Under the Jasmine Tree

Liliia often visits an elderly home in Ragozov, bringing tea, bread, sausages, sweets, and other food items, books, medicine, glasses, or whatever else is needed that she can find. She visits with the people there to talk with them, hear their stories, read to them, and sometimes wash their wounds or cut their hair. This so called hospital is in dismal condition. The people living there are there because they don't have somewhere else they can go. Liliia told me once on the way to Ragozov that these people are orphans, too. I think about that every time I visit with her.

When I do go along with Liliia I often feel overwhelmed and don't know how to be helpful. The last two times I went with her she had the idea for me to take Oleg outside for some fresh air while she visited with the remaining patients. Oleg can't walk and usually must spend the whole day in bed. Liliia found a wheelchair and we brought him outside for a stroll in the sun. After our walk we parked Oleg's wheelchair under a jasmine tree, and Liliia suggested I sit with him for the rest of our visit. I was happy to have something I could do, but I was tense and anxious the first few minutes, trying to do something withe the time. I quickly ran out of questions and comments I could share with Oleg in Ukrainian and we both fell into silence.

There we were, sitting side-by-side and yet universes apart. And yet, were we? I don't know how to describe it, but it was beautiful to sit there even in silence and just be together. We couldn't do anything for each other, but we could be there together, enjoying colors, flowers, clouds, chickens, sunlight, a gentle breeze.

Gypsy Camp August 2018

From July 22nd to August 7th, I joined some friends on a trip to Mukachevo, a town far west in Ukraine to help with a project and a couple of kids camps in different Roma communities.

The first week we helped some friends in a Roma village in Luchky clean and paint their church and classrooms. It was crazy hot and a lot of work, but we had help from another team and some of the ladies from the village who came almost every day to help us on top of their usual daily work. One of the days we took a break and ate sandwiches with the ladies who were helping us. We talked about their families and how many children they had or wanted to have. They were surprised and devastated to learn that I was 29 and still unmarried without children of my own. Usually, girls in the village are married by 15 or 16.

We didn't prepare a camp for the kids this trip since we were asked to help with renovations instead, but we were able to still play Frisbee and have a short "discovery" lesson about horses (the people and kids in Luchky love horses), and a discussion about what Jesus meant when he said that he is "the light of the world."

We look forward to returning to Luchky next month for another project and kids camp.

After the church and classrooms were all painted, we had a day of rest before starting camps with a local family who puts together kids camps in several different gypsy communities.

While in Mukachevo, we were able to see a blood moon. The total lunar eclipse also coincided with Mars being unusually close to the Earth, so we got to see the moon appear to turn deep red as well as Mars gleaming like a bright ruby just beneath the moon. The night was clear so we all went to the top of the castle in Mukachevo to witness the rare event. While we gazed at the moon, Liliia commented how beautiful it was that some things God gives to us to enjoy for free, that no matter if you were the richest or poorest person in Mukachevo, fortunate or unfortunate, we could all enjoy this scene. And it made me think of the justice and mercy of God, who "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5:45). Roma communities endure constant injustice as do most unprivileged communities. There has been a growing number of attacks on Roma people in Ukraine. In April, the far-right group C14 burnt down tents in a Roma camp in Kyiv and chased people out. In other cases people were murdered. Our friends in Luchky are afraid. The systematic injustice is overwhelming. I'm grateful for this small specific moment when everyone in Mukachevo and the surrounding villages could enjoy the same beautiful scene.

Next we joined another ministry for two three day camps in to other Roma communities. The team, camps, and kids were mostly new to us but we enjoyed getting to know them and swapping ideas to make both of our camps better and more importantly, how to love the people in these communities well.

Please pray as we prepare to return to Luchky next month. If we can, we will help the people of Luchky dig a new well and we will have a camp for the kids centered on the fruits of the Spirit and different professions.

View from the train

Painting adventures

 Having a picnic lunch in the shade

Some of the kids kept asking Liliia when she would stop painting and play with them. She is close to their hearts and they to hers. 

 The living conditions in Luchky are difficult, but the land is beautiful.

 Taking a snack break from the sweltering heat during our second kids camp.