Survival

This morning on the way to the metro, I was being a good husband and taking out the trash. It had snowed during the night and was still snowing lightly. Everything was clean and white. As I approached the trash bin, an unshaved man wearing a fairly clean coat and one of those famous Russian fur caps was rummaging through the bin. I quietly placed my bag in the bin and started to walk away. After about 10 yards I stopped and turned around to look at this man. Indeed he was opening the bag I had just placed in the bin looking for bottles to take to a recycling center for cash.

People technically do not recycle in Ukraine, but people like this man perform this service out of necessity or in the case of some to purchase alcohol. What was this man’s story, I pondered. Did he know of our Savior? Was I being like the priest or the Levite both who walked past a man who was beaten and robbed? But this man, while not in any distress, was trying to survive.

As I was squashed by the multitude getting onto the metro behind me, I was still thinking of this man. I began thinking of the people who were pressing up against me, held in place by the morning rush hour crush of bodies all trying to get to work on time. They were all quiet, trying to avoid eye contact, with their best metro face staring away. What was their story? At such times I begin to pray for the people around me. May God send someone to share salvation with them. May I make the most of every opportunity as God puts people in my path today.

What day is it?

Part of living in a culture other than the one you grew up in is learning how other people celebrate life.  In Ukraine every day is cause for a celebration whether it is someone’s birthday or a national holiday.  During the Soviet Union, groups of people, instead of individuals, were recognized on particular days for there contribution to their country.  I always thought Hallmark was the one that invented special days. 

So today, February 23rd is the day we celebrate Men!  During the Soviet Union, it was the Soviet Army Day.  All day the shops are filled with women buying small tokens of appreciation for the men in their lives whether they are their husbands, bosses or any significant male figure in their lives.

The International Faith Initiatives Ukraine office, home of Ukraine Medical Outreach and Ukraine Family Institute was no exception.  At lunch time we all gathered to share a common meal.  At the end of our meal the ladies came together behind Inna their spokeswomen and presented us guys with a scroll and a gift.  The scroll unrolled  and read by Artyom, our executive director said ,  we pray for the men we work with and for God to enable them to hit the bullseye in their lives as they lead their families and perform their work by following Christ.

Accompanying the scroll was a dartboard.  I taught Artyom how to play baseball with darts.  The ladies took turns too, tossing darts which had the American flag and the British Union Jack as fins.   We now have a great way to relieve stress and do a little team building.  Thank you ladies for helping us remember why and for whom we work and live.  

Quarantine!

As a kid growing up just when the polio vaccine was becoming available, the word, quarantine struck fear into the hearts of families. In the United States it is seldom used any more, except in regards to cattle and chickens.

In Ukraine it’s use is still quite common and is used regularly during this time of year. It is what we call the flu season. Vaccination for the flu is uncommon here and not recommended at all for children mainly because of availability which is different than in the USA. Usually as the number of cases of “grip” increase the schools, elementary through high school are closed for up to a month. Also access to hospitals by visitors is limited. However kindergartens or day care centers remain open as well as universities. To make up the time lost, kids attend school on Saturdays or have the school program modified for most of the rest of the school year.

So where do the kids go. Sometimes grandparents are put into service to allow the parents to go to work. The kids who are not sick of course may actually look forward to this time.

Our ministry with children with HIV/AIDS is affected because we are denied access to the hospital.

Quarantine is actually a principle often prescribed in the Bible to separate the clean from the unclean, the holy from unholy. God’s word is full of practical wisdom which needs to be rightly applied.

Feed a Fever?

You have probably heard the expression, “Feed a fever and starve a cold,” sometime.  Every culture has their own unique medical superstitions some of which are based upon fact and others myth.  Today during Marianna’s Ukrainian lesson she was learning what to say when you visit the doctor.  Her teacher asked, “What do you do for a sore throat?”  Marianna replied, ” I usually eat ice cream.  It numbs my throat.”  Her tutor quickly responded, “No, no, no! You must be confused.  I didn’t ask what causes a sore throat, but how you treat a sore throat.”  Obviously, ice cream was not the expected answer.

People from different cultures have different expectations when they visit the doctor.  If the doctor does not meet those expectations then the patient is not satisfied.  It does not matter whether the expectations are true or not because the patient sincerely believes they are.  Some doctors are successful by the worlds standards because they give people what they want instead of what they need.

 Sincerity of belief was posessed by the 400 Baal prophets when challenged by Elijah to plead with their god to light the wood for a sarifice.  But their pleading was to no avail because they did not seek the assistance of the one true God.  How often do we promote the ways of the world, hollow traditions, instead of what has been revealed through the Word of God.  May we be about exposing myths and replacing traditions with what we really need for eternal life, the mercy and grace of God. 

It is a Small World

How life changes and how small the world has become!  I never would have imagined when I was in medical school I would become an international physician.  Never would I have imagined I would feel like the whole United States would be my consultant base.  It really is just a variation of the “Good Ole Boy” system, only now we are linked by computer.   Today I have been in communication with Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis and Kyiv regarding patients I am caring for in Ukraine.  In the not so distant past missionaries were sent to far away places with many never returning home for various reasons.  Communication by what we now call “snail mail” took months.  We receive airmail in 7 to 10 days providing it is not the Christmas season.

Speaking of when I was in medical school, the last thing I would have thought about was being a missionary.  My next to last thoughts would have been about God himself.  God does have a way of grabbing a hold of you, enabling you to do things you neither desired to do or thought were even possible.  I thank Him for the gifts and talents He has given me as well as the opportunities to serve others and share the love He has lavished upon me and tell  of His wondrous deeds with the people of Ukraine, the United States and the rest of the world because of this technology.  The health needs of ordinary people allow me tell of the Great Physician using both word and deed. 

Like Father, Like Son

This morning all of Kyiv woke up to see a blanket of clean white snow covering the city.  Being Sunday morning there were not many people on the street as Marianna and I began our journey to attend church.  As we walked down the street towards our Metro stop, we began to see more and more people, several with small children in tow dressed in snowsuits, hats, scarves, and boots.  One could barely see the small round faces of these children.

Just a few short years ago it was rare to see children and strollers.  The kindergartens were being closed and some of the buildings were sold.  A combination of fear from the Chernobyl nuclear accident, instability in the government, poor economy and uncertainty about the future led to a situation were the death rate exceeded the birth rate.  But this has changed dramatically in the past 12 to 18 months.  Maybe due to the increase in hopefullness during the Orange Revolution or because the government began paying couples $1500 if they gave birth to a child, but Ukraine is experiencing a noticeable population explosion.

So as we approached the Metro a father with his son in hand stamped his feet to remove the snow from his boots.  The son followed suit stamping his feet even before the father had time to tell him what to do.  What a simple reminder that our children are watching everything we do and ready to duplicate what they observe.  Yes indeed, more is caught than taught.  Like father, like son we learn so much from our parents.  May we look to our heavenly Father and learn from Him.

The Drama of Life

Everyday around the world the drama of life is played out.  Doctors more than most are privy to watch these  dramas unfold, indeed the actors are brought to his doorstep for consultation.  When all is said and done whether we have the best technology available or not what hope can we really offer our patients.

During the past two weeks a fellow missionary, George Markey, became ill with acute necrotizing pancreatitis.  He had served for the past 14 years in Kyiv where he successfully planted a church which is now completely run by Ukrainians.  Six months ago he and his wife moved to Kyrgyztan to begin a new work.  We have been following closely the drama and the struggle of this man’s fight for life.  We have been praying along with many others for God to bring healing to his body and wisdom for his doctors.  This illness has only a 10% survival rate.

 God’s providence is truly amazing.  What are the odds George would be admitted to a  hospital where a world reknown surgeon for this condition worked.  He was initially too ill to be transported to a facility in the West.  His children began to fly in from various parts of the world where they serve as missionaries to care for their father.  In this part of the world there is  little of the technology and care we have become acustomed to in the United States.  Typically the families provide all of the extras, such as clean sheets, observation and taking vital signs.  The families must go to a local pharmacy and purchase the recommended medicines and bring them back to the hospital.  Then the nurses, who are generally understaffed, must be tracked down to administer the treatments.  The atmosphere is definitely not the same.

During this struggle the family continued to gaze at and trust in God first,  pleading for mercy and wisdom.  Yet they recognized whether their husband and father lived or died would ultimately be decided by God.  If the outcome was not what they preferred, God would still be God, their God.  This is just like Daniel as he stood before Nebuchadnezzar and was about to be thrown into the fiery furnace.  

Despite great financial obstacles, a few days ago, George was flown by a special medical evacuation airplane to a hospital in Indianopolis where he was admitted directly to the intensive care unit.  The struggle continues but we know that his redeemer lives.  Therefore we can have and give true hope, whether we have the latest medical technology or not.  With blessed assurance we know our savior lives, the first fruit of those who have already fallen asleep.

What an encouragement to witness the faith of this family.  We join with this family in prayer that through the drama of George’s life God will be glorified and that others will come to believe in the Savior that lives and heals eternally.  This is how the Great Physician practices medicine.  He alone has the permanent cure for both body and soul.  Let us continue to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

A Guest in a Foreign Land

Daily I am reminded I am a guest in Ukraine. Whether it is language, customs, or even how people behave and respond in common situations ranging from medical encounters to paying the electric bill, all of these things are similar yet different. I must constantly resist the urge to say “In America we …..” I don’t mean to convey a sense of superiority, but this I am afraid is how I often appear to those who are within earshot. I must ask myself am I open to a different way of dealing with the same problem. Ultimately, I need to ask is this a treatment or discussion which is in keeping with the word of God. Am I giving the hope of the world or hope that is only found in Christ? Do I stand on a sure foundation of truth or waver being blown by the wind of what is false?

Compounding this situation particularly when it involves medicine, is whether or not my recommendation is even available in Ukraine. I must work within the constraints of where I live. I work to relieve illness temporally while gracefully pointing towards the greater healing eternally.

My Musings for your Amusement

During the past year I have witnessed how family and friends have been using this form of communication to pass on their thoughts for the day both serious and amusing.  I have been encouraged by these same friends to share what is occurring in my life.  As a medical missionary in Kyiv, Ukraine I want to share what God is doing in me and through me.  Now I am beginning another journey I never thought I would start.