No Achohol???

I couldn't believe my eyes! But that's what the sign said. "No achohol will be sold in this store on the days of May 25,26."

What's going on here? What are the people in this town going to do if they can't buy beer for two days?! I mean beer is bought here like Coke or some other soft drink.

But why? That was my question. Why aren't they selling beer on these two specific days?

John asked his tutee and this is what he told him. The pope is coming to Poland on this weekend and all the cities he will be visiting will not sell achohol during the duration of his visit! It feels a little like God is coming to visit this country. I guess our little store in Minsk was just honoring his visit to the country, becausethe pope wasn't planning to stop in our town.

But that doesn't stop the achoholics, John's tutee told him. They just stock up the day before for the days that none will be sold in the stores.

I heard that Pope Benedict held a mass in Warsaw. Almost 300,000 people attended! One lady commented on the news, "I know that this pope isn't Polish or anything, but we still think of him as our pope."

This German pope--we heard he was a former German soldier (!!!???)--is visiting Auschwitz to pray for the departed souls that were cruelly killed there, and of course, he is visiting Southern Poland, the home of the former pope, the beloved Pope John Paul II, who was a Pole and died just over one year ago and would have made his regular visit to his home country this year.

To my ears, all this seems very strange. Something isn't right here. This country honors this man enough to even control what is sold in their stores, but where is their respect for God? God is present in this country every day of the year, but that doesn't stop the sin around us. That doesn't make any difference in their everyday lives. That doesn't stop stores from selling their beer.

But one weekend visit from the great Pope of the Roman Catholic Church is considered a sacred historical event and changes even the merchandise that stores are selling across this country. I'm still shaking my head.

One of Those Days...

How can I explain how I felt? It was one of those times that my heart sunk to the very tip of my little toe.

I was happily sewing my last dress for the summer season, feeling a great feat was about to be accomplished. How I wanted to celebrate after this last seam was finished! With gusto, I pressed the pedal a bit harder. What in the world? The pieces didn't match up. One was a good 6 inches shorter than the other. Did I get the wrong piece? Impossible--this was the last piece to put together!! Maybe I got ahold of the scraps? I looked carefully. I examined it closely. What was the problem. Then I noticed a big, jagged gouge cut right out of the bottom of my skirt!!! Oh, no!

Then I turned to look into two guilty eyes. "Mom, I thought that was your scraps. I didn't know it was your dress." Her eyes pleaded me to understand. And really, it was my fault. I always allowed Allison to play sewing with the scraps of material while I sewed. I had lain the skirt on a nearby table and how did she know that it wasn't the scraps that I usually lay aside?

I can't describe the feeling I had at this moment. I wanted to be angry, but at whom? I wanted to cry, but for what? Really, there was nothing to do. I couldn't cut another skirt because there wasn't enough material. I couldn't hide it in a seam, because it was to big of a hole. So, after laying aside all my pride at the thought of my beautiful new Sunday dress, I patched it, and decided it will be my first beautiful house dress. A lesson learned indeed!

Latest Joke

Recent conversation heard between my two youngest:

Derek: Alli, I have a joke for you. If you were going to be executed...
Alli: Whhhhat? What's that?
Derek: You know, like getting your head chopped off...now, if you were going to be killed which room would you choose?
Alli: (from the shower) Whhhhhhhhaaaattttt?
Derek: (repeats joke)
Alli: Whhhhhhhhaaaaaaaattttt?
Derek: Okkkayyy! (sigh) I'll say it one more time (repeats)
Alli: Derek, I can't hear you!!!!!!
Derek: Alliiiiii, you have your ears covered.
Alli: Derek, just wait until I get out of the shower. Ok?
Derek: I won't tell it then.
Alli: Okkkkayyyyy! Tell me again.
Derek: Now, if you were going to be killed which room would you choose? a room with lions that hadn't eaten in three years, a room with a fire, or a room full of soldiers?
Alli: uuuuuuhhhhhmmmmmm! None of them!!!
Derek: You HAVE to choose one!!!
Alli: Ok, I think a room with fire.
Derek: Hee! hee! hee! hee! A room with lions that haven't eaten for three years. 'Cuz they'd be dead. Hee! Hee!

Weekend Retreat

Our small church group here spent this weekend together at a local church retreat. This place is run by a dedicated Christian couple that work hard to give you a wonderful time. We had such a good time connecting and learning to know each other in new ways.

One of the purposes of the weekend was to give everyone that attends our church a chance to tell their life story and show how God has worked in their personal lives. This was scary for most of us, but especially those who aren't used to being open about themselves. It was so encouraging. We heard how God protected specifically one man's life during the war and how God pursued him until he was ready to give his whole life to God.

A dear sister shared that she was Catholic when she married a Christian man, and it took 13 years before she gave her heart to God. Another sister found that in loneliness God spoke to her and that he was faithful as He was drawing her to himself. A new Christian testified that little details in her life pointed her to God and she remembered exact times that God knocked on her door. We saw God at work in all our lives, but in many different situations.

We all had our story and how God moved and worked in our lives...through joy...through pain...through tradegy...through family...through church. We spent time praying over each person individually and this again was something new, but very special for the Polish people and all of us.

We enjoyed a bonfire, roasted marshmallows, endured mosquitos, enjoyed after-hour snacks, solved a treasure hunt, built balloon towers with scotch tape, sang together, encouraged each other, searched for a lost dog, laughed, cried, and prayed together.

And the setting was so peaceful. Sometimes living in town, I forget how fresh and clean nature is. And how good the air smells, how sweetly birds sing, how the wind whispers through the trees. We returned home refreshed and ready to renew our responsibilities this week. Thank you, God, for giving us this time of drawing us all together.

Our Four children

Since I figured out how to post pictures, I will share some pictures we took of the children for our prayer cards. Meet our family:

Allison age 6

Derek age 7
Austin age 11Conrad age 13

Chocolate Chips!!?? Oh, Joy!!!

Now, I know you won't understand how estatic I was when I found bags of chocolate chips in my freezer, but it made me quite happy.

Poland stores, with their aisles overflowing in European chocolate, don't sell a single chocolate chip. I have tried to use their wonderful chocolate bars and create, you know, "chocolate chunk" recipes. But since it isn't baking chocolate, the chocate runs everywhere in a sticky mess. So, whenever possible I ask friends to bring me chocolate chips from America.

When John's nephews came for a visit in February, I sent them a list of things that they could fill their suitcases with if they had room. Of course, I included chocolate chips. I failed to tell them, though, that I was then using my last bag. I was indeed grateful for the two bags they brought, but I realized that it wouldn't last until furlough.

So, I began scouring my recipe books for cookie recipes, cakes, and things that don't take chocolate chips. In my opinion, a cookie just isn't quite a cookie unless it is dotted with chocolate. I resigned myself to making desserts like raisin drops, carrot cake, chess cake bars, peanut butter cookies, molasses crinkles, and snickerdoodles. I even found myself even enjoying the new discovered recipes.

But, the other day, you can't imagine my joy when I opened my freezer to find, yes, a whole stack of chocolate chip bags at the bottom of my freezer. Oh, wonderful!!! I can't think who brought them or when, but are they ever good.

First, I had to eat a whole handful just to make sure they were real. And now, I'm beginning to think about chocolate chip cookies, blond brownies, cheesecake brownie dessert, and all the other cookie recipes I have loaded with these magical chips that I can once again indulge in until summer.

The dear 95 year old believer we met in Ukraine. She was preparing dinner when we arrived, but she had time to tell us all about her life. You would be amazed at the stories she can tell about her life and how God has kept her through the years.

Memories! Memories! Memories!

How can we possibly put into words our weekend trip? Another country, another language, a completely different world for us. Wayne and Connie Hursh and family sent us a list of memories.

1. Bumpy Berezyanka Road.
All the roads were bumpy, but the one to the Berezyanka village to go to church Sunday morning took the prize. Think roller coaster, think huge potholes, think about driving a truck through a field, think about hills and valleys. Yes, it was really that bad.

2. Visiting Baba Anya, and listening to her inspiring stories.
What a dear lady and what a testimony. She is 95 years old, lives by herself in this poor apartment, up five flights of steps, and she can't stop talking about how God has kept her during her life. She has been a church member for 10 years now and a vibrant Christian. She continually thanks God that she can still read the Bible.

3. Mt. Dew from Poland!
We blessed Wayne's with a case of Mountain Dew and they were so happy with the luxury. I also stuck in some frappe, some cream of mushroom soup, and some other goodies from Poland.

4. Making the holy candles into irreverent cinnamon rolls and snakes.
We spent one day in the capital city, Kiev. We visited a catacomb beneath an Orthodox church, where, as I understand it, priests are encased in glass coffins and people can go there to pray to them. All the women and girls had to cover their heads and wear skirts. We carried beeswax candles during our "pilgrimage" and they were still quite long by the end. We were enjoying bending them into all sorts of shapes when an orthodox priest nearby took great offence. These people are devout and very conservative.

5. Visiting the Tall man and his outhouse.
Did you know the tallest living man lives in a poor little house in Ukraine and works in his garden with his mother when he could be world famous and make money just letting everyone shake his enormous hand? Wayne and Connie took us with them to deliver a seed parcel to him to use in his garden. He is 8 feet and 4 inches tall. His shoes are size 27 and were specially made by a believing cobbler that Waynes knew about. I had to think of Goliath when I saw him and how scared David must have been. And the outhouse was another story. Connie says their children have learned to hold their bladders for maybe even 7 hours at a time. But we all needed a bathroom NOW, so we walked out around their buildings to find...well, just imagine about the stinkiest outhouse you ever saw.

6. McDonalds in Kiev.
What a treat for all the children. Waynes live about 2 hours from Kiev in a small village. The day we were in the city we had to visit the double arches. Was it ever tasty!

7. Swarming Cemetery
We were there over an Orthodox holiday. Families assemble at the graveyards and eat lunch at the picnic tables at the cemetery. On the grave of their loved ones they place some meat, egg, and drink, I think it was, for their departed has something to eat. By the next morning, it has disappeared. Unfortunately, it isn't the departed that has eaten, but all the drunks in the country get quite a feast one day in the year.

8. Conrad's somersault bikeride and the mountain pie supper.
We were impressed how beautiful the country was. Lakes everywhere. Not far from Waynes was a lake that we drove to for a mountain pie supper to celebrate Meesha's birthday. Yummy! Was it ever good! On the way home, it was very dark, and Conrad was riding a bike that needed to get home. He rode between the two vans so he could see where to go. Well, he didn't see everything. He was riding quite fast when his front bike wheel landed in a small deep hole, flipped him over the handlebars and the bike landed on top of him. He crawled out without any broken bones although he was a little sore the next day.

9. Blowing Bubbles of fun!

10. Beautiful singing by our two families!

11. Connie and Laura's love life stories! :)

And...we could tell you yet about our three encounters with the Ukrainian policemen, the four hour wait at the border, how familiar and good Poland looked when we crossed over the border...but that would take a lot more of your time. It was a good experience to see another culture, visit another mission and see how they do things, and just get encouragement from other Americans surviving in foreign countries.