Yesterday was another great day. We were fortunate enough to get attend church service in the morning at a Baptist church here in Krasnoyarsk. The building looked very much the authentic Russian church building, but without the icons and incense filling the inside. Instead, there was the familiar sight of modern-day sound and video equipment, a traditional choir up in front and four singers, piano, and violin. There was a lot of worship singing (no Chris Tomlin, though), a kid’s message about Palm Sunday, more singing, baby dedication, marital engagements, more singing, a wonderful message about the importance of the young people in the church, more singing, announcements, and I think more singing. All together a 2 hour and 15 minute affair, and I loved every minute of it. I raised my hand when asked if there were any new visitors, and I received a New Testament and Psalms in Russian (a Bible was actually the one souvenir I really wanted on this trip!). I even was approached during the service by a man who came from all the way on the other side of the church to tell me that he hadn’t seen me in 20 years and to find out how I was doing. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t here when I was 13, but I shook his hand and thanked him anyway. The message was from Mark 10, about Jesus rebuking the disciples for not letting the children come to him, and then telling them “…anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Being here in Russia ministering to the needs of a little child, I could relate perfectly. Sara and I had a long conversation later that evening about the young generation here needs to spark the church here to make an impact. There is still much work to be done here.
Following church, I got the privilege of riding in the back seat with my two new friends, Steven and Jonathan, as we talked about sports and I explained to them the finer points of a California Burrito (they didn’t seem nearly as excited as I was). We were going to have a picnic outside, but the stiff wind coming off the river and the sprinkles that began to fall forced a retreat back to the home of our new friends, Tim and Iris, instead. We also got to meet Sy, who was just united with his new mom and grandmother as they begin the journey home and he begins his new life outside the orphanage. He is 2 ½ and super sweet. I couldn’t believe his vocabulary, either. The boy could practically carry on a conversation. Elijah was the same age when we picked him up and all we could get out of him was “nyet”. And if crying is talking then I guess Micah has a great vocabulary, but I can’t make heads or tails of it. It was just a blessing watching Sy play with Steven and Jonathan. That little boy’s going to do alright. We spent the afternoon visiting with friends, and I got to play a little Siberian baseball in the backyard. No Little League here. Maybe I should come back and start something up. We didn’t want the afternoon to end. It’s amazing how you can feel at home halfway around the world when you are with friends.
We are excited to begin a new week with Micah. We will be bringing him out of the orphanage on Friday. Wow! We are praying for some big-time progress with him this week, and can’t wait for the big day. The other boys had a wonderful day at Silver Dollar City Amusement Park in Branson, Missouri, and are on the road heading north to Minnesota as we speak. More updates to come soon…
JP
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