I'm leaving in the morning for Kiev. I had planned originally to stay two weeks in Ukraine, but I've spent that time on Mt. Athos and in the Balkans instead. I would simply push back my timeline, but the validity of my Russian visa and the extreme hassle of getting one in the first place mean that I need to push on in order to get a decent amount of time in Russia. I'll be two or three days in Kiev, and then on to Moscow.
I've been staying in Timisoara for the last four nights or so with a wonderful Romanian family - another friend of a friend connection - and it's been incredible. It's been very interesting to get a sort of inside look at Romanian culture and Christianity, and Timisoara has turned out to be a great place for that. This city has Baptist churches, Orthodox cathedrals, Catholic churches, and Jewish synagogues, and all of them (unusually) are getting along rather well. The family I'm staying with has been incredibly kind, and I'm sad to be leaving in the morning. This has almost started to feel like home!
My Mt. Athos post ended with me in Greece. Just to catch you up (with very few details, unfortunately, for the sake of my fingers) I've been spending the time since then sort of country hopping through the Balkans. I went to Macedonia from Greece and spent about five days there. From Macedonia I went to Montenegro via Belgrade (Serbia), managed a day trip from Montenegro to Croatia, then passed back through Belgrade again on my way to Romania. I've learned an incredible amount of things I had no idea about. This part of the world has a very complex history and is changing at an incredible rate. Orthodoxy here is very much intertwined with national identity; it's been fascinating to see the contrast from country to country.
On a personal note, I've been growing a lot as I try to adapt to a very different lifestyle, and I've come to the startling realization that no, actually, I'm not really invincible. Who would've thought, huh? If you're one of those individuals who is inclined to pray, I would appreciate prayer not for safety, necessarily, but rather for a sense of peace in depending on God.
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A nine month trip through centers of non-Western Christianity
4 comments:
I've been with two groups of friends this morning and, in each group, there has been someone who is reading your blog and praying for you. It was so nice to talk and catch up this weekend. Your soul sounds good. I love you.
Dependence on the Lord is a great place to be! Will pray for in this regard. Also, to let you know you have been in my prayers alot...sometimes go a week plus before getting back to your blog...but you have been on my heart between those times.
I'll be praying for you, Eric.
It's so difficult to get to the place your at right now in today's world. We have so many other distractions and social band-aids that I find it very challenging to truly and purely rely on God. I find that it's in these moments that I grow the most spiritually and live the most richly, albeit it can be tough. I continue to pray for you often.
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