On the Road

July 2, 2008

When you are in a foreign country you expect “interesting” things to happen. You must expect the unexpected. If you are not flexible you will break. While in Chernefsi, Verra told us to be ready for anything. Anything can be cancelled within two hours of an event. But don’t worry. It only takes two hours advance notice to plan something new.

This past Wednesday, I attended an Ukrainian wedding of a couple who had already been married two weeks ago. The bride was from Russia and the Groom the pastor of the Nazarene church in Vapnyarka so one wedding was in St. Petersburg and the other Vapnyarka. Being late is not a very big deal in Ukraine under most circumstances although being over a half an hour late is a little more obvious when you are escorted by an entourage of seventeen children. It would be logical to think that we were late because it is difficult to get this many children ready for a wedding.

The girls had picked out their dresses days in advance. The caretakers washed, pressed, and hemmed up any loose ends. The evening before the wedding all of the kids took their weekly bath. On the day of the wedding, Leda, a caretaker, came a few hours early to do all the girls hair. Curls, braids, up dos and glitter… one would think the girls were preparing for prom. There was plenty of time to arrive on time. We left but we weren’t half way down the road when one of the older girls decided she needed to change her shoes. As we continued down the road, she and another girl went to change her shoes. At the end of the road we waited, 5- 10- 15 minutes finally they came, we crossed the road together and made it as far as the train station before we stopped again. This time I watched as a young girl ran off. Where was she going? I didn’t know. What was she doing? I didn’t know. All I knew was we were waiting and waiting. 10 minutes- 15- 20, we were definitely late. But it didn’t matter. None of the other adults seemed to care. Finally the girl arrived with an ever important bouquet of flowers (We already had a couple). We were off. When we arrived at the outside ceremony, it was difficult to miss the kids as they invaded the church property and moved toward the service. Here we were, joining in the back, the bride and groom already at the altar. The bride and groom said their vowels. They were prayed over. They kissed. They are now, husband and wife, again.

There have been many things that I have struggled to make sense of in my life but living in Ukraine has multiplied the number of things that I find to be senseless. Learning to accept this is difficult. Learning not to try to fix everything and everyone is a struggle. Ukrainians hold a different mindset. The best way to enjoy them is to not try to understand but only to accept.

Change is something that happens often. This past week plans have changed numerous times. In order to expand my vision of God and the work he is doing in Ukraine I decided to rejoin the two college students from ENC and Vica as they traveled to Zapporoshia. I would be leaving Wednesday the 25th after the wedding. It was a great plan. I would be back to the kids in a few short weeks. Monday of the week, I was to leave, I found out the kids would also be leaving that Friday for a village 20 minutes from Vapnyarka. They would be there until the 20th. This was a trip I had originally planned to make with them but unfortunately not be able to. Although disappointed, God has reminded me that he will take me where I need to be with the kids he has chosen for me to love at the time he needs me to love them. This was not my plan but I’m not here to execute my plan.
A Bump in the Road

What should have been about a six hour drive from Vapnyarka to Kiev after the wedding became the longest night since the PALACE of DOOM. Just before 10:00 pm about two and a half hours from Kiev our van ran over a semi- truck tire block that was lying in the middle of the road. As we coasted off the road we left a trail of oil and diesel. The fuel and oil lines had both been torn open among a few other issues. As I did with the children before the wedding, I waited. This time we waited about four hours. The police, insurance company, a towing vehicle, and a vehicle to take us the rest of the way to Kiev had to called. As we dozed in and out of sleep the cool early morning air crept up on us. Passing vehicles caused the van to shake as they raced past. Finally another van arrived. We were tightly loaded in and on our way. At 4:00am we walked through the door of our apartment. As the sun rose we fell into deep slumber.

Due to several complications and changes our journey to Zapporoshia was postponed a few days. This gave us time to catch up on our sleep and our history. Touring with an American team about to leave for home we visited the caves monastery and the World War II memorial and museum. Bob and Cliff guided us as Bob shared information to help us better understand the culture in which we were serving. Orthodoxy, Communism, and War have greatly influenced the people of this land. Seeing the artifacts from the war, watching video of the peace before the war and the devastation that followed, and hearing the stories and statistics made one realize the evil of man. If you can, imagine gloves made of human skin or soap made from human fat. Picture the faces of men women and children stripped, shot and bulldozed into a ravine. In this part of the world you won’t find many concentration camps- “Kill!” was the order. Brokenness ravaged the nation as their homes were destroyed, everything they had- taken, and men women and children were exterminated. Everyone was affected. Everyone lost someone close to them. To help us better understand a comparison of statistics was share: Before the War Russia and The United States were similar in population. The U.S. lost 500,000 men; that is approximately 5,000 for everyday of the war. Russia lost 30 MILLION! The last room of the museum painted two pictures, one on each side of the room. One picture was the celebration of life, of peace. Instruments hung in the air. Scarves of brightly embroidered flowers graced the ceiling. Smiling faces hung on the walls. Down the middle of the room was a long table. The right side of the table was set with glasses to toast the merriment of the end of the war. Opposite these glasses were canteens, flasks, and other make-shift drinking instruments used during the war. Below the glass table top were death certificates of those who lost their lives. The left side of the room was adorned with reminders of the sorrow brought by the war. Instead of beautiful scarves, army jackets clouded the ceiling. The entire left wall (as can be seen in the pictures) was dressed with the hundreds of faces of those whose lives were taken during the war. As I gazed into the eyes of men, women, and children my stomach turned, my heart ached, and my mind struggled to grasp the magnitude of what I was seeing. War, long ago or now is very real. Loss is felt. Courage and Bravery are essential. Evil exists in the hearts of men. It is overwhelming to think about.

The plans for Zapporoshia changed several times while we were in Kiev.

Plan A: Leave for Zapporoshia Friday by train

Problem: No train tickets

Plan B: Cliff would drive us early Saturday Morning, around 5:30

Problem: Cliff couldn’t go Saturday

Plan C: Cliff drives us EARLY Sunday Morning (3:30AM) so we would arrive in time for church

Executed- but what do we do now?

Time: We have discovered in our journeys together (Jessica, Nadine, Vica, and I) that wherever we go there is a clock whose hands do not move. This means that it is always the same time. So what time is it? 9:05??? 10:41??? Or 12:00??? We don’t really know… but we are learning that, that is okay.
Zapporoshia

Social Studies Lesson: Zapporoshia is located on the banks of the Dnieper River. It has a population of 1 Million people. The majority of the population works in automobile factories. It is also the location of the beginning of Russia. The Original Cossacks built their fortress on the island and the shores of Zapporoshia. We were able to visit the island. Andrei gave us some back ground information- Only the men were allowed on the island. The women lived on the opposite shore. When the women needed something, they would go out to a small rock island in the river and signal to the men. The men would then swim across the river to meet them.

Sightseeing is not the only thing we have been enjoying in Zapporoshia. We will be here a total of two weeks. This first week we are making preparations for Vacation Bible School next week. We have filled our days, creating, posting, and passing out flyers. Using hundreds of sheets of construction paper and cardboard boxes we created a Western scene. Paper cacti, horses, and hay bales have been glued together to decorate the walls. It is times like these that makes me ever so grateful for the simple, often overlooked, life experiences God has given me to prepare me for such a time as this.

Please pray for us as we promote Vacation Bible School for next week. Pray for the people reading the signs and flyers. Pray that God will draw children and families to the church. Pray that it will be an opportunity for the church to be better connected to the community. We will be joined next week by two other teams made up of Ukrainians from Kiev and Vinnitsa. Pray for their safety. Overall pray for God’s will to be done. May we always remember that this is His project and we are only the hands he uses to reach out to those in need of Him.