Left: Yes, bottled water is available just about anywhere nowadays. Note that the web site at the bottom of the label says www.pepsi.ru - Pepsi Russia being the bottling plant of this water.
Russia: Summer, 2002
Left: Yes, bottled water is available just about anywhere nowadays. Note that the web site at the bottom of the label says www.pepsi.ru - Pepsi Russia being the bottling plant of this water.
During the course of this process, which lasted most of the afternoon, Frank made an offhanded comment to me: "Hey, are you going to be able to go to Russia with my team this summer?"
Though the third millennium is on our threshold, our country still remains a teenager, compared to the countries of the West; an adolescent whose childhood and adolecence were devoid of most things essential for normal development and who stepped into his adulthood, messy, bloody, and distorted, inadequately prepared for his vital functions there.- Alexander Zaichenko, Russian economist, in 1990, as quoted in An Introduction to the Russian Soul
And so, the start of the adventure began the way many of my other short-term missions trips started: with word of mouth information about an upcoming trip by someone to somewhere. Not wanting to try to close a door that God appeared to be opening for me, I asked for the information on the trip.
...In the Russian culture, relationships built in an atmosphere of trust are crucial.Understanding the internal experience of the Russian soul/psyche may help explain some of the extreme reactions and seeming contradictions in the way Russians relate to life. Return, for a moment, to the paradigm of what happens in the experience of abused or abandoned children. There is little in their daily life that is certain. Everything seems tenuous and unpredictable. Promises are made - and never kept. Hopes are raised and then just as quickly, cruelly dashed. A person's inner longings and fears are not affirmed and nurtured. They are exploited.
Out of this background grows the tendency, as adults, to vacillate between extremes and contradictions. For instance, a Russian may appear guarded and distant - as though a thick crust stands between him and everyone else. However, once he feels some safety in the relationship, he might swing to the opposite extreme. One American was surprised to be asked to spend the entire summer at a Russian's family dacha following a simple conversation and the offer of a small gift for her son.
- An Introduction to the Russian Soul
Above Right: The Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat (commonly known as St. Basil's Cathedral) was completed in 1561. The very large size of the building can only be judged by comparison to the woman standing in front of the statues, and behind the group being photographed. We were warned that many people in Russia have not yet adjusted to the liberal new photography rules, and that we should be prepared for some protests about cameras. On the other hand, in a large tourist attraction like Red Square people seem to have adjusted quite well to photography, and during the time we were there noticed that a large number of families and other groups having their pictures taking near the various monuments. The statue is a monument to K. Minin and D. Pozharsky, the leaders of the people's army who liberated Moscow from Polish rule in 1612. The statue is quite recent by Moscow standard though: it was completed in 1818, probably as part of celebrations surrounding Napoleon ceasing to be a threat. Ivan the Terrible was so impressed with The Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat that the architect had his eyes put out so that a duplicate building could never be built, as Ivan wanted the structure to remain unique in all the world. This photograph was taking from the approximate location of the Lobnoye Mesto, a small circular stone monument that served as a soap box of sorts for the Czar. From that monument the heir to the throne was introduced to the people at the age of 16, decrees were read to the people, and sentences for wrongdoers were read to the people.
During the period of preparation for this trip, it was quite easy to feel overwhelmed by the evil history that the people of Russia have lived with for centuries. It was easy to feel somewhat intimidated, and think "What could I possibly do or say that would help minister to the people in Russia? Is there anything that could comfort a people that has had so many promises made to them for so many years, most of which did not come true?" Praise be to God that we do nothing on our own. God did the most difficult part: working inside the hearts of the people we were with. Simple prayer and love for others was mostly what we did to overcome our obstacles, and indeed those were our only options most of the time. He is our strength when we feel weak, when we run out of options God is still there for us to turn to, and when we have an impossible situation on our hands that is when God is most able to do His work, for that is when we are most able to depend fully on His power and care. This type of dependence on God is difficult to learn, and difficult to practice, but it is important to learn it early on in even a short term missions project, let alone any sort of longer term stay. God is the best option when faced with even simple problems, but certainly when faced with the difficult ones He may be the only option.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.- Proverbs 3:5-8