JERUSALEM: 25 September 2024
A "Choice of the Path" summer camp in the Holy Land

Last year, our Sunday school had a dream—to organize a camp for the Russian Mission in the Alps, in collaboration with the Stuttgart Diocese’s children's camp. We lived with this dream throughout the difficult and anxious year. Archimandrite Roman (Krasovsky), blessed this good intention and supported us prayerfully on this path. This complex project was prepared thanks to benefactors who contributed significantly to the financial costs of organizing the trip. However, when the suitcases were packed, and all the documents were arranged, we received news that our airline had canceled flights to Israel due to the state of war! After fruitless attempts to find alternative ways to fly out of Israel, we had to come to terms with what had happened.

On August 2, a large group of children gathered at the home of Father Roman and Matushka Olga Gultyaevs. They decided—to hold the camp regardless of whether it was in the Alps or in Israel! The first day was the hardest; it was not easy to cope with the situation. Father Roman Gultyaev spoke with the children about how to deal with disappointment, how to handle hard situations like these without falling into despair, and how to learn to thank God for everything. On Saturday, the kids swam in the spring of St. Philip the Apostle, watched and discussed movies, sang songs around the campfire, and gradually came to understand that the most important thing in the camp was not the place but the people gathered by the Lord.

On Sunday, the day of the memory of Mary Magdalene, everyone gathered for the Liturgy at the Russian Gethsemane and, having received the blessing of Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem, set off for the Sea of Galilee. On the way, we stopped by the monastery of Chariton in the Faran Valley. By evening, we arrived in Tiberias, where a quiet and cozy pilgrim house welcomed us on the shores of the lake.

The next day was dedicated to the theme of choosing the path. Matushka Olga spoke to us about people who made their choice on October 7, "giving their souls for others." In the evening, Father Roman took us on a night hike to the Golan Heights. We searched for one of the Evangelical cities of the Decapolis—Hippos. There, among the ruins of the ancient city, we sat, looked at the stars, read the Apocalypse, sang songs about the “Golden City,”. In the distance, across the lake, the golden lights of Tiberias flickered, and farther on the horizon shone Mount Tabor.

Of course, the camp included not only lessons and readings but also fun. The children swam in various springs and participated in sports competitions. On Tuesday, we went kayaking. During the day, we had a discussion prepared by our literature and Russian language teacher, Natalia Krakhmalkina, about the poetry of Nikolai Gumilev, the poet and traveler who sought the “Gates of Paradise” in unknown lands. In the evening, we boarded boats modeled after the one found in Gennesaret, which perhaps carried the Lord and His disciples, and embarked on a night journey across the Sea of Galilee. On the boats, we read passages from the Gospel about the Lord meeting the apostles, the miraculous catch of fish (by the way, some of the kids were lucky enough to catch a fish that evening), the calming of the storm, and how the Lord walked on water.

On Wednesday, Sergey Kvasov, gave a lecture about Suvorov, his life path, how he transformed from a weak and sickly child into a strong and courageous man, and what we can learn from the great commander and a Christian. All the children decided that, if it pleases the Lord, next year we should go to the Alps following the steps of A.V. Suvorov!

We concluded our camp with a visit to the convent of Mary Magdalene. There, after praying for all the captives and warriors on the battlefield, we spoke about the Path that the Lord offers us to follow. We reflected on the meaning of the Lord's words: “Take up your cross and follow me.”

In the end, we all realized that by God's providence, it was necessary for us to experience the beauty of the Holy Land once again, to see the sunsets and sunrises over the Sea of Galilee, to immerse ourselves in the waters of the Jordan, to wander through biblical hills, breathing in the scent of flowers, to understand the happiness of living in the homeland of our Savior and how important it is to be worthy of it.