Russian Church Today

This morning I went to a Russian Baptist church I'd been invited to maybe a month ago or so. Yesterday I was at some game place and then had a drink with a gay guy and his cousin who was 13. It was nice to chat.

I guessed a few things about them but nothing big. Mainly, I thought I saw the younger guy on a horse and he'd just said he liked sports and then added he owned a horse and loved riding. I can't confirm, though, that he really does have a horse.

The next morning I woke up and thought about going to church and had a couple of invitations and thought about going to one. The Russian Baptist one came to mind so I called someone to ask which one it was at and they gave street names and it sounded familiar so I ended up being able to put some make-up on and get a ride to go to the church. There were 3 messages and I didn't realize I was coming in on the 3rd one.

One thing I noticed, was that as soon as I was asking for and getting directions from this one lady, about the church, by the time I hung up I knew something was good. I sensed an energy that was strong and positive and to me it was like the holy spirit.

It wasn't the "heating up" from the technology or psychic stuff at all, which is sort of happening right now and it's happened from this point before and I don't know what the factor is, but it is totally different, but enveloping. For some reason, I knew I was supposed to go to that church today.

So I got there and looked in and saw Russian characters on the wall and knew it was the right one and then went back out to the man driving me and when I did this monarch butterfly was inbetween us. The driver was former military, Army, 14 yrs, and I didn't know if the butterfly thing was a gimmick from psychic Army, Russian, or what. Yes, butterflies fly around. But it was different and before that, a helicopter was flying overhead too. I don't know how to describe it, but I know I'm not nuts.

So then I went in and sat down right away and after a little while, I sensed that energy again. It wasn't anything psychic or technological. It was the good strong vibe I get sometimes which I haven't noticed in awhile.

I sat through the service, not understanding any of it. I thought I'd try to see if I could absorb anything psychicly but I didn't, not as to content. At one point I wondered if he was reciting I Corinthians 13, or a part of it but I felt this wasn't right and was my imagination and I didn't see anything that looked like this. I had absolutely no idea what the message was about.

There was one part where, at the end, they prayed, and I was sitting in the very back row and everyone in front knelt on their knees. The back row stood up. I waited for them to kneel but they continued to stand and then I didn't know if everyone was or what and I sat down and folded my hands just bc it's easier for me to concentrate on praying to God this way and then I thought I should have kept standing if that's what they were doing and I told the Russian woman next to me and she said it was okay and no big deal. She said it was a tradition, to do this, to stand in the last row. I asked and then she said yes. It was a kind of natural reflex where I can't describe it but I sat down and bowed my head and prayed. I guess I didn't know if I should be kneeling with the others or standing so I did what felt like a happy medium and made it possible for me to focus. I thought though, that as they were standing, it was like a line of angels or made me think maybe in older times, people were kneeling and the last row stood behind them to shield the others in front with their bodies in case it was a time of revolution and someone came in the back door. I don't know. It was only my imagination there.

So then they sang this Happy Birthday song which is like Happy Birthday but more spiritual and I liked it, and they were celebrating birthdays of July as they do every month.

I asked after, what the message had been and she told me the first one was giving glory to God, the second man talked about Joseph in jail and being freed and the third one about the blessings of God and to be thankful in all times. I heard the 3rd one. Then this other woman told me she'd taken notes and the 1st one was about rejoicing always and the second one about Abraham and Issaac and Joseph and about pulling through hard times and then the 3rd about tending the garden and pulling out weeds and it's a constant progress but to continue giving thanks to God and tend to the garden in our lives. So, the same thing. One passage was from Isaiah. I wish I'd gotten the verses.

Then, I talked with some very nice people. There was a funny moment when a man tried to offer his hand but his hands were full so he extended a thumb, which I shook and then I joked to the people around, "Don't tell anyone I shook his thumb!" and we all started laughing.

At first people seemed to think I spoke Russian and I had to explain I didn't. Then I talked with some young women about other things and it was sort of fun. I talked about how I was frequently mistaken for Russian (though I was told by a Russian woman today I looked sort of Scandanavian), and all this mistaken identity stuff and how I really started to wonder what in the world, and was my family Russian? and was I related to Edward Howard? and questions, questions, and then ONE day, the strangest thing happened and I smelled the B.O. of this Russian nurse and thought, "OH my GOSH. We have the SAME kind of B.O.! and I thought, am I Russian? I've never noticed anyone else with my kind of B.O." and these women and I were laughing so hard and I explained it wasn't bad B.O., it was just the same type. But it was pretty funny and this one reminded me of Anna Chapman actually and she didn't know who she was but I said she really had a slight resemblance and her name is Anna too. We talked about doubles, how common it was to have them and also, about Osama, because they said it's estimated he has a lot of them. I didn't know this but I can imagine.
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I looked up traditions and customs and I think it would have been more proper if I'd stayed standing with the line up in the back. I don't think it was a big deal at all, but at least I'll know for the future. I still haven't found a perfect reason for the tradition but maybe sometime I'll happen upon it.

I also read about a few other customs. One is that having hair down, in old traditions, is a sign of sadness and it made me think about how I refused to be photographed while I was in jail recently, with my hair down.

I had to give up my pen which holds my hair up and wasn't given any other kind of tie, so I braided my hair all the way to the ends and then twisted it up and knotted it at the base of my neck, using just my own hair for the knotting. I did it because my hair looks terrible down, but in the photos, I liked it right away--I thought it looked pretty dignified for a mug shot.
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The overheating/technology thing quit a little bit ago. So that's good.