18 percent pay cut
I’ve always felt that the financial market is a fascinating study. Currency fluctuations, being influenced by economy, by current events, by charts, by formulas, by history, by fear and greed… it is truly a complex world! I remember the days in Ukraine’s history when the local currency was experiencing super-hyper inflation. Each month, for a period of a few years, money in Ukraine was losing 30% or more of it’s value. So a car which cost the equivalent of $10,000 in January would cost the equivalent of $16,000in March. There was great incentive to spend your salary as soon as you got it.
The last week has seen the local currency drop in value by 18%, (about 50% during the last year). All those who took advantage of the 24% interest rate offered on savings last year are feeling a bit burnt. I was talking with some people over the weekend who said that they are so thankful for their gardens. They will do ok throughout this tough period. One of them had received a 50% pay cut on top of the incredible inflation (18%)… but they still had the produce from their garden to fall back on. As is so often the case… when people feel like the pressures are piling on… they will often humble themselves before God. And while I aren’t going to be cheering on the suffering, I definitely recognize the beautiful way that God works through suffering in bringing us to our knees in humility before Him. Suffering also gives those who can love an opportunity to reveal the beautiful character of God through helping, giving, loving and speaking words of wisdom into the lives of the sufferers.
Oh! Russian soldiers are not in Ukraine. (If you believe that after all that Russia has said and done during the last year, I’m flabbergasted!) We know people on the border who see tanks, APC’s, artillery and supply trucks regularly coming from the border and going inland. This conflict is only going to escalate and it’s my guess that the last few months have been nothing more than a precursor to a major conflict. From the perspective of the hurt it will wreak on this generation of young people… it is incredibly sad. From the perspective of the hearts that will be turned towards God because of the suffering… Praise Him from whom all blessings flow! He brings beauty from ashes.
Alyosha is back in Rzhyshchiv for a break from the front. He and Natasha will come here Friday for lunch and I’m sure we’ll get another installment of stories. The government has said that the family of any conscript that is killed will be given $40,000. I hope Natasha never needs to receive that money. Vitya still hasn’t heard back from the conscription office and is hopeful that they’ve found some reason to release him from duty.
This last weekend, the men in the church went away together. Ostensibly, it was expected that it would be a weekend of outreach to the students from the 14th, but as it turned out, only two students who don’t regularly attend church ended up coming. The 14 of us definitely enjoyed the time we spent together though. Saturday night, we ate at a Georgian café and I’m going to say that we ate the best meat there that I’ve ever tasted! It was incredibly delicious and blew my mind! Shane did a top job of organizing everything, (including the menu), and we all relished the time.
We went bowling and afterwards had a bash just to double check who amongst us had the most dangerous fists. Petya (not pictured), won over Nazar (in grey), by a whisker.
Pris and I got away for two nights last week down to a small village two hours south of us. The house we stayed in was nicely nestled in a valley holding two small lakes for beauty’s sake. Sheep were roaming the meadow, some horses were penned up in a coral, the weather was perfect for autumn… it was a nice break away together. The unusual experience was hearing a song from Hillsong in the bar we ate lunch in! Unexpected!
May God bless!