Minsk and Warsaw

Minsk, Belarus

Once we got to Minsk, we stopped at a terribly sad sculpture representing the Jews that were killed there during the World War. The sculptor did an excellent job showing their vulnerability and hopelessness while being marched to their death. After dinner, several of us went out for a walk. It was a gorgeous evening, and it was wonderful to see the local people taking advantage of the day in the park. People were playing, talking, kissing, and enjoying life.

Warsaw

We got another early start on the road, leaving Belarus, heading for Warsaw, Poland. They are holding a European soccer competition there at this time, so there should be plenty of excitement and soccer fans. It rained, but it was a good day for rain since we were on the bus. God has really blessed us with good weather on this trip.

Ndalahwa always got to be the lucky one that the security guys gave a hard time before letting him cross the border.  We were warned that they would also check at least one piece of luggage. Christiane announced to her colleagues that she bet they would take her luggage out of the 40 pieces. Not long after, Xavier asked Christiane to come outside because they did, in fact, choose her luggage! 

After almost 12 hours of travel, we finally made it to Warsaw. We had a short devotion, given by Christiane, reminding us that God's strength is perfect in our weakness. After worship we headed out to find food and other means of entertainment. Last night Ndalahwa had worship for the group, reminding us to walk the walk of being a Christian. So often we know the scriptures, know what to say, tell others what to do, but neglect to show kindness to others. It was an excellent reminder now, as we are sharing this trip with with 24 other people. Tonight Bill joined us again for the rest of our tour. Welcome back Bill!

Today we got to sleep in!!! And we gained an hour coming to Poland. We had a wonderful array of food for breakfast and got on the bus at 9:00 am for our tour of Poland. Anna, our local guide, took us to Chopin's memorial where we had a group picture taken of our whole travel group.  We also explored the Ghetto and Old Warsaw. 

Early afternoon we met for study group to discuss our textbooks as well as our experiences at the universities on this trip. Rozenia had very good thought for us for devotion, reminding us that only God knows the heart. We had the rest of the afternoon/evening to spend as we wished, getting acquainted with Warsaw. The people are extremely friendly, everyone smiling!

Moscow and Novogorod

After checking out of the hotel in Saint Petersburg, we were able to take it easy until we got on the bus around 2:30 to begin our journey to Novgorod. Part way there, we found ourselves stuck in a traffic jam. It delayed us a couple hours, but got a really good look at the small villages we passed through. We arrived at the hotel for supper, then went on a tour at 9:00 pm and saw the Kremlin of Novgorod.

Visiting the Kremlin in Novogorod

We began our trek to Moscow at 7:30 am. We ran into some traffic again which slowed us down, but we had anticipated a full day on the bus. We stopped for lunch on the way where we got to eat outdoors in a quaint, tent covered area. We had salad, soup, an entree, and dessert (apple filled bread rolls). The temperatures are rising as we continue our way south.

After we got to Moscow, and checked into the hotel, we met for worship, led by Shawn Collins. At 8:30 pm, several of us went on a tour to see the artistically decorated metro stations, ending up at the Red Square. What a memorable trip!

We woke up early to tour Moscow, ending up at the Kremlin and the Red Square. We were there on their Independence Day, and they had big plans for their celebrations.

Several people got to tour the inside of the Kremlin before we had to meet at the University of Moscow. We took the wrong exit off the metro and ended up walking for an hour to our destination at the university! We definitely got our exercise! :) Faculty and several students were there to meet us to talk to us about their education system. Since it was a holiday, they didn't have school, but came just to meet with us, which was highly appreciated! We enjoyed the time spend with them.

View of the majestic Moscow State University

Library of Moscow State University

While a group of us was sitting inside the Kremlin walls, a man approached Timothy, hearing him speak English, and when he noticed Timothy's Andrews University t-shirt, he announced that he was an Adventist! He was there traveling with a group of boys from Georgia-Cumberland Academy that were homeward bound from a mission trip in China. They had just spent 6 days on a train to Moscow. As the rest of his group joined him, Hilda noticed one of the chaperones and realized she knew him from her days at Southern Adventist University. What a small world, and what a way to catch up, in Moscow!