Over the last dozen days I’ve spent nearly 100 hours traveling well over 6,000 km by car mainly through Russia. Here are a few things I learned from my first trip to Russia.
Me on the border of the Republic of Udmurtia and Perm Krai
- Russia is BIG
- Generally the roads are better than in Ukraine
- Moscow is a BIG metropolis comparable to any Western city
- The police use camera’s to patrol the roads and their cameras are everywhere
- Bribes are expected by many of the authorities
- The forests are BIG and wild, we even saw two moose
- It’s illegal to say something offensive about other religions
- There are far fewer churches in comparison to Ukraine
- Russia is a country of countries, You’ve probably never heard places like the Republic of Chuvashia or the Republic of Udmurtia and others.
- Alcoholism is a terrible problem
- It’s illegal to teach religious material to anyone 14 and under without written consent from parents
- Banyas are part of the culture and almost everyone has one
- The mosquitoes are BIG
- It’s illegal to promote homosexuality
- Spending 4 days in a car with someone can be a great relationship builder
- Gas, is cheaper than in Ukraine but food is more expensive
- Log houses are the most common type of houses in the Urals
- Most people say they believe in God but know very little about Him
- The need for the gospel is BIG
Stay tuned for a detailed update about our trip to Russia and how God is working in Russia to plant churches.
Question: Which of these 19 items surprise you the most?
Sandra Briggs
July 18, 20137. 7.It’s illegal to say something offensive about other religions
Caleb
July 18, 2013Sandra, that’s a pretty new law and you can face up to 3 years in prison for insulting someones religious feelings.
Ridgely Hoyt-Whitaker
July 18, 2013#’s 7, 10 & 14….and what is a banya?
Caleb
July 18, 2013The Russian Banya is a sauna and is used for bathing, health and socializing. Usually the temperatures are pretty high, around 200-220 degrees F. They also whip each other with birch branches to improve the circulation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banya_(sauna)
Dan Black
July 18, 2013Great to hear you made it back safe and sound. Thank you for sharing what your learned.
Caleb
July 18, 2013Thanks Dan, it was a long trip and I’m glad to be safely home.
Nich
July 18, 2013We went to a Banya during my trip to Russia last month and it was such a cool experience. Wish that was apart of american culture. 7 surprised me the most though. Glad you had a safe trip!
Caleb
July 18, 2013Nich, Banya is a great experience although I don’t think I’d use “cool” as the adjective to describe it 🙂 Last time I was in a Banya the temperature hit 230f and that’s hot!
Michael Holmes
July 18, 2013Definitely not # 19. Good work Caleb 🙂
Caleb
July 18, 2013Yes, Michael, Russia needs to gospel!
tcavey
July 18, 2013I have no clue what Banyas is.
What surprises me most is #7. I would like to hear more about that.
What isn’t too big a surprise is #18- I think it’s true for America as well. Far too many people sitting in pews say they believe in God but they know very little about Him.
Caleb
July 18, 2013Concerning the Banya, check out my response to Ridgely Hoyt-Whitaker.
A lot of people don’t know about the religious offence law because it was just voted on last month. It all started when a punk girl band called “Pussy Riot” sang and anti Putin song in a Orthodox Church in Moscow https://sukofamily.org/?p=1180
So now you can face up to 3 years in jail for “Offending religious feelings”. Here’s an article that explains more http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/06/13/russian-parliament-passes-bills-to-punish-those-who-offend-religious-feelings-or-promote-homosexuality/
Don Howard
July 18, 2013Do they prosecute homosexuals?
Caleb
July 18, 2013Homosexuality is not illegal, it’s just illegal to promote it as a lifestyle.
Don Howard
July 18, 2013I didn’t think they had mosquitoes there! That surprises me
Caleb
July 18, 2013Really? We’ll I can tell you first hand that Russia has no dearth of mosquitoes!
Nancy
July 19, 2013.9–Russia is made up of many countries. New to me.
Caleb
July 19, 2013Russia has 21 republics each of which have their own constitution, language and popularly elected president.
Phyllis
July 20, 2013I’m not bragging, but I know those from living there. Numbers 8 and 19 are the most important and what I try to tell people all the time. Sometimes it seems like Russia and Ukraine are pretty much the same, but they’re not, and those two are where we really feel the difference. As Americans we can’t live in Russia now, but Ukrainians have a better chance at it. I pray for Ukrainian Christians who are willing to GO!
Thank you.
Caleb
July 20, 2013Phyllis, what changed that made it so you can’t live in Russia? Were you unable to get a residence permit?
Phyllis
July 20, 2013They actually deported me. There was a lot going on with local politics. It’s a very long, complicated story. Also, residence permits are rather iffy (hard to get, often revoked, low quotas in “our” region), so we feel like even if we could get back in now that my 5-year sentence is over, it wouldn’t be very permanent. We can’t go back and forth right now. 🙁 Maybe someday, if the politics settle? Or after our children are grown?
(Weird how my comment above automatically linked! 🙂 I didn’t do that!)
Caleb
July 20, 2013I figured that a lot depends on the region you’re in. I also know some people who have gotten residency permits and some who haven’t. I feel very blessed to live in Ukraine and not have to worry about all that stuff now.
Sorry about the link to the Scripture reference above. I have a plugin that automatically links when every I write a reference to a Bible verse, so I guess it does it in the comments too. Phi 3:20
Phyllis
July 20, 2013YES! We’re always very thankful about how (relatively) simple the document processes are in Ukraine. When foreigners complain here, I have to bite my tongue. (Although, I realize that it can still be a hassle, it’s just not the same.) A friend sent me this link:
http://www.the-village.ru/village/city/city/125333-rabota-inostrantsy
It’s about the Russian process for “near foreigners,” not Americans and other “far foreigners,” but it is the same idea.
Paul Sohn
July 21, 2013I definitely gotta say #11 shocked me. Wow, it’s very interesting how Russia is very sensitive about topics like religion and homosexuality. I’m glad you had a great experience in Russia Caleb. Are you traveling elsewhere sometime soon?
Caleb
July 21, 2013For now I’m at home in Ukraine, which I’m thankful for!
Loren Pinilis
July 23, 2013Relative to #7, can you say that Jesus is the only way? Or is that considered offensive?
Caleb
July 23, 2013I think you can say that. The law states that you can’t “hurt the feelings of religious people”. That’s a pretty broad statement. You can read about the event that sparked this law here https://sukofamily.org/?p=1180