Fireplace Of Hope: + GOD’S THOUGHTS AND WAYS

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.