A Russian family stayed at the campground for a couple days. After the first night, they wanted a different campsite because of the noisy, drunk Mexicans next to them. Happily, I was able to get a better spot for them. Alex, the father, and I chatted for awhile on that second day, while his wife and kids were hiking. His wife is considerably younger than him. I’m guessing she is in her late thirties and he is about late fifties. He had a bum ankle and didn’t want to slow them down on the rough trail. He mentioned that he is an airplane pilot and flew for years in the Alaska wilderness. I used to live in North Pole, Alaska and he knew exactly where that was. He grew up in Russia and Turkey, before moving to the US as an adult.
Alex asked where home was for me. I said that I consider Salem Oregon my homebase now, but I was raised in Woodburn. His eyes lit up and he said he used to live in Hubbard, the next town over from Woodburn. I wasn’t completely surprised because there are many Russians that live around that area. Turns out that we know many of the same people, including some of my classmates. He is one of the Pentecostal Russians and attended the church that my dad helped to build. He had often went to the Assemblies of God Tabernacle meetings in Brooks. I lived for 3 years in the house right next to the huge Tabernacle and also attended many of the meetings from early childhood on. Now, Alex is a missionary to Russia and Cuba, working largely with children. He gave me his card and some literature about his Christian ministry. He began by working with street children in St Petersburg in 1993, providing food, lodging, and assistance for getting off drugs. I think he is taking a break because of the worldwide COVID-19 issue. Very nice man. It’s weird how we ended up meeting in a tiny campground, more than a 1000 miles away from that area in Oregon!
iggyvandweller 