Day 16 - Thursday: Kiev

Today was a lot like yesterday, except that the weather is turning nice. I still needed my leather jacket but I did not button it and of course my leather hat to keep the heat in (80% of one’s heat is lost through the head.)

I cleaned my computer of all double documents (I have them in Word Perfect and Microsoft Word in many cases) and other programs that I no longer needed and discovered an additional 13 gigabits of free space. And that is great since I have been noticing my hard drive is beginning to act up.

O yes! Missions! That is why I am here.

Well, I have completed all necessary projects for this trip and have started planning for the fall trip. Also we are forced to register the college officially with the Ukrainian Government at this time. I knew this was going to happen but we were waiting on some other developments which have now fallen through. By doing this the workers will receive retirement from the government.

The problem is that the government taxes the employers 100%! That’s right! 100%! To get around this all employers pay a small salary and then give their employees what the Churches here call “blessings.” This sounds like it is dishonest and in our culture it would be. But here no business can make it if they do as the government says they require. So all employers pay the minimal amount that will qualify their employees for retirement and then find other ways to compensate them in addition. Churches will pay for the rent or own the apartments of their employees or will buy them a car and pay all expenses for it. They find many ways to get around the government’s outrageous taxes.

This will also allow us to officially rent facilities and do other business. The registration will be with a Church Union (similar to a denomination or fellowship of Churches). Andre Ivanov, who visited us in Ft. Myers in the fall of 06 has volunteered his union. This will probably be the union that I suggest the pastors in Chernivtsi join, because I have a special relationship with him and his wife, Ira.

Day 17 is a travel Day:

I have one suitcase packed and another ready to toss in the last few items in the morning for my 8:00 AM trip to Borispol – the main Kiev airport. I will change planes in Amsterdam (2 hours to do so) and then again in Detroit where I have three hours and finally arrive at RSW – Ft. Myers about 11:30 PM.

See you Sunday in Church!

God bless,
Dr. D.