Be a Man of God!

The calling to be a man is no trivial matter. Men are called to be true: to have a will of steal, a heart of silver, and a spirit of ardor. Being a man is not necessarily easy, but it is always worth it in the end.

As a man you have your life before you. Either you can spend it on things that do not count, or you can seek your calling. Make no mistake, there are millions of people who have stood in the shoes you are in right now. Many of these people chose to spend their time on things that did not count.

Of those who made their lives count, there were two different types. Some found it easy, and for some the choices they faced posed no great challenges or adversity. Yet, for others, it was difficult and sometimes treacherous. If you truly desire to be a man, you will more often find that you encounter the second type.

A good man is one who seeks to honor God, seeks His glory first, and lives for His enjoyment, who does what is right whether he does it alone or with friends and he is happy doing this. Let us pray that we will truly be such men!

Home Again!

After five weeks of living in Moscow, classes came to an end, we received our diplomas (above) and began returning to the States. There was much to greet, become familiar with, and enjoy again--especially the American flag!
It is true that current day Russia is different in many ways from the former Soviet Union in outward forms and its appearance towards the West. Yet, in many ways it still seems to remain the same. Indeed, communism still lingers...
Just to enter the country takes five documents--passport, visa, registration, migration permit, and an invitation. Losing certain of these documents can prevent you from leaving the country. Sometimes it takes months to get the papers again.

There are other restrictions as well. Certian cities are still "forbidden" cities for internationals. The KGB museum has been closed to foreigners for several years. GPS systems and satillite phones must be registered with the militsia [police]. The list goes on.

Entering the country took merely an hour with a simple passport check. Leaving the country took nearly three-with my passport being checked five times.

However, I am truly glad for the opportunity of visiting a foreign country, especially a Cold War superpower and now renewed rival.

Indeed, such a trip makes one more thankful for being an American. We live in a country that is not perfect, but we have an enormous amount of freedom compared to those in other countries. We should be thankful for the freedoms we have and guard them carefully to prevent their being lost.

To think that our freedom and Constitutional rights will remain while the rest of the world plunges into chaos seems mere idealism. We cannot expect our rights to remain untouched forever. Other civillizations believed this and aren't here today because of it.

I am not advocating imperialism, I am simply advocating the protection of our freedoms from those who wish to abuse and destroy them--without, and especially from within. Such a duty is not easy. It requires constant vigulance and dedication. But it is worth it.

A Stroll in Neskuchniy Park

The Thursday before I returned to the US, some friends from the dorms and from a Russian church went for a walk in Neskuchniy [not boring] Park.

Left to Right: me, Natasha, Andrey, Logan, and John at a memorial in the park commemorating the 10 year anniversary of WW-II (1955).

A fountain in the park.
Ahh...a tree...let's climb it!
American Squirrels!The three Americans on one of the foot bridges over the Moscow River.

Moscow State University & Victory Park

Moscow State University. This is the MIT of Russia and excels in politics, economics, and technical subjects (engineering, physics, mathematics, ect.).

The entrance to the university. Inside, the first two floors are laid with marble and Persian carpets. The stair cases are also marble.
The back side of the university. The Institute for Sometype of Physics. I had to check it out!
Entering through the giant oak double doors, the first item of interest in the lobby was an memorial of those who were on the faculty and who served in WW-II. The included pictures of the "great" Soviet physicists and the red Soviet star .

Top of the star: "USSR". Bottom: "Victory". Plaque (something along the lines of): "Praise to the Soviet Army! -To the heroes of the Great Patriotic War be praise...."
Victory Park. This is the official WW-II memorial. It has fountains, squares, multiple parks, different museums, and war memorbilia including tanks and even aircraft!
There are hundreds of fountains, each set is dedicated to the "heroes" of a particular front in the war.
Looking South-South West Another view. The tall spiky things on the left are not palm trees. They are actually monuments to the "heroes" of each of the major Russian fronts during the war. The main building.

Central Museum of Armed Forces

The Central Museum of Armed Forces

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. The shadows of communism still remain in many forms, especially art and architecture. A Soviet field gun at the entrance
Ted, one of the program participants from University of Arizona, testing out some type of light gun.
A WWII-era Soviet tank
For the Mother Land!
The walls were decorated with murals detailing various campaigns of the Red Army.

A majority of the museum was dedicated to WW-II. In Russia, WW-II is actually called the "Great Patriotic War". While the emphasis on WW-II may seem overdone, it is perhaps very difficult for us Americans to recognize the horrific cost WW-II had on the Russian people. Conservative estamates put their dead at 20 million: 11.7 million soldiers and 6.7 million civillians. The Soviet population at the time was 194 million.

It makes one wonder why the American public complains about 3000 lives lost in the Middle East.

In one area, part of the entire wall was dedicated to those who had won "Hero of the Soviet Union" award--the highest distinction possible under Soviet rule.
The Gold Star Medal (H. of the S.U.) and the Order of Lenin. The order of Lenin, established in 1930, was prestigious, but not quite enough. So the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (the top governing body of the USSR) established the H. of the S.U. in 1939. It truly was a reminder of Animal Hero First Class. :)

Life in the Capitol

At the university, I was assigned to dorm 'D' through a long string of seeming misfourtunes that actually proved to be quite providential!

What's this? Russian practice? Well, I think not. With the dining hall being closed in the evenings and weekends, starvation was a reality. Faced with this reality, it took serious planning to avoid. :) It took planning...

...to make these!
Happy 4th. of July! There are 10000 Americans living in Moscow putting on the second largest 4th of July celebration in the world, outside of the US.
Soccer is very popular in Russia. Most of us Americans played every other day, rain or shine.
After a hard won victory.

The Kuskovo Estate

One of the older estates near the university where I stayed, gave piano performances every Thursday. Before the Soviet era, this was the summer residence for the Kuskovo nobility. Now it is a museum of the state.The entrance to manor.
The estate gardensReady for the performance!
The Kuskovo mansion along with two small orthadox chapels that served the manor.