SASHA

Sasha (nickname for Alexander), arrived just one month ago. His happy and proud parents – Yura and Ira – are rejoicing in God’s gift to them of their first child. It’s been great fun and a blessing to have Yura, Ira and Sasha (also one of our church families,) living with me while their apartment is being repaired. I love being able to help with and hold this precious little guy. It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to be part of their lives, especially with my grand nephew (Carson James Wallace – a year old this month) and my grand niece (Leah Olivia Kimberly
Stevens – just 2 days old!) and their parents so far away in the States. So many new additions to our families – and still more moms here expecting!










Three generations




Ira and Sasha at the polyclinic - Sasha's 1-month checkup!


Lyuda awaiting Sasha's arrival and finding this quite a comfortable spot!

AGATHA'S BAPTISM

And on Sunday, September 13, 2009 the congregation celebrated the first baptism in our new church building. Agatha Thornton, born in July, was baptized by her father, James Thornton, missionary pastor. Assisting in the sacrament are Pastor Sergei K. and Pastor Mel Pike. Agatha is James and Julia’s 5th child and their fourth beautiful daughter. What does brother, Timothy, think about having four sisters? You’ll have to ask him! What a joy to have them on our team and in the Kherson church.

WORK DAY AT THE CHURCH

Willing hands doing some dirty work. Church members spent several hours in the hot sun cleaning up rubbish around the church yard. Still a long way to go – but, thanks to their hard work, considerable improvement! Thank you, Dear Brothers and Sisters!




Work crew

FIRST WORSHIP SERVICE

What can we say except to give praise and thanks to the Lord for His provision, and thanks to His people for their generosity and faithfulness? Sunday, September 6, 2009 marked our first worship service in our own building, Evangelical Presbyterian Church of the Holy Trinity-Kherson, Ukraine.
No more rent to pay, no more being moved from place to place (9 times in 10 years!)



Unfinished stairwell looking down from 3rd floor










Gathered for worship on the top, 3rd floor, which will one day become the library and offices. The sanctuary, which isn't yet completed is located on the floor below.

COLD REMEDIES

When she learned I was home with a cold, kindness and concern brought my friend, Sveta, to my flat a few days ago with some wonderful homemade soup, a cottage cheese and raisin strudel, dried plant leaves, honey, a bulb of garlic, and a small bottle containing hot red peppers cut up chunks of horseradish in a liquid of vodka. All of my Ukrainian friends are wonderful cooks – so needless to say, Sveta's soup and her strudel were absolutely delicious.

Sveta is quite knowledgeable in home remedies and, as far as I know, uses them exclusively. Thus the dried plant leaves which were to be brewed to make a liquid for gargling only – not swallowing. Garlic is to be eaten raw, usually with other food – a good natural antibiotic The vodka, with the peppers and horseradish, in addition to being used for gargling (and swallowed if desired-which I cannot bring myself to do! - pure fire water!), may also be applied to the face in the area of the sinuses as well as on the neck (after which the neck should be wrapped in a warm scarf or something), and also applied to the bottoms of the feet.

Applying to the feet involves dampening two cloth handkerchiefs (or something similar) with the vodka solution and placing on the feet bottoms – holding them in place with a plastic bag. As you might guess the plastic prevents the moisture escaping and holds the clothes in place. The last step is to put warm socks over the vodka application – thus keeping the feet quite warm! You may keep these on all day, all night. Vodka is believed to help draw out infection. I tried it the first evening, wrapping my feet about 8pm. Around 3am the burning sensation was a bit more intense than I cared to endure for the remainder of the night – so I removed them.



Certainly, there is much good to be said for home remedies and natural medicine. However, I'm not quite accustomed, yet, to gargling with and wrapping my feet with a vodka-hot pepper-horseradish solution! But I thank the Lord for care and kindness of my Ukrainian friends!

CHURCH BUILDING

Progress!

Front view

Side view

GAMBLING, GAMBLING AND MORE GAMBLING!

A very convenient 24-hour food store recently closed, much to the the displeasure of the residents of our building, not to mention the employees of the store who lost their jobs, only to be replaced by yet another game/gambling house - which will make three in our building alone. Such places are located on nearly every block in the city - often with 2, 3 or 4 together on the same block. The economic crisis has hit Ukraine quite hard in many areas. Many here are losing the jobs, or being informed that they will be receiving less than half of their normal salary. Gambling houses and game rooms are NOT what our community needs!

On this corner of my apartment building is a small sporting goods shop, then a photo processing shop, a game hall/shop next to which will be located the new gambling house/game room.






Shown here "Games Automatic" hall, neighbor to the photo shop and future new and larger gambling hall (previously our little 24 hour mini market).








This view shows the other end of our building housing at the corner a cafe-bar, whose neighbor is another automatic game hall, next to which is a furniture store.





Night shot of another of the multitude of game/gambling halls in Kherson.

GOOD FRIENDS

Lydia and Melinda


Among the many wonderful friends with whom God has blessed me in Kherson during my 10+ years in this city, are two very special ladies – Lydia (whom I refer to as my Ukrainian Mama), and Valentina my interpreter, Russian tutor – my right arm. We celebrated with Lydia this past week her 85th birthday. These two dear friends are among the first people I met when I first moved to Kherson. I'm very, very grateful for their friendship, kindness and encouragement to me all these years.


Melinda and Valentina

FIRE!

I confess being a bit irritated by the foul smell of trash burning (an all too frequent occurrence.) as I stepped out of my apartment building to make a trip to the market, To my surprise, as I rounded the corner of my building, I discovered that it wasn't trash burning but rather a first floor apartment in the building across the street.

I noticed someone breaking the windows (presumably a fireman) and throwing what appeared to be buckets of water out the window. Though a fire truck was on the scene, I didn't see any fire hoses! Walking around to the entrance side of the building, I found a small group of on-lookers. Smoke billowed out of the entrance to that section of the building, and up the stairwell to the top (5th floor) – engulfing an adjacent 5th floor apartment where I saw two young ladies leaning out their balcony window in an effort to escape the smoke engulfing them. I had to go on to the market – but I began thinking and wondering – whey were these young ladies still in that smoke-filled apartment,? For that matter how does one escape in case of fire? The only options are to exit through the stairwell to the street, or jump from a window – no fire escape. I later looked at the building in which I live to find an outside ladder/escape of some kind. At the end of our building is a ladder which extends from the roof of the building down to about the second floor level at which point it's cut off – so I suppose one is to jump from there.

Sometime later returning from the market, the fire was out – but it was evident that the apartment was gutted. Sadly, the story according to one of my neighbors was that the resident of the apartment was a drunk and burned to death.

Safety doesn't seem to be much of a priority.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

Cindie doing the Advent with her children in Sunday School.



Ladies celebrating together the Light of the world, Jesus.

MERCEDES

Me with my “Mercedes “. Sure makes life easier! My wheels get me through the market and home with several kilos of groceries, bearing the load for me and saving some of the wear and tear on the joints. It's great!