This is the interior of the Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral Church of Sts Peter and Paul, the bishop's seat for Dietrich Brauer, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of European Russia (ELCROS). As I mentioned yesterday, Dietrich and his family have been hosting us in their apartment near the church. He is married to Tatiana, whom he met at the seminary at St. Petersburg, and they have one son. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner out with them last night. The conversations we shared over the meal, and throughout the visit, have given us a chance to hear the latest news and challenges that ELCROS faces. These include not only issues of sufficient funds to pay pastors, but also challenges surrounding who actually controls the church buildings and their efforts to cooperate with other Protestant churches. The relationships between the various churches in Russia are far from straightforward, and divisions often divide along a "liberal-conservative" line rather than strictly according to denomination or adherance to theological doctrine. Dietrich and the 170 congregations he leads certainly need our prayers and support.
Yesterday we did some sightseeing around the city, with a member of the church as our guide. Her name is Helen, or Leana, depending on who you ask! Her English was quite good and although she is a lawyer, not a tourguide, she did quite well with guiding on a walking tour of the central city. Here is a photo that shows Tatiana and Leana:
She met us at 10:00 am and we didn't return until about 6:00 pm, so we had lots of time to chat as we went. She is about the same age as me, and it was very interesting when she was willing to reminisce and share her perspectives on the changes that have happened in Russia over the last twenty years. Her perspective on the Soviet era is not entirely positive, as one might expect! And the structure of society impacted every aspect of life. Joining the communist youth club, the Pioneers, was essential for anyone who wanted to enter a skilled profession, for example. And many of her friends were only children, like her, simply because the housing was too cramped to allow for larger families. I thanked her for sharing - and apologized if my questions were strange - but this is the only way we can really get to know another culture, by hearing their personal stories.
Of course we had fun along the way, too! Hazel is doing quite well at keeping up with us pastors, keeping us in good humor and well-fed with the snacks she brought along.
And of course, Pastor Todd is making sure that we make regular stops for ice cream. Here he is enjoying our break by the Moscow River.
Today we toured the Kremlin on our own, after a friend of Dietrich's made sure we got to the ticket offices. Ronald was the only one who had never visited the Kremlin. Todd and Hazel of course visited during previous Grace trips, and I had visited it in 1996 during a trip with my mother. We had a very beautiful day, and lots of sun. It was fun to see the groups of schoolchildren on their field trips. The architecture of the cathedrals is quite interesting and our tour book gave enough guidance for us to recognize the key features.
Here we are by the Holy Trinity tower and gate:
That's all for now. We will take the metro and airport express train to the airport tonight, where we will catch at 10:50pm "red-eye" flight to Tomsk. We'll arrive at 6am. The time difference there is exactly 12 hours from Central time. I have no idea what time my body thinks it is, but that's just the way it goes with a trip like this. We sleep when we can and "bear with one another in love"!
No comments:
Post a Comment