Sunday, May 25, 2008

Lesia

Saturday morning Gilles and I went to our lessons. We spent the morning with our teacher and then headed up to Flo's apartment. After eating one of Flo's famous omelettes we packed up a few things and went to visit Lesia, the wheelchair bound lady with MS who lives in a nearby area. We had been told of her by Oleg, Flo's nephew's son a little while back and have visited her on several occasions. This lady is definitely a saved person as we have been able to speak with her and also listen to her. On one of our previous visits she had told us of a neighbouring family whose children were not well looked after. Funds had been left with her to get some groceries to feed these kids who were going to school on an empty stomach of many occasions. We also brought clothes along for these young children and she arranged for them to be there when we came. This morning we arrived and Lesia had her sister with her as well as her cousin. We had brought along some clothing for her family and shoes for her husband and daughter.
It is not always easy to follow how the conversation goes from one topic to another because of the language. Flo tries to interpret but some conversations are difficult to interrupt. Flo & Lesia were talking about songs and Flo started singing one of the hymns we sing at meeting. Then they started to talk to the sister and cousin about the gospel and Lesia mentioned that you have to have Christ as your own. Lesia talked about getting some very needy people to come to the apartment so we could bring some clothes for them and asked Flo to bring some bibles so that we could speak with them about Christ, and could we also please bring some hymn books so that we can sing some songs! The sister and cousin also said they would come. So we have a house meeting lined up for Wednesday afternoon.
Gilles and I so wish we could speak more "intelligently" in Ukrainian so that we could talk to people more easily. We find ourselves understanding a lot more of the conversations but speaking requires a lot of time to think of the right words and the conversation just moves on and we are left behind. We are very diligently and persistently working on the language.

Friday in Truskavets

Friday we headed out to Truskavets again to go visit another school to bring the gospel and bibles to the students and staff alike.
We arrived on their last day of school and we all know what the last day of school can be like. We met with the director and she told us they would assemble the first four grades in the auditorium.
We waited a bit in her office and then she ushered us in the auditorium. To our surprise, the students were there like we were told, but they were all standing on the stage ready to give a performance to the other students and parents which were assembld there also. We were introduced to everyone and sat down to take in their little concert. It was all about the letters of the alphabet and how it is important to learn how to read and to study. A few children did solo performances and then it was our turn. We also had Ruslan (our Truskavets contact who gets all these schools for us) and his friend, Vasyl. Flora spoke a few words and introduced Gilles who gave them a word in the gospel. Ruslan also spoke to them. We had some small gifts to give to the younger ones and Children's Bibles. It was a very chaotic time since we were still in the auditorium and all of a sudden there were kids coming from everywhere. After a very confusing time of 'who got what', the adults and children started leaving the auditorium. The director told us that the next grade was going to assemble there for us but again in came the kids and a whole audience of older students as well as some parents. This time we spoke to these kids before the concert began and distributed New Testaments for them as well as gospel texts. We left the auditorium to go to a classroom. There we spoke to about forty older students, probably grade eleven. They listened very politely as Gilles, Ruslan and Flo spoke to them. They also received New Testaments and gospel texts. The girls really went for those.
Stephan was waiting for us in the van and we left the school and went to a home for unwed mothers. This turned out to be such a great place to go. This home is one of the few that the government is putting in place. The lady who takes care of this place seemed like a very nice person and brought us along to visit with the girls of all ages that live there. We also had Ruslan and Vasyl with us who seemed to be known here. This place has only been opened for one year. They allow these young mothers to stay there for one and a half year after their baby is born and afterwards will look into getting the girl employment where there is free day care. There were only about six girls there when we went, all varying in age and with their babies also of different ages. We sat around and talked with them and Gilles told them about how there always be problems in life and some are unexpected but there are some things that we can plan for and went on to give them the gospel. We talked for a bit, took some pictures and then visited the facilites. It is obviously a very newly renovated building, very bright in colour and full of new furniture, cribs, strollers. It will be a great place to bring some infant clothing and blankets which we always have an abundance of. This place has room for ten girls with their babies and has a staff of ten people working there. We are very thankful for Ruslan to have brought us there and we told them that we would return next fall with clothes for the babies and moms as well as toys to stock up their play room.
We returned home very happy with the day and the unexpected bonus of speaking to these young girls. The director told us that there is one of these homes in every "region" in Ukraine. I asked if there was one in Lviv and she said that this one was the one for the Lviv region. Unfortunately it is about one and a half hour away. Looks like we will be spending more time in the van!
This morning Rylan and Avrell headed out to Lutsk to spend a few days with the younger crowd there!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Wednesday

Wednesday we had a nice treat. The director of the orphanage where we had visited earlier last week had invited us to a concert the little children would put on for us. There little ones were between two and four years old. They sang their little songs for us and recited a few little things they had learned about Easter. We had some bright plastic cups that had been given to us by a sister in Kap and we filled these with some chocolates, a stuffed toy, a chunky crayon and some other items. The favorite was those things you blow in and the front unrolls and then re-rolls itself when you stop blowing. The kids just loved these and they were all very happy with their cup and toy!
The day was very relaxed. We all had supper at Flo's and then at meeting had a lively bible reading on John 4. It is a challenge to keep things going on the one topic. I think for the most part the people coming to the meeting enjoy being able to put in their thoughts. Questions were asked and opinions were expressed and overall it was a good evening. Gilles and I took the marshrutka back to the center and enjoyed walking the last kilometer in the warm evening air.

Ivano and family visits

Tuesday was the day we had set aside to go visit two families in Ivano with ties in Kapuskasing.
Tony Leniuk, Barb Arsenault's father, has a sister living in Ivano Frankivsk as well as a niece in a neighbouring village.
Three boxes were sent along with ours in late February and set aside when they arrived. We loaded these in the van along with other things we had brought along for some of the Christians in Ivano and headed out. Once we got to the village of Yavoriv, we had to ask around about Maria, Tony's niece. One lady we asked directions to came along with us in the van to bring us to the right house and while we were driving along we met up with the Maria we were looking for so we brought her home. We explained who we were and that we had a letter from her uncle as well as a box for her. She was very happy to talk to us, introduced us to her brother but didn't seem too sure of things. We left after a short time of talking and proceeded to Ivano to find the address to deliver the other box.
Vadym, a Christian we know, got in with us when we got to Ivano so that he could help us find the address we needed. It was actually very simple to find the place. This was a typical forty year old structure with five storeys and many apartments. We found the door we wanted and Vadym went before us all to see if there was anyone home. He came down, announced to us that yes there was someone there and that "no" there was no elevator!! Five flights left some more winded than others, but we all managed to get there! Flo and I had gone first and we got to the fifth floor just as a lady opened the door. This was the apartment we were looking for so Flo started to talk to her. She took one look at us and promptly closed the door! Flo knocked on the door and a younger woman answered. It was indeed the apartment we were looking for and the lady who had opened the door was Natala, Tony's sister. Her daughter let us in the apartment in total disbelief that we were standing there. Flo explained to her who we were and what we were doing there. Lesia then told us that she had just arrived from France where she works and was visiting her mother and her 22 year old son for three weeks. She said that they were just sitting and talking about their relatives in Canada and there we suddenly appeared at the door. She kept saying it was nothing short of a miracle. When she explained to her mother that we were there because Tony and Barb had asked us to deliver this box to them and to deliver a letter to her, she put her face in her hands and just sobbed and sobbed. We were all invited in and made to feel very welcomed. It took a few minutes for Natala to regain her composure, she told us that Antonio was her favorite brother. It has been quite a few years since she has last seen him. Flo told her what she could about Tony and the family. Flo was instantly made part of the family when she said that her granddaughter Kimberly is married to Tony's grandson Matthew. We sat and had tea and probably the strongest coffee we ever had!! Flo spoke to Natala about God and about the Bible and we were told how when the communists came they took all the Bibles and anything that was remotely Ukrainian looking or sounding. She told us of pictures being destroyed because they had blue and yellow in them which are the Ukrainian colours. She had a Bible there and we had brought a New Testament.
Next Tuesday we are heading to a village past Ivano so we told Natala and Lesia that we would stop by and bring some pictures of Tony's grandchildren and great grandchildren.
We then left there and went to the gospel meeting that had been arranged for five o'clock. The usual people showed up and were all very happy to see us. Gilles and Rylan spoke gave a word in the gospel, but Flo had to do the interpreting because Vadym didn't make it back in time for the meeting. We had brought clothing along for a young woman who just had a baby boy. Forgive me as I cannot remember her name just now. It was nice to see everyone again and after a long day we made our way back to Lviv.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Sunday

Sunday was the most encouraging day we had in awhile. About half an hour before anyone else came to meeting, Katia arrived. This lady has been coming to the meetings regularly this spring. She was a co-worker with Tanya at the hospital. Tanya told us about her and her husband who are taking care of their grandson. Katia had called Flo earlier last week and told her that she really wanted to speak to her about what she had been hearing at the meetings. They had a good chat and Flo mentioned to us that this dear lady is very near getting saved. Then another knock at the door brought another pleasant surprise. Natala with her two children arrived. They have to take a 25 minute bus ride into Lviv and then get on the right marshrutka to get to Flo's apartment. It was the first time they came and we were very happy to receive them. We have visited them on several occasions, bringing some groceries and clothing. Natala is a school teacher making a very small salary as is the case with all teachers here. So to have them come all the way from the village to attend the meeting and hear the gospel was very encouraging for us. She had heard the good news of salvation at her house before as Flo has spoken to her. Then the regular people came in for meeting. A few minutes meeting started Oleg (Flo's nephew's son) came in and he had brought another guy along with him. This was very encouraging to us also.Anatoly sat and listened and told us that he would come again next Sunday and bring his wife along with him. We look at this and again wonder at the fact that we are leaving for Canada in ten days when there are so many people interested in the gospel. We are so thankful that Misha keeps the meetings going by himself throughout the rest of the time when there is no one here.
After the meeting we headed out to our local wholesaler and purchased groceries for the gypsies we were going to go visit. When we arrived at the gypsy colony we were so well received. We know that perhaps we are well received because we are bringing food and clothing. But this time things were a bit different. The people were very relaxed and seemed to be comfortable with us, not clamoring for what we had brought. Gilles and Misha spoke a word in the gospel to the group that had gathered. For the most part people listened very well. You have to be there to appreciate the distractions that come with speaking to this group of people. Of course there are many children and the smaller ones are often crying. So the mother breastfeeds them while listening to the speaker. Other little children are running around. There was rock music coming from the "house" where some of the men had gone to sit not being too interested in what was being preached. Dogs are barking in the background. So it is quite the task for the men to speak and stay focused. But overall there was a good crowd listening. We distributed the food afterwards and stayed and talked to the people. Rylan entertained some with his juggling expertise. And of course we took many many pictures as they all would like a copy for themselves. We promised them the pictures when we returned either in the fall or next spring.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Update of Mikola

First of all the boy's name is Nicolai.
We returned to the orphanage where Ruslan had brought this 22 year old lad Nicolai.
Avrell and Ruslan had a bit of a chat with him as Avrell had bought his a Russian Bible and Ruslan interpreted for Avrell.
The director at the orphanage has a contact in a city about an hour away who will take this young man in and give him a job. If he proves himself that he can work, the man will hire him on a full time basis.
This is more than anyone could have imagined. He will get his papers before he leaves. I am not sure exactly when he will be going to Chervonograd to work but the director as Viliky Lubin said he would keep him there till it was time for him to go. We are all very happy about this.
Friday the 16th
We had a bit of a quiet day today, trying to take it easy on Rylan who was suffering from jet lag and sleep deprivation!
We visited the one of the children's orphanage with some cleaning supplies and clothing and shoes. We were given a tour of the facility and were able to see the little ones sleeping. They have a very nice place with lots of room for the children, age 2 - 4, to play. It is brightly painted and there are many toys for the children. The director was telling us that she is very impressed with the fact that we aren't looking for publicity. She mentioned how many groups go there and donate something. They go in with their TV cameras and make a big show of their generosity. She said that when the orphanage needs something a bit later and call on this same group, the group doesn't seem to remember who they are and just never return.
Just an interesting fact about this orphanage. During the second world war, this institution hid 40 Jewish children. Years after, these same children, now adults, most of them living in Israel, had a special commemorative plaque made for the orphanage to recognize their help during the holocaust. The plaque is in Ukrainian and also in Hebrew and is on the wall beside the door for all to read.
We are to return here on May 21st for a concert that the little children will put on for us. We look forward to this as it is always a pleasure to see the small children perform.
Later on in the day we went to Andre & Lecia's for supper. Andre is related to Flo through his father. Andre's father and Flo's husband were brothers. It was a huge meal with salads and cold cuts first with some bread, followed by fish and then borsch and after that some chicken.....don't forget the desert. Flo had a nice time chatting with them. A couple of hours went by and we returned home full.

Yosopovitchy

Our little orphanage was on our agenda for Tuesday the 13th. We drove up there once again to deliver some kitchen sinks & cabinets which had previously been ordered.
The orphanage now also has five new windows in place on the school side. The roof that was caving in has also been repaired. All these repairs are made possible through the generosity of Christians back in Canada and the States. The director has often told us how thankful the staff is there because of the repairs and renovations that have been done, and how they don't know where they would be without this help. The first time Yosopovitchy was visited there was not even soap available to them for washing. Ruslan was telling us that the food used to come from the workers themselves on a daily basis. One would bring bread, another would bring eggs, another vegetables and with that they would feed the kids for the day. Life has been made much more pleasant for the children in the last few years.
Even today, there was a box of shoes of various sizes brought along for the children to try on. All the kids got new shoes. Quite a bit of groceries and cleaning supplies was also purchased and brought along.
The plumbing repairs that need to be done will all be done after we are gone back to Canada. The washroom in the school side will all be redone as was the one in the orphanage side.
This was our last visit there for this spring/summer. Flora will return in the fall Lord willing.
While we were in Yosopovitchy, we drove a bit further and went to Stryii to visit the carver and his family of 6 children. We had groceries for them also, an amount that will perhaps last them a couple of weeks. There was some clothing brought also, as well as some footwear. Gilles had brought along a calendar with pictures of moose and some pages from a hunting magazine for Michealo to look at as he loves to carve animals. His oldest son is now starting to carve also and is proving to have some ability. It was with sadness that we left them as our time in Ukraine is quickly coming to an end. They have heard the gospel on several occasions and assure us they are reading their bible and Maria tells us that she prays for us constantly. The condition these people live must be seen to be believed. Even as we visited today, the air outside was warm but the inside of the house was damp and dark and had such a strong musty smell that we all wondered how it was that they weren't all sick. They never open the two windows fearing a draft will give them problems. They have such a problem with cockroaches that the new refrigerator that was purchased for them a year and a half ago is still not being used. They are worried that it will get infested with cockroaches so they leave it in the middle of their living room covered with a blanket. You have to appreciate the fact that the "living room" is also the bedroom for six people. The truth of the matter is that they will never be able to get rid of these cockroaches as they don't have what they need to do anything about the problem. What they really need is a new apartment. We can only imagine how many other people live in similar conditions.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Truskavets & Rylan's arrival

We woke up to a beautiful sunny sky today, a perfect day for a drive to Truskavets where Ruslan had arranged for us to visit a school.
The drive seemed short today, probably due to the great weather.
We arrived in good time, picked up Ruslan and proceeded to go to the school where we were expected. We spoke to about 200 students, ranging from six years old to fifteen/sixteen years. They were very attentive and listened to the messages very well. For the youngest class we sang "Jesus Loves Me" and they then sang a song for us. In another group, they sang again and a young girl sang a solo. The children here are encouraged to sing on their own and in groups. They are not shy at all.
There was a special group of students who were putting on a play for mothers in honour of Mother's Day that just passed. We were invited to attend and were treated to some wonderful singing again. Also one young girl sang and played the bandura. Their costumes were so nice and traditional Ukrainian.
This group of students then came to the auditorium and we were able to talk to them of the gospel. All the kids received either a new testament, depending on their age, or a children's bible. They all got laminated gospel texts that we received from the assembly in Clinton. (Many thanks for these....everyone loves receiving them) They were all given prizes according to their age group and also some gift. It was a very pleasant day for us and for the children.
We drove back home and had cabbage rolls at Flo's for supper! Avrell and I walked to the center to our apartment and at 8 Ruslan picked Gilles and I and Avrell up and we headed out to the airport to pick up Rylan Yade. His flights came in at exactly 8:30. So tonight hopefully he will have a good night's rest. Lessons for Gilles and I tomorrow morning so now I should go do my homework! God bless you all.
Helene

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Ruslan & Mikola

Ruslan, our driver sometimes has to work at his regular driving job. He drives a full transport to Poland and then returns to Ukraine with another full load, then drives it to the eastern area of Kharkiv. From Lviv to Kharkiv is approximately 950 kilometers. I am not sure how much mileage he covers in Poland. Nevertheless the trip usually takes him about one week to ten days partly due to the fact that anyone crossing the border into Poland has to go through customs and this is an experience that can only be believed if a person goes through the process. It can take two to four full days before he gets through the border.
About ten days ago he was off to Poland and then Kharkiv with extra problems delaying him at the border on his way back. Finally he got through and after a few hours of rest at his home, left once again for the trip to Kharkiv. On his return from Kharkiv, Ruslan noticed a young man on the side of the road and just felt a compulsion to pick him up. Ruslan related the story to us this morning. This young man is 21 years old and his name is Mikola. His father died when he was young and he has no idea who his mother is. He lived in an orphanage till he was 15 and then was left to fend for himself as is often the case in orphanages. In Ukraine everyone has their personal documents with them at all times, ready to show them to the authorities if need be. If you do not have your passport and your personal documents you encounter a great deal of trouble and if you happen to lose them it is very costly to get another set. Of course Mikola didn't have any documents having left them in a coat or somewhere....he is not sure where they all went but he doesn't have them. For six years he hasn't had any documents. His life has consisted of hitchhiking from one town to another looking for some work or some food and some sort of shelter. When Ruslan picked him up he said he was on his way to a certain town where he knew someone who would let him sleep in the crawl space under the house in exchange for some help. Mikola told Ruslan about his experiences at the hands of the police, sometimes being fed by some and sometimes being treated badly and told to leave the area. He has slept in the forest on many occasions and his goal in life is to find food to eat. Ruslan asked him when the last time was that he had eaten. It was two days since his last meal. They pulled in at a restaurant and Ruslan ordered them both a full meal. Ruslan told Mikola that God was giving him a chance to change his life and to get his life in order. He told him about the Lord Jesus dying for him. He brought Mikola with him to Lviv and stopped at Flo's apartment to get some clothes for the young man. Afterward Ruslan brought Mikola home and asked Tanya to cook something for him. He supplied Mikola with blankets and pillows and let him sleep in the back seat of the van. If there had been room in their apartment he would have let him sleep in the apartment but there is no extra sleeping space in any of these apartments. The next morning Ruslan told Mikola that they would set him up at an orphanage we often visit here. (Viliky Luben). He would stay there till we were able to get him some documents or find out where to get them for him. The director at the orphanage took him in and Ruslan was very relieved that he was at least in a warm place with a roof over his head and some food in his stomach. Just this morning the director spoke to Ruslan and told him that Mikola would have to return to the Odessa area where he is from to be able to get his necessary papers. So we will be getting him his bus or train fare to return to his area to get the papers. Ruslan is hoping to be able to stay in touch him Mikola to help him out where he can if he needs help.
It was very unsettling to know that this young man of 21 had no family, no home, no food, no clothes, nothing of those things that we often take for granted. And when we look around here we sometimes see people who are obviously having difficulty in life, whether they are out begging, or drunk beyond reasoning or just seem to be desperate. We are sure Mikola's story is just one of many. We would ask you specially to remember this one young man in your prayers, that his life would change as a result of Ruslan coming into his life and bringing him the gospel as well as real Christian care.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Avrell in Lutsk

I (Avrell) learned about a children's work in Lutsk with the assembly there. Oxana (a lady in her late 30's and Ira (16 yr old girl) go to 2 schools Monday through Friday. Children with one parent and that parent is an alcholic, don't receive government support. So with this program the child receives one decent meal a day and then some sunday school songs are sung followed by a Bible lesson.
This work caught my interest so when opportunity to spend a week there presented itself, I jumped at it. I met a girl named Marika in the Lutsk assembly who came down to visit me in L'viv for a few days. I rode the bus back with her- about a 3 to 4 hr trip.
The first evening there i met a number of people in my age group and some of them knew english rather well. Really enjoyed the group there, a ton of fun and easy to talk to.
The first day in the schools I mostly just watched the goings on and began to teach the children the english words to 3 of the ukrainian childrens songs they sang. Taught them a few new actions their favorite being the action for monkeys. It was interesting to hear their pronounciation. One boy instead of singing the word 'grow' would sing 'frow'. At the 2nd school I quickly made good friends with 3 of the girls. Oxana and I would leave the school and these girls would walk with us even around the market sometimes 10 to 20min until we'd finally get on the marshrutka (bus). One girl would link her arm in mine and another would hold my hand - I definitely felt in my element. The next 3 days I added a few other new songs to their repetoire. Some of the adults came and said they were glad their children were learning english and not only english but songs about God and His Word.
Anatoly, a translator in the Lutsk assembly, took me one afternoon out to a village where we took bags of food to 3 of the families there. 2 of the families are part of the assembly but are incredibly poor. One gypsy family has 6 people living in a 2 bedroom house (bedrooms here also double as living rooms and dining rooms) the lady living in that home is very resourceful in that the buildings including a crude well, a deep cellar and a new house has been built by her. At the next home i met a lady who one morning years ago woke up to discover her legs didn't work. She was sitting up when we came in and has been trying to do that more lately, but she's not been out of her bedroom, never mind outside for a long time. She cried much of the time we were there, thankful for our visit and still praying each day that God will heal her legs. The last home we visited was a lady whose husband suddenly died by a stroke while out walking. They both came out to gospel meetings held in their village. She is not saved but they've continued to keep in contact with her. She told us this visit that she feels her strength is failing and hasn't bothered to heat the house in awhile. Spring and summer is a very busy time for people in Ukraine because they are out in their feilds planting potatoes, which in the village is sometimes still used as currency. This lady said summer hasn't even started and she is already exhausted and especially being elderly, this drains her energy quickly.
On Friday it was 'Victory Day' so schools where closed. 3 of the Lutsk young people toured me around the city. I saw and went in my very first castle. The underground tunnels which go 3 floors deep where closed for the holidays but they go beneath the castle, the city and even to neighboring villages.
Saturday I rode the bus back to L'viv by myself and discovered my seat was broken about 5 min into my trip. Each time I'd lean back so would the seat, until finally the seat was resting in the lap of the girl behind me. After much searching and watching other passengers I found the lever that makes the seat pop back up. For the next hour I had to sit slightly forward until finally a few people got of the bus and i jumped in a free seat. Then I entertained myself the rest of the trip by watching when others discovered the seat was broken. Arriving in Lutsk it was after 10pm and the bus didn't stop at the place I thought it would. I knew something was wrong so i called my driver and convinced someone to take my cell phone and tell him where i was. It was a train station down town L'viv. I was so grateful to finally arrive back in Flo's appartment.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Trip to Ivano-Frankivsk

We had the van loaded up and we were ready to go and it wasn't even nine o'clock yet. What a way to start the day!
We headed out to Ivano, picked up Maria and Deanna and headed out to an "internat" which is a children's home, which is about 40 minutes away from Ivano. This is the same one that Malcolm and Howard visited earlier during their stay in Ivano. We were warmly welcomed by the director and Gilles had a chance to speak to about twenty five children and several adults.
We left some sports equipment for the children, and left some clothing for several needy families in Ivano. Some boots which were donated from an individual in Canada were brought from Ivano to this orphanage also. There were several teachers who needed glasses and were very happy to receive them. Some people have a very strange idea when it comes to reading glasses. They get the pair that is the right strength for them, but want to exchange it for a weaker pair because they believe if they have the right strength it will make their eyes weaker and they will need stronger glasses.
Avrell is coming back tonight from a week in Lutsk.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Carpathian trip

Tuesday
It was an early morning as Gilles, Flora and Stephan headed out to the Carpathian mountains to visit Misha and his wife Maria. Enough food was purchased for about twenty families, as well as clothing brought along to distribute to those who were more needy. It was a rainy two hour drive to reach Holovetsko. It was through word of mouth that people found out that they had arrived. The plan was to wait for enough people to come so that there would be an audience for a word in the gospel. Taking advantage of the fact that people draw their water from wells, Gilles spoke about the woman who came to the well to draw some water and there met the Lord Jesus who totally changed her life. People kept coming while Gilles and Flo spoke. The clothing was distributed as well as the groceries. Some people are so appreciative, while others hardly seem to even consider thanking anyone. One lady stands out in my mind. Last year we had been at this same village and this lady had received a few items of clothing and some groceries. She returned to where Flo was visiting and presented Flo with a freshly killed chicken. This lady had gone home to kill her chicken to give it to Flo because that was the only thing she had. The same lady was here this time and was totally overwhelmed with having received anything. She had only received a few pieces of clothes and a few groceries but was extremely grateful.
Life can be very difficult in the remote villages under ordinary circumstances. But when tragedy strikes the hardship is multiplied many times over. One teacher came to the house where Flo & Gilles were visiting. This 35 year old teacher has three children. A couple of months ago her husband died from some illness. She now only has her teacher salary which is barely enough for anyone to live on. She and her children have no place to call their own. They are living with different people at different times going from someone else's home to someone else's home...never their own. She came to the house to get some groceries and clothing. Flo and Gilles told her about our God who has a special interest for the widows and the fatherless and how His care comes through the care of others. She listened barely able to hold back tears and finally broke down once she had gone back outside. Maria the lady of the house went out to speak with her. Money was left with her (sorry we can't remember her name) from funds given by Christians in Canada and the States. We are very thankful for what we receive from others that we can pass on to people who are in special need of help.
Wednesday we had our bible reading. There was a nice number of people out and there was a bit of discussion about different points. It is hard to draw out the people but with time they will feel more comfortable at stating their thoughts.
Avrell has been in Lutsk this week helping with the children's work there. When she gets back we'll get her thoughts on the blog for all to enjoy.
For any who read all the way to this point, I'm having problems getting on the blog page. Please be patient.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Well our "tour" of Ukraine for this Spring is almost over, we head home tomorrow. This week is not the best of weeks for visiting institutions as it is Paska or Ukrainian Orthodox Easter. It started on Friday and some people are still not back to work. Most people are visiting relatives in the villages AFTER they have stood in large crowds at the churches, holding little baskets of produce, waiting for the priest to bless their garden and home for the next year. For these people, to not attend the Mass at Easter is a mortal sin and must be confessed if they ever hope to go to Heaven. People who have no interest in church or anything religious, except at Easter and probably Christmas. It is so sad to see the multitudes of mislead people.

On Monday we made our way to the village of Nesnevachy where we first met for meetings in Stefka's home with the Seed Sower group. We went to renew friendships and of course, have a large Ukrainian meal. Every home will serve huge meals to whoever comes to visit during Paska.
We hoped to meet with Volodima and his parents in the village but they had gone to visit in another village. Volodima is saved and I baptized him here in the dirty swimming pool years ago. Sad to say, his mother married an unsaved man and they seem to keep him away from meetings on a regular basis.

On Tuesday once again everything was closed up except the big Metro store and so we went to get supplies for our visit on Wednesday to Bookva, a home for mentally challenged girls. In the afternoon we went out for supper with one of our first drivers we had, Slavic. He and his wife put on about a 6 or 7 course meal, we thought it would never stop??? They showed us a video of their daughters wedding 4 years ago. After the sixth DVD we were getting a little tired but it was very informative and interesting. The daughter now has two lovely twins, a boy and girl.

We headed for Bookva early on Wednesday, loaded with large Pampers for the incontinent patients plus other necessities that there are never enough funds for. The system is so corrupt and unfair, as to be hard to be believed. Inspectors come to visit the homes, not only this one but every orphanage, and they look for something to fine the Director for. The director was fined recently because of the way the dishes were being washed, even though we had bought them all the new stainless sinks they needed and were told to get. That may not be sound too unreasonable except for the fact that they do not give him ANY money to make the required changes, he is entirely dependent on outside help. So goes the Ukrainian government.

Each girl was given either a shoe box full of goodies suited to their intelligence. The more severely retarded ones were given a toy. It was so good to see the joy on the faces of these unfortunate ones. They are well looked after and everything is spotless since funds became available for major renovations. Most of the funds, I might say, were not from the government but from private sponsors such as many of Christians in Canada and the U.S.A.

We head home in time to get ready for meeting at 7:30pm. We had decided that the meeting format should be changed on a Wednesday to a Bible study. There were both saved and unsaved coming to the meeting but we felt a conversational Bible study might be profitable as the christian helped in the reading and expressed their thoughts. We had a good crowd come although we were sorry that Misha was sick and a number of regulars not there. We decided that we would look at John 3 and it proved to be a very good meeting with some good questions asked and answers given. Flo intends to continue with type of meeting and we hope that Misha will get the idea of the meeting.

Well that is all for now, I'll finish the last day when I get home. God bless all who have prayed for us.

Malcolm.

P.S. Both men arrived in Toronto, with Malcolm arriving in Winnipeg at 12.20 a.m. after getting the luggage and driving to Portage la Prairie it was 1.45, not the best of times to arrive home, but we are thankful for good flights and good connections.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Departures

Quiet day today.
Malcolm and Howard finished packing. Flo made a final lunch for them, salmon no less.
Off we were to the airport with lots of time to spare and no short cuts through the park this time. Once Malcolm and Howard were off we headed to the dentist for Ruslan to get a tooth filled. Back at home for us afterwards and Ruslan was off to the garage to get the van fixed once again.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Easter week in Ukraine

Sunday is the Orthodox Easter here and everything literally shuts down for a few days. It is a very important holiday for everyone and provides many opportunity to speak about the resurrection of Christ. The greeting that is on everyone's lips is "Christ is risen" to which the person being addressed responds "He is risen indeed" (all in Ukrainian of course).
So Sunday we all headed out to Lutsk as you probably read on Malcolm's post.
Monday we headed out to the village to Pustometey to visit Flo's relatives because we had received a special invitation to go eat the Easter meal with them. At the apartment boxes of clothing were sorted out and also shoe box contents redistributed to even out the contents to get them ready to give out at Bookva the home for handicapped girls.
Tuesday Gilles and I had our language lessons here at the apartment. Ruslan picked us up and off we went with the others to the Metro store to pick up diapers and other items for Bookva which we planned on visiting Wednesday. We were in Metro for a couple of hours and then headed out to Slavic's for an Easter meal! Little did we know what awaited us as far as food was concerned. There was no lack of anything and we were made to eat more than any of us probably wanted. They asked us if we wanted to see a "real" Ukrainian wedding. We were all willing to see that, so Slavic's wife took out the discs and started up the computer. 3 hours later and 7 dvds later we all knew what a Ukrainian wedding was all about. We knew what it was about after the first disc but there was no getting away from watching the other 6 discs!!!
Wednesday morning after reading and praying at Flo's we headed out to Bookva to distribute the shoe boxes. The girls there were all very happy to receive their box. Avrell had opportunity to take pictures and to mingle with the girls there. The director was not present so we had a cup of tea and then headed back home around 4. Tonight was meeting night so there was no time to lose. Howard and Malcolm had decided it would perhaps be a good idea to try a bible reading format for this meeting and it seemed to go over very well. The people participated and it was a very relaxed atmosphere. So John 3 was discussed and a lot of gospel was brought out.
Helene