Day One

The flight across the Atlantic has been a smooth one.  Presently we are just two hours from landing in Moscow.  I’ve managed to get some sleep, thanks to the good Lord and a small tablet of Ambien.  The sun is up again now — it has been a short night due to flying east.

Father, I’m praying for when we meet with our Russian friends in a couple of hours — may we all be deeply encouraged and strengthened by one another’s company.   Give us a safe journey through the Moscow airport.  Despite all my faith in You, the recent bombing at Domodedovo is still in the back of my mind.  I also ask that You will grant a safe drive to Ryazan — I’m all too familiar with Russian traffic!  As we get together with our Russian friends, help us to overcome the language barrier between us.  We’ll have at least one translator, but a translator can only do so much.  Through the few Russian phrases we do know, and through the use of gestures and motions, may we interact directly with one another in a way that glorifies You and that strengthens each of us.  When we do have translators with us, may we make the best possible use of them for conversation.  Preaching or teaching with a translator is fairly simple, but having a one-on-one conversation is much more of a mental challenge.

Father, I pray as a part of this trip that more mission partnerships will be formed between the WVBC congregations and Baptist congregations in the Ryazan oblast.  May the time and money invested in travel and teaching not just be a “one shot deal” — may we sow the seeds of ongoing relationships between West Virginia Baptist and Russian Baptist churches.  May others in the churches represented by our team, and members of churches not represented, get involved in what You are doing to bless and inspire all of us.

Day Two

When we arrived in Moscow, Pastor Pavel was supposed to meet us at the airport.  Unknown to us however, Pavel had a schedule conflict and couldn’t make it.  As we passed through the crowd I thought for certain I saw Dima Mikava, the pastor of Korablino Church.   I dismissed the guy as someone who just looked like Dima.  It was Dima — he was the one designated to meet us in Pavel’s absence.  The team then left the warmth and shelter of Domodedovo airport to get our first taste of Winter 2011 in Russia.  I had worn regular socks and shoes on the plane, and hadn’t taken time in the airport to change to thermal socks and boots.  We had a long walk across the parking lot, shoving heavy, uncooperative luggage carts over bumpy ice and small piles of snow.  The wind was blowing, and the cold cut to the bone.  Finally, after my feet were nearly numb from the ice and my face was stinging from the wind, we reached Dima’s van.  Even though the drive to Ryazan took about three hours and the van heater worked great, I was freezing.  Eventually we reached Pavel’s apartment, where we all unloaded and went inside to enjoy a delicious dinner prepared for us.   We stayed and visited until well after dark, during which time the temperature dropped even more.  Jeannie and I were staying with Lena, who lives in the same apartment complex, but in a different building that is within walking distance.  Under normal circumstances the hike would have been no big deal, but with a blowing wind and sub-zero temperatures, it was another matter entirely.  Lena’s personality and apartment combined to create for us an oasis of warmth.  After we got settled into our living area, I was even able to take a steaming hot shower!  With the effects of the shower and comfort of a Russian quilt, I finally was warm.   Jeannie and I slept great.  Even though the temperatures remained frigid for the rest of the trip, I was never as cold as I was on this first day.  I quickly learned to dress and to cope with the Russian winter.