Russia

The First East European Youth Week - Jan 2008

We all met, very early, on a cold January morning at Birmingham airport. For many of us this was our first experience of CBM work and for most of us it was our first trip to Russia. For one, it was the first trip outside the UK! There were 11 of us and we the UK contingent who were blessed to be able to attend the first Eastern European Youth week along with 29 others from Eastern Europe. Our destination was 'a resort' approximately 50km north of Moscow.

None of us knew what to expect when we arrived, as the booking had been made by Sis Ksenya from her home near Tomsk, but we were pleasantly surprised. We arrived after dark on Saturday evening and the place was covered by deep fresh snow and was decorated by fairy lights! Our accommodation was two floors in a dormitory building which also had a 'lounge' area where we met to do the readings each morning and where we stayed up late to chat and play games each evening. The dining room was a short walk across the park which provided plenty of opportunity for snow ball fights!

Young people had travelled from across Russia to be with us as well as Kazakhstan and the Ukraine. The brethren and sisters from Tomsk had travelled further than the UK group to be there, something which I for one found difficult to get my head round, and others had travelled for three days on the train to be with us. This alone really highlights how precious this opportunity was for the brethren and sisters to meet together. We were also pleased to be joined by three contacts from the 'This is your Bible' site.

The studies were led by Bro David Smith and were based on moral issues that are presented to us all. The subjects ranged from our attitude to money to principles for marriage and were dealt with in a very practical way, looking at the scriptural principle behind the issue and using that as a base to decide on our response and actions. Due to their practical nature we all took a lot away with us, about how to live in this world with its attitudes diametrically opposed to those by which we are trying to live.

On Wednesday afternoon we were blessed to be able to witness the baptism of Sis Madina - a Sunday School scholar from Kazakhstan. There were tears in many eyes as Madina rose beaming from the water, as we knew that by being baptised she was joining an illegal organisation in her country.

All in all we had a wonderful week together and many friendships were made and strengthened. Plans have already been laid for the youth week in 2009 God willing, but we hope that our Lord Jesus will have returned by then, so that we can be together in God's Kingdom.