Monday, April 18, 2011

Sping 2011 - Report 17

Friday 15th and Saturday 16th
A lovely day for my last day in Ivano; sunny and warm and NO rain. We are going to Lviv to for the meeting and to leave me there, ready for home on Monday. I want to say thank you to those who prayed for my arm and shoulder problem, and say that it is 99.9% better. No more tingling in the fingers or pain while travelling.
Before heading for Lviv, we wanted to visit Peter Village, as we had not gone earlier owing to the rain and snow. We called Olga, the mayor and she was thrilled that we could come. We took two boxes of clothing with us and met in her office. As I usually do, I asked how things were doing, was anything improving? I don’t know what sort of people are now in government positions but something is desperately wrong. Her big issue at the moment is what to do with the garbage. She has been told to get rid of the trash from the village but will not give her permission to bury or burn it! She spent all day Thursday in meetings as they denied her permission for this and that mode of disposal. The really criminal thing is, that one day an inspector will come to the village, see some uncollected garbage and fine her, from her own salary of $200.00 per month! She is the mayor of 5 villages. Who would want her job, but she was voted in by all the villages for a 6 year term.
We left her and went to the school and again get to hear some of the nonsense they are told. This principal was told she didn’t have enough students, get some more! She has the only school in 2 villages and has all the students, where can she get more? There are 76 or so students and they sang for us; the little ones in kindergarten and grade 1 did some dance routine and then Dan spoke to all the students. The threat to the Principal is that they will close the school if she doesn’t get more kids. The parents have already petitioned to authorities not to do that, we certainly hope not.
We headed for Lviv and got settled before the meeting at 7 pm for the first Bible Study of this new Assembly. I was asked to open the book of John. There good attention and input and all thought it was going to profitable in the future.
We were very weary, for some reason and were not late to bed.
Thank you again for your prayers for the seed that has been planted, the growth we have seen and continuing of the work in Ukraine. Many of the people in Ukraine feel that the country is ripe for uprisings similar to the happenings in other parts of the world. Let us hope and pray that if this does happen it will be peaceful and not riotous.
Malcolm
Saturday was spent shopping for gifts to bring home and a good supper at Edmund and Agnes Johnson’s apartment. (The Irish couple who now reside in Lviv.) Good fellowship indeed.

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