In Russia

After a very long journey I arrived in Moscow on Wednesday morning at 10am. My brother, Houston and I waited in line at immigration hoping our visas were in order so we could collect our luggage, exit customs and find our tour guide. We breezed through, got ALL our luggage and were greeted at the exit door by a lovely woman named Alla holding a sign that read “Heflin/Hodges.” The day was starting off well.

We traveled by car into Moscow, which took about an hour and half. Cars are becoming more and more accessible to the average Russian person, but the highway infrastructure was not built to hold the increasing volume of traffic. Thus, travel by car is arduous and very slow. Houston and I sat in the back seat (trying to hold down our breakfast) while the driver whipped in and out of lanes and our knowledgeable guide gave us brief lectures about the Orthodox church, Russian history, the Great Patriotic War (WWII), Russian culture and art, politics, Russian language, and international relations. Needless to say it was an information rich car ride.

As we neared the center of town we began to have glimpses of gold domed churches and the red brick wall around the Kremlin. Our driver, pulled over and we hopped out to walk the rest of the distance to Red Square. Snow began to lightly fall on the cobble stoned streets creating an ethereal, almost dreamlike quality to the day. We entered Red Square and I was met with the unbelievable view of St. Basil’s Cathedral. I have never seen a picture of it that has done it justice. Nor can words tell you how indescribably vivid the colors are and how distinctive and intricate the architecture is. The Russian’s consider it their 8^th wonder of the world. I understand why.

We walked the length of Red Square, where many decades ago tanks and troops also traveled on their way to meet Hitler. We paused at Lenin’s tomb, then took one more lingering look at St. Basil’s and ran inside a nearby shopping center for hot tea and to thaw out.

After our break, we viewed the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Kremlin wall.

We then entered the Kremlin where we saw the largest canon that was never fired, and the largest bell that has never rung.

Vladimir Putin’s presidential residency is also inside the Kremlin and it is flanked by canons.

There are many churches inside the Kremlin walls and we visited the Church of the Assumption, where every tsar of Russia was crowned. Russian orthodox services are conducted while the congregation stands so the sanctuary is open and contains no pews or anywhere to sit. The walls are frescoed with stories from the bible and the Russian Orthodox church history.

Next we visited the Armory, which is a treasure trove of Russian artifacts. There are gold carriages from the tsars, thrones, crown jewels, ancient weapons, costumes from Catherine the Great, beautiful religious artifacts, gold and silver gifts that were presented to the tsars from foreign diplomats and of course Faberge eggs. Visiting the Armory was the highlight of the day.

Tonight we will meet the Russian mentors from World Wide Youth Camps and begin our retreat /seminar. Thank you all for your prayers and support while I am away.