In late June - early July, I enjoyed the opportunity once again of leading a team of Volunteers in Mission / Russia Initiative connection folks, to Russia. As always, it was a great blessing. It was also a greater challenge than some previous trips. Part of that was due to the more complicated logistics of this venture, which had five purposes: (1) a visit by Trinity and Bel Air churches to Millennium UMC in Orel, our sister congregation there; (2) an exploratory visit by persons connected with the Board of Child Care, looking at possible new partnerships with ministries with children and youth on the Central Black Soil District and in St. Petersburg; (3) a visit by the pastor and members of Bethany UMC (Ellicott City) with their sister church at Latnaya near Voronezh; (4) exploration of a new relationship between Grace UMC (Gaithersburg) and a church on the CBS district; (5) repair / refurbishment work and visit with a youth camp at Camp Kristall, the Eurasia UMC’s camp near the town of Ramon’, in the vicinity of Voronezh.
The visit with the Orel church: Pastor Lev Mikhailov and his congregation, was delightful as always. They are wonderful at welcoming hospitality, and we were able to dine and share in their homes and spend time together worshiping, touring, and talking about our relationship together. We do detect some discouragement and fatigue, due to the changed and less open cultural environment in which they do ministry. Our commitment to them this year is to hold them in prayer and be more energetic in communications. We love them dearly as brothers and sisters in Christ, and want to help them to flourish.
At Kristall, we see slow but steady progress. The main dining building (stolovaya) now has functioning bathrooms, and we also helped with exterior refurbishment and sprucing up, and work on two of the smaller huts (domiki). Our group returned very enthusiastic, to the point that we are looking at possibly having two teams next year: one in the spring to do advance work and focus on the water supply (the Trinity - Bel Air focus) and another to complete that work and focus on the kitchen (the Baltimore-Washington Conference emphasis). Our team came back pumped about Kristall, and has already been meeting to begin working on next year.
Julie Wernz and Rev. David Simpson of the Board of Child Care’s board found some promising connections for supporting and resourcing the work with orphans and children/teens with special challenges. They will be developing this, but returned with their interest strongly sparked. Pastor Rauza Landorf (Grace UMC, St. Petersburg) gets a heroine’s award for leaving the hospital in order to meet with our folks while they were there.
More is yet to come. God is doing amazing things; and though the path has become stonier in some ways than before, the light beckons on like never before. Our love and prayers are with the Eurasian church, especially during this year of leadership transitions at both the DS level (CBS District) and episcopal level (Eurasia Area).
(Sheep Springs, New Mexico; 26 July 2012)
