I would like to take this time to reflect on my thoughts so far from my travels in the Ukraine. I have no intentions of wanting to cause any offense, my comments are not meant to be patronising. I'm simply revealing some of my open ended thoughts, some things i need to do more thinking on as the impact on me has been powerful.
1. Social Life.
Ukrainians are very hospitable people, they have given me a great welcome. This is a social thing. Every Ukrainian is a welcoming person it is instilled in the young and it is part of there cultural identity. In some places in Ukraine life is hard especially the villages and small towns, people grow foos because it suppliments their diet. In the village that Max lives and pastors in there are about 30 children and others who come to the church on a daily basis for food that is cooked by church members in the church for feeding. It's a church feeding programme. Food is also taked out to the elderly church members in the community. Social life is filled with generous hospitality. This is an example of inclusion and welcome, but it also declares the heart of God for the poor. This has been a very powerful thing for me. People who are in hardship themselves reaching out with love an attention to others who are in a worse situation.
2. Church Life.
From what I have seen churches have a good attendance, both the churches that I went to on sunday (Baptist) were full. Faith is very important to these christain people. They want to know more about God and his word. They are keen to learn. Some of those who I have spoken to about Church life in the Ukraine would say that the church does not really connect with the Ukrainian people as good as what the should. For some churches anything different from the norm causes them great angst. My prayer is for God's Garage that it will have an integrity among the churches in Zhitomir, and that God will use this new venture for much work among a whole generation in Ukraine that simply do not see the need for church. On my visit to the Churches I saw people who were much older, (Some young people were there, but not many) people who perhaps lived through the times of persecution in the former USSR. In contrast to this the average age of people in the Irish bar was early 20's. A whole generation to be reached by the love and Grace of God.
Im learning a great deal on this visit to the Ukraine, and there is much to reflect upon, some of which I have written about here, other thoughts I'm keeping close to my chest, but I may include at another time.
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