C.B.M. VISIT TO YELETS AND LIPETSK
31st March – 7th April 2001
We were met at Sheremetevo airport by Bro Iain and Sis Anna, who are living in Moscow, and after a short wait for Lissie’s bags, which had been left behind at Amsterdam, we Metro’d to the railway terminus, where we all embarked on the overnight train to Yelets.
Very early next morning we were collected from the station by contact Kostya, who kindly took us to the Yelets Hotel. After a rest, we were glad to meet Bro Edward and his daughter Sis Ludmila, and Bro Igor from the Ukraine, our ‘official’ translator. By ten o’clock the hotel room began to fill up as we prepared for a Breaking of Bread. We were joined by Bro Vladimir and Sis Nina , Bro Sasha S, Bro Yuri, and Sis Lilia from Yelets, plus Sis Valentina and Sis Genia and Bro Sasha P from Efremov. Sis Oxana away in Ireland was much in our thoughts, too. Sis Valya had brought her friend Elena and little Natasha from Efremov, Genia was accompanied by her friend Valentina whom we met last September, and contact Julia C also arrived, with her younger sister Olga. We continued our study of Acts 15, then read the portions for the day and broke bread in peace. As everyone was hungry and no one had food we decamped to the Hotel restaurant and fed, not quite 5000, but getting on for 20. Afterwards we travelled to the familiar Palace of Culture where Bro Iain gave an excellent talk on Life after Death, with many questions afterwards, followed by a Bible story about Nebuchadnezzar’s Big Day. We said goodbye to the Efremites, but not before contact Valentina said she wanted to be baptised at our next visit, along with with a friend at Efremov who had also completed the Correspondence Course and Bible Basics. We found Sis Valya not too well, suffering from high blood pressure. She is still mulling over a move to Cheliabinsk to be with her son, who has promised to take care of her there. As she needs company, and there is a thriving ecclesia in the town, this would seem to make sense.
Monday morning dawned, and after breakfast we set off for the infants school to meet the children and tell them about England, with a Bible story about Daniel in the lion’s den. Back at the hotel we spent several hours on the readings with Nina and Vladimir, Julia and Olga and later Sasha S. Nina had arranged an impressive number of students to listen to us at the Pedagogical Institute, now upgraded like many English colleges to the status of a University. In the unusual luxury of a fine classroom we addressed 30 young people on the question Is there a God? Then Sis Lissie showed slides of the Christadelphians in Glasgow. Lots of the audience signed up for a copy of ‘God Is’, and a correspondence course.
It was back to the school on Tuesday, where we sat in on an art lesson, followed by a colourful play in full dress about a traditional Russian wedding, followed by a ‘feast’ of cream cakes and orange juice. Here we met the older students, and listened to a brilliant piano recital by a 12 year old boy, playing his own composition on the subject of The Judgement, with deep, sombre chords. After lunch in the student’s canteen at the university (a bargain) we read from the scriptures, while Bro Iain and Bro Igor talked privately to Nina and Vladimir’s son, Vladimir 2, who had asked to discuss our beliefs. In the evening we returjned to the University where 18 students were waiting for a second session, this time on ‘Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?’, followed by a talk from Iain on the implications of the Christian life.
On Wednesday it was time to bus to Lipetsk to meet our new sister Nastya, baptised in February, and the contacts Valentin had gathered together for us. Iain and Anna returned to Moscow, but we were delighted that Julia C decided to come with us to Lipetsk, her sister having returned by then to Efremov for school. Nastya was well and in excellent spirits. Though young, she made an excellent hostess, and was obviously good company for Valentin, whom she had married last autumn. Soon we met Sergei S, Maria S and Sasha M. All three asked to be baptised (Sasha had been interwiewed last September but had felt then that he needed more time). We arranged to talk to them when they were free on Thursday evening. Meanwhile we discussed the readings, and Lissie organised a Bible team game. In the evening the talk revolved around Ecclesiastes and the brevity of life. We were introduced to Gennady, an old friend of Valentin. He had a delightful respect for the things of God, even though he had some reservations, and we talked late with him. At bedtime, we were overjoyed to hear from Julia that she too had decided she must be baptised. Tomorrow was to be a busy day!
After breakfast on excellent Scots - type porridge, Igor and David interviewed Julia, who gave a good confession, and later that morning we passed her through the water and into Christ. It was time for a walk in the park in the balmy Spring sunshine. By now we were wishing we had packed summer clothes instead of winter thermals! Nastya came home from the University and prepared lunch ( tender fried beef). Vasily, an old contact, turned up, and Valentin introduced Yanie, his pupil, who had come round for her English lesson, and enjoyed some first hand practice. Soon it was evening, and David and Nastya interviewed Sergei, while Igor and Lissie talked to Maria. They decided she needed more time to prepare herself, which she accepted with good grace. Then, while Lissie kept the rest of our visitors occupied with a Bible game, David and Igor checked with Sasha that he too was ready to be baptised. After that we ran the water again, and Sergei and Sasha entered the family of God. A solemn but joyful Breaking of Bread sealed our new found fellowship in the Lord.
Friday morning dawned, and we took the bus back to Yelets, where Nina had prepared a fine dinner. We were surprised and delighted to meet Eugene S from the Tambov region, a young brother who had been at the Bible School in December. He had come over specially to be with us. At four we walked to the Library, where 20 enthusiastic members of the Book Club listened to a presentation on Archaeology, and then, over a huge tea, plied us with an Agincourt barrage of questions about the Christadelphians. When we had time to recover, Nina whisked us off to the Drama School for a spot of culture (an impressive modern ballet version of Harlequin – we had to meet the cast and make speech afterwards), then it was back to her flat for our last evening together. We listened to Jesus at work in Luke chapter seven, and Lissie produced a quiz on Bible characters.
Then it was time to say goodbye – Julia was off to a new life in St Petersburg on Sunday, and we had to fly back to England and Scotland, respectively. Iain, Anna and Igor Podgaisky met us at Moscow, and we set off for the flat of Bro Igor S. Until it was time to set off for the airport, we did the readings and helped sort out a mountain of postal replies to leaflets and to adverts placed by Bro Iain. Finally it was up in the air and back to our watery land, rejoicing in the baptisms, and praying God’s blessing on those we had left behind.
[HOME PAGE] [CONTENTS] [VISIT MY BUSINESS SITE !] [SEND ME A MESSAGE]
