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Friends United Meeting |
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January 1998
Epistle of Russian Young Friends Gathering
August 2-10 1997
We are 15 young Quakers representing various places, specifically Novgorod, Moscow, Chechnya, England, the United States and Canada. We traveled long and difficult paths to gather at Lake Valdai in the Novgorod region of northern Russia, and arrived with great joy since we are always interested in knowing one another better and meeting new people. We gathered August 2-10, 1997 to focus on our theme, "Love as a Condition of the Soul."
The site for the gathering had been well chosen. We lived in rustic conditions in a wonderful natural setting. In the mornings we began our "hunt for food" by boat-the only food stores were on the other side of our lake. Using the resources at hand, we made an unusual dish out of nettles, which also allowed us to feel more closely tied to nature. Any difficulties seemed insignificant compared to what we were able to experience on our peninsula.
Especially memorable was the day that we spent outdoors at the ancient Iversky Monastery, to which we rowed a few kilometers across the lake in small boats. Our attention was captured by an impressive white church building rising against a bright blue sky. A hundred-year-old tree sheltered us with its mighty branches while our artists made several sketches. We were warmly welcomed by people living and working there.
During our meetings for worship we discovered a sense of being responsible for our own lives and for what happens around us. In our interactions with each other we felt the presence of God's love flowing through us because we tried to act with love, patience, and caring for one another, accepting the differences that exist between our cultures.
Gathering together in a circle encouraged us to be open and honest in our ministry and session discussions. This also helped us to realize that we are not alone in our difficulties, and that it is not so terrible after all to learn tough lessons from what life hands us. We also found benefit in meeting both all together and in smaller groups. Especially interesting were the discussions of topics which were less traditional in some of our cultures, such as "Spirituality, Love, and Sexuality" and "Love in Intimate Relationships," among others.
In closing, we would like to thank Friends House Moscow for their support of this gathering, which helped us to spend good time together. We would also like to recognize the help of the director of the tourist complex "Volna," Yevgeny Kadrov. Yevgeny treated us to a wonderful evening around the campfire by playing songs on his accordion.
We hope that we will be able to realize the bright ideals of Quakerism in our own lives and carry them forth into the world.
Copyright (c) 1998 Friends United Meeting
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