Saying “Good-Bye”

Every missionary arrives at that day when he and his family find themselves standing before their home church for the last time before heading to the field God has called them to till.  That day was filled with so many emotions, excitement, sadness, joy and uncertain expectation.  I remember clearly our Pastor’s charge from Romans 12:9-21, the elders gathering around and praying and those last hugs and goodbyes from dear friends.

So off we went to Ukraine with our eighteen year old daughters and sixteen your old son.  Few mission boards would risk sending this couple in mid-life to the field.  How would our teenagers cope?  Would they even adapt to life in a foreign country?

Now we fast forward seven years.  Today we again find ourselves in our home church but in Ukraine, however only our son and his wife stand before the congregation to receive blessings and prayer before they leave for America.   Our son, who was reluctant to move to Ukraine, has mastered the Russian language, graduated from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music, became skillful at playing the vibrofone, married a beautiful Ukrainian young woman at age 20, worked for the National Philarmonic Orchestra of Ukraine and has led praise music at our church.  Now in just two weeks, at age 23, he will begin study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Once again my heart is filled with so many emotions.  As a father the emotion I feel the most is joy in the blessing of a son who has become a man who knows and fears God.  Our desire with all our children was to teach them to be independent, to think, to make decisions based on the Word of God and be caring others oriented adults.  We wanted them to understand God created them for a purpose and gave them gifts and  talents to use in His service and the service of others.  As Jamie played and Dasha sang for the last time in Kiev for awhile and listening to our pastor speak for the congregation about their service to our church, we know God enabled us to succeed and answered our prayers.

So now we stand in the congregation of our Ukrainian church, praying for God to continue to be at the center of their lives.  As our American church sent us, our Ukrainian church sends them back to America.  We remain continuing to till the field God has prepared for us and we eagerly look forward to learn what God has prepared for them.  We say “goodbye” knowing God has been and will be faithful.

The New Year

Living in Ukraine and being from the USA, one must reorient ones thinking regarding the celebration of holidays, particularly those holidays with special traditions such as Christmas.  In Ukraine December 25th is just like any other workday, with Christmas not celebrated until January 7th according to the Orthodox Calender.  New Year’s Day is sandwiched in between but allows two full weeks potentially for reflection on what it means when “unto us a Savior was born.”

This time of year is indeed full of reflection of what we have done and what we plan to do.  All too often my focus is look and see what I have done.  God offers His perspective on our reflections in Jeremiah 9:23-24.

This is what the LORD says, “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, ” declares the LORD.

So as the New Year approaches let us use God’s  measure of the past, present and the future.  Let our focus be on Him!   Retrospectively, we can marvel at what God has done through us.  Introspectively, we are thankful for all God is doing in us.  Prospectively, we can look forward to what God has planned for us. 

 Finally, we can ask ourselves two questions.  First, do we understand and know God better this past year and do we have a plan to accomplish this in the coming year?  Second,was, is and will God be delighted in how we exercise kindness, justice and righteousness?

May God grant us the grace and the ability to follow Him.

Spiritual Warfare?

What is spiritual warfare?  Is it when you have a bunch of important deadlines and your Internet suddenly stops despite the fact you pay your bills?  Is it when you set an appointment to have the service man come to your home in the morning of a particular day and you change your plans to be home but no one comes?  Later you find out the service man came and only checked the outside but left because he thought there was no problem but did not tell you?  Which means you did not have to cancel or reschedule your previous activities.  Or maybe you call the service center back and say they only checked the outside, but it will cost you 20 grieven and a 24 hour wait before they return.  Or while you are celebrating your wife’s birthday in a restaurant you receive a call that the cable guy wants to come now instead of the time they arranged.  Or when they arrive for the second time they say the problem is not in your flat but outside and by the way your neighbors are also having a problem.  They say they will be back tomorrow but they never show up.  Is this spiritual warfare?

We can’t control the circumstances but we can control how we respond to them. And now the rest of the story.  Our Internet is back.  Oorah!  Turns out our neighbors tapped into our Internet cable.  For the past year I have wondered why our Internet traffic was so high.  Our son kept saying his usage was very little compared to ours downloading TV shows from the states even.  

Now I understand.  I kept accusing my family and complaining about guests using the Internet without paying.  The accuser made me think it was my own family that was out to get me so to speak instead of placing the blame correctly and dealing with it.  That guy with the pitch fork is sly!

Milk Cartons

Living in another culture one tends to notice differences in how simple common occurrances in both cultures are handled.  One such difference is how you buy and store milk.  When I was a kid, milk was delivered to your house by the milkman in glass bottles put in the milkbox on the porch.  I remember when the milkman was replaced by 7-11’s, Shore Stops and other chains that sold milk from a refrigerated shelf in plastic containers or waxey cartons that had a built-in spout for easy pouring.

 After moving to Ukraine, we were surprised to learn that milk is sold in cartons, in stiff bags lined with aluminum, neither are refrigerated.  There are also thin plastic bags that are kept cold.  None of these options are easy to pour, particularly when they are first opened with the milk usually pouring down the sides and all over your counter.

The theory for why this happens is interesting, maybe to someone.  When the carton is filled the milk coming out doesn’t allow any air to enter the carton at the same time, thus the milk comes out in spurts.

 Well a few years after we arrived in Ukraine some cartons started having a built in plastic spout.  This was a significant improvement over pulling back the corner of the carton and cutting the end to fashion a spout.  Often we punctured the top of the carton to allow air to enter the carton when the milk was poured.

This past week we noticed another giant step forward for mankind in the evolution of the milk carton in Ukraine.  The little plastic spout on top of the carton now has two holes.  Unfortunately, when I pour milk, it still dribbles down the side.  Maybe when I grow up I will be able to pour without spilling.

Tomatoes

As a missionary we grow accustom to the sights, sounds, and tastes of at least two different cultures.  Having just spent six weeks in our homeland, we return to our home in Ukraine.  It is true that for some things absence makess the heart grow fonder.  One of those things I am fond of is the taste of tomatoes.  You just can’t beat the taste of Ukrainian grown tomatoes.  Definitely the best.  The secret is to enjoy what each country has to offer.  As the Apostle Paul encourages “Be content at all times!” 

Victory Day

In Ukraine on May 9th is celebrated Victory Day.  It is a combination of Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day rolled into one.  This day 62 years ago the Great Patriotic War or World War II officially came to an end.  A good reason to celebrate and a good reason to remember the 40 million people, 20 million from the former Soviet Union alone, who lost their lives in this conflict. 

As you walk the streets of most cities in Ukraine you will quickly come upon a veteran.  They are easy to spot because they are wearing their uniform proudly and usually have a chest full of medals.  Whether in America or Ukraine, I just want to go up to these men and women to say thank you.  I often did this when I lived in the USA.  What unspeakable horrors these men witnessed.  How strange to be living now on the other side and wanting to thank Ukrainians for their bravery. 

America and the Soviet Union fought on the same side during that conflict, but history records our relationship turned cold soon thereafter.  For much of my life, those we now consider our friends were indeed called the enemy.

For Ukrainians the name of this conflict makes sense because they were fighting on their soil, for their homes and their families.  For Americans we were fighting more for ideals.  We romantize our history probably to hide the horror and reality of war.

It is easy to say that freedom is not free but bought at a price.  But are we willing to pay the price?  There is a freedom however we cannot earn, our freedom from sin.  It too was bought at a tremendous price, the death of our savior, Jesus Christ.  On the final day of judgement will you be able to celebrate for eternity the victory won for those who place their faith in Christ?

Lessons in Driving

I had always heard from various people that Bostonians were notoriously the worse drivers in America.  However, they cannot truly compete with the drivers of Kyiv.  It is not uncommon to observe one lane of traffic suddenly turn into three or four lanes all going in the same direction taking up all the space in both directions.  If you need to travel in the opposite direction what do you do?  Drivers then move to the sidewalks, the fifth lane.

How do you learn such driving tactics?  A friend of mine is taking driving lessons.  He is nearing the completion of the course.  Each lesson is supposed to last approximately two hours.  Typically the first 45 to 60 minutes are spent drinking tea and talking.  With only 1 or 2 lessons remaining his instructor informed him he has not had enough driving experience to pass the driving test without providing an additional $6o to the examiner.  The best driver’s license money can buy. 

Serving in Russian

There are somethings we just take for granted.  This morning millions of people will go to church and make their first stop the nursery.  Each parent then gives detailed instructions about what little Johnny or Susie likes or dislikes to the caretaker and heads to church.  This past Friday we were privileged to serve the Church of Calvary Chapel  during the memorial service of their missionary pastor, George Markey.  We knew the impact this man had in the lives of many in this church, but did not have a close relationship with him ourselves.  So, we volunteered for nursery duty, after all we volunteered for this ministry in our home church when our kids were little.  Marianna loves children.  And, of course, I am a pediatrician.  Besides, we were told there would probably be only two kids.  After five years living in Ukraine, we can do this for a couple of hours.

 We arrived early along with Olenka, a young mother, and her two year old.  So we had a chance to meet him.  More importantly he had a chance to warm up to us.  His mother speaks great English and is teaching her son English words as well as Russian and Ukrainian.  Fantastic!  I study Russian.  Marianna studies Ukrainian.  He knows some English.

Another parent soon showed up with her child.  She spoke briefly in Russian to Olenka and went on her way.  OK, the two kids are here.  We can do this it will be fun.  Soon a third, a fourth, a tenth were actively playing together.  A few more parents arrived, opened the door, made a comment, looked puzzled and left without leaving their children.

Olenka said the service was about to begin.  She told us her son usually cried a bit when he discovered her absence, but would calm down after 2 or 3 minutes.  Well this sounds rather typical.  True to form, little Danielko began to cry.  His big eyes with big tears revealed not only his desire to see his mom, but his frustration in not being understood.  We tried to comfort him in Russian, then Ukrainian and in last resort English.  Finally, a good 20 minutes later after he managed to get his coat and hat on did he stop crying and began to play. 

But, where ever two or more are gathered and one begins to cry, a chain reaction begins.  Now little Eva began.  The time certainly was flying by, but seemed like an eternity.  I can only imagine what it was like for these kids.

Like every good nursery, there was a TV.  This was a special TV which was very temperamental.  Fortunately, one of the fathers returned and explained in Russian the idiosyncrasies of this particular set up.  I just watched and nodded as if I completely understood.  After all, I knew how to operate a video player in English.

There was a small bag of toys, a couple of cars for the kids to ride on in addition to the TV to watch.  Then it happened a little boy who befriended me came up to me and said “peeset” which sounds quite similar to another word which means to write.  So I asked him if he wanted to draw.  I told him we did not have any crayons.  He repeated it again with the tell tale hand motion over his private parts.  Ohhhhh, you want to go to the bathroom.  Off we went to the men’s room.  Mission accomplished.  What a sense of accomplishment.  Unfortunately, several other little guys were not so lucky and they were not able to communicate nor did we think to ask them if them needed to go to the bathroom.  People train their children earlier here because the diapers are expensive.

The time really did fly by and soon it was 10:30 PM.  The memorial service had ended and the parents were picking up there kids.  As we attempted to communicate with the parents they were clearly appreciative, but I wonder what they were really thinking.  Would you leave your child in a nursery with someone you never met before who could not communicate with you completely even if he said he was a pediatrician?  If there is a silver lining in this story, it is the fact we would not even have offered to do this service when we first arrived in Ukraine and here we were actually doing it.  I guess we have learned some language skills and we thank God we are able to serve and be used for His glory.

Just a week

Sometimes life seems to move so slowly and then at other times at the speed of light.  When I was in private practice, Wednesdays were always the benchmark for the week and the 15th for the month.  It always seemed when these points of time were realized the rest of the week or month was almost over in my mind.

Life seems to be in the fast lane right now.  We have lots of projects simmering if not already approaching a boil.  In the past week, we have began teaching medical terminology in English to the doctors and nurses at Okmadet, which is the #1 Children’s Hospital in Ukraine.  We met with our missionary neighbors, Jim and Liz Baker to assist them in planning an AIDS forum in Ukraine with the purpose of mobilizing the church to action.  We spent a day with our future UMO ministry partner Donna Crane, visiting with her son Austin to make decisions about future housing for their family.  We paid the bills.  Between Marianna and I, we had nine hours of  language instruction in Ukrainian and Russian.  I prepared and led our two hour Bible study for physicians.  I figured out after five hours of dogged determinism how to improve the security for our computer.  Met with Maria from Kremenchuk about how to bring humanitarian aid into the country and how our two organizations might cooperate.  Participated in discussions with ministry partners for future medical conferences in Ukraine.  Planned a surprise birthday dinner for our friend and colleague Ron Harris.  And somewhere in the thick of things found time for sleep, Bible study, and reading with my wife.

Yes, it was just a week which God filled with many blessings.  

Flowers Everywhere

What combines’s Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Secretary’s Day and any other day celebrating women and their role in society and you have International Women’s Day.  This tradition was first started, believe it or not, in the United States, but few Americans, including Hallmark, know of this celebration.  In Ukraine it is a national holiday. 

This holiday is taken very seriously in Ukraine.  On the day before schools have special programs to honor their mothers.  It was a privilege to attend the “ootranik” or morning party at “Life” School for the Unteachable in Kyiv.  This is a school for children who have some mental disability such as autism.  The program was filled with music, singing, dancing, and skits.  The proud parents and grandparents were with cameras clicking away.  Some of the kids were dressed in traditional Ukrainian costumes or dressed as different animals.  Songs were sung about Spring and how important our Mothers and Grandmothers are in children’s lives.

While returning to the office I asked Nika, my assistant how her family observes this day.  Of course, they sleep in, but when they first get up Nika and her mother exchange gifts.  All day long her Father waits on her Mother.  He loves to cook. So he usually prepares a special meal.  It is a real family time.

Later that night at the medical bible study I presented the female physicians with special candy.  They presented Nika with flowers and a book.  I received flowers to give to Marianna in appreciation for letting me spend my Wednesday nights teaching.

On the way home I have never seen so many women with flowers.  The people watching the escalators in the Metro had flowers.  Women had not one, not two, but typically several bundles of flowers in their arms.  The flowers can be purchased at kiosks near the entrance to almost every metro stop.  There were flowers everywhere!

Today, Marianna and I celebrated the day with a special luncheon with another couple at a restrauant on the Dnipro River down the street from us.

May we remember tomorrow the respect women deserve as God’s unique workmanship and the role they play with us in accomplishing God’s purposes.