Do you know what it's like to sit across the dinner table from a pastor and watch him tear up as he thanks you for flying across the ocean and Europe to visit his country and minister? Bruce and I had that experience tonight, and it was overwhelming. Pastor Boris Chernoglaz has got to be one of the most humble men I have ever met. He and his wife Bela pastor the Church of Jesus Christ in Minsk and battle unbelievable things that we American believers could never imagine. First, they are Jewish in a formerly Communist land, so that tells you something right there. Boris' father escaped the Stalinist pogroms only because some co-workers shielded him. Boris was a boy at the time. He was then an engineer for 30 years for the State under Communism before becoming a pastor. Now, he fights the State for the right to pastor a congregation and have it meet regularly as a body. He is absolutely passionate about reformation in all spheres of life, and he is teaching this word all over Minsk. And he thanks us for what we're doing? Please! I wish that you could sit down with this man, for half an hour--fifteen minutes even. He's barely five feet tall and speaks almost in a whisper, but he is a giant in my eyes.
Today was incredible all around, really. Six solid hours of teaching on Christian education, and the people soaked it up. Their questions were so insightful! As it turned out, the primary interest of many here is homeschooling. It was a foreign concept to most of them until recently, but they are ready to run with it. If it's like anything else the people of Belarus do, they'll have it down pat in no time! Right now, they are simply trying to grasp the concept that parents can teach their own children. Bruce taught about the whole principle of Christian education and making your home a center of Godly education even if your children attend a public or private school outside the home. The teachings and the response were fantastic. The Lord is moving here!
After the seminar, we had the pleasure of attending the Concert for the Day of Reformation, a celebration of the religious and reformational history of Belarus. It was held in a large hall with probably 500 people in attendance. There were actors portraying significant Belarussian reformational historical figures, dancers to traditional music, and three bands playing contemporary music. The first band was Psalmyary, the band that came to KPC last spring! It was great to see Dima Petrovsky and the band again; we got to talk to them for a few minutes afterward. Bruce and I also really liked Antivirus, the third, "rockiest,' band. They reminded me a little of Linkin Park--great! All of the songs the bands played were written just for the concert and spoke of reformation. Several of them were traditional Belarussian poems set to music. Of course, we couldn't understand a word and had to be filled in later!
After the concert, we went with Pastor Jaroslaw and his wife, Pastor Boris and Bela, and Vitaly, our interpreter, to the Mirski restaurant. Mirski is the name of a famous castle in Belarus (especially for its reformational connection), and the interior of the restaurant looks like an old castle. It even sports suits of armor, maces, battle axes, crossbows, and shields on the wall! I had "Belarussian peasant food." Fried potato pancakes served in a crock with what is essentially beef stew, only the beef was pork. And for desert, fruit salad with whipped cream. Delicious! We had a delightful time of talking about our ministries and churches. Of course, when I brought out pictures of Jonathan, Andrew, and Karen, the conversation shifted to stories of our families, funny anecdotes, and general enjoyment of life. We got back to the hotel about an hour ago, and Bruce and I have been gabbing and laughing about anything and everything. It's about time for me to call it a night, and I'm so excited to say that we get to sleep until 8:00 in the morning!
Tomorrow, we go to Pastor Jaroslaw's church and then have an afternoon tour of important Belarussian historical and reformation sites from him. He is the premier reformational historian in Belarus, and it will be fascinating! He and his wife are precious people. I can't wait!
More to come...
No comments:
Post a Comment