August 5

August 5, 2010 - What an amazing day!

Tour of Orel
We began the day with a tour of the local orthodox Cathedral (St Michael the Archangel – best name ever). Sasha (one of the members of Millennium Church) told us, through our new translator Vlad, all about the history and symbolism of the Cathedral and of Christianity in Russia. We received lessons in how to make the sign of the cross orthodox-style, the ladies donned their head coverings, and we went inside. Most of the paintings on the inside had been covered over with white paint from the soviet era when the church was used for government storage, but some of the original paintings had been uncovered/restored.

Also, it just so happened that today is a citywide holiday celebrating Orel. Today marks both the anniversary of the city’s founding and its liberation from the Germans in World War II. We walked through the town (most of the roads were closed), perused the shops, saw the monuments, and photographed the sights.

We spent the rest of the morning touring the city’s history museum which led us the first legends about the town’s origins through the time of World War II. The town is very proud of its history, specifically because the region marks the furthest extent of the German advance during the war. We returned to the hotel for “business” lunch (mid-day dinner) and a free afternoon. Many of us napped while Holly and Ruth explored Orel with Vlad.

We had a very special evening with the members of Millennium Church. We split up into groups and went to various church members’ homes for dinner, fellowship, and (as it turns out) a whole lot of fun. Songs were sung, stomachs were stuffed, conversations were had via hand gestures, interpreters, and broken Russian/English exchanges. Tonight, we became family. Praise God!

- Mike