Trish and Alan Eggleton with their three children, Rachel, 8 (top), Amanda, 6 (left), and Lauren, 2

Alumni Profile: Hope and hardship in Russia
Patricia Richards Eggleton '87

Living in a foreign country often changes a person's outlook on the world, and certainly provides an entirely new perspective on life in the United States. That has been the case for Patricia -- "Trish" -- Richards Eggleton, who, along with her husband, Alan, has worked as a missionary for the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Kropotkin, Russia, since 1999.

Living in Russia, she wrote in a recent e-mail interview, "has made us realize how utterly blessed America is in terms of riches." She brings her point home by asking, "When was the last time you were thankful for indoor toilets, customer service, not having to wait in long lines to pay bills, minimal corruption, enough money to not worry about your next meal, and free passage (not having to carry your papers all the time)?"

Eggleton, her husband and their three daughters are the only foreigners who live in Kropotkin, a city on the Kuban River in southwestern Russia, about 150 miles east of the Sea of Azov. "Kropotkin is mainly flat," wrote Eggleton. "This whole region is the bread basket of Russia: In the spring and summer you see fields upon fields of wheat, sunflowers and many other crops."

The Eggletons in Volgograd, one of the most famous cities during World War II, where hundreds of thousands of people were lost in the defense of the city against Hitler. A statue of Mother Russia is in the background. "She is huge!" wrote Eggleton. "A person could ride a bike around just on her thumb! She carries a sword. She is as tall or taller than the Statue of Liberty." -- A picture of a typical Russian kitchen

Eggleton, who earned her BS in nursing at BU and graduated with her master's in missions and intercultural studies from Wheaton Graduate School in 1990, worked as an RN clinical instructor at universities in Wyoming and Oklahoma for several years. The mission in Kropotkin that she and her husband have taken on is to work with a group of established churches, providing encouragement, experience, insight and help. "The pastors are fairly young and have had little experience being in a healthy, growing church," wrote Eggleton. "So we try to provide them with wisdom and understanding, and simply try to spur them on in their service to our Lord, to their church members and to the world around them."

Having grown up with the perception of Russia as a superpower, Eggleton was surprised to find the living conditions there so poor. "Russia is somewhere between a First and Third World country," she observed. "In some areas, it has all the newest technology -- for example, cell phones and the military. In others, it can seem almost Third World -- for example, outhouses.

"There is a huge problem with housing," she noted. "Often families live in a two-room apartment -- a kitchen and one other room. That's it. Their living room is their bedroom. Many in small homes do not have indoor toilets and some do not have any indoor running water."

Another striking aspect of life in Russia in Eggleton's view is the lack of personal freedoms. "Police have checkpoints all over the place, and you just get used to being stopped often to have your documents checked," she said.

"Russia has had such a hard, long history, which seems to be highlighted by turbulence," she wrote. "Communism promised a lot, but obviously did not deliver. Russia never fully experienced the enlightenment or the reformation, which also affects the present culture. Under Communism, they had 70 years of total lack of freedom of religion: They were not allowed to believe in God, and if they did so they had no chance of a career, or a future. Many died in Siberia."

Eggleton's daughters playing in back of the family's house.

For Eggleton, one of the big surprises about Russia is the resilience of the people. "You see people who suffer or have suffered so much, and yet who can be so generous and hospitable," she wrote. "Russians persevere through incredible hardships."

Eggleton was also struck by a few other common characteristics Russians share, in her experience. "Many people have a higher than average artistic ability -- to paint, do crafts or quote poems," she noted. She observed that people are very serious about whatever they do, be it school, gymnastics or other pursuits. Also, they love kids, she said. "When we first entered the country in '99, there was a line of about 70 people at passport control. A stern-looking lady in green saw us with our three kids and took us to the front of the line. There was no grumbling by anyone in that line. Imagine that!"

Overall, Eggleton described their years in Kropotkin as a great experience for herself and her family. "We have grown as a family and have developed lots of good friendships here," she said. The Eggletons will be leaving Kropotkin this summer, partly because of new laws in Russia that limit religious affairs and make it difficult for them to continue serving there. The family plans to return for another four years in 2004 if the door remains open.