Today our return flight left from Moscow to the United States. Our plane was delayed in getting to the airport, so we were two hours late leaving. Pastor Pavel and Olga stayed to wait with us, and to greet Keith Miller and his party as they arrived on the same plane that would take us home. Finally the time came to say goodbye to Pavel and Olga as we passed through the airport security checkpoint. We had a smooth flight across the Atlantic, but due to the delay of our flight in Moscow, we missed our connecting flight to Charleston. We waited a few hours in Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. before catching the last flight to Charleston of the evening. It was early morning when we finally made it home. We were very tired, but very blessed. The partnership between West Virginia Baptists and Ryazan Baptists continues…
All the training seminars are concluded now — today we traveled to Moscow in preparation for the departure of our flight tomorrow. We stopped at the ministry center for some final pictures before beginning our goodbyes. Due to the amount of luggage we had, and the arrival of Keith Miller and his party in Moscow the next day, we took two vehicles on the trip. Pavel, Greg and Jon rode in Pavel’s van, and Olga, Jeannie and me rode in her car. Our destination was slightly north of Moscow, to a resort at which Olga works. The drive took six hours due to heavy Moscow traffic. Jeannie and I had the opportunity to talk with Olga at length. She shared about her upcoming mission trip to Austria in April, and how she was seeking to raise financial support for the effort. We were glad to help her and are sure that her other West Virginia friends will feel the same.
When we arrived at the resort, it was more like a Camp Cowen with a huge amount of snow and ice. We took a quick tour of the facility and had a late lunch in the dining hall. By the time we unloaded what little luggage we would need for the night, the sun was setting. The temperature was dropping quickly, so we moved rapidly from one building to another. I didn’t see a thermometer, but it had to be at least ten below zero. The men of the team were treated to a hot sauna and a late dinner while there. The women went to the sauna later. We had a few minutes of conversation in the downstairs of the cabin where we were all staying before going to our rooms. The Russian people know how to do heat — despite the bitter cold outside, it is very comfortable inside.
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