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Stabbed

IMG_3530I don’t remember a celebration of the Lord’s resurrection that I haven’t enjoyed.  Each year, a group of us gather at dawn to remember the great “dawning of a new age” and to witness the sunrise.  This year, the weather dampened our efforts to witness the sunrise, but we still shouted out “Christ is risen,” and, “He is risen indeed,” three times at the moment it should have poked an arc over the forests spread out before us.  We always light a fire and read the victory story and then have coffee and buns.  Traditions are good things.

This year we also gathered on Wednesday before Resurrection Sunday to remember the Lord’s death on the cross.  Beautiful evening!  Death brings life… what classical irony!

Life goes on

photo_thumb11And life goes on… as we get used to the specter of the dark and looming bear that is Russia.  My first thought when I wake up is no longer, “has Russia invaded overnight?”  That thought now follows several others; so I still have it… just not with quite as much expectation of it having occurred. 

We’ve been gathering down at the market each Sunday morning at 8:30 to pray with Christians from other churches in Rzhyshchiv the last few weeks.  The centre of town is comparatively busy Sunday mornings as Sunday is one of the three designated “market days” for our town.  It has been interesting to note how few Christians are interested in coming out and standing with us to pray.  This last week, we had eights foreigners and nine Ukrainian Christians gather to pray.  We do so through a microphone so that others can join us should they so choose.  /So far, we’ve noticed that most people just go on about their business.  But always a few stop and listen.  I’m happy to get the chance to stand with other Christians who are not afraid to be seen publically declaring their faith by praying for Ukraine and her people. 

War

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What a strange period of time we are living through.  Recently, we sat around a fire and it felt like if we weren’t talking about war and Russia, the topic was on the edge of our thoughts.  It felt somehow wrong sitting around a fire in peace and enjoying the clear sky and the sparks flying upward and good friends and knowing that there is a strong likelihood that this country of ours will explode into war any day now. 

Ukraine is currently acting like the skinny new boy at school who is being bullied by the ugly fat bully who doesn’t care what others think and fears no retaliation.  When will we take a swipe at the bully who keeps on encroaching on us?  And Russia is definitely encroaching on many fronts and in different ways. 

Memorial

What an incredible memorial to the men who died during this revolution!  Jesse and I estimated that there was upwards of 200,000 flowers spread out over the whole area at different places that the men had been killed.  Most of them were on the street pictured below, recently renamed Avenue of the Glory of the Heavenly Hundred.  Tears were being wiped from eyes as people walked around the barricades still in place from those infamous days.  There is no longer any threat from riot police, yet the protestors stay, many of them for the obvious reason that the justice they were seeking has not been carried out.  No doubt, others stay simply because they don’t know what to do now.  For many, the “enemy” has disappeared.  Yet the frustration remains.  I didn’t see anywhere near as many protestors as were there about a month ago.  But there is no doubt that their presence is still felt.

 

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