Ivano-Frankvisk

Monday April 21, 2008 This is the report for yesterday Sunday. It always a little different thanat home with no morning meeting. However, we had a good meeting at 5pm butwere a little disappointed that some were not out who we expected. We don’tknow why yet but think it is something to do with Ukrainian Easter which isnext week. We can see crowds of people standing in long cues outside thechurches, waiting to get in to confess to the priest so that they will be“sin free” for “Paska” or Easter next weekend. The all have Pussy willows intheir hands on the way home. Next weekend they will bring their littlebaskets full of food to the church, ready to have the priest bless theirgardens for the coming summer. Sad to say that many of the people whoprofess to be Christians, still think there is some value in thesetraditions. Before meeting, we went to see Natalia, the young lady with MS. We wereshocked to see how she had deteriorated in less than one year. For the firsttime since visiting her years ago, she cried with the pain in her legs andhands. She can hardly open her hands now to use the phone. She says thatnone of the pain relievers the doctor prescribes help her. She is one of thesweetest people we ever meet and dried her tears and said “ enough about me,lets talk about happy things”. Once again, we poured in the gospel to herand her mother and can only hope that it got through all the catholic imagesetc. The good thing was that her Bible was on her table and her mother readsit to her daily. It was well marked. Does anyone know what she or we couldget to relieve the pain? Well after meeting we were invited again to dear Orisa’s humble shack, forthat is what it is, nothing more than a two room shack at the back of someother houses. She had to killed one of her rabbits once again and had alovely rabbit stew with pickled tomatoes. I must say it is one of thetastiest meals we have in Ukraine, as far as I’m concerned. Her mother is still living with her and her husband, but thankfully hermother was up and about and not bed ridden as she was the last time wevisited. She is 80 and can’t wait to get back to the village to plant hergarden. Orisa’s husband seems to be off the liquor for the present and Ithink is working some. So home to bed and get ready for another meeting on Monday night and somemore visiting. Monday April 22, 2008 Vadym phoned to say he would be a little late, as a friend was in a villageabout 50 kms away and needed to be towed to town. The friends father, whoworks at a service station, had filled his car with diesel. The only problemwas, his car uses gas not diesel!!! This gave us the morning to do laundry and get ready for meeting. Vadym came just after lunch and we went to visit three people. The one lady, Luba, who is a baptized believer, lives in the most atrociousone room and kitchen apartment. She has a sweet daughter of 12 or 13 and ason with either ADD or is Autistic, but is often quite a trial. Last year webought her a fridge but she told us it was not plugged in because she had nofood to put in it!! We had also left money for a stove but she elected tohave a washing machine instead because she wanted the children to be cleanto go to school. I cannot describe her kitchen but will try to attach somepictures. The burners were all burned out and the oven door had fallen off.We felt so concerned for this widowed sister that we are going to attempt tofix her little apartment for her. She can go to the village and stay withher mother in law while Vadym gets someone to fix the holes in walls, (allthe pipes in the wall in the bathroom exposed), fix the kitchen, install anew cooker and repair the plugs in the kitchen so that the fridge can be inthe kitchen, rather than in the bedroom!!! One of the reasons is that theboy is on heavy meds and she also because of epilepsy. She owns theapartment but has little left for food or anything else once the medicationis paid for out of a meager disability pension. Her husband died of cancer,just after the boy was born. We know that the renovation will cost a fairamount but God is able to supply. Meeting went well but still a number who we expected out were not out. Six or seven families came to the Meeting Room for clothing during the dayand the rest of the boxes from Flo were put out. Another box of clothing wassent to an orphanage in a village. Pray for Maria who is looking after thesorting and distribution of the clothing, she is a baptized believer and isvery efficient and faithful.
Malcolm & Howard