The moon shone across the gently rippling water as the campfire flames danced into the starlit night. Through the tall pine trees on the riverbank, the sound of singing wafted on the cool air of the summer night... Am I trying to supplement my student loan by attempting to write romantic fiction? No: this is just one of the many memorable experiences I had at the first-ever Russian Christian Medical Student Conference, held last August at a holiday camp near the Russian city of Samara.
60 students gathered together from nine different cities in Russia, Belarus and Central Asia. They were joined by Alex Bunn, Mike Reynolds and David Newsom (UK CMF doctors) who had been invited to speak. Stephen Kennedy (medical student at Imperial College London), and I came along to join in. Having learnt a bit of Russian in the past, I tried to help out with some of the translation, but my reputation was sealed on the very first evening, much to the amusement of our hosts, after mistranslating ‘let us pray’ as ‘let’s go and wash our hands’!
The programme involved early morning praise, including the singing of a specially composed camp hymn, talks, discussion groups and seminars. The afternoons were generally free for games, snoozing or swimming in the Volga. In the evenings there was always entertainment in the way of silly games or drama, and a chance to experience an authentic Russian steamed bath or ‘Banya’, although Mike got a bit enthusiastic in a water fight one evening and managed to put his foot through a bathhouse floorboard.
Our contribution was a series of morning talks based on Bernard Palmer’s ‘Cure for Life’ lectures, explaining who Jesus is, what he did for us, and what our response should be. We also gave afternoon seminars covering ethical topics such as homosexuality, abortion, and relationships, and medical topics including how to read an ECG, basic life support, and the sick child. Another contribution we inadvertently made was to challenge the Russians’ stereotype that the British are a reserved bunch, possibly due to the silly games we presented, but probably mostly because of Mike’s chicken impression with a rubber glove!
Many of the Christian students had come from universities and cities where it is often difficult to meet and to live as Christians. In some cases there are only a handful of Christian students at each medical school, with very little support, and much opposition. They were greatly encouraged by the conference, and expressed plans to take back what they’d experienced to further work among medical students. It was very humbling to see their faithfulness and dedication in the face of such adversity and hardship, compared to the wealth of Christian support and resources that we enjoy and the incredible freedoms we have to express our faith. I was especially humbled by their commitment to prayer: there had been continuous round-the-clock prayer for the conference for over a year!
God is doing wonderful things in Russia and the former Soviet Union. I was challenged by the Russian Christians’ reliance on God’s provision, and by my own complacency in the midst of so much support and opportunity in this country to share the gospel amongst my fellow students. Do pray for Christians in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and go to a conference abroad if you get a chance. You will make lots of friends and will have much to offer by just being there, but be prepared to be challenged!
