What is happening to my Ukraine?

I have been watching the news, reading blogs, reposting reports of all that is going on in Ukraine.  It is hard for me to take it all in.  Part of me cheers for the Maidan revolutionaries who have made their attempt at throwing off a corrupt government.  They chased off the worst offender, but there is still much that needs to be done or undone to remove the corruption from all aspects of the Ukrainian system.

I also weep for what is going on in the eastern parts of Ukraine.  I think it would be easy to blame it all on Putin, but I think that is just too simplistic.  I am not denying that he is playing a big role in all of this, but there seems to be many Ukrainian citizens who think they would be better off under Russian rule.

When I think about Ukraine, I find that it is a very complex country.  I have met the ultra nationalists who said to me, "Why would I speak Russian, I am Ukrainian?" I have met many foreign nationals who have been attacked by skinheads or the police.  I have also met people from Slovyansk who feel like the western leaning Kyiv government has tried force them to speak Ukrainian.  I was told that shortly after Ukraine won its independence that there was a strong effort to get rid of Russian.  Ukrainian was declared the national language, all street signs and business signs were required to be in Ukrainian and 90% of all films had to be either in Ukrainian, dubbed in Ukrainian or subtitled in Ukrainian.  It was quite difficult to find films in English while I was there, but more importantly my friends from eastern Ukraine were frustrated that there weren't more films in Russian, their native language.

I have also met many Ukrainians who speak Russian and Ukrainian and who love their country, but have been frustrated by all of the graft or cleptocracy.  Many Ukrainians are reluctant to pay their legal share of their taxes because they were sure that it would merely be stolen by all the thieves and thugs in their government.

To further aggravate things many public servants were not paid enough to live on.  Bus drivers, conductors and police receive about $150; doctors and nurses a little more than that.  This forces the average person to be creative in finding income.  The police who hold more power than the average citizen resort to extortion. Many a westerner can relate to being pulled over and then being encouraged to pay their "fine" in cash.  Ukrainians even have a name for the police - musor which means garbage.  Some Christians don't even believe it is possible for them to be saved.

But not all public servants are corrupt.  When I rode public transportation, there seemed to be three types of conductors.  The first was completely corrupt; when you paid your fare, they tried to hand you a used ticket, so they could pocket the profit.  The second type seemed to be just kind of relaxed about it all.  They didn't hand out used tickets, but they didn't validate tickets they just gave them to those who paid, but they would validate (punch) tickets that patrons handed them.  The 3rd type were the diligent ones.  They are honest and diligent.  They make sure that every person has a validated ticket and will check to make sure it is for their bus or trolley.

And I guess there were three kinds of passengers.  There were those who did everything they could to avoid paying their fare.  There were those who were passive, in that if no one asked them for their fare, they wouldn't pay, but who would readily play if asked. And there were the forthright ones who always payed their fair.  As a whole most of the commuters where fairly honest.  In 7 years of riding marshroutekas (privately owned minibuses) I only had my change stolen once, and it was by this brash young lady who looked me straight in the eye as if to say, "Now what are you going to do?" It was about 30 cents US, so it wasn't a huge deal for me.  But I do know of 2 other cases where someone lost more money.  On friend didn't get the change back from a 20 griven bill and another who didn't get his change back from a 50 griven bill.  But for me to only be able to remember 3 incidences that is quite remarkable.

The average Ukrainian is pretty honest, but there is also an underground of sorts made up of various kinds to thieves and hucksters.  I have seen pickpockets at work on the metro and know a number of people who have been hit buy them.  I had three try to get me once but I shoved them off me and lost nothing,  Most Ukrainians will not confront thieves.  I think that is one of the reasons they can be pretty bold.  Some people fear that if they confront the thieves they will be attacked or stabbed.

But that darker side of Ukrainian society which is made up of organized criminal elements is always there.  They extort people, they shake down beggars and they even work with the police at times.  We know of a Canadian couple who had their new car stolen and the police told them they could get it back for $7000 dollars.

So what am I trying to say about all of this?  I'm trying to say that this whole situation in the east is complicated.  The criminal elements and those they pay to help them are the one's causing much of the strife in eastern and southern Ukraine.  The reason they are so successful, is that first, the average Ukrainian is nonviolent; they would prefer to avoid confrontation.  On the other hand the thugs and criminals are used to violence and extortion.  They do not represent the average Ukrainian living in eastern Ukraine, but they are the ones most willing to take action.

To add to the problems, some of these thugs have won the loyalty of some local people because they have taken care of them.  So these people don't see them has thieves and bandits but rather local heros or friends. This is further aggravated by the years of Russian propaganda that these hapless/foolish people have swallowed.  They really believe the west is their enemy, but they are not looking at the actions of this "little green men" and their co-conspirators rather they are merely considering them as people working in their best interests because they are aligned with Russia and against the west.

This makes the whole situation difficult.  Ukrainian soldiers do not want to shoot Ukrainian citizens, but there are enough Russian leaning (and this really has little to do with language as it does with politics) citizens who are getting in the way and hindering the antiterrorist actions that the Ukrainian military is attempting to take.   Add to this that a significant number of veterans who served in the Afghanistan war faced an enemy armed by the US through its operatives and you have more anti western sentiment.

I think part of all this violence is the result of kicking out Yanukovych.  Much like when Tito died and Yugoslavia fell apart, Ukraine faces various elements vying for power each thinking they have the answer and that this is their hour of glory and chance to take power.

In my opinion as someone who lived in Ukraine for 7 years and who loves all Ukrainians, there is no simple way out of this.  I think there needs to be a two pronged solution to this situation.  The first is an effort to disarm or neutralise these pro-Russian forces; especially the Russian special forces.  It is impossible to make peace with men who attack unarmed people and abduct peaceful observers. Then there needs to be an effort to mend fences.  We need people reaching across the lines to make friends and to heal wounds.  These pro-russian elements in the eastern part of Ukraine are motivated by fear and anger.  Some how their western leaning neighbors need to make friends with them and hear them out.

I don't know that can be done about Russia's involvement in this.  Ukraine is not equipped to engage Russia in an all out war, but we can continue to pray that as the west steps up their financial pressure for Russia to back down that Putin will finally relent.

I am sure it wouldn't hurt if the west enacted a lend/lease initiative to help arm Ukraine with more effective weaponry like A-10 tank busters and Apache helicopters along with some training on how to deal with these kinds of terrorist/insurgents who have taken over so many building in Eastern Ukraine.

I would gladly encourage any feed back to my insights and suggestions.

Loving and missing Ukraine
Preacher Al

PS... I would like to end on a note of hope.  While I was living in Ukraine I met with a number of God fearing, moral and determined people in Ukraine.  I was especially impressed with a group of 20 somethings who came to our apartment for a bible study.  In their eyes I saw hope.  I saw the future of Ukraine in these young people, who were willing to step across denominational lines and who willing to reach out to others with the hope of the Gospel.  Putin may be quite the villain, but what I saw in these young people was a courage and determination that cannot be defeated by any dictator, despot or thug.

Praying for Ukraine, that its people may find the path of hope and peace that leads them into a future worth striving for.

Bringing the Good News to Eastern Ukraine

I have been closely following what is going on in Eastern Ukraine noting that the central government is going to suspend activities for the weekend as it is Easter, and suddenly I was reminded of my first visit to Ukraine 10 years ago in May.  There is lots I could say, but I would like to share about one small village we visited in the Chernihiv oblast not too far from the city of Laden called Podeshae.

When we arrived we were more or less warmly received, but there were people watching us suspiciously.  The principle of the local school had turned all the children away from our meeting and my friends were warning be about some superstitions that were in place that could cause us a great deal of trouble.  Our leader, Pastor Dick Addison had given me the go to bring the word and he and his wife were encouraging me to "Go for it" ;bring a strong message.  But our Ukrainian friend Yuri Malishkin had warned us that the people there had some very odd ideas about "Baptists" or protestants.  They believed that protestants drank blood and drowned their new converts.  I am sure this misinformation had been started by the Orthodoxy.

Many of my esteemed religious colleagues believe in going for the sale as soon as possible.  I like to think that we need to be aware of the culture we are talking to and that we need to make sure that there is good soil before scattering one's seeds.  So as I prayerfully considered how I might share with this community where there was so much superstition and distrust of outsiders.  After a while the Lord granted me the wisdom in how to share with these people.

I started with what we all know... the world is broken.  I talked about all the things wrong in the world and how sad it is.  Then I talked about how when God created the world that He said it was "Good", but then how things quickly began to fall apart.  Eventually I got to the good news of Jesus Christ, although because of the advice of my friends, I didn't use the name Jesus, but merely referred to Him as the Son of God.  That He came to pay the price for all the wrong in the world and was showing us a better way.  I don't remember exactly how I finished it all up, but the results were very positive.  The pastor who had invited us was told by the city officials that he was welcome to come again.  The parents of the school children were questioning the principle as to why their children had been kept from such a positive message.  The Holy Spirit had helped me open a door so that future ministry could take place in Podeshae.

Why this comes to mind is that when we are confronted with different ideologies or theologies we are so often temped to just jump to our differences and point fingers, accuse the others of being wrong and proclaiming our own rightness. But I have found in my experiences in Ukraine, a country of strongly held beliefs that the quickest road to understanding and healing is finding a place of common ground.  Often times when I talk to Orthodox people, I start with the Apostles Creed.  It shows them that I have something in common with them and that they don't have as much to fear from me.  I am not there to convince someone I am right but rather to lead them onto a path of discovery.

I cannot but wonder if that is the answer for some of what is going on in Eastern Ukraine.  Obviously the "little green men" don't want anyone having dialog, but every pro-Ukraine protester has the capacity to become a broker of reconciliation and peace.

As long as we remain in our camp, reciting our slogans and chanting for unity this really doesn't change the mind of the pro-Russian camp.  In fact it may just intrench them in their thinking.  But if we can find 'safe' ways to cross the line, hear their fears and concerns, and convince them that we have heard them, then maybe they might be willing to consider our position and listen to our concerns and then together as Ukrainian brothers and sisters we can find solutions.

The "little green men" and other agitators are feeding the fears of the people.  They are telling them that they need to be afraid of the west and that the west wants to destroy them; all lies but still to themit seems all too real.  We cannot get them to change there minds by calling them stupid or ignorant; name calling merely isolates and divides.  If we are to really bring Unity, then we are going to need to cross the lines and meet our opposition and tell them that we recognise their concerns.

Now obviously we need to be careful as there are those foreign agitators and their hirelings who would like nothing better than to beat your brains out.  If I can borrow the words of Christ, "Be wise as serpents but as innocent as doves" and "Do not cast your pearls before swine."  We need to be wise about who we speak with and where we speak with them, but in either case we need to become ministers of reconciliation if we're are going to heal this nation.  Jesus didn't say blessed are the self-righteous for they shall get their way, he said, blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of God.  He also challenged us to love those who we would count as enemies, because anyone can love someone who already loves them.

Okay you have thrown off some of the tyrants, but new ones have come.  If we can win back our brothers and sisters by hearing them out and helping them to see a better way then they won't listen to the "little green men" and Putin's other hirelings.  But this won't happen on just the social media.  It's going to have to happen in living rooms and coffee shops and on park benches.  Its going to take people of courage who are quick to listen and slow to speak, so that they might win back their Ukrainian/Russia brothers and sisters. "A kind word turns away wrath."

Leave the "little green men" to the army, avoid the violent and speak peacefully to the fearful and angry.  Focus on those who you can reach.  The government is not going to bring this unity and neither are Russia nor the West, only neighbor talking to neighbor sharing hope for a brighter tomorrow can bring this about.  As you win back your neighbor your neighborhoods will become stronger, safer and more peaceful and you will be able to withstand the ruffians and repulse the foreign invaders.  Ukraine's unity is in your hands, live in such a way as to win back those hearts have become fearful.  Speak the truth in love and help your neighbors to be free of the lies and fear spread by the bringers of havok.

God Sightings Part 2

Post  6 of 100 for 2013

This is one of those blogs you start and then get sidetracked from.  I am going to try to pick-up where the last God Sightings Part 1 left off.
Context - we were on a trip to Poland (Warsaw) to get new visas.  We went by bus and marshrutka not knowing exactly how this was going to work out.

So... after we grabbed a taxi and it took us to the required bank we went in to make a deposit in the Ukrainian Embassy's account.  But it turned out we didn't have enough cash with us.  Their was a bank fee that we hadn't accounted for.  I thought no big deal I'll just saunter over to the nearest ATM and get some more money.  Well, there was no ATM at this bank and so they told me to go to the ATM around the corner - 20 minutes later I found the ATM. Of course, whole time I was looking for this silly ATM, my wife was waiting for me wondering where I was.  I got enough money in PLZs (Polish Zloties) to make sure we could pay the bank fee,  a taxi back to the embassy and pay for our bus trip home.  I found out later I was fortunate that put the wrong debit card into the ATM, as it would have resulted in an overdraft.

 Finally, I got back to my wife with the money, paid the fee and made the deposit to pay for our visa's.  We had released the taxi and so now we had to figure out how to get back to the embassy. We had a pass for use on all public transportation but I really had no idea where we were in respect to the embassy. My phone didn't work in Poland, so I couldn't use my Google maps function.  But the Lord had someone waiting for us.  A Ukrainian gentleman recognized us from the embassy and offered us a ride while we were trying to figure out which public transportation we would take.  When we got back to the embassy they had our visa's ready for us.  We were out the door before 11:00 am local time.  We walked back toward the central train station, stopping for lunch along the way at a KFC :).  Ordering was an interesting experience.  The girl at the register didn't speak English or Russian and I don't speak Polish, but it turned out the manager spoke English.  We took our time enjoying lunch.  Strangely the Polish KFC's had no breast meat, only legs and wings.

After lunch I took a few photos, then we took a trolley back to the central train station.  I couldn't figure out were to buy tickets for a bus back to Kyiv.  I looked around and finally found someone I could talk to.  I found out that we needed to go to the International Central Bus Station.  I'm pretty sure now, that that would have been the final destination of our bus from Lutsk'.  Well, being the guy that I am and hating to ask for directions, we started checking out all the bus stops around the train station.  Finally I saw something in Polish that seemed like it might be where we wanted to go.  Polish is a Slavic language that uses the Latin alphabet.  I saw something that looked like the anglicized version of the Russian word for international (Mezhnarodni). After a short wait our bus came along.

 One of the nice things about Polish buses (and Hungarian for that matter) is that they have a display which shows your location among all the stops which lights up for each of the stops.  We managed to make it to the International Bus Station without too much trouble (we did get out one stop too soon), at some time after 1:00 in the afternoon.  It turns out we had just missed the bus to Kyiv (Kiev spelled Kijow in Polish) and the bus to Lutsk', but there was a bus to L'viv (another major city in western Ukraine).  So I bought our tickets and we waited for our bus.  We didn't know what to expect as far as the quality of buses went.  AnnMarie was praying that we could get in one of those huge deluxe doubledecker buses that we had seen on the road instead of the rough-riding bus we rode from Lutsk' to Poland.

Well AnnMarie got her wish we got this big, gold colored doubledecker bus.  It looked beautiful, the seats were comfortable, but the a/c didn't work.  It turned out that our bus was a huge solar oven.  But as tired as we were, it didn't really matter.  I am reminded of the saying, "Be careful of what you wish for - you may get it." In addition to being hot, the bus kept breaking down;  I think it was the heat. It appeared that the engine kept suffering from vapor lock.  Things at the border (which once again was late at night) went smoothly this time with our new visa's.  And eventually we arrived in Lviv - pronounced Lveev in Russian or Lvove in Ukrainian.

We arrived at one of Lviv's 7 train stations.  When I asked around where we could find a marshroutka (minibus) back to Kyiv, we were told there were none.  I was dumb struck.  I suppose I could have tried to get a train ticket back, but for some reason I had my heart set on something with rubber wheels to get us back to Kyiv.  A taxi driver told me that we needed to go to the central bus station and he would be glad to take us there for a mere 80 Hrn (about $10).  That may not sound like much to your westerners, but to someone use to paying 2 Hrn (about 25 cents) for most transportation with in a city, it was very extravagant. I think he was trying to take advantage of our lostness and our obvious American accent.  So I did something very uncharacteristic, I followed a hunch and a group of people I saw moving towards what appeared to be a bus stop where lots of different marshroutekas were stopping.

I was concerned about asking people, because I have encountered some western Ukrainians whose attitude when it comes to language is "I am Ukrainian, I am not Russian, why would I speak Russian?"  But since my limited language skills where in Russian, I didn't have much recourse but to ask and inquire in Russian or English.  So I boldly walked to the nearest line of people and inquired in Russian if they knew which marshrouteka went to the Central Bus Station.  Someone told me the number and gestured off to his right.  I saw people moving in that direction and we followed.  This led to a parking lot where there were a couple of marshroutekas waiting but none of them were the one we needed. So we waited.

After some time of not seeing our marshrouteka come along I moved towards the road  to see what was going on there.  Shortly I saw our marshrouteka on the opposite side of the road.  For some reason I had in in my head that the marshrouteka would be on our side of the road headed the other way.  So we waited some more.  After seeing three marshroutekas headed the other way with none coming our way, I concluded I had been wrong.  We crossed the street and waited for the next one while trying to avoid being run over by the trolleys that were running on that side of the street.

We got on the next marshrouteka and squeezed in to the aisle.  I thought it would be easy to spot the bus station and we would be able to get out without problem.  It was hot, most of the windows were closed - a normal ride on Ukrainian public transportation.  The driver was not announcing stops but I was still confident I would know when to get off the marshrouteka.

Lviv reminded me of San Francisco will the hills and winding roads.  I really had no idea where we were.  The Spirit must have attuned my ears because I heard someone say "Centralni avtovokzal" so I cried out we need to get off and we pressed our way to the rear exit.  When we got out, I looked around and there was no bus station to be seen.  I said a quick prayer under my breath, spotted an alley way and said, "It must be through there."  My impression was right.  In short order I purchased our tickets and we proceeded to wait.  It was maybe 9:00 am and our bus didn't leave until after noon.  All the bus stands were clearly marked as to which city they went to.  So we station ourselves in front of the one marked Kyiv.  I left AnnMarie there and when and foraged for a bite to eat.

Finally the time of our departure approached, but the bus parked by the sign marked Kyiv was clearly marked for some other city.  Finally, a bit nervous about missing our bus I when back to the ticket office to inquire where we were to meet our bus.  The woman said something unintelligible waved her hand indicating somewhere outside.

So then I walked up and asked a driver of one of the buses waiting in front of us if the bus to Kyiv departed from there.  I am not sure what he said but he motioned for us to follow him.  He took us out into the middle of the parking lot.  He then went over inquired of a woman in a booth near the entrance to the parking lot, came back to us and said in English, that our bus hadn't come yet but we should wait for it right there in the middle of the parking lot.  It came along about 5 minutes later.

I was expecting an express bus to Kyiv, but this was the milk run.  It was going to stop at ever little town between Lviv and Kyiv.  The a/c didn't work on this bus either so it was going to be a long hot trip but God's grace was with us.  All the stops allowed me to get out stretch my legs and get something to drink to keep us hydrated in the heat. We finally arrived in Kyiv in evening sometime near 7:00.  The bus driver announced that we were stopping at Zhetomer metro stop.  We decided to get off, as I expected it to be quicker than waiting until we got off at either the central train station or wherever the bus's final stop was.  We were home within an hour.

It had been a long trip.  We had managed to sleep two nights on buses and had been places we had never been to before and it was great.  Through all the trials and difficulties I could not escape the sense that God's hand was on us the whole trip.  Even when we face difficulties at the boarder and sweltering temperatures on our bus rides, we had God's peace and we knew that we would make it through.  This was truly a remarkable trip for me, because  I have never been the adventurer.  I usually prefer to go with someone who knows the lay of the land and the pitfalls to be avoided.  I truly believe God taught me just how faithful He is on that trip.  He showed me that there was nothing I could not face with him.  The unknown no longer holds me at bay.  I am now more willing to follow wherever the Spirit leads.


Photo's of our Trip to Poland

Post Script:
Its 2016 and I have gone back and read this again.  I cannot but wonder what some of you think.  Maybe it doesn't seem remarkable to you, but to me, it was amazing.  I was never and adventurous soul.  When I was in the Navy I always let other people lead me to the cool spots for liberty.  May be you will just see it as me finally growing up.   But I saw it as me allow Jesus on the throne of my heart and letting him handle things the occurred.
I was a worrier, the son of a worrier.  Sometimes it wasn't obvious, but it was ever present in my life.  This makes me think maybe I should retell the story of our first trip to Hungary, because I was completely freaked out about going to somewhere I had never been to, where the people spoke a language unlike anything I had heard and about which I know absolutely nothing.
For me the "God Sightings" were in those moments when I over came my fears and let God show me the way.
Thanks for reading

Dealing with Messes

This morning (August 9, 2012), at the place I am staying in Kyiv, I went to move a bowl of batter. I didn't realize that the bottom was sticky, so it dumped all over the counter, the stove and down between the stove and the counter. Nothing like making a mess in a kitchen that you are not familiar with and add to that was in a state of chaos because they are trying to repair the washer which is in the kitchen. One of my hosts, Natasha came in to see why I had made an exasperated sound. I cannot say with full certainty that this is exactly how it conversation went, but it seemed to me that she said the following. "Oh praise God we can fix this. Don't worry this is the kitchen there are always messes being made in the kitchen. Just the other day I had several eggs on the counter, they rolled off and made quite a wonderful omelet on the floor. Don't fret, life is full of messes, better they take place in the kitchen." At which point she shewed me out of the kitchen and proceeded to clean up after me. I wanted to clean up after my own mess, but you know sometimes God or others have to clean up after us because they are better prepared or equipped for it. So the next time you or someone else makes a mess, just remember my friend Natasha's words and clean it up with a smile and knowledge that it won't be that last time there is a spill or a mess in you life. Jesus warned us that we would have troubles, but we are to rejoice because He has overcome the world.

Service in the beyond

Sunday, December 04, 2011

Last night, or more accurately this morning I was woken up at a rather pleasant and vivid moment in what had been a long string of very strange dreams. In this dream, my wife and I where sitting at one of several long rough-hewn tables and young beautiful Ukrainian girls with broad smiles and sparkling eyes were serving us freshly cooked blini (thin pancakes, thinner than American pancakes but thicker than crepes) along with cirok (a soft slightly sour cheese that is kind of like cream cheese) and a rich dark fruit syrup that was rendered from some sort of blue or purple berry. In the dream I could see the detail in the texture of the blini, smell the fresh cooked aroma and see the steam rising from the plates. They served us and fed us until we were ready to pop. I think in part the dream came from our dinner at our dear friend Sveta’s that we had attended Saturday evening. There were no blini at Sveta’s dinner but we were filled to excess, with tasty Ukrainian cuisine.

But what struck me most about the dream was the joy that I saw in the faces of those who were serving us. Not that we were so worthy of being served but rather that it brought pleasure and joy to these young ladies to serve others. Now I have all kinds of thoughts about gender roles as well, but I will have to save that for another time. What I have discovered as I ponder this dream is that it shows what I believe is a deep spiritual truth. I am convinced that service is one of the most sincere forms of love.

Now before I explore this more, I would like to share some observations I have noted while living in Ukraine. On many occasions I have been privileged to experience Ukrainian hospitality, both in people’s homes and at social functions. I see at work a deep seated desire to serve and bless others working in the hearts of my Ukrainian friends and hosts. Sometimes I have thought that it is because we are “Americans”, but more recently I have experienced it because we are older as there is still a reverence for the elderly that is at work in some of my Ukrainian friends. But I have also seen something else at work. They serve me because they are grateful for my service to Ukraine. I must admit that I have not seen this kind of service and gratefulness at work in America as strongly as it seems to be working in the hearts of my Ukrainian friends. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by it. Sometimes I am a little embarrassed as I cannot remember being honored by young people like this before. Now maybe that’s because I turned 50, or maybe it’s because there is just something at work here that makes service to be seen as a virtue rather than a curse. But I digress.

What I am realizing is that when we serve someone else, it is one of the key ways to express our joy in their being created in the image of our God. It is a practical way to consider others more important than ourselves. This is a truly Christian value that is not exclusive to any country or any culture. I think other cultures do it better than some while a few cultures have turned service into drudgery, something lesser people “must” do for people in higher status. As I see it though, when we serve someone else, we lower ourselves (putting off our self-importance) long enough to acknowledge them as a person of value. Now I don’t care if a person is a president, a pastor or a drug addict, they all have one thing in common; they are made in the image of their Creator. I believe that by serving others, we reenact Christ’s work on the cross by dying to ourselves to serve others.

Additionally, before our Lord Jesus was crucified, He assumed the role of the lowliest of servants and washed the feet of his disciples. Then He told them (and us) to do likewise. I have been to churches where the pastors or deacons wash the feet of the people they serve. It is a profound and humbling moment. I think that many of our churches have lost sight of the value in this tradition. But I don’t think that Christ was just asking us to do some religious act. I believe that He is asking all of us to set aside our self-importance long enough to say those around us are valuable in the eyes of their creator and that we all should find practical ways to demonstrate that. Jesus did it by washing someone’s feet. Mother Theresa did it by tending to the lowliest and sickest of India’s poor. We each can find ways to serve others.

I know this needs further exploration, but let me just leave it by saying that serving others is one of the greatest ways of demonstrating God’s love for our family, our friends, the greater circle of faith and our neighbors. When Gandhi was asked what it would take for him to become a Christian he responded “For Christians to act as Christ!” Accepting and serving others is being like Christ. Service is not earned; it is a gift freely given, just as our salvation was freely given to us through God’s grace and mercy. Service is one of the ways that we can demonstrate how thankful we are to God. And we can do that by serving those made in His Image.

I also think I must also address the need to accept another’s service. Sometimes I have frankly been embarrassed to accept another person’s service. I don’t feel worthy or something about my self-sufficient American attitude makes it wrong to ask for or to receive help. There is part of my psyche that thinks accepting service makes me somehow weak. But I am realizing that by accepting another’s service, two things are accomplished. First we allow the other person the opportunity to acknowledge God’s handiwork in us. They are able to recognize us as His creations and that by honoring us (each other) they both demonstrate the worth in us and their thankfulness or respect for that. Secondly I believe that by allowing ourselves to be served, we admit that we are not all sufficient and it humbles us to accept such service and in so doing honor the one who serves us.

Lastly I would like to say that we should never expect service and we should never expect others to be grateful for our service. Service isn’t something we demand, service is something that we gratefully accept. Also service isn’t something that we do begrudgingly or because others are grateful, but rather it is something we do freely with joy and peace regardless how it is received. Now I cannot say that serving others will always be filled with joy or will be easy but I can say from personal experience that serving others is worth it.

In closing I would like to encourage you who are pastors, deacons, parents, and teachers, that part of our job is to cultivate the idea that service isn’t something that we must do, but rather it is something we get to do and further I would also say that we should work hard to avoid cultivating an attitude of entitlement. Service is an expression of the freedom that we have been given in Christ. We are free to serve others because we have been freed from the tyranny of “Me first!”

We are not entitled to anything; including service. If any of us begins to think we deserve service because we are a leader or an elder, a parent, a husband, a wife or some other sort of authority figure, then we risk making ourselves into little gods who demand that others worship us. Service must be freely given and just as freely accepted, but never demanded or expected of others. Service is an outflow of God’s love at work in our hearts. It is not done conditionally or with the expectation of gratitude or recompense. If we do it for any other reason we risk creating an idol that will draw us or others away from our relationship with our Creator and Savior. Service can be something we choose to do, but I think in its purest form it is the love of God, or the love from God manifesting itself in us and through us. Service then becomes a natural expression of the new creation that Jesus has recreated us to be.

Serving with Joy,

Alan

Addendum:

I would add in relation to couples and relationships that when one party demands service or gifts from the other it is a sign of their heart not being right.  When we feel the need to demand service or gifts from our spouse to prove their love, it is our own brokenness driving us.  Conversely if we refuse to serve or give gifts to our partner it speaks to a hardness in our own hearts.  Service and gifts should never be demanded in a relationship but still they should flow freely out of the Love that God has put in our hearts.

Service doesn't demean until it is demanded but even when it is demanded, a loving servant can serve without feeling demeaned.  Love covers a multitude of sins it can even cover over the sins of a demanding partner.

Blogathon 2009 Day Two

Today was a quiet day. My wife is off work because the schools are all closed for three weeks. I miss her, cause she is at work so much, but now I get to hang with her. That is a blessing. I reminds me of the first man. God said that it was not good that that man should be alone. I feel incomplete without my dear wife. Especially when I am at home. 22 years of being in the US Navy prepared me to be away from home, but being home without my spouse drives me nuts sometimes.
It was a sunny if cool day today. We have a package waiting for us to pick up from my mother in law; Emily picked up the slip at the post office. Its from the first round of Christmas presents that she is sending us. I cannot imagine how many packages she has sent us. Minimum 2, maximum 4 a month for years! Wow. Tomorrow brings my Russian lesson so I better get busy studying for it.

Blessings from the border land,
Alan

Blog-athon Nov 2009 - First post

This will be a short blog, but still it is time to get back on the Band wagon so speak. It has been so long since I have written anything.

So My first blog is... Hey I'm back. Technically this is still the first in America so I have made the first day of November's blogathon. I am alive and well in Kyiv Ukraine. I serve as one of three pastors to a small congregation here in the city. I am learning to put to practice that which I teach. It is challenging, but I continue to stick with it.
Life in Ukraine is interesting, just because I am an American (if born Canadian) living in a former soviet country. But I am glad to be here and to serve.

Today's thought - Flu panic. Everyone here seems to be in a panic about the flu. Schools are closed. The open air markets have been close (or so I have heard) and all public places like theaters and such have been asked to close (to include churches). I don't think I have seen so many people scared by a disease. Usually people react this way to cancer or the news of it. But people are wearing masks and there are few people outside. Who knows, this may work to prevent a pandemic, then again it could just delay the inevitable. I don't WANT to catch the flu, but if I do, I guess I will pray, ask for healing and rest. But I will not live in fear of it. Even if I caught it and died, then I would be with Jesus. That is all I have to say for 1 November

God Sightings Part I

God sightings Part I
Category: Life

These past weeks were an interesting time for AnnMarie and me. It seems that everywhere we turned God's blessing has showed up. We knew that we needed to get new passports and visas. This meant a substantial outlay of cash as well as time out of the country. I had been counting on George Bush's, "Stimulus Check" to get us over the hump. If our support would just stay on track we would be fine, I thought. Well the check never arrived from the Government; turns out I didn't earn enough tax credits for that. And our regular support was really short (almost $500 short). But God had a plan.

He put us on somebody's heart and someone gifted us enough to make up for the
shortage and help considerably with the costs of the passports and visas. The person remains anonymous. I don't know who they are and no one is saying… so whoever you are, I thank you for being obedient to God's prompting. We wouldn't have made it through this passage without going deeper in debt. But the blessings didn't stop there.

Monday morning AnnMarie and I headed out on our adventure to Warsaw and back. It would take us roughly 60 hours to get there and back as well as take care of business.

Our first stop was at the central train station in Kyiv (Valkzál). There we found a minivan (marshrouteka) to our first stop. We had been waiting to get all our ducks in a row before we took off. We had got new passports ($150) and letters of invitation. We really didn't feel like we could make any reservations before we had those two items in hand.

Now at our next stop, Lutsk', where our friends Hillary and Michele live and do ministry. We figured if we have any problems we could get their help. We didn't known the schedule of the buses and not sure we would make the connection. Little did we know that Michele was n Kyiv when we were heading towards Lutsk'. But as it turned out things went pretty smooth there. We weren't in Lutsk' 15 minutes and I had purchased tickets to Warsaw. We called Hilary who was at home with the kids, chatted a bit and said maybe next time. Now you have to understand how far I am out of my comfort zone at this point. I don't like going somewhere I have never been before without reservations and a hotel or something we could stay at. I also have never purchased tickets without the help of a translator. We had no reservation and we didn't even know if we could get a
bus for sure. Emily had checked on line and there were a number of hostels with beds available. But still a new town, never been there and not sure of where we were going (had a map but until you are there a map doesn't do me much good). I was a bit edgy the night before and the morning of our departure, but I realized with my wife's help that I was really walking in unbelief and needed to repent. God was there for us we just needed to trust Him and keep moving forward.

Our bus to Warsaw was not all that great, but it worked. It was a 40 passenger bus with lots of glass. But the border is where things got interesting. We arrived at about 8:30 pm (much later than I had expected) and the lines were long, but I guess public transportation gets head of the line privileges. The problem started with our passports.

We gave them our new ones and had our old ones on the ready, but they didn't take them. But then they came looking for us because there was no proof of our entering Ukraine in our new passports. Then when we gave them our old ones they got upset and I was having trouble understanding what was wrong. They seemed upset that we were coming across the border when we were. The problem turned out to be a bit of Russian induced dyslexia on my part. I had looked at our registration stamp in our passport and thought it read 2 Sep (which made sense cause that is when our passports expired) because I saw the Cyrillic letters "cep" which in my mind was sep. But the letter "p" in Cyrillic is really an "r". It wasn't 02 September when our registration ended it as the second of August! The abbreviation was for the Ukrainian word for August. OOPs. There wasn't much we could do about it. I explained that I had thought it said 2 September (and oh yes the Russian word for most of the 12 months sound quite similar to their English equivalents while the Ukrainian words have no correlation to the English words for the 12 months). They wanted to know what we were doing in Ukraine. I explained that we were volunteers and worked for no pay; That I was a teacher and my wife was a secretary. They had us step outside while they called their supervisor.

Now legally what should have happened was we should have been detained at the border and brought before a judge to explain why we had failed to register and then been fined some $90 - $120 each for failing to do so. But the guy decided for whatever reason to let us go. He stamped our new passports with an exit stamp and said just show that from now on. I had been praying for diplomatic immunity and it seems that God granted us just that. Then it was on to the Polish customs agents.

It went smoothly. The only comment they had for us was the question, "Why would you want to work in Ukraine as volunteers?" Apparently, the Poles may have some issue with Ukrainians. The rest of our bus trip was smooth. Now we were not sure where the bus stopped, but Hilary had described this empty lot with a bazaar surrounding it. We arrived there, but not everyone got out, so we decided to stay aboard. The next major stop was at something that had huge letters saying "Centralny" something. I remembered from reading directions to one of the hostels not far from the Ukrainian Embassy that this was a point of reference. So I asked about it and the driver indicated this was where we should get out. It turned out to be the central train station. It was 4:30 in the morning, local. So we just hung out at the train station and tried to get our bearings. Finally we left by foot and headed towards the hostel and the embassy. It took an hour but we found it and learned that the embassy would be opened at 8:00.

We were happy to know that because for all we knew it might have been a holiday. and it turns out that they are closed on Wednesdays! We walked by and stopped at a 24 hour grocery store to buy us something to eat (yougurt & buttermilk. Fresh bread hadn't arrived yet). Then headed to the hostel.

The girl finishing up the night shift was very understanding and accommodating. She let us rest in the lobby and use the bathroom to clean up a bit. She even sold us the last 2 passes for public transportation that were good for all day. We were back at the Embassy in time for its opening even if there was a bit of a line.

Within 20 minutes we had our forms in hand and were busy filling them out. At first we thought we were in trouble because the girl behind the glass said we didn't bring all the right paper work, Yikes! But it turned out she missed seeing the critical piece of paper in the stack we gave her. She really didn't seem too happy to see us and was not happy about how we filled out the forms. When it came time to pay for our new visas she handed us a deposit slip with an address written on it. She told us it was downtown and sent us off without map or directions. My wife said "Hey, lets move to the left away from this line of people." and no sooner than we did that a taxi pulled up to dropped someone off. We got the driver's attention showed him the address and he was able to get us there no prob.
 The Rest of the Story

What I have learned living in Ukriane

13 June 2008 Okay… its been a while since I have written, so many things running around my head. One thing that I have been considering is what have I learned from living in Ukraine. I have grown up in America where we take so many things for granted… I have learned to be more observant and thankful in Ukraine for example. I have learned to watch my step. Flat even sidewalks are not a given. In many places trees are pushing up the cements blocks. Stairs are not of uniform height everywhere you go. Its quite common to be going down stairs and suddenly be taking a much longer step than you were expecting. Where American safety laws require standard stair heights and runs, there seems to be little ryhme or reason in how steps are designed here in Ukraine. I have learned to look both ways before crossing the street (even a one way street!). Ukrainian traffic laws seem to be optional. Not all cross walks work and some work only at certain times. Red lights are merely suggestions and some drivers will even honk at pedestrians using crosswalks who are slowing their drive home or to work. I have learned that just because it's a one way street doesn't mean that some one won't go the wrong way or back up long distances to avoid a little extra driving. At traffic circles its quite common (or at least is so on my street) for drivers to take a short cut along the crosswalk to avoid having to go all the way around the circle. Parking on sidewalks is permitted by law, which means cars regularly drive on sidewalks. It's not uncommon to suddenly realize that there is a car behind you waiting for you to get out of the way as you are walking along the sidewalk. I have learned to appreciate my college education regardless of what it cost me. In Ukraine some university teachers don't care much to teach, and many students apparently do not care to study (this includes international students). Many students and professors are content to call it a business deal. "You pay me, I give you a grade!" I really made sure I got my monies worth when I was in college. I know young people who are attending classes where their professors know nothing about the topics they are teaching and for students wanting to learn, they may have to find their own text books and do their own work on the side so as to learn what they need to learn. Now not all Ukrainian universities are like this, but it seems to be an all too common experience among young people I have talked to. I have learned to live with a smaller personal space bubble. Public transportation merged with western financial thinking means more people per square meter means greater earnings. I don't much care of being crammed in tightly with many of my Ukrainian neighbors, but it is a way of life. I am just glad I am tall so that I can still get a bit of fresh air and I can usually reach a hand hold. I have also learned to plan just a few things in a day, as public transportation may take a bit longer as I cannot always get a direct route to where I want to go. But I must admit that the metro (subway) is the fastest way to go when your destination is anywhere near a metro stop. I have learned to appreciate people who pick up after themselves. Ukraine when it comes to trash is like America before the big push for getting people to stop littering. If it were not for armies of people sweeping up and picking up after others, this city (Kyiv or Kiev for you Americans), would be a total mess. There are bottle caps, broken glass, plastic bottles and bags everywhere. Luckily the people who are paid to sweep and clean are pretty efficient. And by 9:00 A.M. much of the trash is swept up, but by evening, things are a mess again. It would be nice to see a "Don't be a litterbug!" campaign here. Not everyone is a mess pot, but there are enough of them to make the countryside a mess. I have learned to appreciate American women's modesty. Apparently Ukrainian women think that dressing like the cover of Vogue is normal; though sometimes their idea of style is obnoxious as well overly revealing. Some times its hard for a Christian man to find a safe place to rest his eyes. I have learned to appreciate regular running water. In Ukraine it is quite common to have your water, hot water or electricity shut off. Big cities like Kyiv its not as common, but not all cities have hot water and some have electricity on a schedule. This week and last our hot water is off, while the hot water plant gets it annual servicing. But the water has been shut off totally at least once during these past two weeks for reasons unknown. I have learned to respect my neighbors and appreciate their help. I am blessed in that our neighbors look out for us. On more than one occasion they have shooed away some charlatan or potential thief. Some of our neighbors are very quick to question strangers in our stairwell to make sure they are legitimate guest or business people. Our neighbors know how to be good neighbors and I am learn from them. I have learned what hospitality can look like. Ukrainians take grate pride in being generous with their guests. The crazy thing about it is the poorer the person, the greater the sacrifices and work they are willing to put into it. It is wild to think how those who have so little will sacrifice so much for a stranger. I am humbled by such people even if its just a culturally driven ritual, they still share greatly with we who already have so much. I have learned to see the world from a non-American perspective. Growing up in America I use to think we were the center of everything good and true. But I have met people from Ukraine, Iran, Lebanon, Cuba, Russia, Kazakhstan, Germany, Brazil, Peru, Uzbekistan, India and more. And I have come to the conclusion that America doesn't own the market when it comes to wonderful people, or redeeming cultures. No culture has it all right or all wrong. But I am looking for and finding people who reflect the values of God's heavenly Kingdom. Borders may matter to politicians, statesmen and patriots, but to God the only thing that matters is the state of a person's heart and the words and actions revealing said state. My brothers and sisters are not those who confess their allegiance to the flag, but those call Jesus their Lord, and live like His children. I may have been born in Canada, carry an American Passport, I may be registered to live in Ukraine, but my citizenship lies with Him who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. I pledge my allegiance to The Lamb. In Him, Alan