Each summer OM Russia organised STM's (Short Term Missions), each lasting about 12 days. The 'missions'
vary from working with the elderly, with young kids camps, serving
practically in a nearby city, teaching at an English camp, outreaches to
young people, or to migrant workers and during the winter, outreach on
the Trans-Siberian railway.
I took part in serving the elderly around
Novosibirsk. We visited an old-folks home run by the local government.
The visit was unofficial and we weren't initially sure what we would be
able to do. We arrived and half of our group was allowed to visit some
of the men, while the other half waited in the corridor. Those allowed
visit sat with the men, shared stories, listened to them, shared some
cards that we had made for them. It was an opportunity to let them know
they were not forgotten, and to show some love. The group in the
corridor got into a conversation with the security guard, who was curious
about all the "religious" people who liked to visit. One of our team was
able to tell his story of God transforming his life and the guard
really took in what was said.
Other visits we made were house calls to
mostly elderly women around the city. One elderly widow, a retired
teacher, lived with her adult daughter in a one-room flat. The daughter
suffered from mental illness brought on by the accidental death of her
son years ago. Her husband had then kicked her out of the home and they
are estranged. The widow was looking after her daughter at a stage of
life where normally the opposite would be expected. They both received a
pension but that barely covered their rent. The widow would beg at the
metro stations for enough to buy groceries. This was my first time
hearing first-hand of the reality of daily struggles for many people in
Russia. I know there are others even worse off.
Another home we visited
was on of the worst places I have been in. In a rural sector at the end
of a major road, with pot-holes the like of which you wouldn't find in
Ireland, was a communal house fit for demolition. One resident told us
the city plans to tear it down next year. That wouldn't be soon enough.
As we entered the hallway the mosquitoes were unbearable. The lady we
came to visit was an old Communist, she didn't appreciate the thought of
praying with her. The cats living in her flat had scratched her badly
and she had an infection in her leg. These cats had left mess everywhere
and the smell was powerful. It was hard to reconcile how somebody would
be happy to live the way this woman did, yet she was not about to
change her way of life, out of resignation or pride - it was hard to
tell.
On the last day of the STM we did a presentation at a local church
for the elderly, played music from our respective countries (I gave a
brutal rendition of "Ár nAthair"), did some crafts and listened to some
stories.
One elderly gentleman was a survivor of the Stalinist
persecutions of Christians in the thirties. His church community and
family had been forced onto a raft at gunpoint by the NKVD and let down
the river with the intention of drowning. They managed to land some
kilometers away by the taiga (forest) and fled deep into the forest. One
of the women had the foresight to tie a saw around her waist and hide
it under their clothing. The saw saved their lives. They built shelters
in the forest and lived there a few years. When the climate improved for
Christians (during the War), his family walked to Novosibirsk to start a
new life, 200km from where they had grown up. He had many stories about
their struggle to survive in the forest, and was able to laugh about
it, even though he lost family members and friends through disease and
starvation. His story is that of so many Christians who have lived
through that time, in the 30's, the 60's, the 70's and in even now
unreported stories like this are real daily life for Christians beyond
the West.
All in all it was a very humbling experience, and one that
made me think about old age, about where I want to be at that stage of
live, still following God. There are so many paths to choose, hanging on
to bitterness and unforgiveness or pursuing peace and forgiveness in
relationships, moving on from the past no matter how dark or painful it
is. Of all the people we met, none had an easy life, that leads me to
think... life isn't easy! But so what. God has been good to each of
those people, has kept them throughout all their experiences, whether or
not they walked with him is another story, but at that stage of life,
few things are important. Knowledge isn't one of them, neither is having
flashy stuff, worrying about what others think of you. I hope I can get
past a lot of that stuff before I get old!
