мужество

About 70 years ago a madman stood in front of a sprawling map contemplating his next move. His Generals stood around him, their backs straight, their heads high, their arms folded in supreme confidence across rows of ribbons and medals pinned to their jackets. Sipping something hot, probably coffee or tea, the madman made his decision as easily as forking another bite of pasty into his mouth. He ordered the invasion of a country to the east to inflict "maximum cruelty" against men, women, and children. "Show no remorse," he said. "Annihilate them all." The war was horrific. Millions of men, women, and children died from bullets, bombs, starvation, the elements.

There was a woman who survived. She told a story. She said one day she took her younger brothers and sisters by the hand to wander through the smoldering rubble looking for food. The temperature was below freezing. While they were walking about, the enemy's planes began to line up in formation and fly over the city dropping bomb, after bomb, after bomb, after bomb, after bomb, after bomb.... The young girl pushed her younger brothers and sisters into a ditch and covered them with her own body until the bombs stopped falling from the sky. Then they simply got up out of the ditch and resumed their hunt for food.

I have met this woman. I have talked to her. I have kissed her on the cheek. She put her hand to my face and kissed my cheek. We have held hands and prayed to Отче наш, сущий на небесах - Our Father who is in Heaven...our Father who needs no translator because he understands us both. We have sung songs together. I love her voice. We have eaten meals together. We have studied the Bible together.

I am in a beautiful place, this place called Volgograd, Russia. It is beautiful to me. It is filled with beautiful people, people of character, people of courage. You don't grow up in this place not having courage. Courage is a character trait that is instilled in you from the moment you are born. If ever I went into battle, I would want to be fighting alongside the good people of Volgograd. Victory would be assured, there is no question about that.

Yes, from the day you are born here you are taught courage. Courage. Courage.

Yesterday we ended our third and final day of Basic Seminar with beautiful Russian university students. I could not tell by the looks on their faces whether or not we, American trainers, had made a positive impact on their lives. For the past three days we talked about honesty, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring, fairness, hope...and courage. Did they get it?

The last thing we do before presenting them with a certificate of completion is a little thing called "Closing Circle." It is as you can imagine. We sit in a circle and each student and each American trainer says whatever is on his or her heart. Sometimes the comments are light-hearted, sometimes the person is overcome with emotion. What happened yesterday was very different. What happened yesterday...I haven't yet found suitable words. My American comrades nod in agreement with me on that. Rick, who is never at a loss for words in the Closing Circle, was just that - at a loss for words. Everyone was either sobbing or at least wiping tears from their eyes.

One thing for sure...it was an act of courage. мужество.

I need to process this in my head a few days before writing about it. Thank you for your patience. And thank you for your prayers for us. They do make a difference, I have supreme belief in that having witnessed it in the past 72 hours.

Please pray for David who has a cold. That can really, really, really slow you down here.

Salt and light.

For the Team,

Mike