Renewal in Kiev, Ukraine for Missionary Women

Spiritually, it's one of the best things I've ever been to, we just kept digging deeper and deeper into one psalm. It's amazing how they got us so close in such a short time. And they just lavished us with so much love...

That was Mary Lee Roger's impression of the Come before Winter renewal in Kiev, Ukraine. It was a Friday evening in mid-March and we were heading toward the train station. Within the hour, Mary Lee and friends would be heading back to Donetsk, Ukraine where she and husband Jay Don serve with Ukrainian Bible Institute. Later that evening I would catch another train back to Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

From left, Dawna, missionary intern serving in Kharkov; Mary Lee, Natalia and Natalya from Donetsk, Ukraine.

We were a few of 44 women who serve in ministry in Europe, most of us in Russia or Ukraine, who spent five days with a team of 14 sisters who had come from the US to provide us spiritual refreshment, known as Come before Winter.

The Come before Winter renewal team came to encourage, serve, challenge. What saints! (Photo credit: Mariana Long.) 

Come before Winter is the brainchild of Karen Alexander who saw the opportunity to encourage, honor and challenge missionary women.


As the Come before Winter website notes, Being a minister can be a cold and isolating experience. . . even for the most seasoned worker. When that ministry occurs on foreign soil, the stress only multiplies. Paul experienced winter. On the field in the first century, Paul writes to his friend Timothy: “Do your utmost to come before winter” (NKJV, 2 Timothy 4.9). Paul is grieving the loss of fellow workers, one who has deserted the work. “Only Luke is with me,” he writes. . .“Bring the cloak I left in Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchment,” he urges.

From left, Heather, Sara and Pam of the renewal team.

The first Come before Winter renewal was in Brazil in 2001. Since then, two or more renewals have been held each year and the statistics are impressive. More than 500 women from 50 countries on six continents have been served. The Kiev renewal was the 24th overall, the third to be held in the former Soviet Union: The first was in Novosibirsk in 2003 and the second in St Petersburg, 2007. Several participants have been to all three.

Tamika, left, who serves in Vienna, sharing family photos over lunch.

Come before Winter provides all accommodation for renewal participants which demands a significant budget. Supporters recognize the value of investing in the women who serve in ministry, especially those serving in a foreign culture. 


The Come before Winter website continues, Today’s missionaries can experience winter. Today’s women in ministry can experience winter. . . Ministry, especially ministry in missions, challenges the hearts and souls of women around the world. Today, just as in the first century, some workers will leave the work, tired and discouraged. Those who remain will on some days long for a familiar face, a conversation with a kindred spirit, tools with which to work, and the comforts of “home.” Our goal is to bring what is lacking and to arrive before “winter.”

Our renewal site, a sanitorium northwest of Kiev.

Charlotte Wright, team member from Austin said, We can not serve on the mission field but what we can do is come and encourage you women who do. A retired journalism teacher, Charlotte served as videographer of the event, her fifth renewal.

Charlotte, our expert on all things digital.

Charlotte encourages women to make the sacrifice to attend. Do whatever you have to do, beg your husband to watch the children for a week, just get there. You will go back home with so much more energy, both physical and spiritual energy, better able to handle what you have to do back home. I've seen it time and time again. 

Irena of Tomsk helps clarify the evaluation form.

Worship and intensive Bible study were centerpieces of the renewal. We began and ended each day with prayer and praise. We studied the Psalms, particularly Psalms 90 - 106, known as Book 4 of the Psalter. We focused on Psalm 103, which – it just so happens – I have committed to memory. But now, having plumbed the depths of that psalm together, I appreciate it infinitely more.

Esther serves in Crimea and Katie serves in Kharkov.

Our singing was magnificent and I was thrilled to follow accomplished altos versus being the only one. To top it off, the renewal theme song, Bless the Lord Oh My Soul, was composed by our own brother, Kostya Zhigulin composer and director of Psalom, a spiritual music ensemble, based in St Petersburg.

Each Come before Winter team includes a missionary ambassador chosen from the participants to attend the next renewal and pass along the cloak, a beloved tradition of the ministry. 

The Cloak held by Janet Allison, missionary ambassador to our renewal and Irena Rahminova, missionary ambassador to the upcoming renewal in New Zealand. (Photo: Mariana Long) 

Janet Allison, missionary in Swaziland, Africa was part of the Kiev renewal, having been chosen missionary ambassador at the previous renewal in South Africa. So then, at the closing ceremony of our renewal, Janet presented the cloak to Irena Rahimova of Tomsk, Russia, who will serve as missionary ambassador at the New Zealand renewal in June.


The renewal wrapped up Friday afternoon, we said our goodbyes and en route to the Kiev train station, the Donetsk delegation of three sisters and I stopped by Arizona Bar and Grill, a favorite of Americans passing through the capital city. We walked in and gaped at the familiar faces already there: It was the renewal team. Our sisters from the US had stopped by for a taste of home en route to the international airport.

The Arizona Restaurant in Kiev. The word that looks like PECTOPAH is Russian for restaurant, the pronunciation similar to the English word.

We joined them and I grabbed the seat next to Stephanie Hamm, a first-timer on the renewal team and a faculty member at Abilene Christian University. Working to disassemble my nachos, packed tighter than petals on a rose, I remembered the voice recorder in my purse and asked Stephanie her thoughts about the renewal.


I really loved the women sharing yesterday. (Each of us participants had three minutes to stand in front and share our thoughts from Psalm 103.) I thought it was wonderful and loved every bit of it. I loved the prayer appointments, the women sharing. (Each of us had a 45-minute prayer appointment with a team member.) I loved this time, the one-on-one with women. I had four of these. I looove meeting new people and I hope they let me come on another one, she said with a laugh.

Masha from Perm visiting over lunch.

After dinner and more goodbyes, we departed the Arizona and continued to the train station, anxious to get through the city center before the streets were blocked for the Ukrainian president and his entourage. I asked Natalia Maliuga of Ukrainian Bible Institute, Donestsk, for her impressions of the renewal.

It was really different, it was a really fresh approach, she said. I received new insights that will be very helpful to me personally and to share with others.

And that's the whole idea, to have been refreshed and equipped to return to our ministries and serve anew.

With dear sister Jeanene Reese, right. Is there anyone more sincere, more genuine? What a tireless worker she is. Back in the early 70's we were classmates at then-ACC. And since then, I cherish each time our paths cross.

Setting Goals: How High Is Unrealistic?

Setting high goals is a good thing, of course, but how high is too high? It was this apartment building in Kiev, Ukraine that got me to wondering.

Do you see anything that seems out of place here? (Click to enlarge.) If only there had been direct sunlight, if only this had been captured with a high-resolution camera versus a cell phone, the oddity might have grabbed you, too. Take a look at the 5th floor balcony. That whiteness there is no satellite dish.

We see there a very high goal, a goal set unrealistically high, IMHO.

Call me legalistic, something we first-borns tend to be, but basketball goals supposed to be 10 feet off the playing surface. And this one's, what, maybe 40 feet? That's what I call aiming for the sky. Can't help wonder the story here. . .

Made me wonder if perhaps a certain Leonid Stadnyk lives there. As you might have jotted down somewhere, he's the Ukrainian man once listed by Guinness as the tallest man in the world, at 8 foot, 4 inches. But nyet, a quick check showed that our Leo lives about 2 hours west of Kiev in the Zhitomer area.

Let's zoom on in for a closer look. Not that we're nosy or anything. Just. . . just that we're interested. And we're concerned. We see that the balcony windows are boarded up. Now that's bit odd in the summer, unless a place is abandoned. But the kitchen window is open a bit so it's likely someone's there.

I'm guessing the balcony windows haven't been opened in years. The little planter there is taking care of itself, the basketball hoop may have been nailed in place by a teenager who since has joined the army or a professional basketball team and now an elderly person lives there. This would be an elderly person who doesn't hang laundry to dry in the balcony, who doesn't enjoy a fresh breeze through those windows and who's in the survival mode. Now that would be a goal, to get out of the house and view the place from all angles.

Well, any thoughts, dear blog readers? Is this goal a cry for help?

We Wall Rock You! Oh yes we well!

Greetings from Kiev, Ukraine. How about some local graffiti, mis-spellings and all. Thought you might enjoy this salute to the music group Queen.

Oh, and then along the sidewalk, this throw-back to Soviet days caught my eye. See that hammer and sickle?

Let's zoom on in closer. . .

Now there's a paradigm shift for you. Think the Red Skins might be interested in a new logo?

Graffiti in a language other than ones own can get a little tricky. Various obscenities mis-spelled can be almost funny. And I'll spare you any of that. Have to admit though that if I were tempted to scrawl on local walls - please rest assured that I have no such plans - the message would probably end up being obscene at least to the grammatical purist.

Hello from Kiev

Greetings from Kiev, Ukraine! I've been here a week already with another week to go, waiting for my visa back into Russia. This is not my first visit to Kiev. But it is my first time to come here for visa renewal although it will likely be my last. And that's another topic entirely, not for the faint of heart. Welcome to the latest round of the visa game. Speaking of fun and games. . .

There's not much more entertaining than hanging out the balcony window videotaping passersby. I jest of course but it does provide some reasonably dramatic footage for learning to edit video. And that is one of my big projects for these two weeks: editing video.





Oh, I'm so pleased to have gotten quite a bit done. Granted, I'm in the learning mode on this, but the results are respectable enough for the purposes at hand. Visit YouTube (search Eileena110) to see all 25 videos which include Christian songs for children in Russian, spiritual songs from last summer's Christian Singing School and performances from out talent show on the closing evening there in Donetsk, Ukraine. Oh, and there's so much more to come. . .

A Wonderful Church in Kiev, Ukraine

The best thing about my gypsy life has been visiting churches across Ukraine. One lovely congregation in northern Kiev is the Obolon Church of Christ. And here are some photos. This is a large congregation with 60-some present on Sunday mornings. (Click photos to enlarge.)


A prayer for the children.


A rousing song service.


Most of the songs were in Russian, as I recall, and maybe a couple in Ukrainian. We know that hymns - in whatever language - bring joy to the heart of God.



Listening intently to the message.


People packed right up to the doorway. Being a bit crowded, a rather good problem, seems to me.


What was once a grocery store is now the church's meeting place.


Located in a typical 9-story apartment building, a short walk from the metro.


Listening to the message. The brother on the far right brought the message the Sunday I was there. Men of the congregation rotate preaching duties.


Lunch with a dear mother and daughter at a favorite cafeteria. They travel 45 minutes on public transport each Sunday to be in worship. Always a highlight to be with Christian brothers and sisters and join together in worship. A taste of heaven in advance.

A Traditional American Thanksgiving in Kiev

We want to experience a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner, Anya said. And we will help!

But, of course! I had met Anya at English Club - a Let's Start Talking follow-up outreach of the church here - and we clicked immediately. I had been praying for a language teacher for myself and wanted a guide around Kiev. She offered to be both and refused any payment. So Anya wants a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner? 

You got it, girlfriend!

As the saying goes, all's well that ends well. And bottom line, we had such a nice evening.

So tell me what you know about Thanksgiving, I had asked Andrey, below right, as we were planning. Well, you prepare a big meal with a turkey on a large platter, the father carves the turkey and you go around the table and talk your blessings.

That's exactly right, I had to laugh. Every family in American is like that. At least in the movies, which is his source of information. 

Oh, allow me to introduce our Thanksgiving day bunch: Andrey, right, set to carve turkey. Andrey lives here and so do I while his parents are in the US. Next on right is dear Anya, the instigator of this dinner idea, from English Club and a special friend, next is Aunt Sofia who's a houseguest too for several weeks, far end is our brother Vladimir, wrapping up a 3-month stint in Kiev as local evangelist, then is Slava and Oksana, both from English Club. And finally Masha, Andrey's friend. Oh, behind the camera is. . .yours truly. 

This was the perfect number of guests considering the space available. Besides that, one guest cancelled and five others were no-shows. But we won't talk about them, will we? Anyway, it meant more pumpkin pie for the rest of us.

Everybody had notions about the presentation of the turkey: That he should be brought in whole on the platter and carved at the table a la Norman Rockwell. That works for me as long as someone else is making the fanfare and doing the carving. Andrey got nominated to carve because he is studying to be a surgeon. Later that evening when I was sorting through the meat and looking over the turkey carcass I reminded myself that Andrey has been studying surgery of the bile duct. Another kettle of fish, so to speak, than sawing through wings, gizzards and dark meat.

Anyway, back to the pre-dinner analysis of resources, as I like to call it. Since I'm a guest here myself, I needed to do some scouting around.

Oven racks. Besides one regular oven rack, the oven has a shelf, below, typical of Soviet-style ovens. So we had two oven shelves, a good thing indeed. Check.

Pie pans: There's one pie pan in stock in this household. That's 100% more than most households in Kiev so we're making progress.That other form won't help us much with pumpkin pies... 

 
Progress: found aluminum pie pans at Karavan, the local ultra-super-modern supermarket. Pie pans, check.

Now on to location and space. The living room would be our dining area. Andrey had a special plan for transforming the coffee table into something more substantial. Here's the Before picture.

The Oven: In the post dinner analysis, this oven and I had our differences. We didn't understand each other. We speak different languages. More than just the Celsius - Farenheit difference. 

Let's get in close to the oven temperature control. Thanks to a magnifying glass, I learned and the number at the 8:00-o'clock-position says 150 degrees Celsius. That's medium heat and that's where we want to cook our turkey.

But oh, if only it were so easy. You see, just because Oliver Oven says that's medium heat, doesn't mean that it will be medium heat. See, it's a communication problem. I'm learning to understand this oven. The secret is to pay less attention to the temperature setting and more attention to the flame. An oven thermometer or, even better, a meat thermometer would have made all the difference in communicating about what was going on in the oven. And if there are any of those in this town, it's a well-kept secret.

Bottom line, after Tom Turkey had been in the oven 6.5 hours, when I decided to call 'er done. And a slow oven has a domino affect on other things that need to go in the oven too such as Oven Roasted Potatoes, Beets and Onions.

So our meal was ready at 8:00 rather than 7:00 as planned. Fortunately guests were easily amused in lots of ways. Including the video, Universal Studios Free Photo Booth. Thanks to cousin Marilyn who pointed me toward those amusing videos. When I first saw them myself, I laughed until I cried.  (Rated PG.)

Oh and another one:Jay Leno and the Universal Studios Free Photo Booth.

Besides videos, people played UNO. And they watched television. The neat thing about Russian folk, Ukrainian folk, is that they're so low maintainence. They're so easy to cook for. So easily entertained.

And I must say that the pumpkin pie was excellent, made with real pumpkin, topped with real whipped cream.

So, at the end of the day, we had a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner. We carved the turkey at the table. We went around and mentioned our blessings. Everybody went home happy. And feeling stuffed. And thankful. Check.

Lifeguard Shortage in the USA

Is there per chance a shortage of lifeguards in the US? This sign in the Kiev metro got me to wondering. . . more about that in just a minute.

You see, earlier this week, I headed to Kiev's international airport to reconnect with friend Cindy from Virginia and her group who had been in nearby Zhitomer for 10 days. Back during our college years, the two of us lived in the same dorm (Yeah McKenzie!) but hadn't seen each other for ten years. So I wanted to catch up on with Cindy and hear about their Zhitomer adventures.

Besides that I wanted to practice getting to the airport on my own. From here to the train station takes an hour by metro and then the shuttle bus to the airport takes 50 minutes. That's no small feat especially during rush hour. Which makes it all the more exciting.

When I was on the metro escalator, this advertisement grabbed my attention. Something about the USA. And immediately you, dear blog readers, you came to mind. I knew that you would want to see this for yourself. Camera, camera, camera, where is that camera. Hurry, hurry.  Work in the USA as a lifeguard. Let's try for another shot. . . 

 
Come on camera, come on. You know with these digital cameras, there's a lag time between the pressing of the button and the lens action. An absolute eternity at a critical moment. I need to get closer for a better picture. Maybe on the way back from the airport. 

Well, here we are, quick as a wink at the airport. This a waiting area at Borispol, Kiev's international airport.  

These nylon bags are common luggage in Russia. The neat thing about them, they're nearly weightless. And that is a major plus, is it not. Oops, we're  not in Russia at the moment. I forget because so many folks in central Ukaine and on eastward are Russian and speak Russian. Anyway, I expect that these nylon bags are popular throughout the whole area.

One thing to love about Russian and Ukrainian folks, the average person is low maintainance, has few requirements for comfort, for food and is easily comfortable at the airport, at train stations. These folks travel light and, as I like to say, seems as though a Russian person can live for a week out of what fits in an envelope. That in mind, the owners of the matching luggage set, above, might well be moving overseas. You'll forgive me for not inquiring about that, right?  

 
Oh yeah! Found Cindy and her group. Learned that they kept busy in Zhitomer teaching Bible classes, crafts lessons, visiting orphanages and senior citizen centers. Over the years, this bunch and others from their usual group have made so many trips from the US to Ukraine, maybe 15 trips. 

And here's the fine folks from Zhitomer who brought them the 2 hrs by van. Vitalik is the preacher and Natasha coordiates the children's program for the church there.

 

As we head out the door, one more look at bags. Of course one negative is that they aren't wheeled. Also they're far too easily opened. Still there's always a plastic wrap station where, after customs inspection, a person can have their bag wrapped around a few times with plastic film. Now that will keep a thief out. For about 10 seconds. But surprisingly, doesn't seem to be much of a problem.

Back to the metro and I'm determined to get close to the lifeguard signs. Oh look, here's another sign about working in the US. There's a website there if you want more information. Oh - of course you might already work in the US. . .

Okay, here we go. Went up and down the escalator an extra time to get nice and close - especially for you. Here we go: 

Work in the USA as a lifeguard.Summer of 2009 for students. Pay is 8 - 15$ an hour. Recruiting is limited - hurry! 

Imagine training a Russian-speaking lifeguard to work at a beach in the US, assuming of course that it's a beach where people speak English - or, more accurately, a beach where people do not speak Russian. That could make some interesting scenarios. Just trying to imagine training these new lifeguards. Phrases to know: 1) I can not swim. He, she, it can not swim. 2) Help me! Help him, help her, help it! 3) I am drowning. He, she, or it is drowning. We are drowning! You are drowning! They are drowning!

Believe it or not, back in the previous millenium I worked as a lifeguard myself. And two classic questions for my memoirs: 4) Can you find my dentures? I must have lost them in the lake. 5) Can you find my glasses? I had them on when I went off the diving board. . .

I managed to retrieve the glasses, amazingly, off the lake bottom. But the dentures . . .they're probably still out there at the bottom of Akron's Turkeyfoot Lake. 

Kiev's Statue to the Motherland

As part of my visa adventures, I'm in Kiev for a few weeks. And in-between language lessons and church responsibilities, there's time to be touristy, thanks to friend and guide, Anya.


It happened that on November 11th, Veteran's Day in the US, we visited Mat' Rodina, Kiev's statue to the Motherland. The surrounding complex and museum chronicle Ukraine's history during World War II.

Say, look carefully at the photo above - see me waving? For once I feel petite! This Motherland statue is taller than Lady Liberty by 9 meters. Details following. . .


The Motherland Statue is part of the Memorial Complex and Museum. We enter the area through this passageway. Patriotic music is playing. To hear it, turn up the volume on your computer. (Did that help? ;)  )


These bronze sculptures depict the bravery of the border guards, the courage of people in the countryside and defiance of urban dwellers.


The Nazi invasion affected every family - the old, the young, moms and dads. Museum literature says that Hitler's Operation Barbaroza was the largest military undertaking in history. Three million Axis troops attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June, 1941 - the longest day of the year.


The sculpture honors all who helped - peasants in the fields, factory workers making weapons and tanks, everyone.



Moving right along, literally in the shadow of the Motherland Statue are bronze and marble monuments, I counted 13 in all, each one honoring a Heroic City of the Soviet Union.


Praise to the Heroic Cities.


Here's a salute to VOLGOGRAD, the city where the Nazi's were stopped. Sacred soil from Volgograd is included in this monument.


Mercy me, it appears that we're being invaded! A brigade of school boys is charging down the steps toward us and to the museum, most likely. Imagine young people so interested in history. What a tribute to their heritage.


To think that they want to see first-hand what all their grandparents endured. Wait, they seem to be veering off in another direction. . .


But of course! They're heading straight toward two tanks, painted with flowers, absolute kid-magnets.


Tanks, but no tanks for me. We're focused on the statue here. Climbed up the hill and dear Anya captured me near Mat' Rodina.


Here's the view straight up. Now let's compare this Motherland statue to Lady Liberty. The young lady before us is 62 meters high and sits on a 40 foot pedestal, 102 meters total. Whereas the Statue of Liberty is 46 meters high, on a 47 foot pedestal, totalling 93 meters. So Mat' Rodina wins by 9 meters. (Not that anyone's competing, of course. Of Course. )

In a nutshell: When choosing scale, the Soviet Union went for massive: Huge buildings, mammoth memorials, gigantic Stalinesque architecture, even plus-size ladies.


From the foot of Mat' Rodina, turn around and here's the view northeast. On a clear day, past the monostery and all you can see the Dneiper River. 


Anya and I went down to the museum. This poster was at the entrance, in English, no less.


After a couple of hours inside the museum, this is the view of the area in the late afternoon sun. The complex was officially opened on Victory Day, May 9th, 1981, a day of parades and even after all these years, emotion and awe and gratitude to the veterans.

Saved the best photo for last: Mat' Rodina back-lit by the sun. Doesn't get better than that.

Say, from YouTube is this video: A fellow who visited Kiev captured Mat' Rodina, the sculptures, Dneiper River, lots more. It's not professional video by any means yet it provides a good overview of the memorial complex.