6/20/10
Ech hem…..
It’s official. I’ve raised all my money, quit my
job, packed my (rather boulder like) bag, and left all of you loved ones. And
here I am. In the middle of nowhere, Ukraine.
We first departed the United States from JFK
airport, sweeping Paris, France on our way to Kiev the capitol. We then took a 14 hour train ride to Lugansk,
which sits on the very Eastern portion of Ukraine, approximately 30 miles from
the Russian border.There we met our contact, Bruce McDonald. Bruce is a tall, ex-army Russian spy, with a
Kubla Khan mustache. We were originally told we would be doing a softball
camps, evangelism, and eyeglass clincs with them. None of which made sense until we met Bruce and
his family. Bruce and his wife Pia are parents to 12 children, 5 of which are
still at home (Timothy-15, our new friend and fearless translator, Michael-12,
CareyAnn-8, Toby-6, my buddy, and Mercedes, or Mercy,-3). They have been missionaries in the Ukraine
(note: it is very odd to just say “Ukraine”, one feels obligated to
call it “The Ukraine”) for 5 years, and have a huge heart to see this
people come to know the Lord. They are a fun loving bunch, who work with the
church here in Ukraine, doing evangelistic outreach through social and
humananitarian needs such as sports camps, eye glass clinics, orphan work,
teaching English in schools, and discipleship. We have been very blessed to stay in their nice home, with great
food, internet, hot (navy) showers, and
some pretty stinkin’ cute kiddos to play with. It has been incredible to sit
and listen to their life stories, and be coddled along in our first week as missionaries. And can I just say…
we know zilch about this buisiness. We
are infant evangelists, teachers, worship leaders, and ministers of the truth.
But God has awesomely provided someone to show us the ropes on the initiation
of our journey.
The Ukraine has only been free from the USSR and
Communism since 1991, but the effects of it are still visceral. Their way of
life was dramatically and suddenly altered, and very few seem to have been able
to adapt quickly, leaving much of Ukraine vulnerable to sex trafficing,
unemployment, alcolholism, and depression. Though the youth gets educated even
through the university level, there are very few opportunities for work and
advancement. Homes are typically run by women because many fathers / husbands
have died off due to the prevalent coal mining industry, and many of the living ones spend their days
drunk. (We first experienced this at the super market, when at 730 in the
morning an inebrieated man in his forties almost fell on top of us coming up
the stairs from the carrying a rather large bottle of hard liquour). We see
very clearly that these people desperately need hope and freedom from the
bondages of their past.
So this week, we will head out 2 hours North of
here to stay with some surgeon as we do our softball camp, which, will, somehow
allow us to tell people about Jesus. We’ll just have to see.
Eastern Ukraine is especially desolate, and as
one peace corp worker told us at the train station, “That place is almost
Siberia. No one just winds up there on accident.” Nope. I don’t think we
have, Mr. Peace Corp Worker. This was indeed, very intentional.
