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.

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.

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.

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.