What a pleasant surprise when our friend Elena asked to write an article about us in the local village newspaper! At her request, we provided a few photos from the family farm, and then we waited to see what she would write.
We loved her article, and I think the title she picked is hilarious: “Guests From the Land where Rainbow Ponies Gallop”. 😃 Only in Russia would someone select such a title for an article about our family, because only in Russia (and in the Bible) is the rainbow still considered to be something positive and innocent. Of course, anyone repulsed by the decadence of the West might also speak of America as “a land of rainbow ponies”, but such a derogatory reference seems to be far from the mind of this particular author, who is simply referring to America’s historic reputation as a place of wealth, prosperity, and opportunity.
We are grateful for Elena’s warm welcome, and for the beautiful article she has written.
March 22, 2024
Guests From the Land where Rainbow Ponies Gallop
It seems quite recent that we Russians were a little envious of those who got the opportunity to travel to America, this family’s former place of residence. Back then, it seemed to many of us that “rainbow ponies were galloping” there — that is, you could quickly get rich, buy a big car, buy a house, and live happily without problems in a shining foreign country.
But now the trend has gone in the opposite direction: foreign speech is heard more and more often in our own village. And it is no longer a secret that these are not just tourists, but permanent “guests” whose plans are to settle and live among us, according to our laws and ordinances.
The “pioneer” was an Orthodox priest, Joseph Gleason, often simply called “Father Joseph”. Previously, he lived in a rural part of America, 500 kilometers south of Chicago, in a tiny village with a population of about 300 people. He had a large plot of land, a house, a job working remotely as an IT specialist for a large company, a beloved wife, and 8 children. What made him decide to make such changes and move to Russia, a country that many Americans believe to be a country of barbarians?
Joe Gleason did not come to Orthodoxy immediately — he studied for a long time, looking at various Protestant denominations. He studied at seminary, became ordained as an Anglican deacon, and eventually became interested in studying the history of Russian saints.
“I started reading about Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, St. Vladimir, and other Russian saints,” Father Joseph shared. “I studied the Bible and Church history. Protestantism is only 500 years old, but I wanted to be with the Church that has existed from the time of Christ and the apostles. I realized that we should be in the Orthodox Church.”
As a result, this Anglican (his ancestors were from England) first changed his religion to Orthodox Christianity, and then he changed his country. By the time he turned his attention to Russia, he had already become a priest. The final decision to move was made in 2015, when the US Supreme Court declared same-sex “marriage” to be legal in all 50 states. From that time on, his travels to different cities of Russia began. St. Petersburg, Moscow, Voronezh...
On his trip to the city of Galich in the Kostroma region, this priest passed through Rostov the Great. This ancient Russian city amazed Gleason, and it was here in 2017 that he brought his wife and 8 children. A little later, he settled in the village of Ivashevo in our region. He received Russian citizenship and now serves in the Church of the Holy Transfiguration in the village of Krasnovo. He has a house, a tractor, several acres of land, three cows, goats, and chickens.
Back in the fall of 2016, when the family was just planning to leave the United States, Joseph had created the “Moving to Russia” group on a social network in America, and later he started working for the “Russian Faith” website.
He shared articles about Russia, talked about his life, gave advice on how to get settled, how to buy a house, and how to get proper legal documents. Others followed his example — Danes, Italians, Germans, Cypriots, Filipinos — many who also came here with children.
Currently, six foreign families live here with us in the Borisoglebsky district. In addition to being Orthodox Christians, they are also united by the desire to run their own farms. — Farming gives a certain independence from everything that happens around you, it makes it possible to earn money on your own land, and it makes it possible for a family to live in environmentally friendly conditions and to eat natural food (many stores in America don’t even reveal whether the ingredients contain GMOs). — They find our country attractive at a time when we, Russians, don’t always appreciate our country, and don’t always see the possibilities available here in our own land. Too many of us seem to think that farming is too difficult or unprofitable.
Borisoglebsky locals treat our new residents in various ways. Sometimes you hear the opinion, “They did not come from friendly countries, so why are they needed here?” But most of us are helping them and supporting them in every possible way. After all, our new guests are investing their savings in the economy of our country, and now the local farmland is not overgrown, but is finally being cultivated again. I offer them a warm welcome!
— Elena GORBUNOVA
May the Lord continue to bless you and your family as you do His work and inspire so many. You truly are on the front line of the epic war in the spiritual realm.
Wonderful story of your family.