Last week - after being back at our apartment in Ekaterinburg long enough to catch up on a little sleep, enjoy a hot shower and do some laundry - we took a bus back to the city of Chelyabinsk, a few hours south of here. This is the city of Heaven's Open church and the regional CCX (student movement) group. We had already spent much of July with many friends from Chelyabinsk who took part in one of the 3 camps we participated in. So it was nice to be able to spend a week with people already "mid-conversation", so to speak. Rather than just catching up, we were able to go deeper in our conversations and relationships, which is always gratifying. We spent Sunday with Heaven's Open church, where Dan preached. They are so grateful for the partnership they have with Alleluia (and many of you!) through us. I wished that day that many of you could have been there to experience the contradictions of faith here: a weak church, yet so strong in their faith in so many ways; a poor church and yet so hospitable and overflowing in generosity.
The communion table.
Dan preaching last Sunday.
Praying for a church member with cancer.
Friday we celebrated Pr. Ilya and Anya's 7th wedding anniversary with them, their families and many close friends (both theirs and ours). It was a rather impromptu gathering - they invited everyone within a few days and only finalized things Thursday night - but still 21 of the 23 invited guests made it. Proof that Russians are an event-oriented rather than time-oriented culture :) They said 7 seemed like a significant year biblically speaking... and they just wanted an excuse to throw a party! Another reason for them to celebrate this year - they have just announced that they are expecting their 2nd child at the end of February. It is a real demonstration of faith and joy for this couple - who are stretched financially, even by Russian standards - to have another baby. It was evident to us, though, as we looked around the party Friday night how key the ministry of this family is. They have one of the healthiest marriages we know, either side of the Atlantic, which sadly couldn't be said of many of those gathered to celebrate. Russian society has some crippling disfunctionalities (to use an American word), and families inside the church seem to suffer almost as much as those outside. It is reassuring to us to see Pr. Ilya and Anya living a practical faith that gives hope to the people in their congregation.
Pr. Ilya & Anya: 7 Happy Years!
Celebrating Ilya & Anya's anniversary.
We'll try to update some more in the next few days with stories of the last few weeks. This week is a busy one! For now, go over to our Picasa web albums and take a look at the newest photos from the last week & a half. Pray that our final days with friends and the church here in Ekaterinburg would be meaningful and not simply bustling. Pray too for our preparations for Sunday: Dan preaches and then leads a bible class in the afternoon; I will be leading the youth meeting that evening.
At the dacha.
Dan and Lucy near the city center in Chelyabinsk.
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