Bike trip – August 25 – Birobidzhan town

It was raining cats and dogs at night. Rain coped with the dust and also left big puddles on the road. We got up at 05:30 a.m. in the morning as usual. It was still dark outside. It was cloudy. But we had to go. We were to start at 07:00 though it was yet dark. Our KAMAZ showed us the way with its head lamps until we reached the highway. The new time zone also told on us. 5 kilometers after the highway ended and we had to travel along gravel and clay. It was raining sometimes. So the bikes became dirty-grey. It was a very hard way. Bikers did not wheel but drag bikes 120 km. Closer to Birobidzhan it became shining, clouds disappeared and a blessings was poured on us – it was the end of poor roads and rain. Moving several kilometers along the asphalt road we stopped by the first lake we saw, washed our bikes and cars. The bravest of us swam. Then we again took our racing bikes and continued our way. The rest 60 kilometers were a real pleasure for us. And it was easier for people in the cars to see our easy wheeling.

We arrived in Birobidzhan in time. Road inspection cars accompanied us to the church house. There in the church we had a special lunch, which was even better than lunch in the richest restaurant, as it was prepared by loving lands of Christian sisters. Hungry members of the Expedition eat everything up very quickly, but church sisters were only very happy about it. Bikers went to the sauna. Musicians went to the stadium to prepared sound and music equipment.

Birobidzhan is a young town. This year it will celebrate its 70^th anniversary. The town was built on tears of people, when according to the order of Stalin there was formed a Jewish Autonomous region. Jews were sent to live there on permanent basis. It was the place full of swamps. The town is located on the junction of two rivers – Biro and Bidzhan. The town was built there, a beautiful town. The location was transformed by people. The richest collective farms existed here in the times of the USSR. Only a few Jewish people still live here but the Abraham’s blessings are still here in this place. Former swamps produce amazing tomatoes, watermelons and much other kind of fruit.

Pleasant impressions about the town were alloyed by unpleasant news that there was held an unplanned football games “accidentally”. We decided to have a meeting in the square near the stadium, but were informed that there was no electricity there as no one present knew how to switch it on. Such circumstances grieved us. But finding strength and encouragement in the Lord we decided to have a meeting without sound equipment and singing. People came to the meeting. There were many militiamen too. Though they stood rather far from the stage, but still could hear everything what was said about salvation. It was great to meet brothers from Khabarovsk area, who came there to be with us. Those were Guennady Abramov with his wife, Svyatoslav Tyutyunik with his wife and Jacob P. Franchuk, who remained with us to accompany us to Khabarovsk town the next day.

The meeting was held without singing. But many members of the Expedition shared their testimonies. Boris Berezhnoi recited poems. Christian sisters showed the puppet play to all people, both adults and kids.

We talked to many people after the service. Though militiamen politely refused to talk to us and take the NTs, we saw a keen interest in the eyes of some of them. But following the order they could not take the books. Praise God, they listened to our words very attentively. Road inspection cars guided us back to the church. We had dinner and rest. Tomorrow we are to get up again and have breakfast at 06:00 a.m. We are to start at 7:30 a.m. Please, pay for us.

Leonid Kartavenko