Thanksgiving in Ukraine

We were able to have Thanksgiving with missionaries and Ukrainian seminary students. In total, we had about 60 people! We introduced these seminary students to our holiday traditions; food, food and more food! And of course a football game that one of the missionaries downloaded on his computer so that they could watch it (as well as the Macy’s parade from last year). They weren’t sure what to make of American football. A few of the guys wanted to start a game right then and there, while some of the others watched in horrified fascination before agreeing that Americans are a little odd!



We were able to have turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and even pumpkin pie! The students didn’t know what to do with the stuffing & the gravy, but the rest of the food disappeared quickly. Esther thought the cafeteria was her personal dance floor & had a lot of fun running around. Before I knew it she found a 2 liter bottle of sprite and was trying to drink out of it. Fortunately the cap was on and it was empty. 


At the end of the evening one of the students came up to me with a confused smile on his face. “I don’t think I understand the meaning of your holiday. In Ukraine for our holidays we have programs, services and rituals but all you do is get together & eat!” We really did try to explain the meaning behind Thanksgiving, but I think the food distracted him. Overall it was a wonderful evening of fellowship with brothers & sisters from all over America, as well as the former Soviet Union!




Somebody beat me to it!



The entrance to our apartment

Our stairwell

Watch out for random holes!

                                                                                                                                                                            

The view from our window

How to Embarrass Yourself on the Mission Field

There are obviously many ways to embarrass yourself in life, but on the mission field it just seems easier. Those of you who know my dad might argue it’s just the Sturley syndrome (if you’re reading this dad, sorry), but it certainly reaches another level over here.



1) Talk. That’s really all you have to do. When you are approached on the street you instantly get that feeling of panic and think, “Please oh please don’t talk to me.” An example…. the Russian verbs “to write” and “to pee” are very similar. This leads to some very unfortunate situations….. “Wait just a second, I have to go write.” “Could you pee the word in my notebook so I know how to spell it?” “Hold on, let me pee your number down.” Even if you get lucky and say a grammatically correct sentence, heads will still turn. Your accent, mannerisms, or something will still give you away. You are always very aware that you are a foreigner.


2) Forget to put a coat & hat on your child between October & May. It doesn’t matter what the weather is, this is an unwritten rule in Ukraine. Fail to dress your child for an arctic blizzard and you risk the wrath of every older lady between here & Moscow. They are not shy in sharing their opinion either. You are either an evil or unbelievably stupid parent. The experience of getting yelled at by total strangers takes some getting used to, but it’s not too bad.


3) Walk your dog through an open-casket funeral. This recently happened to me as I unsuspectingly opened the door to our building’s only entrance. There was on open casket, flowers, icons, priests, a hearse, pall-bearers, the works. The crowd was set so that the building entrance was the focal point, and the dog & I were center stage. I almost crossed myself and said, “May she rest in peace.” There was no room to walk around the crowd, so I walked through it. Awkward, but when the dog has to go, he has to go….


I am sure we will add to this list as time goes on. Learning to laugh at yourself is an important survival skill!

Superiority Complex

In his book Cross-Cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer shares how in his many years of research and experience he asked people from many different cultures how missionaries could be more effective in representing Christ in their culture. The most common answer he received was, "Missionaries could more effectively minister the Gospel of Christ if they did not think they were so superior to us."


Now no missionary I know would claim to be superior to the culture they are living and ministering in. After, however, you spend 6 months or a year in a place where people appear to be much more rude & reserved than you are used to, a place where your apartment stairwells are filthy & smell like a combination of urine & vomit, a place where apathy, alcoholism, & a lack of efficiency seem to be ever present, then feelings of superiority come flying to the surface.

One of the most frustrating aspects of this first year on the mission field is the lack of ministry opportunities for us, and how unexpectedly slow it’s been building relationships with the people here. It’s been a time of learning to let our original expectations die & open ourselves up to the purposes God may have for us during this time. I think one of those purposes has been to expose and deal with a superiority complex that is more ingrained in us than we realize. It is a humbling reminder that in order to bring about change through the Gospel, we ourselves must continually be changed by its truth.

Breakthrough

About a month ago I was yelled at, quite abrasively by some older ladies. I had let Hanjik pee on a bush right in front of our apartment building. I even had one lady follow me to the door telling me all of the other places that Hanjik could go the bathroom.  I didn’t know that people who live on the 1^st floor of an apartment are allowed a small area to grow flowers (So apparently this was someone’s flower garden….whoops!). All I could say in Russian was that I was sorry.  Maybe it’s good that I couldn’t understand everything because even with the little I could understand I must admit that my reaction was less than “Christ-like”. These ladies sit outside on this bench for hours every day.  I’ve heard them yell at other people.  They seem to have little purpose besides watching and waiting to yell at anyone who does something wrong.  After this encounter I knew that it would take time to undo what happened. After smiling at them and saying hi every day for weeks, they have finally started to smile back! They have started to ask questions about Hanjik and where we are from. One lady even informed me that the elevator was broken so I should call Gabe to have him help carry Esther and the stroller up the stairs. They always enjoy seeing Esther and smile when she waves hi. One of these ladies asked if we liked it here.  When I told her yes, she replied with surprise that she didn’t know why.  My heart went out to her as I see her life with no hope.  Even though I can’t minister much through my words because of the lack of language I pray that the Lord can shine through my presence.

Kolya Then & Now

Kolya

Last month we were able to visit the transitional home in Kiev we ministered in 5-6 years ago. The same Ukrainian couple (Bogdan & Anya) are still running the home, and it was wonderful to catch up with them.  They usually have anywhere from 10-20 orphan graduates staying with them (in 2 different buildings located on the same small piece of property).  It was neat to hear about the kids who have come through the home, although it certainly made us feel old since some of them now have families of their own!  By God's grace many of them seem to be walking with the Lord.
     The highlight of the evening for us was getting to see Kolya again.  Some of you may remember Kolya was the boy I was forced to return to the orphanage 6 years ago. We were very close and that was a heartbreaking time for both of us.  He wasn't the same kid after that, turning bitter and cynical.  Bogdan & Anya didn't give up on him however, and now he has made a confession of faith, been baptized, and is pursuing Christ!
     It was exciting for me to see kids who I first met in the orphanage 7-8 years ago doing so well.  As a result of Bogdan & Anya's ministry, the culture at this orphanage is gradually changing.  The children are realizing that there are other options besides crime & alcohol.  It is very rewarding to see this ministry bearing fruit & exceeding the expectations it was begun with.  We pray we can have a similar ministry to the children here in Odessa!