Date: 29 March 2010
Without much planned, this day started out lazily. We planned to meet another friend for breakfast, go to an office for my Russian registration, and see a few sights in Moscow before getting on a late night train to St. Petersburg. We were all stirring around the apartment when the calls started. An explosion had occurred in one of the Metro stations. Our host then began a series of calls to check on each of the people he knew in town. Everyone under his responsibility was accounted for.
Within a few minutes of hearing of the first explosion (at Lubyanka Metro Station), we started hearing reports of a second explosion. When the second explosion was confirmed, we knew it wasn’t some random gas line explosion, but rather a coordinated attack. Rumors had started surfacing of a third, but never confirmed. Two female suicide bombers had set off bombs within 45 minutes of each other at Lubyanka Station and at Park Kultury Station, killing nearly 40 and injuring over 100 others.
Breakfast plans were cancelled, and there was some concern about riding the Metro. The “Red Line” was almost completely shut down since both explosions were on that line. After a couple hours, it was clear that the attacks had ended. However, I still needed to get my registration filled out, and we had to cross town to do it.
Just before noon, we ventured out onto the Metro. We felt a little heavy going down to the platform to wait for the train. We stepped into the train, and began our journey. On our wagon, there were dozens of police officers. Under normal circumstances, I would have felt more secure with their presence, but their faces showed absolute dread. These young guys (mostly in their early 20s) appeared to have a job that none of them wanted. Several of them were carrying silver-colored, shrink-wrapped packages about the size of a thick notebook. Two or three got off at each station until all of them had gotten off. I don’t know what their assignment was, but I am sure I didn’t want it.
We surfaced from the Metro and wound our way to the GoToRussia office, where I would apply for and receive my registration. Paying another $45, I had officially paid more for visas and paperwork than I had for the airline ticket.
Along the way, we discussed taping a special edition of Engage Russia. We talked through it on the Metro and got out at the Park Kultury Station (which is an exchange station and the part we got out wasn’t closed). People were pouring in and out of the station. Many looked as if it was just any other day, but the police, fire, and television crews told a different story. We video-taped several segments and took pictures of the scene outside. We knew that while a terrible thing had happened, we needed to help people understand this in “light of eternity.”
Only a fraction of 1% of people in Russia understand the gospel from an evangelical perspective. Many are considered Orthodox Christian and go through the rites and practices, but don’t understand the meanings behind it. Tradition and mysticism garners the lives of the typical person on the street. While some were trying to make sense of the destruction of lives, others seemed un-affected and rather inconvenienced. Due to these acts of terror, many people entered eternity without Christ. Our job as believers is to tell the people around us the “Good News” so that they can be ready for eternity. Now more than ever, they need this message.
We made our way from Park Kultury (formerly Gorky Park – mentioned in the Scorpions song “Wind of Change) back to the Metro to see Red Square. However, Red Square had been blocked off. It was a strange site for Marc Hooks to see the square empty of people. Temporary barriers were set up and guarded at every entrance. The gates to the square were closed. We grabbed a quick bite at McDonald’s before heading back to the apartment to pack for our trip to St. Petersburg.
It had been a mentally exhausting day. Our host had fixed us a wonderful dinner of barbeque chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and salad. It was a great meal. We packed our gear and essentials into our backpacks and made our way to the train station, leaving plenty of time for disruptions.
We arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare, or so we thought. We picked up some supplies of snacks and drink and went to the train that we thought was ours. It wasn’t. Upon further inspection of our tickets, we had been issued tickets for a train that left two hours before the time that the issuer had written down for our choice. We scrambled around to get a refund (50%) on our tickets and get one on the soonest train from that point. We secured our tickets and departed just after midnight. Our mistake resulted in us getting on a new train and in a coupe without any other people.
What started as a lazy day turned out to be physically and mentally draining. The weight of this day sat on our shoulders. We were in Moscow on a day that will be remembered in history. We pray that such a terrible event gets people to start thinking about eternity, and that we would be sensitive enough to the Holy Spirit to share. God has a heart for the Russian people. Will you accept the challenge to pray for and share with these people?
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