December 4-7, 2009
The trip was two-fold:
- Service project
- Educational and spiritual learning experience.
Many traveled for the first time on an overnight train and it was the first time for most to be in St. Petersburg. The participants gained experience in communicating with other passengers and the time interacting together on the train bonded the young people together.
All the participants knew in advance that the trip would include a service project, 
yet no one turned down the opportunity. Working together unified the participants, and everyone worked hard (even girls in heels).
Tatyana Vitalyevna, the assistant director in charge of facilities, planned our time in the orphanage. Part of the group played a game with the kids. The other part worked around the grounds and inside the orphanage cleaning up. Here is Tatyana’s response:
“Thank you so much! We don’t have enough male staff to do all the physical work, but you all have helped us in so many ways. I wondered whether a group of 20-year-old young people could accomplish much, but just the opposite. Everyone worked hard and very well together. I was impressed by the fact that this was a group of Russian citizens who had come to help us. Come again in the spring for two days!”
The young people marveled at the sites of St. Petersburg and experienced a great number of positive emotions. I will let them express for themselves how this trip impacted their lives…
“On the first day of our trip, we led a humanitarian project in a children’s crisis center. We gave gifts to the children that we made ourselves. It felt so good and was import for us to do. We also helped clean up around the grounds of this center. I am grateful to this center for the opportunity we were given to help the children. I also really enjoyed walking around St. Petersburg in the evening; the guided tour of the Hermitage; and the bus tour we had around the sites of the city – which included the Aurora cruiser.” Sergrei Rakhmatulin, Ivanovo
“One of the main things the trip to St. Petersburg gave me was invaluable interaction with new people. The most touching and unforgettable time for me was the interaction with the children of the Center for Medical and Social Assistance to Orphans. 
This interaction left in my heart an indelible impression of children who need a loving, strong, and happy family. I remembered the time when I myself lived in an orphanage, and I got really depressed. I shed tears as we parted ways. It took a long time for us to calm down once we got on the bus. I wanted so much to see these kids again, play with them, and instill in them hope that everything will be ok. There was a time in my life when others did that for me. For some, this was their first trip to St. Petersburg, and it left an unforgettable and very bright impression. Thanks to all who helped to put this tour together. It would be great to go back again. ” Natalia Bezgodova (graduate of Sudislavl orphanage), Kostroma
“This was my first time in St. Petersburg and really my first time to travel such a long distance. Almost everything we did and saw was new for me. I never thought that I could communicate so openly with people I had met for the first time. 
Of course everyone became friends during our time on the train. It was a lot of fun and very interesting. On the first day, we and those who participated from other regions helped at a crisis center. In working together, we got to know one another. We worked so well and so unified that we accomplished more than was expected of us. Our work as a group bonded us together. On the second day, we were shown around the city. It was interesting to see the city and learn about its history. The Hermitage simply amazed me with its grandeur and beauty. I will probably never forget this trip: new friends, new experiences, and many positive emotions.” Raisa Larina, Vladimir