A Student's Reflections on MTS

Meet Albert Makoyev, Former Student at North Caucasus Learning Center

This session was the last one in my course of studies at NCBI. In addition to the two courses I was taking, I also worked hard on my diploma paper.

I feel I am going to miss these special days that have become an integral part of my life in the last five years. What I found most helpful in my studies was the exchange of opinions with teachers and other students. I myself am one of those who like to research theological topics, to study the Bible in depth, so I do not need to be urged on to it.

Yet when you are alone, without a competent reference group, as it were, it is easy to think you have already “achieved” a perfect knowledge. It is equally easy even to come to wrong conclusions and thus to teach the Word improperly. So the sessions here for me have always been a correcting fellowships that showed me my personal blinders and opened new horizons of God’s Truth.

This session, with the help of teachers I systematized my understanding of Russian history, and, which is more important, I was able to look at it through the prism of Church history. These two histories are so intertwined that they just cannot be understood separately.

I also took a course on Christian leadership, learned the main principles of this vital subject. I know the practice is always more difficult and challenging than theory, yet without good theoretical foundation it is hard to proceed to practice at all.

Another important thing I have gained through my study here is temperance. I have always struggled with hot temper. I do not think it is right to excuse it with a notorious “Caucasian spirits.” Through living next to other brothers in the dormitory, learning from their spiritual experience, from teachers’ expertise, through making myself listen to other opinions and accept them, I found that I am becoming more tolerant to those Christians I disagree with on insignificant matters. The study here helped my systematize my theological understanding and see the difference between essential truths of faith in which there should unity, and opinions, in which there can be freedom.

 

Thank you for your support of our students, including Albert.