Half way through the meetings
Morning is the hardest part of the day for me in St. Petersburg. I wake up early to pray, read and work on my slides. After a few hours of being awake, my mind gets confused because of the darkness outside. Only by 11 am do the first rays of sunshine leak through the frosty sky. By the afternoon the sun rises high becomes especially bright and sharp thanks to the arctic freezing weather. Every day it is the same -20 C(-10 F).
For the first few days upon arriving I tried to be faithful to my morning routine of a daily fast paced walk. I have to acknowledge that those walks were beautiful. The monumental architecture of Saint Petersburg is absolutely breath-taking. However, my body was not ready for this drastic change in climate and I felt that familiar but unpleasant scratchy pain in my throat. Remembering that my voice is the only reason I am in this part of the world, I had to stop the amazing walks and retreat to my hotel, or as I call it, my “cell”. Despite the comfortable and convenient room I am staying in, some days I feel like I’m living in a prison cell after a few hours of my study time go by.
On another note, I am very pleased to see the conference administration’s involvement in the whole process. The president, the secretary and the treasurer are the first ones to arrive to the auditorium. They are meeting and greeting people, helping with the study guides, setting up the equipment, arranging hot teas for the singers and many other tasks. They are also the last to leave the hall after the meetings.
St. Petersburg is certainly different from many of the other cities where I have preached. It is hard to draw the people’s attention with anything at all. They live in a city with the best universities, famous art galleries, an outstanding symphony orchestra and a number of world-famous drama theaters. They have seen and heard rock music superstars, world political leaders and Hollywood actors. They definitely feel self-sufficient and are not much interested in the eternal truths of the Bible.
However, every night I see a large group of devout souls searching for the spiritual treasures of the Bible. A mile long walk from the nearest metro station through freezing weather similar to that of an arctic country is not an issue to them. They come because they are interested in what the Bible has to say about the future of this world. I am impressed and humbled with their sincere attention and warm spirits.
Please, continue your prayers for these meetings.
PK
