Outdoor Youth Service "Alternative" in the Nizhny Novgorod Region

The faithful youth of the Volga-Vyatka Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Russia enjoyed an active, cheerful winter holiday season. The most long-awaited event of this winter took place January 6–10: the outdoor youth divine service, "Alter NO Tiva".

The head of the youth ministry department of the Volga-Vyatka Union, Sergey Parfenov, notes, “We had an important goal: to help the children see God's plan in all spheres of life—in the sphere of relationships, communication, earnings, self-esteem, and spirituality. We wanted to show that it is necessary to stick to God's purpose, despite the fact that the world offers its own alternative. Life with God is a full, meaningful life that gives salvation! "

The event considered topics of communication, live and online, and talked about how to form a healthy view of oneself, despite the fact the world offers unattainable standards of beauty and material well-being, in the context of relationships with members of the opposite sex. They talked about fidelity, obligations, and why it is important to remain sexually pure before marriage. 

The basis of any healthy relationship and adequate self-esteem is sincere faith in God—a close relationship with Him built on trust and acceptance of His plan. Pastor and spiritual mentor Dmitry Bulatov said God offers a person "tools" to strengthen faith—reading the Bible, prayer, going to church, connecting with fellow brothers and sisters.

During the service, there were many active games, both outdoors and indoors. The children visited the ice rink, talked in groups, played various sports, and participated in spiritual practices and tests. “Informative and useful masterclasses, unusual outdoor sports, many interesting and friendly people—all this made this time unique. I am happy that my year 2021 began with just such a winter road” says Lilia Lagunova, a participant in the event.

Another participant, Ilya Bragov, notes, “The winter road is about warmth, comfort, unity in God and benefit. This is an amazing place where I could connect with people with similar interests; where I could be myself and not be ashamed of it. I liked the theme—very relevant for today's youth. I liked the location of the winter road. There was no internet here, but there was fresh air and silence that we so badly needed. And the third reason for my happy stay here was the people: employees, participants, staff. Everyone was friendly, ready to help and support."

https://esd.adventist.org/2021/01/21/vyezdnoe-molodezhnoe-bogosluzhenie-alternotiva-v-nizhegorodskoj-oblasti/