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| Lake Syamozero |
Having spent time in Far Eastern Russia at an orphanage, I learned many things. One of them is that orphans in Russian orphanages vacation fairly often, particularly in Summer. If they are physically able, most of them are taught to swim. These are often not trips of a couple of days, but a couple of weeks. Often such trips are among the happiest memories these children have. They are also fairly educational trips in that they focus on the flowers and plants of a region, and the children are given opportunities to draw and paint what they see.
This week, 47 children, a number of whom are Russian orphans from the Moscow region were vacationing at Lake Syamozero, which is fairly near the border with Finland. This is in the Karelia Region. This is an absolutely gorgeous place. The children on the trip ranged from about 9 years old to about 16 and some of them were siblings. While the children were on a large boat in the lake in bad weather, it capsized. Thirteen children between the ages of about 9-11have died and one remains missing.
Please pray for the children who lost their lives, the one who has not yet been located, and for the survivors of this accident. We send condolences to their families and their friends.
This is a good time to review boat and water safety with your own children.
