Into the Mountains with Prayer

Ulyanovsk/ Saratov, Russia 

  On June 27 to July 2 the congregations of Saratov and Ulyanovsk organized a “prayer camp” for the 13th time. 30 people took part.

   The Bible study program was organized in the following way – prayer themes in the morning led by Pastors Andrey Dzhamgarov and Vladimir Provorod and evening Bible studies organized by Pastor Alexander Scheiermann on the first chapters of the book of Daniel. 

  On one of the days the participants of the camp visited the village of Shiryaevo, where they enjoyed the beautiful views of the Volga and surroundings. Afterwards they went through the settlement of Solnechnya Polyana (Sunny Meadow) to the Kamennaya Chasha (Stone Chalice) spring. 

  The path to the spring wasn't easy for everyone; some had to use their last bit of energy to make it, thinking all the time about how they would not only have to get there, but to get back. But swimming in the cold, mountain spring woke everyone up and renewed their energy enough that everyone was able to make it back to camp.  

  Two days later the plan was to hike up the mountain that stood over the campsite, but after the difficult hike a few days earlier, there weren't many people who wanted to go through with it. In the end a third of the participants set off, and while they were on the mountain they remembered the Biblical story of the Transfiguration. There was talk about wanting to build dwellings there and to stay on the mountain, wherever everyone is unified in prayer. 

  On the last day before returning home, looking back, everyone saw that during the whole week God had unified the participants of the camp into one congregation and had blessed them with fellowship with Him and with one another as they spent a wonderful time on the banks of the Volga. 

  Vladimir Provorov