My language teacher was recently trying to explain a couple words to keep me from getting (more) confused. The Russian word for bank is the same as ours, but they also have a banka, which is a jar. She said in America we put our money in a bank, but in Ukraine they put their money in a banka, because they know at least it will still be there when they want it. Exchanges like this give us interesting glimpses of the mentality here!
In Ukraine the city of Donetsk is said to be the father of the Ukrainian mafia, and Odessa the mother. Although foreign investment appears to have increased since we last lived in Kiev in 2006, the corruption and poverty that are so ingrained here have not diminished. Immorality and drug use have also soared…. outside of Africa, many believe Ukraine has the highest HIV rate in the world. These realities will be important for us to keep in mind as we work with orphans.
Recently at a team meeting we were praying for various requests of Send’s missionaries in Ukraine. The list of requests included ministries such as teaching pastoral training courses in Russian, and it certainly portrayed an impressive depth of experience and giftedness…. people much more intelligent and educated than us! As I read this list and considered my own relative helplessness with the language, I felt very small. How will God ever be able to use us here? Then I remembered that we are not here because of a talent or education or something we can offer, we are here because of who Jesus Christ is. May this truth continue to transform us and those we meet as continue our life here.
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