Monday, July 23rd - Day 3
We're on the overnight train from Moscow to Lipetsk as we write this. It's dark now but we had a couple hours of light to look out over the Russian countryside. Rolling green hills stretch out to the horizon with thick stands of aspen trees breaking up the grassland. We've passed several small communities with groups of 100 year old farm houses and matching barns. People in Russia say there are two different countries here: the country of Russia and the country of Moscow. It's easy to see that as we ride out of the modern city with 12 million people, Mercedes and BMW's parking on the sidewalk because the city is overflowing with cars, and hotels running $2,000 per night and into the rural areas with subsistence gardens and outhouses in the backyard.
Before boarding the train at 9:00 p.m. we spent the day touring the city with Serge, an accountant with Slavic Gospel Association's Moscow office. He explained that Moscow is an ancient city, founded in 1170 A.D.. We didn't see any buildings that old, but there are many churches and buildings that date back several centuries. They are proud of their history as reflected in the many monuments and churches dedicated to battle victories, conquering generals, poets, and communist leaders. Red Square is impressive, bordered with the tall walls and towers of The Kremlin on one side and beautiful buildings and cathedrals on the other.
Throughout the city are unavoidable remnants of their communist past. A towering statue of Lenin stood right outside our hotel. His embalmed body still resides prominently in a tomb in Red Square. The buildings are decorated with stonework depicting Communist symbols. The railing in bridges show sheaves of wheat and sickles. Many subway stations have mosaics depicting the working class and bronze reliefs of Communist leaders. Serge explained that this poses a problem for the Russian leaders who want to break from Communism but also retain pride in their past and please the people, many of whom still believe in that system. It's a beautiful city though and we enjoyed our tour.
In the mid-afternoon we met up with Vadim, the main youth leader for the Tambov region. He is in charge of the camp we will help with. Vadim would like to turn part of a 30 foot high brick wall at the camp into a climbing wall. The problem is he doesn't have any experience. We happen to have two very experienced climbers in Mike and Luke who are thrilled at the chance to help put the wall together. Coincidence . . . hmmm?
It was nice to board the train and sit for a while after walking the pavement and cobblestones for hours. We had a fun time of fellowship piled into one cabin for the first couple hours. We played a card game, looked out the windows, and talked about the benefits of being around believers from other countries. We've realized it helps us see ourselves and critically analyze our Christian walks in a new light. Now the girls are next door in their cabin and we guys are in another. When the sun wakes us up in the morning we should be in Lipetsk!
P.S. The pictures show the crew in Red Square and Mike, Luke, and Dan on the train
We're on the overnight train from Moscow to Lipetsk as we write this. It's dark now but we had a couple hours of light to look out over the Russian countryside. Rolling green hills stretch out to the horizon with thick stands of aspen trees breaking up the grassland. We've passed several small communities with groups of 100 year old farm houses and matching barns. People in Russia say there are two different countries here: the country of Russia and the country of Moscow. It's easy to see that as we ride out of the modern city with 12 million people, Mercedes and BMW's parking on the sidewalk because the city is overflowing with cars, and hotels running $2,000 per night and into the rural areas with subsistence gardens and outhouses in the backyard.
Before boarding the train at 9:00 p.m. we spent the day touring the city with Serge, an accountant with Slavic Gospel Association's Moscow office. He explained that Moscow is an ancient city, founded in 1170 A.D.. We didn't see any buildings that old, but there are many churches and buildings that date back several centuries. They are proud of their history as reflected in the many monuments and churches dedicated to battle victories, conquering generals, poets, and communist leaders. Red Square is impressive, bordered with the tall walls and towers of The Kremlin on one side and beautiful buildings and cathedrals on the other.
Throughout the city are unavoidable remnants of their communist past. A towering statue of Lenin stood right outside our hotel. His embalmed body still resides prominently in a tomb in Red Square. The buildings are decorated with stonework depicting Communist symbols. The railing in bridges show sheaves of wheat and sickles. Many subway stations have mosaics depicting the working class and bronze reliefs of Communist leaders. Serge explained that this poses a problem for the Russian leaders who want to break from Communism but also retain pride in their past and please the people, many of whom still believe in that system. It's a beautiful city though and we enjoyed our tour.In the mid-afternoon we met up with Vadim, the main youth leader for the Tambov region. He is in charge of the camp we will help with. Vadim would like to turn part of a 30 foot high brick wall at the camp into a climbing wall. The problem is he doesn't have any experience. We happen to have two very experienced climbers in Mike and Luke who are thrilled at the chance to help put the wall together. Coincidence . . . hmmm?
It was nice to board the train and sit for a while after walking the pavement and cobblestones for hours. We had a fun time of fellowship piled into one cabin for the first couple hours. We played a card game, looked out the windows, and talked about the benefits of being around believers from other countries. We've realized it helps us see ourselves and critically analyze our Christian walks in a new light. Now the girls are next door in their cabin and we guys are in another. When the sun wakes us up in the morning we should be in Lipetsk!
P.S. The pictures show the crew in Red Square and Mike, Luke, and Dan on the train
1 comment:
Thanks for the group pic with ALL of you in them...it was big enough so I could print it off. The architecture looks wonderful! Have a great time of fun and fellowship as well as hopefully changing some kids lives with the help of the Lord!!! Love the blogs...they are very informative!
In His Service,
Love,
Mom Elzinga
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