Fishing

“It’s not the greatest place, but the fishing is good.”

Those are the words that came from our contact here in Odessa, Ukraine. What is it like to move your wife and three sons to a place that still has so many scars from the past? While probably a very frustrating task, when you dig down deep that frustration turns to love and compassion.

When I stood in the airport waiting to enter the country I didn’t think I was going to like this place. There were no lines to get to the customs counter, just a jam packed room and everyone shoving forward to be at the next available window. I got pushed and shoved and even yelled at (in Ukrainian) by the guard when I got pushed over the sacred yellow line. At this point I hadn’t slept in over 36 hours and was in my third country within that same time frame. I really wasn’t in the best mood.

At one point as a guard was walking around, I asked him if he was having a good day. Out of his mouth came the most stern, emotionless, and bitter sounding “No” I think I have ever heard. It caught me off guard. I told him I was sorry to hear that and gave him a nice smile…he wasn’t impressed at all. The man at the customs counter wasn’t much friendlier, especially when I asked him if he likes his job and he told me I was crazy and this job makes him crazy. “Have a nice day sir.” I wasn’t even legally in the country yet and was ready to leave. I had only had encounters with a few locals and if they were how the rest of the country was, put me back on the plane to Ireland. Heck, I’d take Africa over those attitudes, and that’s saying a lot.

The next couple of days I was able to catch up on my sleeping which was what I needed. When I came out of my hibernation I was able to reassess the situation and saw this place in a whole new way.

No, the people here may not smile at you when you smile at them. In fact, they will look at you like you are up to no good. That’s a scar of the past. When you live in a world where smiling gets you sent to the front lines because you stick out as a trouble maker, your stone face becomes your saving grace. However, when you get talking to people, you will find the most helpful and warm people who have so much to offer. We come from two different worlds. Ukrainians that are my age have seen so many things I could never dream of in America.

I have discovered a people who will walk a few blocks in the opposite direction just to make sure you find the bus stop or the supermarket without getting lost. In Kiev, it was a man who took his entire day to show us and tell us all about his country. Even paying for Holly and my entry fees to a landmark church (even though it was more than he could afford) was an honor so he could share the experience with a foreigner.

This month is not at all what I expected, but I am learning a lot about how important it is to get to know people on a deeper level and not just what you see or hear on the surface. We all know the saying about judging a book by its cover, well in this country I like to say that you need to read all the way to the last page because it may surprise you even then. We are only half way through our journey here and already there has been so much, but that’s for another blog.

Please pray for endurance for my team as we are doing a lot of moving this month. So far we’re averaging a move every 3 nights. Pray that the hearts we meet will be soften so the seeds can go deep and begin to go.

Time to go fishing.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19