Love of life

Somewhere over the North Atlantic – Monday, March 9, 2009 – 8:41pm Minsk time

 

Whenever we’re in Belarus, we attend church on Sunday evening.  That leaves the morning free to spend some time with our friends and tour a historical site or two.  This has become our tradition and has taken us to a variety of incredible places like old castles, 10^th century ruins, and churches that are hundreds of years old and significant to the Protestant history of Belarus.  This year, we enjoyed something completely different.  Our friends picked us up at the hotel at 10:00am.  From there—and after I fell flat on my tail on the ice—we drove to the industrial part of Minsk and did a drive-by of some of the primary factories in Minsk.  If Belarus is known for any manufacturing at all, it is known for the manufacture of heavy transportation machinery.  We got to see a Belarus tractor factory.  Belarusian tractors are used all over Europe and Russia, and not a few plow the fields of the U.S., too.  Because of the economic crisis sales have all but stopped, so there tens of finished tractors parked on the factory grounds waiting for buyers.  They are beautiful pieces of machinery, if one can call a tractor beautiful.  Impressive at least.

 

After the factory detour, we drove about 30 minutes west of Minsk to a small town called Rakov.  It rests in what used to be the Polish part of Belarus before WWII.  It was also overtaken by the Germans at various times before the Soviets made it Belarus and a part of the USSR.  In Rakov, Felix Yanuskevich owns and runs his own private museum.  The man was quite the character.  An artist by trade, Felix is a trained painter and ceramicist with a thousand stories to tell about Rakov and the history of the region.  He is also a short barrel of a man who greeted us amidst the snow and ice wearing jeans, a button-up shirt, and a cardigan sweater.  That’s it!  No hat, no gloves, and no jacket, and he never changed to anything else.  His lack of eyebrows or a single hair on his head only made his blue eyes stand out that much more, and his smile could probably light up the entire village.  After vigorous hand pumps all around, he proceeded to spill forth with story after story for four hours, pausing only long enough for some quick translation in English for our benefit.  We could just see his delight at having us there and having someone to listen to his stories.  Felix was born in Rakov in 1954 to a Polish mother and Belarusian father.  He has four brothers, one of whom is a sculptor who has pieces of art in galleries throughout Europe.  Felix himself has paintings in a gallery in St. Petersburg, Russia, and has exhibited throughout Europe over the years.  His real love is Rakov, though, and he decided several years ago to take it on himself to preserve the cultural history of the area via a private museum.  We started outside and laughed as he showed us ancient clubs and sticks used by husbands of the time to “keep their wives in submission, but only on Thursdays.”  We saw boxes for keeping and transporting gold, old farming implements, military hardware from Napoleon’s troops as they marched through Rakov on the way to Moscow, and myriad pottery with all sorts of uses among other things from the past several hundred years.  Throughout his narration, our Belarusian friends were dying laughing.  Felix’s eyes would twinkle, and we could tell he was thoroughly enjoying our company.  Our interpreter laughingly apologized and said there was no way she could accurately translate everything he said.  He used so many proverbs and innuendos that only a native would understand.  After a couple hours’ tour, he led us into his house where he served us a terrific lunch of homemade village-style food.  We had potatoes (of course), locally smoked meat, cheese, bread, cabbage salads, meat crepes, and the most delicious fresh cottage cheese with fruit jam that you could ever find.  Other than the homemade birch tree juice (yes, tree juice), everything was delicious.  Felix barely sat down for a bite before he was jumping up to serve us something else and encourage us to eat all we could because we’d “never eat food like this again.”  He was probably right, in one way or another!  J

 

We left after another hour or two in mid-afternoon with full bellies and giant smiles.  It was a refreshing change of pace from the academic seminars, and we got to experience real Belarusian culture outside the capital city.  Felix was a delight with a real love for life.  We couldn’t tell what sort of faith he had.  There was a lot of Catholic imagery in his art, but he talked a lot about the pagan history of the region.  Then again, he insisted that we pray before sitting down to lunch.  Who knows!  I do know this, though.  He loved life, and his passion about his life was contagious.  It made me think about the whole of the experience in Belarus this time.  We in the west would look at the culture of Belarusians and the daily life of the believers there, and wonder how we could be satisfied in that context.  We probably couldn’t because we’ve grown comfortable in material wealth.  If you know me at all, you know that I love my technology and American heritage, and I’m in no way saying that we should give that up to be happier or in right standing with the Lord.  But, if there’s one thing that the Lord has been impressing on my spirit this week, it’s that this current crisis is being used by Him to strip away the “fluff” in the lives of believers.  He wants to ground us back in Him and to truly value what He values.  The believers in Belarus aren’t perfect to be sure.  They fall and struggle as we do, as any human does.  They have something we often lack, though.  They are content and take shelter under the wing of the Lord.  They are working hard to change their country and to realize true freedom and godly prosperity.  While they work, though, they rest on the fellowship of believers and the Lord’s provision.  We in America would do well to do a little more of the same.  As evangelicals, maybe we’ve grown a little too comfortable with our programs, our church formulas, and our daily comforts.  Could we give them up if God called us to or if He stripped them away?  Would I give them up if He simply asked me to?  These trips are always time to deepen my faith and serve others in a context where I don’t normally operate.  This time, I come away having felt the great love of God and seeing in a new way the great love of life we can have when centered directly in His will, no matter our setting or circumstance.  Thanks, Felix!

 

More to come.

 

Scott

Heading home

Minsk, Belarus – Monday, March 9, 2009 – 7:00am local time

 

The time here in Minsk always seems to increasingly disappear into the past.  We land on Thursday, get settled in the hotel, start teaching on Friday…and the next thing I know, it’s Monday morning!  I have to pack up and prepare to head home!  It happens every time I’m here.  The result is that I don’t have enough time to post like I would want and to fill you in on the things that have happened.  I’m forced into reflection mode before I really have a chance to live through process mode.

 

Our seminars went very well.  They are always fruitful and enjoyable, but there was a real sense of cohesion this time.  As we plan our trips, we intentionally design the topics and presenters to be complimentary.  This time, however, they seemed to be purposefully written with specific themes, even specific Scripture passages, in mind.  When three people can teach about historical Christian reformers and their political theology, Christian roots of western law, and biblical economics and the current crisis and have them all focus on James 1:27, other passages, or the freedom we have as Christians as evidenced through the Lord’s Prayer, without even trying, something Someone bigger than us is at work!  We saw the Lord move in many ways over the last few days.  There was a unity and hunger of Spirit that was refreshing to experience.  The current economic crisis has hit this area of the world much harder even than it has the U.S., and the result is that believers are returning to first principles and coalescing as the Body of Christ.  What if God is using this meltdown just to flush out those things that stand in our way of realizing Him in His fullness?  I believe that’s precisely it.  30-50% of American and world wealth has been wiped out.  What if we never recover it?  Scary as that is, perhaps God is not-so-gently nudging us back to Him and His Church.  I don’t have those answers, but I know that the Spirit is moving in ways we’ve never experienced in our current generations.  Let’s welcome this coming next Great Awakening, and let’s welcome the role that the emerging church in other countries will play in leading us into it.

 

Bags are packed and one last, good breakfast is calling before I head off to this last day of activity.  I’ll write from the plane about the unique experience we had yesterday with Felix and his infectious love for life.  More to come.

 

Scott

Not enough time to post!

Minsk, Belarus – Saturday, March 7, 2009 – 9:23pm local time

 

Our God is so good!  There is a confidence that comes from knowing that God will show up when we are called to a work and are given a platform to carry it out.  Nonetheless, it is our responsibility to prepare ourselves and be ready when that time comes.  In light of the current economic crisis, I asked for a full teaching session this time to speak just about biblical economics and the current crisis.  Bruce kindly granted that, and I began to ask the Lord what He would have me share.  It’s one thing to know your topic in an academic sense.  It’s another entirely to be able to relate it to real-life, especially to a people who are living through a terribly rough time.  Imagine if prices in the U.S. went up by 20% and salaries went down by 20% and it all happened overnight.  That’s exactly what occurred in Belarus in January when the currency was devalued by 20% on January 2.  It’s frustrating and bewildering to the people, yet, while there are a number of causes to the global crisis we’re experiencing, biblical principles still apply!  My prayer over the last month has been that the Lord would give me a specific word to bring.  I wanted to be able to make things understandable at a basic level without watering things down.  I also wanted to bring hope and not left them in despair.  I’ll admit there was a little intimidation factor at work as well as many of the seminar attendees are academics, PhDs, and students.  One is even a teacher of economics!  Leave it to the Lord to bless my socks off, though, and give me more than I ever wanted.  By the time my session rolled around this afternoon, I felt as if I was stuffing 50 pounds of potatoes into a 20 pound sack!  It all came together, and I could tell by the expressions on the faces of the seminar attendees and by the questions they asked later that things penetrated.  What a blessing!

 

We finished the evening with an enjoyable dinner and fellowship time sitting around the table at A’s house.  12 of us talked about geopolitics, Russian, Belarus and its president, history, and various other things sure to try anyone else to drink.  For me, though, it was the meat and potatoes of everything!

 

Minsk, Belarus – Sunday, March 8, 2009 – 8:52am local time

 

My last posting was interrupted by another walk outside in the snow and ice as Bruce and I unwound from the day and talked through various things.  It was a precious time of connecting about so much more than this trip.  Our friendship continues to deepen and grow, and I grateful that the Lord has placed him in my life.  We ended a wonderful day reflecting on the completed seminars, our lives, our shared needs and joys, and a unmatched time of prayer.

 

More to come.

Providence

Minsk, Belarus – Friday, March 6, 2009 – 10:07pm local time

 

There is nothing quite like a brisk walk of a couple of miles in the cold winter air with ice and snow drifts all around.  When I think of Minsk in the wintertime, I expect snow and ice.  It was quite the delight to land yesterday and see the snow piled up on the sides of the icy sidewalks.  I just love winter, so it was a special treat to get out and walk about a circuit downtown from our hotel and back.  Bruce and I decided being cooped up in the hotel room after a day of seminars just wouldn’t do.  The temperature was about 30 degrees, but with gloves and hat it was perfect!

 

Our first day of seminars went very well.  The attendees were somewhat fewer in number than in the fall, but today is a work day after all.  Tomorrow will certainly have more people in attendance.  Today’s topics were political theology of the historical reformers (Luther, Calvin, Anabaptists, etc.) and Christian roots of western law.  Fascinating stuff for a guy like me!  Tomorrow we’ll have more of the same along with a Q&A time and my session on biblical economics and the current global crisis.  I was very blessed with the chance for somewhat of a dry run at that at dinner tonight.  We ate as a group with our interpreters, B&B (no names for security), and a couple of others from the seminars.  Our conversation was wide ranging, but our hosts had some very stimulating questions about pastoral involvement in politics, illegal immigration in America, President Obama and his policies, economics, etc.  It gave me a chance to run through much of what I’ve been trying to pull together for my session tomorrow, and I feel much more comfortable with what is important to them now.  It’s fine to bring our ideas of what we should teach, but it is so much more satisfying to know that we are speaking to what they want to know.  The Lord is good in allowing our team times like these when we can bounce around ideas in an informal setting before presenting them to the whole in our seminars.  Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.  God is here and clearly directing us.

 

One bit of especially good news as I sign off.  Our luggage arrived on the afternoon flight from Frankfurt!  We got word in mid-afternoon that it had arrived at the airport, and, sure enough, two suitcases were waiting for us at the reception desk of the hotel.  Fantastic!  I was not looking forward to wearing the same clothes for the fourth day in a row, nor were my teammates looking forward to that unfortunate occurrence either.  Prayers answered all around.

 

More to come.

 

Scott

Same clothes, different day

Minsk, Belarus - Friday, March 6, 2009 – 7:52am local time

 

It’s so good to be back in Minsk again.  It would be even better if I had clean clothes to wear!  Unfortunately, my luggage didn’t arrive with me from the States, so I’m now wearing the same clothes for the third day.  Yeah.  Our very first flight from Norfolk to DC was delayed by more than 90 minutes on Wednesday.  That necessitated a mad dash across two terminals in Dulles to make the flight to Frankfurt.  They literally closed the plane door behind the two of us and off we went before we even got good and strapped in our seats.  As you might guess, however, our luggage decided to amble across the tarmac and didn’t make the flight.  We got to Frankfurt, ready to transfer our bags to our Minsk flight (no straight check-through this time), only to find that they weren’t there.  Jim, my traveling partner and I, had a sneaking suspicion that would be case.  It was only that much more frustrating to find it true.  Our first shot at the bags arriving would be today on the 1:20pm flight into Minsk from Frankfurt.  The great Lufthansa baggage tracing website has shown nothing so far, though, so we are a little anxious.  Yet another reason to pray for this trip!

 

In some ways, I find that I’m struggling with things to write about this morning.  It is so exciting to be here again and to have the opportunity to minister and share with these dear brothers.  Yet, our relationships have grown so close with the Belarusians that they really are extended family to me now.  And what do you write about family?!  One doesn’t really blog about family and their everyday lives, do they?  We’ve settled into a routine in Belarus now and our work is building upon prior trips, so there is not so much “new” to talk about.  There is no way, however, that I can adequately express all that is happening here and what a great thing that God is doing in these people.  It is an incredible privilege to be called to this work and to be able to travel here to teach His principles on a foundational level.  You can feel a new tension here this year.  The economic crisis is affecting things greatly in Eastern Europe, and Belarus has not been immune.  The tension, though, is not just that.  There is a spiritual tension here in the sense that something huge is about to break out.  The believers here know they are on the edge of a great revival and new move of God.  I sense that they feel all of the preparation they’ve put into being ready to reform society when the time comes is about to come to fruition.  Things are moving here.  Persecution remains great; the government is still oppressive; there is little true liberty, and Christian reformation of society is still but a vision with no legs.  At the same time, though, the time is coming soon.  It’s palpable.

 

So, there is not much to write so far today about details and new sites seen, but there is much happening.  We attended a praise and prayer service last night, and the strand through all the music and words spoken was an encouragement to the believers to “thrive, not just survive.”  As believers, we need not fear the churnings on the present day.  As Psalm 46 says, nations are in an uproar, but we can rest on the Lord.  Jesus said, “…take heart, for I have overcome the world!”  Now is the time for Christians to demonstrate the love and great plan of God for mankind!

 

More to come.

 

Scott

 

---

From: Scott B. Walter [mailto:scottbwalter@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 5:57 PM
To: 'scottbwalter@gmail.com'
Subject: It's that time again...

 

Virginia Beach, VA – Wednesday, March 4, 2009 – 10:31am local time

 

Hard as it is to believe, I am preparing to head for the airport in a couple of hours to leave for Belarus once again!  It seems like just a few weeks ago that I returned from my fall trip.  I’m excited because our teams will be traveling to Belarus twice this year, once in the spring and once in the fall.  That means we’ll be able to do twice the amount of teaching as we have previously, and we’ll able to take two professors with us with different perspectives and specialties in biblical worldview topics.  A team will also travel to Belarus this summer to help with practical things like repairing a house and meeting place for our Belarusian friends, talk about Christian education and its practical implementation, and discuss effective pro-life ministry.  I won’t be traveling in the summer as we’re expecting Wee Little Walter Number Four around that time, but it looks to be a great year ahead for our International Reformation ministry.

 

I am very encouraged and blessed by the outpouring of support I’ve received from you and others.  My support funds have poured in.  I have enough for this spring trip and am on my way toward my goal for the fall already.  In addition, so many of you have asked about the trip and its preparation and assured me of your prayers.  That is both humbling and encouraging.  What a blessing you are!

 

All my bags are packed, and my stuff is ready.  I’ll be flying today from Norfolk to DC and then on to Frankfurt, Germany, to connect to Minsk.  The forecast in Minsk calls for highs around freezing with snow each day while we’re there.  Interesting!  As always, I’ll do my very best to post updates each day.

 

Please be praying for my family while I’m away.  This is a short trip compared to previous years, but it’s still difficult for Karen.  Pray for her peace and good rest.  I’ll be presenting a session on the current global economic crisis as a part of our seminars.  As hard as the economic downturn has been for us here in the States, it is even more pronounced in other parts of the world and especially Eastern Europe.  I anticipate some difficult questions, and I covet prayers for wisdom, clear thoughts, and clear communication.  A great opportunity is here to talk about God’s economy and the biblical ideals for economics, but our world is so complex and the problems so deep that it can be confusing.  Please pray that God will make Himself known through me and that I can bring the truth while also being encouraging to them.

 

I’ll talk to you from Minsk!  More to come.

 

Scott

It's that time again...

Virginia Beach, VA – Wednesday, March 4, 2009 – 10:31am local time

 

Hard as it is to believe, I am preparing to head for the airport in a couple of hours to leave for Belarus once again!  It seems like just a few weeks ago that I returned from my fall trip.  I’m excited because our teams will be traveling to Belarus twice this year, once in the spring and once in the fall.  That means we’ll be able to do twice the amount of teaching as we have previously, and we’ll able to take two professors with us with different perspectives and specialties in biblical worldview topics.  A team will also travel to Belarus this summer to help with practical things like repairing a house and meeting place for our Belarusian friends, talk about Christian education and its practical implementation, and discuss effective pro-life ministry.  I won’t be traveling in the summer as we’re expecting Wee Little Walter Number Four around that time, but it looks to be a great year ahead for our International Reformation ministry.

 

I am very encouraged and blessed by the outpouring of support I’ve received from you and others.  My support funds have poured in.  I have enough for this spring trip and am on my way toward my goal for the fall already.  In addition, so many of you have asked about the trip and its preparation and assured me of your prayers.  That is both humbling and encouraging.  What a blessing you are!

 

All my bags are packed, and my stuff is ready.  I’ll be flying today from Norfolk to DC and then on to Frankfurt, Germany, to connect to Minsk.  The forecast in Minsk calls for highs around freezing with snow each day while we’re there.  Interesting!  As always, I’ll do my very best to post updates each day.

 

Please be praying for my family while I’m away.  This is a short trip compared to previous years, but it’s still difficult for Karen.  Pray for her peace and good rest.  I’ll be presenting a session on the current global economic crisis as a part of our seminars.  As hard as the economic downturn has been for us here in the States, it is even more pronounced in other parts of the world and especially Eastern Europe.  I anticipate some difficult questions, and I covet prayers for wisdom, clear thoughts, and clear communication.  A great opportunity is here to talk about God’s economy and the biblical ideals for economics, but our world is so complex and the problems so deep that it can be confusing.  Please pray that God will make Himself known through me and that I can bring the truth while also being encouraging to them.

 

I’ll talk to you from Minsk!  More to come.

 

Scott