Home | Blogs | dan's blog

No Police No Toys No Work No Car No Fear Some Encouragement

IMG_1506

The other evening, Jesse, Marie and Broderic decided to climb the unfinished apartment “structure” that is down the hill from us.  They decided to do it at dusk so that no one would get scared and yell at them ‘cause it was dangerous.  :)  Well, it wasn’t dark enough.  Someone called the local police.  So I called them too.  Anyway, the kids loved it and dragged two other local lads up with them.  Accomplishment produces a fine feeling. 

I was talking to two lads Friday night.  17-20 year olds.  We brought some Lego down and plunked it on the billiards table.  30 minutes later and they were still fitting blocks together.  I asked them if they had played with something similar as kids.  (We are talking 10 years ago.)  I expected them to say that they’d played with Chinese look-alike stuff.  But instead, one of them said that he’d never had any toys at all in his childhood and the other said that he’d played with a truck that someone had given him and that was all. It took me aback a bit.  I’d forgotten the poverty in the villages of Ukraine.  People don’t plant vegetables because they like gardening.  Rather, they prefer eating to the alternative.  Money for toys doesn’t exist! 

I was talking to my neighbor yesterday who is a cross-border semi-truck driver.  He can’t find work that will pay more than $350 a month!  He’s not sure what he’ll do, but was glad for the break from helping his mother in the 1500m2 garden they have.  He had a look at our car which is again a pretty ornament.

We took a trip to the river in another town with 10 kids for a picnic lunch a few days ago.  Real nice time.  Warm!!!  The trip home was eventful as that was where our little red car broke down.  I had some carpet in the back of the car which we hung out the back and Pris jumped behind the wheel of the broken down Daewoo “Sens” while I pushed with the van from behind.  Worked pretty well.  I wouldn’t do it with nice vehicles, but in a pinch with our beauties, it worked a dream. 

Real encouraging week-end last week. Vitya prayed publicly on Sunday at church.  He’ll be working with us during the summer.  Andrei, a young man from the village I used to visit also came to church and seems to be progressing in his walk with the Lord. I didn’t think I was prone to pessimism… I guess it’s nearly been 8 months since I saw someone give their life to the Lord!  We are praying much for Alla, the children’s Ukrainian teacher who has been coming to church and Bible studies a lot.  She had the ladies pray for her Wednesday night after the Bible study.  I’m taking a young couple in our church family through a discipleship course and they are growing in their faith.  And we have been facilitating another course on raising children with three couples and one lady whose husband has promised to leave her in 8 months or so.  Two of the couples are not saved, and it is a privilege to be able to get to know them and show that God’s ways are golden.

Tonight, the ladies are meeting and Sveta Gladchenko, one of the Rzhyshchiv girls is sharing.  She’s someone who is encouraging because of her humility and love for Jesus and will bless the ladies who come!

IMG_1486

I’ll leave you with a pic of Elle at sunset.  She is going through a period of being scared that Dad and Mum or Dad or Mum are going to die.  “Think about it for a minute.  Pray about it for a minute.  Then go on and think about what you want to do next or want to do tomorrow after you’ve finished school.”  Those are the steps she has been told a few times now that she has to go through when she feels “really really sad”.  :)