For a long time, we were setting out to our
parishioners in Klucze. God's mercy, in
his generosity, gave us beautiful and sunny weather until mid November! Therefore Fr. Jan has used it for digging
ditches for sewage pipes, and the digging was... 80 meters long. Dmitry, Igor and Zhenya came with help. Hence the trip delayed a bit. On Tuesday, after a morning Eucharist, we got
in the car and we headed to Klucze. Sierioga, our Koriak friend, stayed in the
parish to watch the house. Andrei and
Nastia Siemiaszkiny, our Protestant friends, lent the car to us. Our Swift would not make it through. Without a good car, you cannot go for a long
route; we have here about 180 km of asphalt roads. Further on, the road is much different J The most important is that after the
half-a-year-break, we would again be together with the community of our
parishioners of Klucze. Although we are
600 miles away from each other, we remember them during each daily Eucharist in
our Chapel. On Sunday, they meet together
to read the Scriptures and reflect on them. When we come to them, we celebrate a common
Eucharist. We travel so far for only 5
persons, and we do it without calculation-whether it is worth doing or not. We are here to preach the Gospel. How good that "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle
of the LORD." The time and
place are chosen by God, while we only try to do his will. Will we manage to go right after Christmas? We would like it very much but everything is
in the hands of God.
COMMIT YOUR WAY TO THE LORD:)
Having driven for 120
km away from Petropavlovsk, we pass Сокоч. Here you can enjoy the famous
dumplings (read: buns) with different fillings. Even at 30 degree freezing, they are hot,
though residents sell them in the parking lot, i.e. outside the building.
Сокоч is a small village
We still have asphalt…
and now the asphalt
ended. Snow drove in a way so much that
it does not shake up so hard. In the
fall, the car shakes a lot on this road, and in the summer the car is followed
by billows of dust. And no one complains:)
Time to stretch out your
legs, because we still have only 450 miles.
The last miles are
marked by snowfall and rain. We arrived
in Klucze in the evening. It went pretty
well, we drove for only 9 hours!
The goal of our
journey.
In the morning we
could see the highest and still active volcano of Kamchatka and Eurasia called Клюучевская Сопка (4750 m high).
and the furthest north
volcano called Шивелуч (3283 m high). This year, it already sprinkled ashes.
The climate of Klucze.
Prayer at the
Kamchatka River for fishermen who drowned in it. This year Dima’s friend did not return from
fishing. They still did not find his
body.
The liturgy and songs are already prepared.
The most important
moment of the whole expedition, i.e. the Eucharist with a group of our
parishioners of Klucze: Dymitr and his wife Valentine, Rudolf and his wife
Marina, and Alexander. Before the Mass
they went to confession.
The meeting by the tea
cup.
Fr. Jan shares the
latest news from the parish.
Now we go back to
Petropavlovsk. The elegant River
Kamchatka.
Since last year, there is a bridge, so there are no longer such
unforgettable ferry rides, or pedestrian walks on the ice.
Home is only 500 km
away.
On the way back, even such surprise has been waiting for us .
