C.B.M. VISIT TO YELETS AND LIPETSK
Bro Hans from Adelaide landed in Moscow from Australia a day before me. I was to have been met at Sheremetevo 2 by Bro Igor P, but as he had been away from home for some weeks he had missed vital emails about a change of plans and went to the wrong airport. However we met up eventually in Hans’ room at the Centralnaya Hotel and after buying tickets and taking Hans to see the Red Square we metroed to the big railway station and embarked on the night train for Yelets.
Very early next morning at Yelets station we were kindly collected by contact Kostya, who had hired a minibus to meet us and take us to the Sanatorium, our base for the week. As the upstairs was being painted, with accompanying powerful smells of paint, we settled in downstairs (for connoisseurs, the foyer has also been completely re-vamped, giving the place an unaccustomed air of prosperity). After a rest, we were glad to meet blind Bro Edward and his daughter Sis Ludmila, and newly baptised Sister Natasha, who came by bus from Tambov. After the readings and lunch, we went for a long walk down to the river, to show Hans, who was on his first visit, a little of the old city. We then prepared for the evening talks, where there were 19 present. We continued with the long running verse by verse study of Acts (now in ch 16), then Hans spoke on Psalm 1, and we ended with a study of the Sermon on the Mount. Elena P,w ho showed great interest during our April visit, brought her boy friend Oleg, and both of them attended every meeting during our stay.
Early Saturday morning Bro Igor B arrived from the Ukraine to help with the translating over the weekend. Nina prepared a big breakfast of hot potatoes, cheese, sausage and plums. She continued to minister valiantly to our digestive requirements all week, as the dining hall was out of use. After one and a half hours on the readings, we went shopping for weekend food, and took lunch in a café before returning to the Sanatorium for a Breaking of Bread. We numbered 14 - Bro Vladimir and Sis Nina, Bro Edward and Sis Ludmila, Bro Sasha S, Bro Yuri T, new Sis Valentina K, Sis Genia and Sasha P from Efremov, Sis Natasha, two Bros Igor and ourselves. Just as we were taking the regulation group photo, the door opened, and to our great delight, in walked Sis Julia C from St Petersburg. We had phoned her earlier in the week, and she had said sadly that as she had just started a new job in a new school, she would not be able to come. However, after the phone call, she decided to try after all. She said lots of prayers, managed to book a railway ticket, persuaded a colleague to stand in for her on Monday, and got to us in time for the weekend. Sis Oxana S of Yelets was away in Ireland, but came home recently for a holiday visit. She plans to stay in Eire until March, then move to Germany. The evening was spent on Acts, Psalm 8 and Jesus’ Parables, accompanied by a not so distant beat of drums from a wedding reception in the dining hall, which continued until 1.30 a.m.
Sunday passed peacefully with the readings, lunch, a trip to the Hall of Culture to talk to the Esperanto Club on Gideon, and evening studies on Acts, Psalm 34 and more Parables. There were 19 present. Afterwards Igor B, Natasha, the Efraimites and Edward and Ludmila all set off for home.
Monday morning, after the readings, was spent at the police station trying to register my English visa. After queuing patiently, then again at the bank to buy a form, and once again back at the militia, we were told they could not stamp the visa. So we pressed on to Lipetsk by aftobus. There we were to stay with contact Valentin and his wife Sis Nastya. Nastya has completed her chemistry degree, but as this is no help in finding a job, Valentin is paying for her to attend a new 5 year course on I.T. He is busy translating Italian and tutoring English to make ends meet, and she takes students herself in French. We had a total of 10 for our talks on The Song of the Shepherd and Palm 72, including new contact Andre S.
Tuesday began with cold fish salad, after which we went shopping in the 25 degree heat of a classic September ‘woman’s summer’ (so called because it looks back with sadness to the brightness and freshness of youthful Spring and Summer). A succession of visitors arrived in the afternoon, including young ladies Katy, Yany, Julia and her sister Victoria, and our friend Vasily, who has a new job as masseur to the local football club, together with his young lady Lila, who is a physiotherapist. We talked about the Teaching of Jesus, and discussed the readings at length. During the afternoon the shocking news broke of the massacres in America, vividly covered for hours on two Russian television channels. Valentin, who hates war, was upset, and that night I could hear him calling out from nightmares.
Bro Sasha M came round Wednesday morning for a Breaking of Bread. He has two jobs, as an electrician in a big factory, and looking after children in an orphanage. New Bro Sergei S was away on business, and Maria S, who we spent time with in April, was tied up with her university work. On returning to Yelets, Hans and Igor repaired to the Internet Centre to send emails to their respective beloveds, and back at the Sanatorium, I discovered in our absence Bro Vladimir had suffered a nasty fall, damaging his nose and mouth on the ground. Nina had prepared a visit to the Biblioteka (Library) Club, where we were asked to tell the stories of some of the women of the Bible. We covered Jochebed and Mary Magdelene, after which they wanted to hear all about Bathsheba. Over tea, Hans was grilled about life in Australia, regaling his audience with exciting tales of emus and kangaroos.
Thursday started with rice and jam, fresh yoghurt, plums and apples, and the readings. After lunch Nina marched us off to the school to talk for two hours with the children. They were intrigued by Hans’ descriptions of his native land, and we managed to sing them a duet from the hymn book, to show that music was a feature of First Century worship. On the way home, the heat wave broke with a thunderstorm. Sheltering under brollies, we set off to town for Nina’s ‘culture’ hour at a new museum. Kornikov, a musician native to the town, wrote some excellent classical style music, and unusually for subjects of museums, is still alive. We watched a video of the opening concert this Spring, where he could be seen sitting in our seats in the front row. Then it was off to the University, where an audience of 24 was waiting. We started with the events in America, speaking of God’s plan to curb human wickedness, in which we are all partakers, and in need of forgiveness. Hans finished with a beautiful picture from Psalm 72 of everlasting peace. Too soon, we were off to the station for the one o’clock night train to Moscow. Unfortunately we were in the carriage just behind the locomotive, which was a noisy and fuming diesel. It had an endearing habit of clearing the track for the next kilometre ahead with a loud blast on the hooter, which, as we were travelling at about 50 kilometres per hour, was not conducive to sleep. Such is life. Back in Moscow, we were glad to rest for a while in the new flat of Igor and his father Bro Gennady, where we had a memorable Breaking of Bread. Then it was off to the airport by metro. Hans stayed on for an extra day before flying to Holland to meet some of his Dutch relatives.
Looking back, we had, with God’s help, achieved most of our objectives. The steady growth in numbers continues, and it was good to see our brothers and sisters happy and harmoniously together. Nina is already planning a Christmas get-together of all the brothers and sisters from Yelets and district. We missed Sis Valya A, who had written beforehand to say she was working overtime, but she sent her greetings via Sis Genia, and we sent her a card. Sis Lilia Z came to the first and last of our talks. We were sad not to see Bro Zenia S, who came across to be with us in April. There is still lots of potential, both at Yelets and Lipetsk – Elena P is particularly promising. Bro Hans, who is involved with sending out CBM correspondence courses from Australia, enjoyed practising his Russian, and meeting Russians first hand, and Igor P did an excellent job of translating for a whole week’s studies and conversations. There were even signs that the economic situation is slowly improving, with cranes on the skyline busy constructing blocks of flats in Lipetsk, and shiny new buses in Moscow. However, for those out of work and on pensions, prosperity is still a dream. We look forward to reunion with our brothers and sisters, in God’s good time. May He bless our infant ecclesias in this far away land.
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