Blogrimage День второй: Беларусь

Day 2 of Blogriamge takes us to Belarus....This is a country that is located directly above the country that is my second home. For those of you who do not know me very well, that is Ukraine. Ukraine is truly a place I love, and a place that is near and dear to my heart! I will being leading a team to Ukraine this summer, to which I am super excited!

But, this blog is not about Ukraine, it is about Belarus. I have several friends from Belarus, and from what they tell me, it is a beautiful country! However, most American's will not have a chance to see the beauty, as it is very hard to obtain a visa to Belarus. In fact, Belarus is the only nations in Eastern Europe and Eruope, that is known as a restricted nation. According to the Voice of the Martyrs, a restricted nation is one where government policy or pracitce prevents Christians from obtaining bibles. In addition, these nations have anti-Christian laws that lead to Christians being harrassed, imprisoned or killed for being a Christian witness. So, this is one area specifically that we can be praying for, in relation to the nation of Belarus.

In the past Belarus (Беларусь) has been known as White Russia. Бела Русь (White Rus). Which is seen as a derogetory name because it connects them to Russia, instead of allowing them to be their own country. The history of the country speaks to me of identity. This nations is trying to hold firm to its new identity apart from the USSR. This can also be seen in the lives of many people. Why is alcohol, sex and drugs so prevelent in the college community? Because people are trying to create their own identity apart from their parents and ultimately the Lord.  Proverbs 29:18 says that without vision, the people perish. And I believe, that people cannot have vision, if they do not know who they truly are. Therefore, we all need to learn who we are in Christ and what our true identity is, because then and only then, will we have vision for the future.

Well, since it is almost midngiht, I will leave you with the few facts I am targeting and then call it a night:

• National language is Belarussian, which is a more poetic version of Russian.
• Capital: Minsk
• Flag: Green represents the future, red represents the blood shed in the past, and the decorative stripe to the left represents Belarus' cultural heritage and the unity of the people

                               

Hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about Belarus, until tomorrow!