A Monument a Day #8 - First Ukrainian Revolt Against Feudalism (1591)

First Ukrainian Anti-Feudal Revolt

This monument commemorates the first revolt under the leadership of Kryshtofa Kosynskoho in 1591 against the feudal system by villagers and Kozaks of the right bank of Ukraine.

In Ukraine serfdom developed first in the territories ruled by Poland. Under the Polish system of serfdom the peasants were bound by law to their plots of land, which were owned by the lord. The amount of obligatory labor (corvée) owed by the peasant to the lord depended on the size and quality of the peasant's plot, but the amount of labor effectively exacted was often arbitrary. The Russian system of serfdom, which was established in most Ukrainian territories under Russian rule at the end of the 18th century, was based on the principle that the lord owned the peasant under his control. He could dispose of his serfs as he wished. He could even separate them from their land. The amount of labor owed by the peasants and the size of their allotments depended on the number of adult males in their families. Serfs were finally emancipated in 1861.

This monument is located at: 49°47'27.79"N 30° 6'32.92"E

A Monument a Day #7 - University WWII Memorial

"To the employees and students that were lost in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"

This monument stands in front of the Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University and was dedicated on the 30th anniversary of the victory of WWII. In the United States many people fought and died in WWII, but for the most part, they were soldiers, sailors, and marines fighting on foreign soil. It's easy to forget that here, people were fighting and dying for the very cities they lived in. It's a very sobering thought.

This memorial is located in front of the university at: 49°47'30.85"N 30° 6'42.04"E

A Monument a Day #6 - Ukrainian Civil War Dead (1919)

The bodies of 19 people in charge of food procurement for the Soviet Army were buried here in 1919.

This monument and burial site is somewhat obscure, but very interesting. It is located in Glory Park, but stands alone among some trees. The plaque doesn't give much detail as to what happened to these 19 people so I turned to a university historian, our friend Kolya, for information. The war from 1917 to 1921 is referred to as the Ukrainian Civil War, the Ukrainian War for Independence, and also as the Russian Civil War.

In 1917 during the First World War, the Russian Bolsheviks revolted against the Russian Tsar effectively creating what would be known as the Soviet Union. Ukraine saw this as an opportunity to break away from Imperialist Russia and declared their independence. This began a complicated series of events and struggles for power. To make a long story short, Ukraine was ultimately absorbed into the Soviet Union. You can read about the war in more detail by clicking HERE.

So as I understand it, the 19 people buried at this site were in charge of procuring food for the Red Army soldiers who were fighting against an independent Ukraine to bring Ukraine under control of the Soviet Union. These food procurement people weren't exactly going out and buying food from local vendors, but taking what they needed from the Ukrainian population. I can't imagine that these people were very popular. I don't think it's surprising that they ended up in a mass grave.

This memorial grave marker is located at: 49°48'8.36"N 30° 7'5.83"E

A Monument a Day #5 - Petro Zaporozhets (1873-1905)

Petro Zaporozhets

Petro Zaporozhets (1873-1905) was born in Bila Tserkva and was a leader of the Russian revolutionary movement. In 1891, as student at the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology, he joined the Marxist circle and in 1895 under the leadership of Lenin participated in the organization of the St. Petersburg League of Struggle for the liberation of the working class. He distributed Social-Democratic propaganda among the workers in the areas of the Narva and Moscow outposts. In December 1895 he was arrested and sentenced to 5 years of exile. While in jail he became mentally ill and later died in the hospital.

Petro Zaporozhets is not to be confused with the Zaporozhets automobile, although it's probably more well known.

ZAZ-968M Zaporozhets

Calvary Chapel Kyiv Pastors and Leaders Conference

Taking time to pray for each other.

On Friday and Saturday I attended the Calvary Chapel Kyiv Pastors and Leaders conference in Irpin just outside of Kyiv. The scheduled speakers were Jed Gourly from Kyrgyzstan and Bill Goodrich from Indiana. It was very encouraging to hear the messages and meet with everyone from around Ukraine that I haven't seen in awhile as well as to meet a few new friends. It's amazing to see just how much God has been working over the years in Ukraine. The number of Ukrainians serving as missionaries outside of Ukraine continues to increase. The Word of God is definitely not being hindered by borders.

Enjoying a time of fellowship on the second day.

Our decision to leave Ukraine has been a sad one for us, but I was greatly encouraged by the realization that anything is possible with God and we should be looking at our move as just a long furlough, not a permanent move. I know that no matter where we end up, we will always have the people of Ukraine on our hearts. The idea of leading short term mission trips to Ukraine has already crossed my mind. I would be blessed to serve in California while sharing and encouraging others about what God is doing in Ukraine and the continuing needs here.

The Youth for Christ conference center located in Irpin outside of Kyiv, was the perfect place for the conference. Our sessions were held on the fourth floor in a little loft.

A Monument a Day #4 - Graves of the Fallen Warriors

"To those lost in Bila Tserkva during the years of The Great Patriotic War - You are eternal in the memory of the people."

The graves of 42o Soviet Army soldiers are located in plots to the NE of Glory Park. Unlike the other WWII memorial, this one is dedicated to the soldiers that lost their lives in and around Bila Tserkva. There are 792 names etched in the stone markers including 78 Czechoslovakian soldiers and the graves of two soldiers who were awarded Hero of the Soviet Union. (Not all of the dead are buried at this location).

"Buried here are the bodies of 420 warriors of the Soviet Army who lost their lives in the defense of Bila Tserkva against the German fascist invaders." 1941-1944

The memorial is located at: 49°48'12.39"N 30° 7'11.95"E

A Monument a Day #3 - Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861)

Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet and artist

I think Shevchenko is one of the most recognized symbols of Ukrainian culture. His birthday on March 9th, is widely celebrated (as you can see on the website of the President of Ukraine) and almost every city in Ukraine has a monument, street, square, or park named after him.

Born into a serf family in the village of Moryntsi, of Kyiv Governorate of the Russian Empire (now in Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine) Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven. He was taught to read by a village precentor, and loved to draw at every opportunity. Shevchenko went with his Russian aristocrat lord Pavel Engelhardt to Vilna and then to Saint Petersburg.

Works

He began writing poetry while he was a serf and in 1840 his first collection of poetry, Kobzar, was published. Ivan Franko, the renowned Ukrainian poet in the generation after Shevchenko, had this to say of the compilation: "[Kobzar] immediately revealed, as it were, a new world of poetry. It burst forth like a spring of clear, cold water, and sparkled with a clarity, breadth and elegance of artistic expression not previously known in Ukrainian writing".

In 1841, the epic poem Haidamaky was released. In September 1841, Shevchenko was awarded his third Silver Medal for The Gypsy Fortune Teller. Shevchenko also wrote plays. In 1842, he released a part of the tragedy Mykyta Hayday and in 1843 he completed the drama Nazar Stodolya.

While residing in Saint Petersburg, Shevchenko made three trips to the regions of modern Ukraine, in 1843, 1845, and 1846. The difficult conditions under which his countrymen lived had a profound impact on the poet-painter. Shevchenko visited his still enserfed siblings and other relatives, met with prominent Ukrainian writers and intellectuals such as: Yevhen Hrebinka, Panteleimon Kulish, and Mykhaylo Maksymovych, and was befriended by the princely Repnin family especially Varvara Repnina.

In 1844, distressed by the condition of Ukrainian regions in the Russian Empire, Shevchenko decided to capture some of his homeland's historical ruins and cultural monuments in an album of etchings, which he called Picturesque Ukraine.

Exile

On March 22, 1845, the Council of the Academy of Arts granted Shevchenko the title of an artist. He again travelled to Ukraine where he met historian Nikolay Kostomarov and other members of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius, a Pan-Slavist political society dedicated to the political liberalization of the Empire and transforming it into a federation-like polity of Slavic nations. Upon the society's suppression by the authorities, Shevchenko was arrested along with other members on April 5, 1847. Although he probably was not an official member of the Brotherhood, during the search his poem "The Dream" ("Son") was found. This poem criticized imperial rule, personally attacked Emperor Nicholas I and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, and therefore was considered extremely inflammatory, and of all the members of the dismantled society Shevchenko was punished most severely.

Shevchenko was sent to prison in Saint Petersburg. He was exiled as a private with the Russian military Orenburg garrison at Orsk, near Orenburg, near the Ural Mountains. Tsar Nicholas I, confirming his sentence, added to it, "Under the strictest surveillance, without a right to write or paint."

With the exception of some short periods of his exile, the enforcement of the Tsar's ban on his creative work was lax. The poet produced several drawings and sketches as well as writings while serving and traveling on assignment in the Ural regions and areas in modern Kazakhstan.

But it was not until 1857 that Shevchenko finally returned from exile after receiving a pardon, though he was not permitted to return to St. Petersburg but was ordered to Nizhniy Novgorod. In May 1859, Shevchenko got permission to move to his native Ukraine. He intended to buy a plot of land not far from the village of Pekariv and settle in Ukraine. In July, he was arrested on a charge of blasphemy, but was released and ordered to return to St. Petersburg.

Death

Taras Shevchenko spent the last years of his life working on new poetry, paintings, and engravings, as well as editing his older works. But after his difficult years in exile his final illness proved too much. Shevchenko died in Saint Petersburg on March 10, 1861, the day after his 47th birthday.

He was first buried at the Smolensk Cemetery in Saint Petersburg. However, fulfilling Shevchenko's wish, expressed in his poem "Testament" ("Zapovit"), to be buried in Ukraine, his friends arranged to transfer his remains by train to Moscow and then by horse-drawn wagon to his native land. Shevchenko's remains were buried on May 8th on Chernecha Hill (Monk's Hill; now Taras Hill) by the Dnipro River near Kaniv. A tall mound was erected over his grave, now a memorial part of the Kaniv Museum-Preserve.

Dogged by terrible misfortune in love and life, the poet died seven days before the Emancipation of Serfs was announced. His works and life are revered by Ukrainians and his impact on Ukrainian literature is immense.

Impact

Taras Shevchenko has a unique place in Ukrainian cultural history and in world literature. His writings formed the foundation for the modern Ukrainian literature to a degree that he is also considered the founder of the modern written Ukrainian language (although Ivan Kotlyarevsky pioneered the literary work in what was close to the modern Ukrainian in the end of the eighteenth century.) Shevchenko's poetry contributed greatly to the growth of Ukrainian national consciousness, and his influence on various facets of Ukrainian intellectual, literary, and national life is still felt to this day. Influenced by Romanticism, Shevchenko managed to find his own manner of poetic expression that encompassed themes and ideas germane to Ukraine and his personal vision of its past and future.

In view of his literary importance, the impact of his artistic work is often missed, although his contemporaries valued his artistic work no less, or perhaps even more, than his literary work. A great number of his pictures, drawings and etchings preserved to this day testify to his unique artistic talent. He also experimented with photography and it is little known that Shevchenko may be considered to have pioneered the art of etching in the Russian Empire (in 1860 he was awarded the title of Academician in the Imperial Academy of Arts specifically for his achievements in etching.)

His influence on Ukrainian culture has been so immense, that even during Soviet times, the official position was to downplay strong Ukrainian nationalism expressed in his poetry, suppressing any mention of it, and to put an emphasis on the social and anti-Tsarist aspects of his legacy, the Class struggle within the Russian Empire. Shevchenko, who himself was born a serf and suffered tremendously for his political views in opposition to the established order of the Empire, was presented in the Soviet times as an internationalist who stood up in general for the plight of the poor classes exploited by the reactionary political regime rather than the vocal proponent of the Ukrainian national idea.

This view is significantly revised in modern independent Ukraine, where he is now viewed as almost an iconic figure with unmatched significance for the Ukrainian nation, a view that has been mostly shared all along by the Ukrainian diaspora that has always revered Shevchenko.

A young Shevchenko on a Ukrainian 100 Hryven note

Here's one of Shevchenko's poems translated into English:

My Friendly Epistle

To the Dead, the Living, and to Those Yet Unborn, My Countrymen all Who Live in Ukraine and Outside Ukraine,

If a man say, I Love God, and
hate his brother, he is a liar,
1 John iv. 20

Day dawns, then comes the twilight grey,
The limit of the live-long day;
For weary people sleep seems best
And all God's creatures go to rest.
I, only, grieve like one accursed,
Through all the hours both last and first,
Sad at the crossroads, day and night,
With no one there to see my plight;
No one can see me, no one knows me;
All men are deaf, no ears disclose me;
Men stand and trade their mutual chains
And barter truth for filthy gains,
Committing shame against the Lord
By harnessing for black reward
People in yokes and sowing evil
In fields commissioned by the Devil...
And what will sprout? You soon will see
What kind of harvest there will be!
Come to your senses, ruthless ones,
O stupid children, Folly's sons!
And bring that peaceftil paradise,
Your own Ukraine, before your eyes;
Then let your heart, in love sincere,
Embrace her mighty ruin here!
Break then your chains, in love unite,
Nor seek in foreign lands the sight
Of things not even found above,
Still less in lands that strangers love...
Then in your own house you will see
True justice, strength, and liberty!

Gain knowledge, brothers! Think and read,
And to your neighbours' gifts pay heed, --
Yet do not thus neglect your own:
For he who is forgetful shown
Of his own mother, graceless elf,
Is punished by our God Himself.
Strangers will turn from such as he
And grudge him hospitality --
Nay, his own children grow estranged;
Though one so evil may have ranged
The whole wide earth, he shall not find
A home to give him peace of mind.

Sadly I weep when I recall
The unforgotten deeds of all
Our ancestors: their toilsome deeds!
Could I forget their pangs and needs,
I, as my price, would than suppress
Half of my own life's happiness...

Such is our glory, sad and plain,
The glory of our own Ukraine!
I would advise you so to read
That you may see, in very deed,
No dream but all the wrongs of old
That burial mounds might here unfold
Before your eyes in martyred hosts,
That you might ask those grisly ghosts:
Who were the tortured ones, in fact,
And why, and when, were they so racked?...

Then 0 my brothers, as a start,
Come, clasp your brothers to your heart, --
So let your mother smile with joy
And dry her tears without annoy.
Blest be your children in these lands
By touch of your toil-hardened hands,
And, duly washed, kissed let them be
With lips that speak of liberty!
Then all the shame of days of old,
Forgotten, shall no more be told;
Then shall our day of hope arrive,
Ukrainian glory shall revive,
No twilight but the dawn shall render
And break forth into novel splendour....
Brother, embrace! Your hopes possess,
I beg you in all eagerness!

The Shevchenko monument is located here: 49°47'32.09"N 30° 6'54.01"E

A Monument a Day #2 - Park of Glory

"Eternal glory to the heroes of the surrounding battles for the freedom and independence of our birth place."

Complete with an eternal flame, the Park of Glory (or Glory Park) remembers those who fought the Germans during The Great Patriotic War (WWII). It is a memorial to all the soldiers of that war, living and dead. Almost every city in Ukraine has some type of memorial like this even if it is just a small simple one in a village. The city of Bila Tserkva was almost completely destroyed between the initial occupation by the Germans and eventual liberation by the Soviet Army. Some parts of the city were involved in heavy fighting involving German and Soviet armor (tank) units. Only a small number of its original buildings have survived.

This area leading toward the large monument is a popular photo site for every new married couple in the city.

The plaque at the entrance reads, "To the warriors that liberated the city of Bila Tserkva and its surrounding area in the years of The Great Patriotic War, thousands of tormented peaceful lives dedicate this memorial complex. Kneel before their feat and memory! They are worthy of immortality!"

The main monument is located at: 49°48'9.10"N 30° 7'9.29"E

A Monument a Day #1 - Yaroslav the Wise (978-1054)

Yaroslav the Wise with the church of St. John in the background

Inspired by A Soviet Poster a Day blog, I decided to focus on a monument a day in the city of Bila Tserkva where we live. The monuments are testimony to the history of Bila Tserkva and of Ukraine in general, so I thought it would be a fun way to share it with everyone. Most cities in Ukraine are filled with monuments and memorials of historical importance. The majority of these are dedicated to The Great Patriotic War (World War II). Even small villages will usually have at least one memorial. Hopefully this will be interesting as well as educational and through it you will come to know and love Ukraine. I will also include the GPS coordinates in case anyone wants to see the location on Google Earth or better yet, actually come and visit Bila Tserkva.

It's only fitting that the first monument be of our city founder, Yaroslav the Wise. He founded Bila Tserkva in 1032, making it, as of this year, 977 years old. Yaroslav, 978-1054, grand duke of Kyiv (1019–1054); son of Vladimir I. Designated by his father to rule in Novgorod, he became grand duke of Kyiv after defeating his older brother Sviatopolk, who succeeded Vladimir I. A shrewd statesman, he consolidated the power and prestige of Kyivan Rus. He regained West Galicia from the Poles (who had obtained it in return for supporting Sviatopolk), crushed (1036) the Pechenegs (nomadic invaders), and suppressed rebellions by Lithuanian and Finnish tribes. In 1043 he organized the last Rus campaign against Constantinople, in which his troops were routed. At home he encouraged learning, codified laws, erected magnificent buildings and churches, including the famous Cathedral of St. Sophia, and founded (1039) a patriarchate in Kyiv. Yaroslav was in close contact with European dynasties; his daughters were married to Harold III of Norway, Andrew I of Hungary, and Henry I of France. Before his death Yaroslav divided his kingdom among his heirs, designating the oldest, Iziaslav, as grand duke of Kyiv. The others were told to obey Iziaslav as they had their father, but civil war ensued.

Yaroslav is pictured on the Ukrainian two Hryvni note with the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kyiv on the reverse.


The statue of Yaroslav the wise stands at: 49°47'28.74"N 30° 6'30.73"E

Holodomor Remembrance

Poster by Leonid Denysenko titled "Why!?"

Just a reminder that today is International Holodomor Memorial Day and this is the time of year that Ukrainians around the world remember the horrors of Holodomor, the genocide famine of 1932-1933. An estimated 7-10 million people starved to death at the hands of the Soviet government. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is urging all Canadians to let the world know the truth of this tragedy. Please read the testimonies and hear the stories of the survivors by clicking HERE. Many people here in Ukraine still live with these nightmares. Let us never forget.

Here's part of the testimony of Maria Katchmar:

"My [grandmother] gave my [mother] all her property – the barn, the land, and the livestock. Later they took it all away from us because they said we were kulaks. My father was sent to Siberia. They took all the livestock and told my father to drown it, but he said he’d rather sit in prison than drown the livestock. And he didn’t drown them, but other people did. They took everything from people. In our house, they broke all the windows, all the doors, all the paintings, and took all the linens, so that we couldn’t sleep in the house. So we slept outside. Our neighbor had a goat, and gave us glass of milk and some frostbitten potatoes every day. She ripped leaves off the trees and made pancakes, and that’s how she supported us. Mother went somewhere to find some food, and didn’t return until a month later. She brought us some beans and peas, but there was nothing to cook in, because they had broken all the pots. She borrowed a pot from our neighbor and cooked us some soup. She went again to look for food, but there was none. There was absolutely nothing to eat. We ate grass. Mostly we ate pancakes made of leaves and frostbitten potatoes that our neighbor gave us. That’s how she saved us. They took our land, our orchard, everything my grandmother had left for my mother. They said we were kulaks and didn’t have any right to it.

Almost everyone died. There was usually either just one man or one woman left [from each family]. Almost all the children died. Very few survived. Maybe some people had some gold that they could trade, but we didn’t have any. We had two cows, chickens and pigs – they took it all. What are you going to eat? There’s nothing left to eat. They didn’t bury anyone. A big cart that was used to haul cement, picked corpses up by the arms and legs, threw them on and took them to a pit.

They had a pit and threw them in, like mud. The pit was big enough for the entire village. Eight [of my siblings] died. There were ten of us, and two of us survived. I don’t know, I can’t fathom what misery this was. God forbid that anyone have to live through what I lived through. I remember sometimes now, and I don’t even want to think about it."

By the way, the current Russian government still officially denies that a genocide occurred.

Thanksgiving Birthday

Micah, Christy, Tanya, Kolya, Edna, Olya, and Dominic

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Claycamp family, our neighbor Olya, and our friends Tanya and Kolya. Dominic's 16th birthday was yesterday, so we celebrated that as well. It was fun explaining to our Ukrainian friends about the different traditional foods that we had prepared. "So why do you call it stuffing even though you didn't stuff it into anything?"

Olya and Tanya with Dominic in his new vyshyvanka

The best part was explaining that Thanksgiving was a day set apart to pray and thank God for all that He has given us and for the many ways He has blessed us throughout the year. Of course our Thanksgiving meal was actually a blend of Ukrainian and American dishes. It just seemed fitting since God has blessed us by bringing us to Ukraine and filling our lives with all these wonderful people who we otherwise would have never met.

Kolya gave Dominic this Bila Tserkva milk jug which was perfect because one of Kolya's favorite English phrases is "Dominic, drink milk!"

The J's (Jeremy, Joshua, Jaden, Justin, and Josie) watching "This is America, Charlie Brown" about the first Thanksgiving. It's surprisingly full of historical facts.

Justin especially liked Joshua's Soviet protective mask

Here's the cake I made for Dominic yesterday

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I'm so thankful for the path that God has placed us on and all the people and blessings along the way. We have so much to be thankful for.

More on Maxime

Maxime playing a little PlayStation

I just thought I'd give a little update on the life of Maxime for those following what is happening in his life. We have been in a three week quarantine period because of the flu epidemic reportedly sweeping through Ukraine. This has meant no school for Maxime, so he has been spending his time in the village where his grandparents own another home. Maxime has spent very little time in school since his father died, putting him even farther behind than he already is.

On Wednesday, Maxime's mother Vera came over and told us what happened while Maxime was away. She said that his grandmother, Luda, took her by the hair and dragged her into the street and told her never to come back that she was going to be Maxime's mother from now on. Vera left with only the clothes on her back from the "home" she has lived in for the last 14 years. Vera is now living with her parents and disabled sister. She is trying to get a job and get her life back together again. We are helping her with the cost of replacing Maxime's legal documents. The grandmother is insisting that his passport and other documents were stolen and has been lying to Maxime about the whereabouts of his mother and the reason she left.

Thankfully, today we saw Maxime talking to his mother outside, but his grandmother has done all she can to separate him from his mother. Edna and I agree that Vera needed to get her life together, but Maxime's grandmother has turned out to be a very cruel person. She gives Maxime money to buy candy and lets him stay home from school whenever he wants. For now, Maxime thinks that life with his grandmother is much better and has no desire to be with his mother who he believes has abandoned him. Maxime is also no longer allowed to go to church with us because his grandmother took him to an Orthodox church where he was supposedly baptized and is now a member of that church and no other. She also took away the Bible and children's Bible that we gave Maxime. She has replaced them with an Orthodox Bible printed in Old Church Slavonic, which of course he can't read.

Please pray for Maxime and for Vera. We know that God is using this situation to bring about positive change in their lives. We hope that Maxime will come to know the truth of what his grandmother is doing and that Vera would put her faith in Christ to give her strength.

Leaving Home

After much thought and prayer, we feel that God is moving us back to California. There are several factors involved in our decision to leave Ukraine. The most important reason being Edna's health and the progression of the conditions affecting her spine. Many of you have been following her progress through our blogs and we thank you for all of the prayers and encouraging words. Unfortunately Edna has gotten to the point where the pain and discomfort have made everyday life a struggle. She can't sit or stand for any period of time or even carry a bag of groceries without feeling pain. The medications that are available here deal with the swelling and inflammation, but they are also potentially damaging her kidneys. The medications that she received on our visit back to CA seemed to be helping, but they are not available here and an effort by a private doctor to get them from the U.S., France, or Russia was not successful. She would also benefit from physical therapy like the kind she received in CA, making our decision that much clearer.

So it is with heavy hearts that we have started the process of leaving what we consider to be our home here in Ukraine. This is not to say that we don't miss all of our friends and family back in CA, but we have spent the last 2 1/2 years pouring ourselves into the lives of those around us with the hope of making Christ known to them. We have made so many friendships here that we know will remain even after we leave, but we can't help feeling a sense of loss in leaving Ukraine. We feel as if there is still so much to be done here, but we know that God is moving us on and He has a plan for us.

Thank you to all of you who have already welcomed us back to CA. We will need your continued prayers and support as we are planning for a March 1st, 2010 departure date.

Swine Flu (H1N1) in Ukraine

Two Ukrainian girls cover their faces in Lviv

In the last few days it seems as though Ukraine has been hit hard by the swine flu, often referred to here as the "California Swine Flu" strain. All the news channels are buzzing about the epidemic that is filling all the hospitals and clinics with patients. It's an interesting situation as schools are being closed and quarantines are being implemented. It is likely that travel restrictions will also be imposed between regions. Please pray for Ukraine and all of us here.

Here are some exerts from the news:

From the Kyiv Post

Ukraine closed schools and banned public meetings including election rallies and restricted travel on Friday for a three-week period after confirming its first death from H1N1 flu.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko announced the measures, saying the virus had reached epidemic levels in three parts of western Ukraine, where there has been an outbreak of respiratory illness since mid-October.

"All educational institutions without exception ... will be put on a three-week holiday period," Tymoshenko said. She indicated this could be extended if necessary.

"Apart from this, we will cancel all mass meetings ... for three weeks," she told an emergency government session. "We will introduce a special system to stop unnecessary travel from one region to another."

"We are considering (imposing) a quarantine not only in the west but also across the country, because the virus is spreading very fast," Health Minister Vasyl Knyazevych told reporters.

In Lviv, the main town in one of the affected regions and normally bustling on a Friday, there were significantly fewer people on the streets. Those who were wore handkerchiefs and scarves across the lower part of their faces.

"There is nothing in the pharmacies. What can I say? There is no medicine at all?" said one woman, Maria Shalyazhinska, queuing outside a pharmacy.

"How come nobody knew this epidemic was coming? Children are sick. The elderly are sick. There are no masks. People are queuing and waiting for supplies to come but nobody knows if they will come or not."

The AFP reported:

Ukraine confirmed its first swine flu deaths, prompting Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to order schools and cinemas closed and ban public gatherings for three weeks to contain the spread of the virus.

The government will also introduce "special regimes" to limit the movement of Ukraine's citizens from one region to another for non-urgent purposes, she said. Ukraine has borders with four EU countries.

The prime minister's tough actions came as Ukraine confirmed four deats from the A(H1N1) virus, amid a growing panic over several dozen unexplained deaths in the west of the country.

"We can say today that Ukraine has entered into the zone of the swine flu epidemic," Health Minister Vassyl Kniazevich said.

It's interesting to note that these guys in Lviv had no problem lowering their surgical mask for a shot of horilka (vodka). The news said that we should be eating soups made with onion and beets, but no mention of horilka to fight off the flu. Maybe I missed that part.

Maxime Returns

Maxime opening up a little care package from America

Yesterday, Maxime returned from his trip to a sanatorium (a place for resting usually with very spartan accommodations) in the city of Zhytomyr. He spent the last twenty days there passing his time by playing on a small indoor playground. He said the food wasn't very good and it was mostly old people staying there. He was alone and had little more than the clothes on his back when he left here. I'm pretty sure he was glad to be back.

When Maxime came to our door we had a box of clothes waiting for him that had come from a family in Kansas. The box was packed full of clothes that he really needed and even a bag of Jolly Rancher candies that he was nice enough to share with Dominic and Joshua. Maxime later went to church with us and spent the night before going off to school this morning for the first time since his father died. He actually ate so much at dinner last night that he thought he was going to be sick. Thanks again to everyone who has offered to help out with Maxime. It has been much appreciated.

Maxime in his new clothes

A Walk in the Park with Friends

Edna, Valya, Olya, and Dominic in Park Oleksandria

On Saturday, our friends from Chernihiv came over to visit and spend the night with us here in Bila Tserkva after visiting a nearby orphanage. We had so much fun with these two crazy girls. The church in Chernihiv is fortunate to have them. I'm sure they're a blessing to the body of believers there.

Valya and Olya with a famous Chinese woman

On Sunday morning before church, we took them on a short tour of the park nearly walking Valya to death (but she still had fun). The Fall colors in the park are more spectacular each day.

Edna, Olya, Dominic, Joshua, and Valya enjoying the view.

Of course we couldn't let them leave without getting their picture with Taras, our hedgehog.

Thanks guys for all the laughter you filled our home with.

A Word of Thanks

Maxime in the village with puppies

We just wanted to say thank you to the people who have come forward to help Maxime. It means so much to us and to him that there are people out there that have never met him, yet still care about him. Thank you and God bless you.

Luncheon in Park Oleksandria with Olya

Olya and Halya unpacking the food as Joshua and Edna watch.

Yesterday our neighbor Olya knocked on our door and invited us to have a late lunch with her and her friend Halya in the park. She told us that they had waited for us because they knew we did school work with the boys in the morning. We had just finished the boys' school lessons so it was perfect timing. Dominic opted to stay home (his loss as Olya is famous with us for her delicious cooking). We knew by the smell of food making its way into our apartment that she had been cooking all morning. We quickly packed up a few things and headed for the park with her and her friend.

Some color in the park

I'm not sure exactly how long we stayed in the park (it was sunset when we left), but we had a lot of fun listening to the two women's stories and watching all the different people go by. There were the joggers that Olya jokingly asked if she could jog with. There was the lady with the old dog named Julia (who by the way was a male, the dog not the lady). She was afraid he was going to choke on the bone we gave him. There was the man on the scooter who was singing the whole time as he gathered grass, probably for his cow. There was a group of tourists from Kyiv who really wanted our picnic spot, but we politely refused to leave. There was the little old lady collecting bottles from the trash who we put together a bag of food for. There was the man on the bicycle who was filling jugs of water at a nearby spring and generously offered us some as he explained that God gives living water (the most profound statement of the day). There was a little stray dog and his female companion. The poor little guy had such a bad under bite, that we couldn't stop laughing every time he would come up to us to beg for more food. Then there were the two police officers who rode up to us on horses. They were nice enough and let me take their picture.

The police let us feed their horses some bread.

Olya, Edna, and Halya on the bank of the River Ros at sunset.

Sunset on the Ros.

Portrait of Distraction

Joshua trying to get through a homeschooling lesson.

Before coming back to Ukraine, Edna and I made the decision to keep the boys home from Ukrainian public school so that they could focus on homeschooling. We were worried that they were falling behind in things like English Language and Math. We were homeschooling before (just not as intensively), but having school twice a day was overwhelming for them.

We have been starting each weekday morning on a schedule that includes breakfast, devotions, and chores before their first lesson. Dominic is a good learner and needs minimal instruction, but Joshua needs constant supervision to keep him on task and focused. This is not to say he isn't learning, he's learning quickly, but Edna and I struggle through each lesson trying to minimize his distractions.

Our day looks something like this:

9:00 A.M. I start Joshua's math lesson.

9:15 A.M. We have already suffered through several distractions including, Joshua deciding to sing about something, Joshua stopping to turn ahead in his book, Joshua chasing after a fly, Joshua playing with his eraser, Joshua accidentally launching his pencil across the room narrowly missing my eye, and many other distractions of which we are far too familiar with.

10:30 A.M. Usually by this time we have made it through the lesson and math problems with minimal threats of discipline or comments about my mental stability. At this point Edna takes over while I help Dominic with his math. We usually bounce back and forth between the two of them, focusing on mainly on Joshua.

11:30 A.M. Hopefully by this time I'm cooking up a quick snack for the boys (and lunch for later) and we haven't had too many external distractions like Joshua's friend Yaroslav calling on the phone to see what Joshua is doing, Maxime ringing our door to see if Joshua is done with school (he goes to school in the afternoon), or a hunt for an escaped hamster because Joshua forgot to close the cage during his break.

2:00 P.M. All school work is completed by this time or earlier (Homework will be done later in the evening). By this time Edna and I are mentally and physically exhausted, but this is when we have a chance to get any shopping done,work around the house or plan for ministry. There are times when I expect to find Edna curled up in a fetal position under the kitchen table rocking back and forth repeating, "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue." Thankfully it hasn't gotten to that point, but we could really use your prayers.

I'm not writing this to rant or complain, but mainly in response to a question someone once asked me. "So if church is on Sunday, what do you do during your weekdays since you don't really work or anything?"

Picnic on Hidden Pond

Edna, Joshua, and Dominic next to the pond.

Today we decided to have a picnic as a family after a long busy week. We went to a place I call "Hidden Pond" because if you didn't know it was there, you'd walk right past it without seeing it through the thick vegetation. Since not very many people know it's there, it's a quiet place to go and enjoy God's creations.

Hidden Pond

It was nice to be together, eat some food, and simply relax among the changing colors. Hopefully we can take more of these excursions into the forest before the weather gets really cold. Sometimes we can become so involved with everything that is happening around us or the plans we've made, that we nearly forget to breathe. Even though our picnic didn't last long, it was a much needed break for all of us.

The beginning of Fall colors.