Sosnovo Meals Provided!

At dinner on Sunday night, Lenoid (the deacon), told us that all our meals would be provided for us this week. We were stunned! We had planned to feed everyone at the local café, but they offered this as a ministry of their church. So, each day during the week, Lenoid would pick us all up and talke us to his “Dacha”. A Dacha is an individual home usually outside the city. Usually it’s anything that is not an apartment and is individually heated. The pictures of the home and the table inside are of Lenoid & Galina’s dacha about 10 minutes from the center of town.

On Monday, they asked us if we liked BBQ. Being from Texas, the answer is a simple YES! They cooked outside on a little BBQ using birch wood as starter and then coal (not charcoal) for fuel. In addition, we heated tea using a “Samovar”. This is a Russian Tea kettle that is stuffed in the center with hot coals to heat the water. As the water is heating, a stove pipe is placed on top. This is a very traditional way of making tea in Russia. You can’t tell it from the picture, but the temperature was in the 20’s and it was cold!

Russian hospitality is wonderful and special. We were guests and we were treated with honor. Despite the economic hardships, Lenoid and Galina sacrificed their time and money to feed us. I think Pastor Slava told me that Lenoid said something to the effect of serving in Christ requires a degree of sacrifice. Each meal was a three course serving. It always started with a large bowl of soup, then a dinner plate of potatoes and some kind of meat, then tea or “comport”. Comport is a drink that is made from either berries or fruit added to a large jar with water to make a fruit flavored drink. When I’ve had it before, it wasn’t very good, but Galina’s was excellent! I preferred that over tea most evenings!

Lenoid teased us one evening by saying that we needed to chop some wood before we could eat! So, I think we surprised them when Pastor Slava, Andre, and I all went down to chop some wood. It was a birch wood and it split easy without a wedge. Of course, it was a photo opportunity!

Afterwards, we went in to wash up for the meal. In the kitchen was a yellow sink with a device I hadn’t seen before. The small bucket above the sink contained water. The metal rod coming below the bucket was lifted up to allow the water to flow like a faucet. The Russians all laughed when I couldn’t figure out how to use it. They laughed more when I took a picture! Our meals during the week were a highlight. It was a great time of rest, fellowship, and sometimes singing some Russian hymns if Pastor Slava brought his guitar. Before each meal we would all stand and pray. Several languages were spoken at the table. That week we prayed in English, Russian, Czech, Norwegian, and Swedish. It was great to pray together with Christian friends around the world and come together as old friends. After the meal and just before Lenoid would take us home, we stood in honor of Lord and prayed again. Certainly it was a special time for all of us.