The night of encounter with God

Late autumn in 1992. The night. I'm in a train compartment, returning home from a business trip. Since 1962 I have been working in a project institute designing electrical drives and control systems for still mills, and generally it was nothing special in this before Soviet Union collapse. At the very time some institutions were somehow functioning, but already we didn't know what was waiting for us even soon.

There was no usual comfort that we got used to during our business trips: starched branded curtains on the windows; starched bedding; warm blankets; fragrant hot tea with cookies, brought in a compartment in beautiful glasses with glass holders.

Instead: the compartment and the entire carriage were not heated, there was no maintenance; shelves we used to sleep comfortably were very dirty; even remembering the toilet was very scary. Only the measured sound of wheels, the rocking of the carriage and ... the neighbors to talk to were still the same. I love to talk with random people I meet.

That night was especially conducive to conversation because we could not sleep due to the inconveniences stated. I remember my neighbors as if they are sitting in front of me right now. They were two women. The eldest was about my age, i.e. 55 years old, the youngest about 25 years old. Their appearance was very memorable, especially during that troubled time. Outerwear: very beautiful, handmade sheepskin coats; high boots made of soft leather and Russian shawls of extraordinary beauty; they did not take off their outerwear, but from under it they could see hand-made woolen suits.

It appeared they were going to a very important Russian Orthodox Church synod, and they were a very important authority in it. It was very cold, we couldn’t sleep, and we started to speak about God. I was asking them to explain why when I am trying to read a Bible, I am not able to understand it. Elder woman told me: “You will understand it when you start believing in God”. It’s hard to understand, but the next morning I woke up as a strong believer.