St. Petersburg, Russia

This week, Ilya and I are attending a five-day conference in St. Petersburg where there are representatives from twelve evangelical Bible schools from the entire former Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine, Moldavia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Lithuania). ETSM is the only Russian Pentecostal school represented at the conference; it happens to be the only school from Moscow, too. The conference is sponsored by Overseas Council International – an interdenominational fellowship that focuses on training leaders around the world.

St. Petersburg is Russia's second largest city, and the fourth largest city in Europe (behind Moscow, London, and Paris). The school that is hosting the conference is located near the Narva Triumphal Gate that celebrated this city's victory over Napolean. I've only been here for about 30 hours, but I already fascinated by the city's history and impressive architecture (which is both Western and Eastern).

As the week progresses, I hope to post more about my stay in the city formerly known as Leningrad.