Spring 2013 - Report No 3

Ukraine report #3
Monday April 1.
The weather is typical spring weather, wet and dull to start out with but sunny and melting very quickly. Kiev is having flooded streets and fear many more towns and cities will be affected.
We decided to sort some boxes this morning and so Luba came to give a woman’s help with this and was very good at it. We have to get these many boxes sorted and distributed before more arrive. We probably have 30 here now. We got 6 boxes sorted for children, babies and adults.
At 2pm Svetlana arrived, she will be our interpreter for a week or two, and we took the van to get the heater fan fixed and then took a taxi to visit the men in the rehab. They live in a fairly nice house with a garden. We met in their living room and had a very good time telling our testimonies and then answering their many questions. They want us back as soon as we can go back.
They treated us to tea and cookies and then wanted pictures of us all outside. We feel this will be a good opportunity to help these men find permanent deliverance from their addictions.
We were then happy to pick up the van and find it all fixed up for a very modest price.
Tuesday. We went to see Antonina and her grown son Victor this morning. Antonina is a lady that we met some years ago and has come out faithfully to meetings. Some may remember that her other married son had a wife that ran away with their daughter to Italy and has not been heard of for at least 3 years. When this happened, Victor set out to find the child but was charged with attempted kidnapping or something like that and sent to prison for 3 years. He is now released and living with his mother.
We found out that they had both gone to camp in Lutsk last summer and by all accounts, it sounds as if they are now both saved. We had a good talk about “the next step”, baptism, but did not press anything. This was a most profitable meeting. Victor spends much of his time reading the Bible.
We had a box of men’s clothes and took it to the rehab centre. Then went and paid the rent on the apartment. The lady who rents to us is a barrister but unique in her honesty. The first thing she did when we went in was give us a refund from the last 3 month payment, because it was paid in Canadian dollars and the interest had changed in our favour. Can you imagine a lawyer doing this?
We then went to the half-way house for children who have been sent there to await placement in either a foster home or an orphanage: there were about 10 older children, the young ones were sleeping. Both Howard and I spoke, gave out tracts and candies and then went for coffee with the assistant director. Several staff listened to the messages too.
We then came home and got ready for the meeting at 6PM. Not many out at all; a little disappointing but good attention.
Howard and I went for supper and then home write and try to plan our week.
Malcolm and Howard.