Misha is Baptized
Misha is now… baptized. The day was beautiful. The air felt crisp and the sun was shining. The water was cold, but not unbearably. The wind was blowing, but not uncomfortably so. The beach was deserted, (my preference for baptisms), and the church gathered. Misha loved it.
As of today, he’s become the senior bloke at the rehab centre. Igor, an alcoholic, has joined him and it’s been good recognizing Misha’s willingness to help him.
Pavel, (pictured), has found five guys to come on down to the RC so far. Two of them decided that they couldn’t handle the conditions and left. The other one was put on a bus in Kiev and didn’t make it outside the city limits before getting the ticket price back from the driver and probably heading for the nearest bar. There are quite a few Rehab Centres in Ukraine where the addicts pay for the services and have beautiful facilities in which to dry out. Ours is possibly the least fancy and least developed RC in Ukraine and so it will be a real test of the genuineness of the desire of the guys who come.
I had an amusing conversation as we drank tea by the well with a drug addict who came on Friday.
Addict: “Where’s the toilet?”
Misha: “Oh… anywhere out the back right now.” 
Addict: “How about a shower?”
Me: “You didn’t see our beautiful shower! Turn around!”
Addict: “Well, what about how water?”
Me: “It’s summer. Who needs hot water?”
Addict: “I don’t think I can stay here.”
Tomorrow, we meet with a guy who’s been running rehab centres in Ukraine for a number of years. (We should offer him use of our facilities if he wants to send guys down to test their mettle!) There seems to be a few different philosophies regarding the running of rehab centres around the world. We are firmly in the camp which believes that God’s Word holds the keys for deliverance from slavery that these men suffer under and as such, is taught and interacted with quite a lot during the day. (When I turned up there yesterday, a sermon was playing in the background as the guys rested from their labours on the fence.) It will be good to listen to Max Mamakhin share his view and experiences over the last several years and hopefully learn some things.
Celebrating Resurrection Sunday last week was special. We again greeted the sun as it poked up over the horizon at 5:30; and again gave it our best shot at waking anyone nearby who was still asleep with shouts of, “Christ is risen!” The picnic in the afternoon was peaceful and lots of fun… with maybe 50 people turning out for it. Just 30 came for the early morning gathering thought… now why is it that a picnic is always well attended? :)
Priscilla is in the USA for three weeks. She’s visited her grandmother and some special friends in Ohio already and will spend the next week and a bit with her family in Oregon before heading back on the 23rd of May. She’s loving it… and we’ll love it when she’s back. In the meantime, Angel is doing a great job of preparing meals.