Little Anya’s Eggshell:

“A Delicate Christian Future in a Fast Changing Land”

Artist: Patricia S. Arnold

In its colorful history of more than one thousand years, Russia has never given real freedoms to its ordinary citizen until the 21^st Century. No generation before today has had real choices.  When the Czars ruled for hundreds of years, they owned the land, and dictated to all its citizens the values they should live by. When the Communist ruled the land they also controlled its citizens and dictated an allegiance to the government itself.  No generation has ever had any of the real freedoms as to where they want to live; how they want to live; where they want to travel in an unrestricted fashion; what kind of education they would like to receive in order to attain the career; what financial status they would like to aim for; and the freedom to develop a faith in God… that is until today.

Little Anya is the first of this new generation not born under any oppressive government. She will not even understand the drastic change that have occurred before her birth, and will only know of the past oppressive life through a history class at school. Her future will not be dictated. She will have the opportunity to make her own choices about her life and her faith. Anya’s mother is a Baptist Christian in Bryansk, Russia. Anya will be taught the Bible and learn about a life of faith from her mom. But her generation, even though free, has a delicate future as well. She will have the freedom to practice her faith, but she will have to own it for herself. No government or state church will dictate what she must believe or value.  Her faith in Christ will have to grow inside her heart in a personal way. Instead having her spiritual values dictated to her, she will be faced with maybe even a greater challenge that human freedom brings; growing to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and living for Him in a land that says you can freely choose for yourself.

Anya is the face of a delicate Christian future.

Art work and story telling by Patricia S. Arnold

Patricia.arnold59@comcast.net