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Rovno

Just before I talk about Rovno… isn’t this new look on this blog-site easy on the eyes.  Tim Miller is the one deserving of praise and my thanks for his generous gift of time, skill and effort in keeping this operating and getting it face-lifted.    Thanks Tim.

 

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We just got back from downtown Rovno.  The kids went rollerblading for a couple of hours in what is during the winter an ice-skating rink.  The price was out of this world.  $2 for as long as you want, including skate rental.  We watched them enjoy themselves for a couple of hours, quite happy to just watch. 

Here’s a sign we saw that I thought would raise a “privileged” western eyebrow or two.IMG_0463  This is an advertisement by a bank offering 20% interest on deposits in Ukrainian Grievny, 10% in Dollars.  And this is a reputable bank!  We saw another ad offering 26%!  How much does your bank offer you on your savings account?  The downside for anyone wanting a loan is that 35% is about what you’d expect to pay.  That puts a damper on young couples thinking about a mortgage.  There is still talk around about Ukraine defaulting on its debt next year… if that happens, wow!  Who knows how badly that would affect Ukrainian banks.  A lot of Ukrainians have been burnt before by banks here and are leery of keeping their savings in any bank!

 

This Sunday, we hope to meet down in the center of Rzhyshchiv for “church”.  Not sure how it will pan out.  We still haven’t been able to meet with the appropriate authorities… after four attempts.  We have planned to have two months of overt evangelistic thrust in our Sunday gatherings, so it will be very interesting to see how it works out.  I’m excited to see how people will respond.  I believe it will take a few weeks to “warm up”, but we’ll be inviting friends and relatives and praying that the Holy Spirit works in their hearts to lead them to repentance and belief in Jesus.  I look forward to reporting.

 

 

Today one of our van tires gave up the ghost.  It was second-hand when I bought it and served a good few years.  We’re going to take the risky option and drive most of the way home without a spare.  I’ve arranged to pick up two new tires in a city about 400 km away.  :)