46 Hours With No Sleep?
It can be done. It was done. I'm afraid I did it. I got up Friday morning at 5 AM in Izhevsk, Udmurtia, Russian Federation, to study and pray about what I would tell the Bible School students that morning. We packed out things for the last day there, and left for the school at 8:50 AM.
I spoke all morning, had lunch with the students, and a final good-bye to them. We loaded into a late model Lada and headed for a small town 3 hours south of Izhevsk. The weather that had been beautiful all two weeks turned ugly and the snik (russian snow) fell and froze. We got to the village, ministered, and had dinner with the pastor and his wife. Lovely people living in a harsh, spiritually hard land. They have electricity, but no running water. All water is carried in, and the toilet is at the end of the house, outside, along a frozen slippery path.
We all hit the outhouse, and headed back to the car, walking across a slanted bridge (pictures later in the week). The clock is ticking now, and we MUST be back in Izhevsk by no later than 10 PM to make the van connection to Perm. It's 7:15 PM. No room for errors. Road conditions have deteriorated.
10 minutes out of town, we have to turn around. The pastor has forgotten some kind of stamp or something. He calls Mrs. Pastor to meet at the raod with said stamp. 13 minutes later he rolls down window to receive stamp and hears Lada exhaust pipe rumbling. Sanctified Russian disgust sounds vaguely familiar to English disgust. We roll slowly back toward the north and Izhevsk. He makes several cell phone calls and agrees to be met halfway by unknown Pastor on the way. Car swap in order. Great.
Tick-tick-tick...
We stop in Mozhga, to meet new pastor. It turns out to be our friend, the ever cheerful pastor Nicolea. Wonderful bear of a man who loves to help. I had spoken at his church earlier in the week, so it was old home moment. We all pile into his church van and head at slightly faster 60 KPH toward Izhevsk.
Tick-tick-tick...
We make it at 10:30. Run to pack last things and change for the trip to Perm. Church van does not arrive. Should have been there. Nope. Not yet. On their way. We wait outside in the cold, dark, icy front landing of Zhenny's apartment building (directly across from the huge Lada factory). I lose connection with time, but think it is 10:45 PM when van with Pastor Eduard (number two man in Work of Faith Church) appears.
We say goodbye and fairwell to our hostess and translator, Zhenny (Pronounced: "Zhen-ya", who went everywhere I went, and said everything I said).
More later...must meet Peggy for lunch...
I spoke all morning, had lunch with the students, and a final good-bye to them. We loaded into a late model Lada and headed for a small town 3 hours south of Izhevsk. The weather that had been beautiful all two weeks turned ugly and the snik (russian snow) fell and froze. We got to the village, ministered, and had dinner with the pastor and his wife. Lovely people living in a harsh, spiritually hard land. They have electricity, but no running water. All water is carried in, and the toilet is at the end of the house, outside, along a frozen slippery path.
We all hit the outhouse, and headed back to the car, walking across a slanted bridge (pictures later in the week). The clock is ticking now, and we MUST be back in Izhevsk by no later than 10 PM to make the van connection to Perm. It's 7:15 PM. No room for errors. Road conditions have deteriorated.
10 minutes out of town, we have to turn around. The pastor has forgotten some kind of stamp or something. He calls Mrs. Pastor to meet at the raod with said stamp. 13 minutes later he rolls down window to receive stamp and hears Lada exhaust pipe rumbling. Sanctified Russian disgust sounds vaguely familiar to English disgust. We roll slowly back toward the north and Izhevsk. He makes several cell phone calls and agrees to be met halfway by unknown Pastor on the way. Car swap in order. Great.
Tick-tick-tick...
We stop in Mozhga, to meet new pastor. It turns out to be our friend, the ever cheerful pastor Nicolea. Wonderful bear of a man who loves to help. I had spoken at his church earlier in the week, so it was old home moment. We all pile into his church van and head at slightly faster 60 KPH toward Izhevsk.
Tick-tick-tick...
We make it at 10:30. Run to pack last things and change for the trip to Perm. Church van does not arrive. Should have been there. Nope. Not yet. On their way. We wait outside in the cold, dark, icy front landing of Zhenny's apartment building (directly across from the huge Lada factory). I lose connection with time, but think it is 10:45 PM when van with Pastor Eduard (number two man in Work of Faith Church) appears.
We say goodbye and fairwell to our hostess and translator, Zhenny (Pronounced: "Zhen-ya", who went everywhere I went, and said everything I said).
More later...must meet Peggy for lunch...
posted by Jeff at 9:22 AM
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