Host Stories From the Russian Leadership Exchange Program - 1999

Charles Bryant was the host leader in Shreveport, Louisiana. His group was from all over Russia and met on the plane. They were apprehensive about going to a small town until they got off the plane and were greeted with singing and flags. Then they were very excited....The highlight was their visit to church on Sunday. One had no religious background and said when he left that "we need to build a Methodist church in my town."

Nine Russians went to Houston, Texas, where they were able to attend a city council meeting. Citizens were there to make complaints. The council had department heads present and could immediately direct the complaints to the right person. This was most impressive to the guests. They didn't understand how government and the private sector worked together and that the private sector could do so much.

The Russian guests in Fairbanks, Alaska, had a great time learning about volunteerism and how churches play a part in social programs. They were surprised that people would work for nothing, host Michael Munn reported. To have surplus goods was an unknown concept to them.

The Russian guests who visited in Sawyer, Kansas, studied city and county government and made some time to fish. "We found that the United States has a lot in common with Russia," said Nikitina. "There are a lot of common problems and common interests. We need to work together to find a common solution to these problems."