Profile: life in the new Russia

Moscow

Twenty-four-year-old Helen Mamay attends New Life Bible School in Moscow. When she finishes, she hopes to enroll in the university to train for work with children--likely teaching elementary school.

For now, her dreams are kept alive by the American fast-food franchise, McDonald's. She works as a cashier and cook in the largest McDonald's in the world. She is one of the few young people who finds steady employment in Russia today. Her part-time work earns for her more than many of her elders earn full-time. It is dependable employment, and, unlike some civil servants and factory workers recently, she gets paid on time each month.

She is a regular listener to Mennonite Brethren Communications's The Bible Today and The Bible and Music. Both programs air on the national Russian radio network. The Bible Today also airs on local and regional stations across the Former Soviet Union. The Bible And Music forms a 12-minute segment of a very popular radio variety program produced by the national network itself.

"From Pastor Leonid, I learn new things about The Bible," notes Helen. "These programs challenge me to think deeper about my spiritual life."

MBC release

Return to the M.B. Herald Vol. 35, No. 17 Home Page