Gospel Expedition

On July 31, members of the Expedition were tested in their endurance and limits of strength. There is over 300 km between Baikalsk and Ulan-Ude. Because of that distance, we decided to divide this part of the road into two parts. Unfortunately there are no Baptist churches between these two towns where we could stay overnight. The small towns on the shores of Lake Baikal still wait for the missionaries. The leaders of the Expedition decided to cover this big portion of the way during one day. The previous teams had managed to cover 315 km a day, so they thought that it would be possible to do it again.

The weather changed our plans. It rained all day long and a strong wind was blowing from the lake. The cyclists took turns, giving their friends an opportunity to rest. But Vladimir Skovpen, the leader of the bicycle team, cycled the entire distance all day long. His uniform was wet and his tires were punctured for the first time during the trip! We had to stop several times to put on new tires. Upon our arrival in Ulan-Ude, we set a new record for the Expedition — 318 kilometers in one day! It took us a little more than 10 hours to cover this distance.

On our way through Buryatia, our Expedition met other travelers. One of them was a motorcyclist traveling from Kiev to Vladivostok. He says that he is not traveling alone and his bike carries an inscription — “I am not alone. I am with God.” The Bible verse is written on the windshield of his motorcycle — Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths (Ps 25:4). It is good to travel along with such a fellow-traveler. Our bicycles are not so quick in comparison with the motorcycle, and they will arrive at Vladivostok later than this single biker.

The capital city of Buriatia — Ulan-Ude — met us very warmly. Pedestrians waved their hands at us, drivers beeped their horns. Everyone was reading the inscriptions on our cars with interest. There is a hope that during the forthcoming service, the interest in the Expedition will remain the same and will turn into interest in the Gospel.