Signing Off (from Mariupol at least)

Well, we have reached the end of our journey and of our work here in Mariupol. We met with the Christians for the last time this evening. Saying goodbye this time wasn't as bad as previous trips. Well, at least until Evghenia started tearing up and getting emotional. I began to tear up as well as it finally hit me that we were done (for now).

This trip has been a rewarding one. As I told the brethren tonight, I always start these trips thinking of what I can do to help and be an encouragement to those that I come in contact with. However, as is always the case, I am the one that ends up being encouraged. Folks, if you could have sat at the same table as I over these last two weeks, you'd understand what I am talking about. While one never truly knows how serious anyone is when it comes to matters of faith, it was wonderful to sit and watch these guys grow in such a short time. I honestly feel that Matt and I were able to do some good while here. I also know they have a long way to go, but am confident they are now on the right path. There are some issues that they will have to deal with and work together on, but I believe they can do it.

We leave in the morning for Kiev and I wonder if I will ever see these Christians again. I told them tonight in my final remarks that if I am unable to see them again on this earth that I long for the day we can meet together again in the presence of the One we serve. We also leave behind one that has become very special to us during this trip, but also over the last 5 years. Vera has gone above and beyond her role as translator. She has worked so hard to make sure we have a clear flow of communication going between us and those we are talking to. As you know she is with child and scheduled to deliver on June 5. That date will probably change (as they always do). She, however, has been there for us every step of the way during this trip. Whether it's in accurately translating our messages, making sure the taxi's don't take advantage of us or being sure my pizza will not come with mayo, she has been a tremendous help. As I noted on here the other night, Vera is not a Christian. It breaks my heart to leave tomorrow knowing that she is not right with her God, but pray He will grant her enough time to make things right with Him. She will continue to work translating some tracts we have left for her. Perhaps they will be the final trigger in helping her render obedience to the gospel.

Although I have enjoyed my time here, I do look forward to being back with my wife and three boys on Saturday night. I have missed them a lot (I understand Dad is going to have to do some talking when I get home), but have tried to impress upon them the importance of what Dad and Mr. Matt have been doing. Leading up to this trip, my four year-old kept asking me, "Why do you have to go to Ukraine?" I'd always tell him, "To teach people about Jesus." I pray I have been successful in that.

Let me very quickly thank everyone for their love, support (both mentally and physically) and words of encouragement. Without all of you this trip would not have been possible, let alone successful. I want to thank my wife for dealing with all she has while I've been away. She's an amazing woman and I love her very much. I also want to thank the elders and members of the church at Clarksville where I labor. Your prayers on our behalf and help in making this trip come together is very much appreciated. I love you all very much and, Lord willing, will be with you on Sunday morning. Again, to all of you that have supported this effort monetarily....I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We were able to help out with some benevolent needs of the members, things that needed to be done. Without your support none of that would have been possible.

Well, it's going on 11:00 PM here in Mariupol. I need to sign off as 5:00 AM will get here awfully early. Please, please keep us in your prayers, especially tomorrow where we get to experience the local airline. These can sometimes be adventurous, but hopefully there will be no issues. I will try to update the blog in Kiev if possible. If not, I will close things out after I return home. In the meantime, feel free to post. Until then....

Will Someone Please Make It Stop?!

As most of you know, the dollar has been taking a beating. It is very evident over here that the dollar is not healthy. We are starting to see exchange rates below 5.00 for the first time (in case you do not know, for everyone $1 USD we get 5 UAH). We have seen them as low as 4.90 which is not good. Especially when you consider that when we were here four years ago the rate was at 5.27. Oh, well. We're glad this is happening at the end of the trip and not the beginning.

Tonight was our last teaching session with the church here in Mariupol. Tomorrow night they are preparing a goodbye feast for us to enjoy before we leave on Friday morning. The last two nights have been, perhaps, the best study sessions we've had since we've been here. Last night I spoke on controlling the tongue and being sure that we spoke to each other in a loving, respectful way. Matt spoke on the role of women within the church. There was a question raised on Sunday as to whether it was right or not to use a woman to translate for us. Matt did an excellent, thorough job talking about what the Bible teaches on the matter. In short, he taught and I concur, that using a woman to translate does not violate any scriptural principles. He explained that Vera is not teaching (in the sense the term is used in the Scriptures) but rather relaying the lesson that is being taught in the language of the "audience." He focused mostly on 1 Tim 2:11-12, but also addressed the situation found in 1 Cor. 14 especially verses 34-35. The lesson seemed to be well accepted and helped to clear up any confusion that was present.

The last two days Matt and I have walked into the city for some exercise but to also just get out of the hotel room. It's fun to be out and about mingling with the people of the city. We have gotten used to the staring, laughing, pointing, etc. I did make one lady mad yesterday. We were at the Unvermag (big building, lots of stores) and needed something to drink. So, I walked over to a cooler that was around the corner from the counter and proceeded to get a drink out. Well, what was I thinking?! The lady behind the counter jabbered something to Vera who in turn looked at me with a smile on her face and said, "You are supposed to pay for the drink first. Then get it out." I said, "Ok" and proceeded to put the drink back and pay for it. At which time said lady behind the counter jabbered something else and Vera told me to go ahead and pay for it. As I handed the lady the money, she began shaking her head as if to say, "Stupid American." I was thinking to myself, "Crazy lady. Can't make up her mind if I'm supposed to pay for it first or not." I'm tempted to say she is just like a woman, unable to make up her mind, but I will refrain from making that kind of sexist, chauvinistic remark! :-)

Here's one funny thing for you. Matt and I have had the window open during the better part of our stay here at the Spartak Hotel. Just outside our window is a loose manhole cover that every driver feels compelled to hit as they drive down the road. It's actually become quite hilarious. We'll be sitting here doing some work or writing in our blogs and all of a sudden you will hear the metal rattle from a car going over it. It was very irritating at first, but now it has become rather comical (It's one of those things that you have to be here for).

Well, that's about all I have for right now. We have begun to unload all of our comfort food on Vera. Poor girl. She doesn't stand a chance of staying fit and trim while she's pregnant. She didn't tell us no when we gave her half of what we have. Sadly, we have already run out of Slim Jim's and Hershey bars, but she will have plenty to eat. Tomorrow will be spent gathering our things together. Our flight out of here leaves at 7:15 Friday morning and puts us into Kiev at 9:05. Then the big bird leaves at 10:00 (all of these times are local; subtract 6 hours for Eastern) for the Big Apple. At which point we will clear customs and layover for about 4 hours and then fly to Indy where will should be at the gate at 9:40 Saturday night.

I will try and write again before we start our trek north, but if not let me say I appreciate each of you reading this blog while I've been gone. The words of encouragement and prayers have been needed and are appreciated. Keep this small church in your thoughts and prayers. They are trying hard, but have a long way to go. Feel free to write to the blog if you wish.

Revelation in 90 Minutes!

Matt and I have a plan. In tonight's study we covered the entire book of Revelation in just under 90 minutes. We have decided to come up with a marketing plan to promote this book, perhaps cd or dvd. Any ideas? We were asked to study the book of Revelation when we first arrived. We agreed to look into it and quickly realized that it was a near impossibility. But we soldiered on and actually had a profitable study (as profitable as 90 minutes in Revelation can be). It was more of a survey than an actual study, but we were able to make some very important points in helping them get a good, basic understanding of the book. Matt did an excellent job in presenting the lesson and I was able to help out at different points.

I haven't mentioned anything about my travel buddy, but I must say that I have enjoyed working with him again. Most of you know he and I are about like brothers. In fact, he received an email from a friend of ours today and he called us twins. We have had that comment made several times, even when we have traveled together. Tonight's lesson reinforced the idea that he and I make a great team in our work. Those of you that have done mission work know that you have to like the guy you work with or else the trip would last a very loooooooong time. It's been a good trip.

I'd like to ask a favor from all of you. I'd like for all of you to keep Vera in your prayers. Not only is she with child, but I pray she is contemplating obedience to the gospel. We had a little talk tonight at dinner about some things and it came up. She says she thinks about it when she ponders the afterlife and what is to come. Matt and I both encouraged her to make her life right with her God and we pray she will soon. The end of our conversation was a little bit frustrating. As we were talking, the karaoke dude downstairs cranked his music up and we could no longer carry on our conversation. I thought, "Satan is alive and well."When we got back to the hotel I told Matt what I thought at the moment the music got loud and he said, "I thought the very same thing." (There's that brother thing again) Keep praying brethren. Those that know Vera understand there is no softer, gentler heart than she. She would most definitely be a tremendous asset to the church in Mariupol.

We had an interesting discussion with Valentin tonight (rather, he had an interesting exchange with us). :-) He asked us to bring our families with us next time. To come for just a week so that they could come with us. Then he began to beg, "Please, please!" It was very moving. I have been trying to convince my wife to come with me for years. She's not big on flying, especially for that period of time, but hopefully she'll join me some day. His plea almost brought me to tears, it was that moving.

Well, I guess that's it for another day. I appreciate the posts and emails many of you have sent. It's hard to believe we're down to our last 3 days of study here. I am hopeful other preachers (and those who aren't) will consider coming to Mariupol to help out. Yes, their number is small, but we have not been given a reason to think these are anything but brethren interested in growing individually and as a congregation. They need help, who will come?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Well, it's been Thursday since I last posted on here so I thought I'd better get to it. Nothing earth shattering has happened since we last "talked." We do continue to enjoy our trip and meeting with the church in Mariupol.

The weekend was pretty good for us. We did not meet on Saturday night. We could tell during the week that with each night everyone seemed to be dragging more and more. We thought a night off might do everyone some good. Matt and I spent our Saturday walking to a park from which one can see the sea. It's a park that was under construction the last time we were here and looks really beautiful now. I can only imagine what it looks like once everything is in bloom. Vera was supposed to meet us and take us somewhere to eat, but they ended up having company (or visitors as she put it) so she could not come. So, we decided to make yet another adventure to the restaurant downstairs. Luckily, our English speaking waiter from the week before was there so all was well. We finished the night by watching movies and preparing for Sunday. The Lord's Day was good in terms of meeting with them again. There seems to be some tension between Valentin and Evghenia which we hope to explore this week. Everyone seemed to be in a subdued mood when we arrived, but perhaps it was this weary traveler who did not sleep a wink the night before. There is a bit of concern though for Galena. She was sick yesterday with some kind of stomach problem and as a result she cannot walk. She is to go to the hospital today to find out what's going on. Please keep her in your prayers. I'll report when I have more information.

Yesterday afternoon was a lot of fun. We were able to finally meet Vera's husband, Andre. He is a physical education instructor at the university and currently training a couple of long distance runners that are trying to qualify for the Olympics in Beijing this summer. He seems like a real nice guy. We talked, thru Vera of course, about our cultures, governments, etc. It was a good hour or so that we spent with them. Matt and I both had the same thought a little bit later. What potential would the church in Mariupol have if we could get some younger blood in it. Granted, you can't just say, "Hey! You want to be in the church?" Obviously, it's a decision that they must make, but we hope that perhaps we can plant some seeds this trip.

I wanted to mention something about eating over here. Most of you know I have been apprehensive about having to eat things that man was never meant to eat. Thus far, I've been lucky and have not had to eat anything weird. Now, that could all change on Thursday as the brethren are preparing a going away feast for Matt and I. So, we'll have to wait and see. But that's not what I wanted to write about. One of the most expensive things over here is food. Inflation has dramtically raised the prices of food. If memory serves, the last time we were here we could get about a $40-50 (USD) meal for about $12-15 (UAH). That number is WAY up this trip. So much so, that Matt and I have tried to limit our eating out to once a day. During the rest of the day we eat the Slim Jims, peanut butter crackers, Twizzler, Hershey, etc., everyone laughed at us for bringing. Don't misunderstand. We have plenty of money, it's just the principle of it all, I guess. I have a hard time bringing myself to the point of paying a bunch of money for not much in return. We have found some places that are fairly cheap and provide good food. Of course, the hotel restaurant is pretty good and that is reflected in the price. We try to get Vera to take us to different places, but she is not always available. So, we make do with what we have. Of course, it is nowhere the pain that the people who live here face, so my remarks are tempered in that regard.

Well, I need to go see my buddy down at the bank to get some money exchanged. I'm sure she's waiting for me with a big smile across her face (yeah, right; if this is the first you're reading about my "friend" I encourage you to go back and read about my encounter with the friendly teller).

I'll write more later. Feel free to post if you'd like.

Pop Quiz

Alright.....before we get started on here I have a question. Can anyone tell me where Ukraine is located? Anyone? I called my mother today to talk with her for a few minutes and had quite the hilarious exchange with the receptionist:

ME: Hi, may I speak to Ellie please?
RECEPTIONIST: Sure, just a moment.
ME: (phone rings, no answer so I hit "0" to be taken back to the receptionist)
ME: Can you page Ellie please? She did not answer.
RECEPTIONIST: She's on the phone that's why she did not answer. Do you want her voicemail?
ME: No, that's ok. This is her son calling from Ukraine.
RECEPTIONIST: Where?
ME: Ukraine. I'm calling from Ukraine.
RECEPTIONIST: Is that far?
ME: (Trying not to laugh out loud): Uh, it's another country.
RECEPTIONIST: Oh, let me page her for you.

I am not joking nor embellishing things. It was hilarious. Matt only heard my end of the conversation and as I was telling her about the Ukraine strangely being another country he said, "No, no she didn't." It added a little humor to our day.

Matthew and I took the bull by the horns today and walked into town. It's, I'm guessing, a 1/4 to 1/2 mile walk up the hill to the city center. We went to the Unvermark (probably not spelling it right) which is a large building with a number of shops inside. Goods range from shoes to jewelry to shoes to jewelry to shoes to china to jewelry, etc. They throw in a toy store or "sporting goods" type store for good measure. It's a woman's paradise. We had some fun exchanges with a few of the ladies that were working the various booths. We had three who tried to engage us in conversation only to be met with horrible attempts to speak Russian and Matt sealed the deals with, "We'll be back." All three times the women laughed and walked off. I'm beginning to get used to this "laughing" thing.

After we looked at some stuff, we decided to walk a little further into town. We flirted with the idea of going down to the central market, but sanity prevailed and thought better of it. We decided to wait until Vera can go with us, which she told us was a smart move. We made it back to the hotel and got something to eat before we headed out for our study. Amazingly, we ordered, was served and ate our lunch in less than an hour. Of course, Matt tried to order ice cream, the waitress shook her head no and walked off. She did not understand English and we did not have a menu so we could not show off our pointing skills. I'm amazed we got the right order when our food came out.

The study tonight was, um, eventful. Before we even got started Valentin had something to say (as he always does). He wanted Vera to write down our addresses so he could write us some time and he would have his written down as well. The next thing we knew Galena and Elnora were going at him as if he'd just insulted someone. Vera, trying to keep from laughing, told us that Valentin wanted to bring envelopes so we could address them for him and then he could put the SAME address in Russian (we're talking about the delivery address). His thought was, "How could the Russian speaking postman know where to send the mail and how could the American postman know where to send it back?" Vera, Galena and Elnora all tried to tell him that it was possible, that it had been done before. He refused to accept it. This went on for a few minutes when then Galena walks over to the table with this envelope and very forcefully smacks down in front of Valentin. It was a letter I had sent them after one of our previous trips here! It was complete with delivery address in ENGLISH. His response? He said, "She (Galena) is always hiding things from me and this is the first I've seen of this envelope." It was hilarious! I have posted (I hope) the video I shot with my digital camera. You'll have to check it out. It also gives you some insight into what we're doing over here and how it all works. (Editor's Note: As of this moment the video has not been posted.)

We had yet another exciting taxi ride back to the hotel tonight. This guy should be in NASCAR. He decides to pass a car (mind you on a two lane road) with another not more than fifty yards ahead coming at us in the other lane! To say the least, I was a wee bit concerned and even gave him a, "Dude!" I, honestly, am surprised that we were not in at least one maybe two accidents tonight. This driver pulls out in front of other cars, goes racing up to the light and then slams on the brakes, etc., etc. I thought we had aggressive drivers in the States, but I think he would beat them all. It was the first time that I was actually scared. I've spoken about these drivers before but have never felt I was actually going to die. Tonight I did. Needless to say, I won't use him again.

Well, that about does it from here. We are now down to less than a week to go here in Mariupol. We will study tomorrow night and then take Saturday off to give everyone a break. Last night you could tell everyone was exhausted. The flu is making the rounds here as it is back in the States. It's so bad Vera said they sent the school kids on their Spring Break a couple of weeks early. Thankfully, we haven't been hit by it yet, but we still have over a week to go. Matt and I are both well. Feel free to write when you can. Until then....

Wednesday's Post

Well, we've put to bed another day here in Mariupol. We spent the day in the hotel room doing some studying and resting. Here we are day 10 of our trip and I'm STILL not sleeping well. I've given up on trying to get adjusted so I'll just have to deal with the deprivation of sleep.

One thing I forgot to write about last night was our experience at the hotel restaurant after we returned from our study. Matt and I went downstairs to get some ice cream, thinking it was a good idea. We walked in sat down and proceeded to wait 25 MINUTES before anyone came by to ask us what we wanted. THEN, it took another 20 MINUTES to get our half liter bottle of Pepsi. After which it took another 24 MINUTES to get our ice cream. In all, we waited 69 MINUTES to get ice cream that took all of 5 minutes to consume!!! It became somewhat hilarious because every time one of the waitresses walked by she would lower her head and never look at us. It was like they were walking around then came near our table and said, "Ah, there are the Americans. I must look away." By the way, no the ice cream was not worth the 69 minute wait. Things quickly went downhill (as if it could go any further) when the young lady brought the check. She didn't bring just one, she brought us two. You see, we had a late lunch/early dinner and we were told we didn't pay enough. She said we were 10 uah short. We told her we paid the right amount, but she did not agree. We paid the extra $2 USD and went on our way just a wee bit upset. In the midst of all of this we are sitting amongst some of the most chain smokingest people I've ever seen. I guess being the States has tamed me what with the government telling people when they can and can't smoke. Over here it's all smoke, all the time. I told Matt my first order of business when I get home is to go buy a carton of Marlboros (I am just kidding). Along with the smoke, we witnessed the great quantities of alcohol being consumed. Most guys, and gals, can't have just one drink or bottle. No, no. We have to have seemingly cases of adult beverage to consume and the proceed to yell and scream at our friends sitting across the table. Talk about a different world.

I mentioned the little dust up that occurred on Monday night regarding Valentin taking Matt and I (minus Vera) on an excursion around the city. For the past two nights at our study, Valentin has been extremely quiet. I can't begin to imagine what Galena said to him after everyone left on Monday evening. Poor Valentin. I expected to walk in last night (Tuesday) and see him with at least one black eye if not two, but he was fine. Just quiet.

He did make one comment this evening that I found interesting. We have been talking about Jehovah's Witnesses and he made the comment that when Ukraine became an independent country the Mormons, J.W.'s and other groups were there immediately to teach their doctrines. He said too bad the Lord's church wasn't there at the same time to stand for truth. I thought, "He's exactly right." It's like what my friend Carl McMurray told me one time. He said, "We spent time praying the Wall would come down, but we did nothing to prepare to go in and teach." Sadly, that is so true. We want to take the gospel to the world, but it seems as if we are mostly lagging behind everyone else. Why is that? Is that because we do not put a premium on foreign evangelism? Is it like I have heard some of my brethren say, "We have people here in this community, why should we go to ____________?" It's that kind of attitude that has kept the Lord's church from being at the forefront of teaching the gospel. This cannot continue to be the attitude of Christians. The Lord's command to take the gospel to the world doesn't stop in my community. Those that are capable (time, support, ability, etc) have a duty to take the message of hope to those that need it, wherever that may be. I am thankful that the church where I labor in Clarksville, IN, understands that concept and supports the work in Mariupol.

Matt and I continue to do alright. We have tired of the Slim Jim, peanut butter cracker, Hershey bar diet we've been on. However, without Vera our options are very limited. It's either eat downstairs at the restaurant (where we'll wait for half the day) or eat what we brought. We are getting a lot of exercise as our room is on the 4th floor of the hotel and there is no elevator (they should really invest in one). Actually, we are pathetic. Last Wednesday, when we arrived in Mariupol, we had to carry our bags up to our room. After about the 5th step I was breathing air and ready to pass out. I looked for an oxygen bottle but found none. I kept waiting to see angels coming to carry me home because I just knew I was having a heart attack. However, over the last week we have gotten used to the stairs. I can now make it step 8 before feeling that way (just kidding, I can usually make it to the top without any discomfort or dizziness). Things are getting better. :-)

Well, that's it for now. Hope you all are doing well and that someone is reading all of this rambling stuff. Feel free to post if you'd like.

Our Vera

Well, it's been a couple of days since I last posted.

We continue to do well with our trip. I'm still not sleeping very well, but eventually I'm able to get a few hours of sleep. I don't know what the problem is this time, but I have hard a time getting my body adjusted to the time difference.

The picture you see to the left is one of Vera, our translator. I am often asked how do we know she isn't mistranslating something? As I said in an earlier post she has proven herself time and time again. I have often told people the story of our first trip here in '03 when she climbed all over a taxi driver because he tried to change the fare halfway through the ride. Well, it happened again yesterday. When we went to study last night we had an issue arise about our taxi fare. The taxi, that has been costing us about 14 uah from the hotel to the flat, suddenly rose to about 18 uah. In American money that's not a big difference. However, it was the principle that got Vera fired up. I couldn't understand what was being said but knew something was up. I caught a few numbers being discussed and she ended up negotiating a 15 uah fare. She watches these guys like a hawk. She also will correct herself if she does make a mistake in translation. Last night during our study she told the folks that there was a typo on the page she had translated for them. Now, as far as I'm concerned she didn't need to tell me this news, but nonetheless she did anyway. She takes her job very seriously and does a wonderful job. Any of the guys that have been here will tell you the same.

Vera was also the center of attention at last night's study. As we finished up, Valentin once more told us he wanted to take Matt and I out on the town and show us Mariupol....without Vera. We told him we appreciated his gesture but we really wanted to be able to understand what he was telling us. My Russian sign language (actually just pointing to this and pointing to that) is not very good (tried that out on the maid here at the hotel). In order for us to get a good understanding we needed Vera to go. Valentin FINALLY agreed to that but wanted to take the bus, tram, walk and any other mode of transportation that would take all day to get from here to there. Well, as some of you know, Vera is six months pregnant and does not need to do that much walking. So, Evghenia stepped in with a solution: her son-in-law would drive us wherever we wanted to go. Sounds like a good thing, but no! Valentin balked at it and then decided he would not go and proceeded to offend all of the women in the room. He said, "You have maps. Vera can show you around." Matt and I just looked at each other and thought, "Oh, boy." I kind of felt sorry for Valentin because the look on his wife's face was one of sheer anger! I just knew that after we left he was gonna get it (He did seem to be ok tonight, except he was much quieter than last night). Long story short, we went out with Vera and Evghenia's son-in-law Gilnady. We had a wonderful time seeing parts of Mariupol we had not seen before.

Over the last several years we have developed a good relationship with Vera. In fact, the other night she told us that she considers us friends, not just someone to work with. Needless to say, we feel the same way. The other day we were crossing the street. Matt had fallen a few steps behind and Vera turned to him and said, "Matt, hurry!" A car was screaming down the road and she was afraid he was going to get run over. There's a reason we call her "Mother Hen." I asked her if she was offended by that and she said, "No." I think she kind of likes it.

I have written all of this to show you the kind of person Vera is. As I said, she takes her job very seriously and does her best to accurately translate our lessons. She would be an awesome asset to the church in Mariupol. However, she is afraid to make the necessary commitment as this time.

Well, I may write more about our day in a little bit. This at least gives you an update as to what's going on over here. Feel free to write when you can.