vacation in Northern Italy to ministry in Russia went smoothly. I didn’t even have to change my attire as the first few days in Moscow met me with the same nice weather and big-city dress code.

As usual, most of my events in September are held in churches, social gatherings, and media outlets. Schools, universities, and seminaries are still finalizing their schedules and will start inviting me again later in the school year. I did, however, teach two classes yesterday at Kolomna Theological Seminary where my courses have already become a regular part of the curriculum in Missions and Apologetics. An online class at Belgorod Seminary on the Arguments of the Existence of God in the afternoon made my day very full.

“This (historic evidence for Christian faith) was exactly what our youth needed to hear and to see today. Frankly, their parents seem to have enjoyed it just as much. Thank you for making this long trip to Izhevsk this summer. We’ll be counting on you for the next year family camp with your “63 Arguments for the Existence of God” – these were the last words I heard earlier today from the camp leader as I was leaving it for the airport. My clothes still smelling of campfire and my memories still full of the remarks and inquiries from the presentation I finished this morning, I am now waiting for my first flight (out of four) on my way back to Minnesota.

Math, Russian style. My Moscow event hosts at Favor (Mount Tabor) Center closed online registration when it reached 150 for the hall which seats 80, and then looked truly disappointed when only 40 or so people showed up. I was not – this is pretty normal for: 1) free registration; and 2) summertime. For the upcoming two sessions, however, administrators want to make registrants to pay a nominal fee of 300 rubles (~$3.50) and, I was told, are already way overbooked. Also, they gave me exactly ninety minutes but then simply added another hour – upon the audience demand. I was happy to oblige, but my poor feet were shaking after the forty-eight-hour trip from Minnesota, including two mostly sleepless nights and crossing eight time zones. That trip was extended by an unexpected five hours of standing in the line at the border crossing from Estonia over the Narva River bridge. Admiring two gorgeous Middle Age castles on both sides of the border partially sweetened the delay and the frustration from missing my train.

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.