If there is one sight you can count on seeing no matter where your Russian adoption journey takes you, it is a Russian Orthodox church. There has been a huge resurgence in religion since the demise of the Soviet Union, and Russians have poured a lot of energy into restoring, rebuilding and building churches from scratch.

Some will be small, like the boxlike, two-room church near my younger son's orphanage on Sakhalin Island. Some will be huge and magnificent, like the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, which I put on the second of my two lists about things to see in the Russian capital. The tiny churches inside the Kremlin are marvels of religious imagery, and not to be missed. But visiting the church in your child's home town can be a good way for you--and later your child--to connect to his or her Russian heritage.

Before you set foot inside a Russian church, there is one key rule to follow: You must be properly dressed. For men, that means long pants and a long-sleeve shirt; for women, a long skirt, dress or pants, a long-sleeve shirt and, perhaps most importantly, something to cover your head. I got in the habit of always wearing a silk scarf while in Russia, and it was easy to switch it from around my neck to over my head.

The basic architecture of a Russian Orthodox church has some key differences from the American or European churches you may have visited. Rather than have a long nave, they are laid out to mimic the design of a Greek cross, with four equal-size arms. And there are no pews: Worshippers stand in Russia.

The biggest difference, though, is in the interior decoration. There is an amazing amount of gold used to decorate a Russian church, and paintings of icons often line the walls floor to ceiling. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on icons; the flat painting style is just not one of my favorites. (For a list of some of the more remarkable Russian icons, try this page on Auburn University's Web site.) But go, and look, and write down your own impressions. Trust me: Your kids will want to hear it later.

For more information on the Russian Orthodox religion, try the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Of Russia or the Orthodox Church in America.