MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS Correspondent Dmitry Osipov/. A reporter of the Orthodoxy and Peace portal, nun Elisaveta (Senchukova), about ten years ago moved from Moscow to far-away Yakutia to get involved in the missionary. She does not regret the choice, adding she works in one of the most unusual edges of Russia. We have talked with the nun who heads the Yakut Diocese's press service and missionary department, discussing what people in the Far North expect from missionaries and how to have the Bible translated into the Yukaghirs' language.

To see another Russia

Nun Elisaveta explains why she wanted to move to Yakutia by saying the desire was to see "Russia which is completely different, unlike anything else." "In Yakutia, you can see many things in a rather detached way," she says. "The culture is specific, the region has preserved the ethnic traditions. Many of my friends who come here say nothing similar may be seen even in the Caucasus. Even Orthodox churches in Yakutia are specific, and very often the images of Jesus Christ are decorated with national ornaments. I have only benefited from coming to Yakutsk - I have a very interesting mission, it is what I have always wanted: to travel, to communicate with people, to help."

The nun's family is in Moscow. The father is a doctor and a priest. The sister is a teacher, a musician in a small rock band, she also sings in a church choir. "It was when I was about five that I asked to be baptized. But my path to the faith has been long. Here I can refer to The Young Pope series, where, in one of the episodes, the main character, the Roman pontiff, explains to a seductress - we are actually cowards and we prefer to love God because He will not deceive us," she said. "Whenever people are seeking support in anything, they seek for it in the unchangeable, and the unchangeable is only God."

In 2005, she graduated from the State Academic University for the Humanities. Before moving to Yakutsk, she managed to defend her PhD thesis, taught at the Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities, and cooperated with many Orthodox publications. Presently, she says, time for journalism is shrinking, but she still continues to write.

Another reason to move to Yakutia was the fatigue from the big city's infantilism and useless arguments. "I got sick of the pettiness that filled discussions in Moscow. It's another thing when you see people who have to live in 50-degree frosts and to cope with real, not artificial challenges every day," she adds.

Right now Mother Elisaveta leads the Yakut Diocese's press service and missionary department, and additionally she consults the Charity Foundation on the Orthodox culture.

The Arctic Mission

Elisaveta is never idle. "I travel a lot," she says. "This year only I have visited the Ust-Maysky, Eveno-Bytantaysky, Nizhnekolymsky Districts (the Eveno-Bytantaysky and Nizhnekolymsky are located beyond the Arctic Circle - TASS). Getting there means huge distances through the taiga, forest tundra and tundra. I have learned to fall sleep in any transport - be it a boat, a helicopter or a car. I no longer get surprised to see wild animals on the way - bears, hares, ground squirrels and chipmunks."

She talks enthusiastically about the Arctic Mission project, which was organized by the Spas (the Savior) Resource Center. The Center unites the Diocese employees as well as doctors, reporters and teachers. The project has been blessed by Archbishop Roman (Lukin) of Yakutsk and Lena, and its leader is Anzhelika Tupitsyna.

The Arctic Mission has won a grant of the Orthodox Initiative international competition The team come to the Arctic's hard-to-reach areas to assist the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples in preserving their languages, cultures. The mission participants conduct health screening, open children's camps and make documentaries. The Arctic Mission brings to the Arctic districts stationery, books, medicines and food. The Russian Orthodox Church Synodal Department purchases as a charity those goods, and part of the funds comes from a crowdfunding platform where authors of creative, social, scientific and business initiatives raise money for their projects.

This year, the team has visited the village of Chersky - an administrative center of the Nizhnekolymsky District in Yakutia's northeast. The diocese's one of the oldest parishes is located there. Priests cannot go there often: Chersky is an expensive destination: getting there is by a 3.5-hour flight by plane from Yakutsk to Srednekolymsk, and from there - a 2.5-hour flight by helicopter to Chersky.

"I can see many people are fleeing the Arctic. But Chersky, which is not considered the most successful settlement, does not give this impression. Although people there live ready to go, they anyway renovate quite thoroughly their houses. Thus, my conclusion is they are not really going to leave that place so massively," the nun says with confidence.

"It is important to speak openly"

Nun Elisaveta has been on a mission to the Ust-Maysky District, which is relatively close to Yakutsk. Though "relatively close" in those places is 376 km along a road between Yakutsk and the Ust-May District center. The distance is comparable to a trip from Moscow to Lipetsk.

"The priest and I come to the local hospital in the village of Eldikan. I was destressed to see how they were working there," the nun recalls. "One doctor is jack of all trades, the Soviet-time building with swollen floors, no equipment. In those conditions, a good diagnosis is vital, and we have brought to them a cardiograph. This assistance is hot huge, but anyway now they are able to diagnose heart attacks. My position is it is important to speak openly about problems in the Arctic, and not to hide them."

The Arctic Mission features also cultural workers. That time, to the Ust-May District they brought the Yakut Philharmonic Choir. Another direction is to work with young talents. Last year, they went to the Eveno-Bytantaysky District to meet amazingly talented children. "Some were self-taught, and others go to the local children's art house. It seems to me that for the kids it is the only enjoyable place, since there is no entertainment in the Arctic villages. Well, surely, in summer kids are busy mowing, picking berries, fishing, but as for winters - they have nothing to do," Mother Elisaveta says.

At the local children's center, kids draw, practice national dances, sing, play musical instruments, and learn SMM - though there's almost no Internet. The Arctic Mission has given to them a band saw for artistic woodworking.

"Regretfully, the Center's financing is another sad story. This is a budget-funded institution, but the budget can cope only with the utilities, salaries and paper. Even art supplies are to be bought at the expense of parents or teachers. I do not know whether the district has stationery. Probably, yes, but, but when we gave school supplies to a few kids, they were extremely grateful. Their teacher Mir Nikolaevich wants to teach the kids how to work with canvas and oil, thus they will have to buy everything in the city," the nun continues. "Quite many creative children live in the Arctic and we want to make their lives more cheerful."

Orthodoxy in the North

There are few priests in the North. Beyond the Arctic Circle in Yakutia there are only two churches - in the village of Batagai in the Verkhoyansky District and in the village of Honuu in the Momsky District. "In Chersky, I don't feel like a missionary. There, the parishioners have "missioned" the entire village - we've baptized a total of 25 people. And they took communion at the liturgies, like in a cathedral. And besides, it was the first place where people demanded evening services from us. The most amazing thing is that people want to go to the temple - always," the nun says.

During the Soviet years, most churches in Yakutia were closed. The only church remained in Yakutsk. "From the Church point of view, it was a scorched earth. People had to learn from scratch. Nowadays, more than 150 churches have been opened in Yakutia. If we turn to history, the Russian Orthodox Church has always tried to preserve national cultures and languages. We can see this in Yakutia," the nun says. Divine services in Yakut throughout the region prove her words.

"Unfortunately, the Bible has not been translated into languages of the North's peoples. The Gospel has been translated only into Even and Evenk. Every time that we visit reindeer herders or Arctic villages, we give these translations to children and adults," Mother Elisaveta says.

A few months ago, the Yakut Diocese received a request from the Yukaghir community, a small people living mainly in the Kolyma River basin. They asked to have the Bible translated into their language. Nun Elisaveta hopes everything will work out and the holy book will be translated into languages of the North's peoples.

"I enjoy the missionary work, some things are intuitively clear, but, of course, it is necessary to study a lot. I really want to help people," the nun says. "I am happy to have come to Yakutia. I live and work here."