Malcolm's Report #5

Report #5 for April 23 and 24.

Another beautiful day with flowers in bloom everywhere. Temp to go to the 20’s today.

We planned to go to a village that we did not know the name of, but hoped to find. Sounds a bit scary, but we had all been there before were not sure of the direction. Well we set off trusting in God to take us there, and He did. We stopped at Halia’s mother’s home in a village first and accepted a “coffee break”. Well they know nothing about just having a cup of coffee, it has to be a meal, something we really didn’t need that early in the morning. We found the name of the village was Stetseva and was only a couple of Kilometers from Halia’s mother.

We went straight to speak at the school. The Principal met us and you would have thought we were relatives, the welcome he gave us. He introduced us to his deputy lady who arranged for us to speak to the younger children in the auditorium. We thought they would never stop coming in. They filled the auditorium with about 125 -150 from about 8-12 years old.

I spoke first and had excellent attention. Then they left after we gave texts etc. to the teachers to distribute. Then about 50 senior students came in and both Howard and I spoke to them. The also gave good attention. We noticed some happy looking girls in the crowd who came to us after and told us they were saved. They all attended the only evangelical church in town, a Pentecostal church. They were a lovely testimony in this school.

We then went to visit a saved Catholic priest named Ivan whom we had met when last in the village. His wife Svetlana invited us into their house and we sat for over an hour and talked over the scriptures with this man. As hard as it is for most of us to understand how a man can function as a Roman Catholic priest and be a born again Christian, this man is doing it. We talked and showed him many places in scripture where what the “Church” was doing was wrong. He listened and was genuinely concerned about some of the practices of those within his church. They gave us lunch and we left, very happy for the time spent in the village.

We stopped at Halia’s on the way home and were told the priest had phoned and told us to wait for him. After about 15 minutes he arrived in his car and loaded us up with 5 loaves of Easter bread, flour, sugar canned pickles, etc etc. These items for us and any poor we know. What an evidence of Christian charity.

Home to another meeting at 7 pm with a more encouraging number out.

Friday.

Woke to another lovely spring day: going up to 20c or more again. Volodia went early to play soccer with some boys. Good to make some contacts to youth as only the older people seem to have any interest in meeting or spiritual things. Carnality is rampant everywhere but with a pseudo religious display. Both young and old must cross themselves when passing shrines or churches, even though they may be a block away. As usual, religion is harder to break through with the gospel than rank ungodliness. Wicked people often accept the fact that they are not right with God and may listen to the gospel.

We left for Petriliv (Peter Village) as soon as Volodia returned, picking up Sasha on the way. Our main purpose was to see where we could put a hot water heater, to heat water for a shower cabinet that Christians had bought for the kindergarten in this school. Older students will use it too.  As the Principal we usually meet with was in hospital, Irina the Vice Principal welcomed us and showed us the room where it would be located. Nothing is easy in Ukraine as all the walls are about 10-12 inches thick concrete. But they are used to working on these walls and floors. Irina said “no problem” we have an old man who will fix it! Poor man!

She then got the children together and I and Howard spoke to them and about 12 staff. They gave good attention. We were then taken for a hot meal and then left to go and see the principal, Hanna who is in hospital in Ivano. We stopped on the way to pick up some flowers. The flowers are absolutely beautiful here, many grown in Ukraine. We found Hanna with 4 other women in her room, suffering from something with her upper spine and neck. She cannot turn her head. I don’t like the sound of the treatment they are giving, it sounds like a bit of quackery mixed with medicine. 

Anyway, she was overjoyed to see us and we can only hope she will be cured. We are not sure but feel she may be saved. We prayed with them in the room and left tracts. Hanna was in tears when we left.

We came home and got ready for meeting; a good number out and good attention. The next meeting will be on  Sunday at 7pm.

Thank you for praying.

Malcolm, Howard, Volodia and Sasha.