Little Sisters of the Poor

So the team returned to NYC and happily returned to the Little Sisters of the poor in Queens. The immaculate cleanliness, as Tyler says, and tremendous hospitality of these sisters was a magnificent way to end the trip and recuperate from our travels. Additionally, they asked for and enjoyed the first and only presentation of the trip by all 13 members gathered in one place. While they loved our stories, we also loved being caught up on everything we missed, especially World Youth Day. It was a great day to decompress and talk about the trip in a wonderful environment. All that being said, the team still crashed pretty early in the night. 

WELCOME TO AMERICA!!

We have successfully made it back to the United States. I cannot believe that we spent a month on the other side of the world!! Bittersweet feeling as our mission comes to a close. 

Flight delay update

Hey all you concerned parents! 

So flight update. The team all got meal vouchers from the airlines, so we are fueling up now on airport food. It's pretty decent lol. 

New flight time is about 6 pm Moscow time (10 am Miami time) so we should be out of here soon. 

Delayed

Russia just loved us so much that they don't want us to leave. 

Actually our flight is just delayed. I don't know why yet. There is a plane and "engine ok" but we are delayed until who knows when. Early estimate is about 2 hours. Haven't really tried to get too much info since there are a lot of people around the desk. 

Pray for us! 

Missy: Perspective

By Missy

            After 2 days of traveling by bus, plane, and train, all I wanted was a shower and a nap. I tromped through the dirty city streets in flip-flops that felt inadequate against the conditions. Climbing the uneven stairway towards the monastery, a rotten scent filled my nose and a dog chained just off the path barked viciously at our mission group. Lunch was waiting for us, and on the menu was fish soup, seaweed salad, baked fish (skin and all). Where I’m from, we do not eat like that. Finally able to take a shower after lunch, the tiny bathroom, lukewarm water, and bare piping reminded me that mission trips are not fraught with the comforts of home. To say I was slightly overwhelmed is true, but I swallowed hard and reminded myself that mission trips are meant for this: to expose my first-world eyes to something beyond American amenities and to live in solidarity with people of other cultures, fish soup and all.

            Arriving back to Vladivostok two weeks later, climbing the same smelly, uneven stairs and using the small, lukewarm shower, was like climbing a stairway to the heaven of safe, running water and a feeling of freshness we hadn’t experienced in days.

           

            Ah, the perspective that mission can bring.

            Progressively throughout my journey to Russia, my living conditions became less and less comfortable. First, there was the small, sweltering Queens apartment where I stayed for a couple days with a friend before our mission group gathered. Then, there were the community bathrooms of the Little Sisters of the Poor where we had orientation before flying to Russia. Upon arrival in Russia, enter the monastery described above. And that was not the last rung of our descent. Then, on the first leg of our mission, came the small, one-room apartments in the dark, narrow hallways of a high-rise building with no hot water and only a small toilet to share. The parish building had a shower that seventeen of us took turns using, and the children who came to the camp each day shared this space. Conditions were cramped and less than desirable. Would you believe that even that looked good when we arrived on the second leg of our mission?

Toilets at Far East Conference.
Luckily there were a couple of real ones. 

Our accommodations for Week 2 were an old Soviet Children’s Camp in a forest near the coast and when we arrived, we were all in for a rude awakening. The rooms, shared by 2-4 people, were damp and reminiscent of 5^th grade science petri dishes, with mold growing in everything. Like, our beds were wet. Gross. The toilets were several steps (Chris’s note: by several, Missy means there were many uneven steps that were scary at night) away from our bedrooms and afforded no privacy. One side men, the other side women, with open stalls, no doors, and a little hole in the ground for squatting over. Oh my. The sinks, were in an entirely different location, several more steps away, with cold running water and no soap. Until we brought out a bar. The showers appeared to be outdoors, with curtains blowing in the breeze and ramshackle tin surrounding them. Staring at those showers, and thinking of the 8-day stay ahead, I begin to think of all the ways I could avoid using such facilities. Thankfully, there were other showers, indoors, and sometimes with warm water, but without doors and with nowhere to dress or undress. I suppose with children, this matters little, and eventually with us young adults, it mattered little as well.

By far, the bathroom conditions throughout the trip were what continuously plummeted, and what shocked me the most. And of course there were other struggles, like the food types and portions, the cramped quarters, and the grueling schedule of our mission activities. In situations such as these, there comes a human resilience that shines brighter than the discomforts or inconveniences, or even downright deprivations. We learn that the creature comforts we normally enjoy in the United States (and then, not even all Americans enjoy these) are not necessary for our survival and that in fact, they are immense blessings for which we must give thanks. For goodness’ sake, we even learned that toilet paper is a luxury! I have such a sense of accomplishment for surviving these circumstances and coming out reasonably on top. I feel like I could do anything! Like when I had to use the restroom at the bus station on the way home from the children’s camp: I had to pay 15 rubles (about fifty cents) to squat in a port-a-potty with no hand sanitizer, no toilet paper and no toilet seat. By that point, I wasn’t even phased. 

American Chains.

So in our travels and tour of Moscow today we came across a lot of American Chain places. We did not see any of these in Vladivostok, but all over the place here in Moscow. It is much more westernized here. It's cool though to see the logos with the Russian alphabet used

NOTE: my personal fav and addiction, Starbucks, was among the ranks. 

Also apparently McDonald's is ridiculously popular here! Sorry I didn't get a pic of any of the many we passed 

Father Steve's Surprise

There are no words to describe the emotion, shock, and reaction of 12 young adults when your priest comes out of the bathroom wearing this . . . 

The GATOR inside

Showin my colors at Victory Park and Red Square

TOURISTS!!

Yea so right now we are tourists to the max. We probably stick out really bad. We have been driving around Moscow and making a few stops. I'll post more pics later. Just had a quick chance with wifi now. Going to Kremlin and Red Square soon 

Tiger hunt status: complete? Maybe?

We found Father Steve a tiger in the super market inside the mall here in Moscow. 

His response: "but... But but tigers don't wear overalls..." 

Roughing it??

Because we are staying so far outside the city, we were able to stay in this very nice hotel for pretty cheap. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. This morning we came downstairs for breakfast and saw before us a feast! As Father Steve put it: "a foretaste of the heavenly banquet." We had unlimited coffee and cappuccino; even Emily enjoyed the coffee! 

Rachael: With God…at Nadhodka General?

Privet! This is Rachael—currently I am 34,000 feet in the air, and am musing upon what the Lord has tried to teach me in Russia, specifically the 4 days I spent in the infection unit at the local hospital in Nakhodka—or as we affectionately called it, “Nakhodka General.” For this trip, I served as Formation Director, and the over-arching theme I felt on my heart for our trip was “Surrender to Divine Providence”, or “Total Abandonment.” I read about five books on this topic before coming to Russia, so I felt well versed enough to teach the group about it. God, in His infinite wisdom and love, often tests us with what we know in our heads so it can produce growth in our own hearts. So, the Lord, who is a good doctor and knows where I am sick in my soul, led me into a strange hospital to be healed both bodily and spiritually as well.

This was my pillow . . . 

I was pretty sick from the get-go upon arriving in Russia. My delicate stomach was at war with me, ‘nuff said—and I wasn’t alone. Matt was also sick due to his pre-existing condition of Crohn’s—so we entered into this experience together. We were in good hands, as Victor drove us to the hospital in a van—which we coined the “party bus” as we all were laughing deliriously with Russian techno music pumping from Tyler’s phone. I mean we were in a rough spot—we may as well laugh! We got to the hospital and had the doctor examine us only to find out we had to stay overnight for more testing (rectal swabs!) and stool samples. Luckily, I was put in the same room with Matt, and we had Tyler and Yury (our faithful translator) also stay in our room. It made an interesting living situation, but we all found great joy in each other’s company despite the circumstances.

This is Matt and Yury in our room that all 4 of us shared. 

The next day was very promising—I felt great and was ready to leave. Yep, Lord I learned my lesson—I can go now. The doctor came back in the room only to tell us that we could not be released from our little hospital room reminiscent of 1940’s war hospitals, but we had to be quarantined for an additional three days. “Three days! In a Russian hospital?! Lord, tell me no!” I told everyone that I would pray that we get released that day, and in my mind I was in deep denial at the thought. But, as the nurses continually kept returning with IV’s and rectal shots (OUCH) I knew I was in for the long haul. To be noted by the reader: I don’t “do” Western medicine. I’m deathly afraid of antibiotics, and I research all medicines before I put them in my system. How did Jesus teach me to trust and surrender my control? By elimination—I couldn’t decline, and I couldn’t argue—they speak Russian. Only God can know how hard this was for me… but I felt Him prodding me “Don’t you trust me, little one? Remember, all things work for the good of those who love Me.” There was hopefulness now—God wanted me in this hospital for a reason. Together, the four of us could offer up the circumstances and events towards the conversion of Russia, and also for all the young adults attending the 17^th Annual Catholic Youth Conference. We could use our sufferings to build up the body of Christ—knowing that Jesus works out in our own bodies the redemptive work of salvation.

By the third day in Nakhodka General, I felt a great peace with my situation. Peace transformed into great joy as I realized the Lord had not only healed me physically, but also interiorly I was cleansed. I felt a deep gratitude for my stay in the hospital because I knew it taught me how to trust Christ a little bit deeper. In a small yet beautiful way, we got to share in the suffering of Fr. Walter Ciszek, the author of the book “He Leadeth Me,” which we read as a group before the trip. If you have not read this very inspiring book, I highly recommend it. It will change the way you look at Providence and the events of your life. In the book, Fr. Ciszek, an American Catholic priest, is captured and imprisoned by the NKVD for 23 years, five of which he spent in solitary confinement. In a special way, I felt God was allowing us to enter into the experience of Fr. Ciszek by being confined to a hospital room for almost four days in the middle of a mission trip. It was the tiniest sliver of his experience, but it taught us the same lesson it taught Fr. Ciszek: God is in complete control and we just have to accept all events, circumstances, and persons He sends us as means for our own sanctification.

Matt and I finally back to our normal selves at camp. 

On a lighter note, I must add this: I think I had asked for it. And so did Matt. We both prayed at the beginning of the trip that something weird would happen on the trip. Yep, we asked God to make weird stuff happen to us in Russia—so, I guess the Lord was like “Okay…I got something special saved for both of you.”  Ha, thanks Lord. No—I mean it, thank you. I was deeply inspired by my experience. Especially by the three souls you surrounded me with—which by your providence was for a reason—Matt, Tyler, and Yury. Thank you Matt, for teaching me how to suffer. You were so joyful even in the midst of great physical pain—your smile lifted me up and showed me how to accept the cross with joy and to carry it with Jesus. Tyler, thank you for loving us with a true fatherly affection and bringing us excitement, treats, and fun stories from the “shanty-town” everyday. You worked your hardest to make us feel secure and comfortable during our stay—and I haven’t laughed that hard in ages. You made it very light-hearted! And lastly, Yury, thank you for your inexhaustible care for Matt and I. I have no words—you fed and took care of us for days on end, and even into the camp when we returned from the hospital. You were living charity—and I am personally challenged and edified by your example and life.

So lesson learned: if you’re gonna pray to God for “weird stuff” to happen—be prepared. He’s got something big up His big, billowy sleeves. But don’t worry—He loves you and He does all things for the good of those who love Him. 

Sisters in Russia

By Emily

I know that Chris has mentioned the sisters of Vladivostok countless times, but they really can’t be spoken about enough. Vladivostok hosts Sr. Maria Stella and Sr. Catherine Marie, two of the first members of the Servants of Jesus the Lord (for non-Catholics reading, that’s the name of a community of Catholic nuns), and they are absolutely incredible.

Sister Stella (left) and Sister Catherine (right)
at the river on the last day of 

They were there when we walked off the plane in Vladivostok; when we left at five this morning, they were awake to eat one last breakfast with us and to help us pack the van to overflowing with our bags. Hugs were passed around while we held back tears, and I couldn’t get over how much these wonderful women had done for us in three short weeks. (To be honest, even typing this makes me tear up.)

Sisters are intended to provide a sort of spiritual motherhood for the people of the Church. This was something I’d never previously understood, not having had more than a few minutes’ conversation with a sister. But when we were far from home, they did look after us as if they had been asked by our own mothers to care for us while we were, quite literally, on the opposite side of the world. Sister Catherine made sure Amanda and I ate when we got sick, and each time I was afraid in Lesozavodsk, Sister Stella was present to reassure me with her quiet strength. In meeting them, we were given a powerful view of the family God has provided for us—quite simply, they showed us love without making us feel that it had to be earned, and they poured every drop they could as a healing balm over our souls. It’s easy to sit in Mass and hear abstractly that we’re all family through Christ, but the concreteness of their love and affection for us drove the nebulous idea into reality.

I am so, SO thankful for having had the opportunity to go to Russia. Every experience in this country has been amazing and humbling, but utmost among them has been being allowed a glance into the lives and hearts of two very holy women. They have given up so much to serve in Russia, and their willingness to go where love is needed inspires me to travel past my own desires and take a hard look at what God is asking me (and all of us!) to do with my life.

Missy: Friendship That Transcends Language

By Missy

Twenty-five young adults, half English-speaking, half Russian-speaking (with a few that didn’t speak either as their first language!) and five translators made for an interesting 8-day young adult conference. How would it be possible to communicate when you and the other person don’t speak the same language and you’re left to your own devices?

I was asked multiple times before I left to come on mission in Russia how I would communicate with those that I met, or if I had learned any Russian. Nyet! (Nope!) I picked up a few essential words, like hello, goodbye, yes, no, please and thank you, and maybe a smattering of other small things. But for anything more, hand gestures or a translator would have to do. And just as I suspected, I discovered that friendship transcends language.

We began our time together with Mass and prayer, half-English, half-Russian. Our foundation of faith was well laid, and our friendships were initially based upon the beliefs that we all profess, in whatever language is our mother tongue. Catholicism is something we could all understand and it is what brought us together in the first place!

Beyond that, we became acquainted with each other often without words, using a different language: the language of the heart. Over time, we learned each other’s names and some small details about each other’s lives, mostly, I’ll admit, through the broken English conversations the Russians were brave enough to have with us. But without common speech, we had to look at each other with a deeper gaze, and come to know each other through actions and through our character. You see, practicing what you preach becomes a whole lot more important when you can’t preach at all! We couldn’t tell our new Russian companions about our faith in Jesus Christ; we had to demonstrate it. We couldn’t tell them about who we were as people; we had to show them with our lives!

Most of us at the beach after our retreat day 

I didn’t always need to understand what one of the girls was saying because she often came up to just give me a hug or a smile. When one of the Russian guys picked a flower for one of the American girls that had been sick, no words were needed. Pats on the back, smiles, handshakes, hugs, thumbs up…these visible signs of care, affirmation, and love spoke louder than any bilingual conversation could have. Sure, we might have formed more substantial friendships if we could have shared our stories with each other, or spoken a kind word without the intervention of a translator, but perhaps God did not intend that for our time together. Instead, I learned a valuable lesson in living a life worthy of observation, one that demonstrates who I am as a person, and as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Whether I was successful in my lived Christian charity or whether I betrayed my identity as a Christian at times, I’m not sure. I know I have a lot of room for growth in this area, and this experience has prompted deeper reflection on how I can put these lessons into practice.

By the end of the week, the thirty of us exchanged heartfelt goodbyes and tight hugs as we parted ways, international friendships sealed by shared experience of faith and fellowship. I left the Far East amazed at how closely connected I felt with these Russian brothers and sisters in Christ and how much I enjoyed their company, despite language barriers. Whether I’ll ever see them again, I don’t know, but I am grateful in a new way for Facebook, which will keep us connected…and for the “translate” button. :) 

MOSCOW

We have made it safely to Moscow!!! We are waiting to check into the hotel right now. There is wifi here so I will keep you all up to date on our Moscow adventures. Missy, Emily, and Rachael all wrote some stuff on the plane for the blog so I will have that up soon pending Tyler's proof reading. 

For now, here is a picture of everyone in the "party bus" as we called it from the airport to hotel. 

All Updated!!

GREAT NEWS!! The blog is finally all up to date on everything that has been going on here. Sorry we haven't been able to post and the stuff I have been writing lacks some detail. The Conference kept us quite busy!

            So today was uneventful as we took a very long bus ride back to Vladivostok. Staggering back into the monastery here was like walking into our own homes after a long work trip or even stepping into paradise after a week at the rustic summer camp.

            Unfortunately this home coming is short lived. Tonight is our last night in Vladivostok. We leave here at 6 in the morning to catch our 8 am flight to Moscow (9 hours from now). Nevertheless, we had a good night.

            Supper was wonderful! Being able to eat spaghetti to our heart’s content was a major treat after limited food for a week. We had a great meal with the brothers and a few of the Russians from the camp. Yury and Victor also joined us and said their goodbyes. We were all laughing it up and trying to get joy out of every second.

            It is sad now that we have to leave. It feels like our whole trip hasn’t even set into my brain yet and now we are departing. Tomorrow morning will be a jam packed schedule trying to get to the airport in time, so there may not be much time for goodbyes. I can’t believe our work here is coming to a close. 

Conference Day 7: The Final Countdown.

            Today is the last full day of Conference. It was pretty basic in terms of the schedule: speakers, small groups, sports, Mass, and other activities. However, things were certainly different today. First, there is a noticeable difference now between all of the participants of the conference and the first day. In the beginning many feared the language barrier would prevent much cooperation and communication, yet today we can see more than ever that we are starting new friendships and breaking down language barriers. The cooperation and ability to communicate with very few words today astounded me as Russian and American friends ate and worked side by side.

            The people here seemed changed too. As we prayed together, ate together, overcame the challenges of the facilities together, and just lived together, we grew as a group closer to God. Though it is hard to say exactly what has changed, it seems that everyone is more on fire for their faith and ready to go out and be living examples of good Catholics.

            As camp draws to a close, fun is required. There was a huge bonfire with s’mores and lots of music and dancing. It was our last hurrah together as we shared our culture, our stories, and our time together just having a good time.

            Tomorrow is the last official day, but it pretty much consists of breakfast, prayer, mass, and packing up. By noon we will be on the road to return to Vladivostok, where I will be happy to finally post all of this stuff for you. 

Conference Day 6: Friday

            Another basic day. It was nice to have the team back together and all the Russians around as well. We had a talk followed by small group work and then presentations. There was also time to work in “permanent groups” and present the work of these groups. The Journalism Group made a newspaper again while the Theater Group put on another show for us. We had Mass, time for sports, and a lecture on the history of the Church in Spain. Each day we have gotten a talk on the history of the Church in a different country of the attendants (Russia, America, Spain, Indonesia, and the Philippines). These talks were interesting, but at the same time sometimes hard to stay awake through.

            Today was unique in two ways. First we got to go to the beach again. Another fun night of volleyball, though my game was off and I kept committing penalties. Second, we had all night Adoration right after the beach. This was a new experience for some of the Russians and a rewarding experience for all. I always see this event as a challenge to stay awake with Jesus as he asks the Apostles in the Gospel at the garden. 

Conference Day 5: The Triumphant Return

            So today was a pretty standard day of the conference in terms of schedule; however all of the activities were overshadowed by the return of Matt and Rachael from the hospital. With Tyler and Yury returning as well, the whole family was reunited and it felt so good. I am hoping that Rachael will write something about her experiences in the hospital, so keep an eye out for it.

            With this return, the FOCUS team was given permission to take the evening off to regroup. We feasted!! Tyler brought in some food and drink and we all shared our experiences from the past few days. Matt and Rachael had some interesting hospital stories and Tyler shared his adventures around the city. I couldn’t stop smiling seeing Rachael and Matt back with us and healthy and hearing how much they grew and learned spiritually during their time of sickness.

            Father Myron visited from Vladivostok today as well to give a talk, say mass, and also give a lecture on proper dental hygiene. I know this is an important topic in Russia, but I didn’t think this would really help me much; surprisingly, Father Myron taught all of us—Americans included—a great deal about dental hygiene and how to properly care for our teeth. 

Conference Day 4: Silent Retreat Day

            Well today was the silent retreat run by Brian, Missy, Father Steve and the Sisters. First off, props to them for reorganizing the day at the last minute. Originally Rachael and Tyler were planning the day, but both of them remained at the hospital all day. Despite having to make quick work of the planning, Brian and Missy did a fantastic job. Everyone, even the FOCUS students, thought it had been planned well in advance. 

            Breakfast started the silence and we were required to stay quiet until supper. The only talking allowed were the three main talks, prayers, Confession and Mass. I think this had a mixed reaction among the participants of the conference: some loved it and others really struggled. I know that regardless of the silence, everyone enjoyed the talks (Missy and Brian have both received many compliments both in Russian and English) and the Adoration time.

At the end of the retreat we had a Eucharistic Healing Procession. For those of you, like me, that don’t know all the fancy Church lingo, that is Adoration where the priest carries the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament around to each person. Then each person can grasp the humeral veil (cape thing the priest uses to hold monstrance) and have a face to face prayer or conversation with Jesus. This mirrors the story of the woman suffering from hemorrhages and as she touches Jesus’s cloak she is healed. Jesus tells her that her faith has saved her; in the same way by touching the veil, we grasp Jesus’s cloak and hope that our faith will save us as we pray directly to the face of the Lord.

Zoey during the Eucharistic Healing Service and Father Steve processing. Each member of the conference got a moment like this. 

I have to admit I cheated during the retreat a little. During our first long silent reflection time I ended up on the phone with Rachael (she sounded so much better even though she had to stay at the hospital) trying to coordinate getting her retreat materials to Father Steve and Missy. The second period I went to Confession with Father John, with had a lot of talking. Finally for the third reflection period I slept through half of it (which was allowed!) so the not talking thing was very easy. While I sort of cheated, the reflection and quiet of the day did have a strong effect on everyone.

            After our ban on talking was finally lifted, everyone had so much to talk about at supper. After supper we took the 20 minute walk to the beach and had a great night of fellowship. It is awesome for us Americans to say that we have all swum in the Pacific Ocean . . . on the other side! For some of us, we have been to both sides of the Pacific. The water was nice and the beach was a small taste of home for me. We also played beach volleyball with a bunch of random Russian people from the beach. Overall it was just a great time and a fantastic finish to a full day.