HELLO FROM AUSTRALIA ==================== E-Mail from John Zaitseff. Saturday, 25th August, 2001 Greetings in the precious Name of Jesus! I hope and trust that all is going well with you, in body, soul and spirit. This is the last in my series of "Hello from Russia" e-mails, and is meant to keep you up-to-date with what has been happening during my time in Russia and beyond. As you can see from the subject of this e-mail, I'm back in Australia! This momentious event (at least, for me!) occurred on Thursday 23rd August in the early hours of the morning. But I am getting ahead of myself... I wrote in my last e-mail that I had fallen sick along the way to Khabarovsk. I personally suspect that I ate something that was not properly washed, or washed in water that I was not used to. Praise God, the sickness did not last long, and by the time I arrived in Vladivostok, some four days after falling ill, I was totally well. God never makes mistakes and His plans are always perfect. Even the fact that my train into Khabarovsk came six hours late, at 3am in the morning, was not by accident. In this instance, for example, several people had been waiting for me, to offer me the possibility of staying in their home, but all except one left before the train arrived. And it so transpired that it was exactly necessary for me to stay in the apartment of the person who persevered. I cannot elaborate on the reasons for this, but I trust I was as much a blessing to Andrei Truhanov and his family as they were to me. Khabarovsk is quite a nice city, especially in the centre, and I was able to spend some time just wandering around, looking at the sights. And if I thought Khabarovsk was nice, then so much the more Vladivostok! That city is built on hills overlooking the harbours and bays of the Bay of Peter the Great, making it very photogenic. I just hope my photos come out! Although I wanted to attend a church in Vladivostok the day I arrived ("I'll arrive at 6am in the morning, have a shower and go straight to the service"), the train arrived some eight hours late, cancelling that plan. However, at least I did get to meet some of the members later on. I am still amazed that the Lord has enabled me to befriend children, and I trust that this will continue to develop. After all, there were plenty of religious people around in Jesus' time, but it seems to me that children didn't run to them, but instead, to Jesus... And I want to be like Him! In any case, I certainly had some more practice in this gentle art in Vladivostok. The family I stayed with, the Smirnoff's, had four children: Dennis (16 years old), Vera (11), David (9) and Masha (8). I really enjoyed being with them, just talking and playing around. And it was good to pray with them as "part of the family". The whole family made me feel welcome and at home. And so it came to pass that I flew out of Russia on Tuesday 21st August. To be honest, I did not really want to leave. As I waited in the rather sparce facilities of the Vladivostok International Terminal, I felt that I could have cheerfully stayed another four weeks or so in Russia. And this feeling was not merely because I like to travel: it was a result of all the friendships I had made along the way, the Christian fellowship I had experienced, the grace that God had shown me through various people. But the time had come to go back to Australia, and back I went. I flew into Seoul later that Tuesday and slept there overnight before flying out to Sydney. And the first thing that literally "threw itself into my eyes" (to use a Russian expression) was how clean Seoul was compared to almost every place I had been to in Russia! The airport was gleaming, the metro was spotless, the streets essentially free of dirt---all the more amazing, given that my first impression of Seoul was not particularly favourable in this area. I flew in to Sydney on a crisp winter's morning on Thursday 23rd August; so crisp, in fact, that I used a jacket for the first time since leaving Sydney almost eight weeks ago. And it was so good to see my family once again (all except my mother, who is currently in Adelaide with her mother). I was back. So, were the last seven weeks or so in Russia worth my time, effort and finances? Absolutely! I praise God that I had the opportunity of going and, I trust, being a blessing to many people along the way, both young and old. And I would love to go again---if God directs me to do so, not even the rather sad state of my finances will stop me! A final thought: so many people took the time and effort and, I know, financial sacrifice to make my stay in a particular place enjoyable and as comfortable as possible. Romans 12:13 exhorts us to "practise hospitality" and these people did. I had not realised until my travels this time around just how important this is and how it feels to the person who has come to an unfamiliar place and to people he does not know. I know that, Lord willing, I hope to be far more hospitable than I have been to date! I plan to develop and print all of my photographs in the coming week---446 photographs in total. When I get some time, I hope to scan all of these into my Web site ( http://www.zap.org.au/~john/ ) for you to enjoy; I'll let you know when this is done. If you would like to know more about my experiences in Russia, just ask! You already know my e-mail address, and my telephone number is as listed in my signature below. Until we meet again, all the very best. Yours in Christ, John Zaitseff -- John Zaitseff ,--_|\ The ZAP Group Phone: +61 2 9543 6448 / \ Sydney, Australia E-mail: J.Zaitseff@zap.org.au \_,--._* http://www.zap.org.au/ Finger: john@zap.org.au v GnuPG fingerprint: 8FD2 8962 7768 2546 FE07 DE7C 61A8 4486 C9A6 69B0