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To Kill a Sheep

On Sunday, we decided to kill our 17 year old sheep and marinade it, (a fruitless attempt at softening the meat). May Day in Ukraine is big – lots of picnics and lots of drinking. We decided to do a picnic on Wednesday night instead of our usual Bible study… and somehow enjoyed the flavoured pieces of rubber we sucked on.  17 years… I actually felt surprised that I swallowed a few pieces.  I’m glad no one called the police for attempted murder… it was tough meat!

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Talking about police, I was pulled over after the wedding we went to in a city about four hours drive away last week-end. The police were waiting for drivers to leave the picturesque venue in the country in order to pull them over and then check for DUI. Three of them got out and one very polite policeman asked for my docs. and took me for a little walk around the back of his car, (I still don’t know what the deal was there), but he did a breath test on me, (stuck his nose out and told me to breathe on it!!!), and then sent us on our way with a polite warning to get the light fixed over my number-plate and a suggestion to slow down over speed-bumps. :) Who needs technology!

We enjoyed the wedding. We’ve known Nazar since he was 14 and came to one of our summer camps. Ivanka, I first met at a Bible study we did in her apartment in Kiev when she was a cute little 5 year-old. They both love God and will glorify Him together.

The ladies rehab centre now has two ladies living there: Vika (a 30 year-old from the war zone), and Marie, (a 20 year-old Australian).  :)  Marie said she is blessed, joyous, and filled with thankfulness for “the little things”. We were out there today doing some more scrubbing and odd jobs and the place is slowly cleaning up. Marie is sleeping on a…60 year-old bed right now (I’m guessing at the age). It’s unique!

We are thinking to keep the group of ladies small for the first month or so and then more actively search for more lassies. The guys did quite a bit of work at this house fixing things up, but there are still a number of things still to do. Work continues.

The men’s rehab is doing fine. Two of our older men in the third stage were returned to rehab this week. They ended up drinking a bottle of homemade vodka they found at clip_image004the farm they were working at. Grrr! They were very repentant and begged not to be sent home. We returned them back into reclip_image006hab and trust that God’s mercy will see them leaning on Him for strength.

Actually, tonight we heard that one of the men who left us several months ago had overdosed. He left without our blessing but seemed to be doing ok, joining a church in Kiev and working with a Christian. In a weak moment, he was permitted to fall back into his sin and God took his life. May his choice affect the rest of our boys and scare them deeper into the arms of their Heavenly Father.

We are “meant” to be moving back downtown into the town hall for Sunday services this month. Personally, I don’t look forward to it. The biggest benefit is that it’s cooler in that building than on our third floor. But the big negative for me is that the atmosphere is more formal – less family. 

In Vinnitsa, we went to see the main attraction… a light show on water sprayed up into the air. It was absolutely spectacular… at times looking like a shimmering portal into another world. When Ukraine does something good, I’m extra pleased!

This update feels somehow abrupt.  Let’s leave it that way.