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.