Saturday, October 4

An exciting event has been the return of the water heater – we have HOT WATER! You can actually feel “clean” and refreshed. It is amazing how much you take for granted when you have it and then miss whatever it is when you do not – even such a simple thing as being able to take a shower with warm water cascading down upon you.

Marilyn and Oksana went for a walk with the express purpose of going to see Nadya a girl who has done a lot of translation work with us in the past. They did find her at her work and received a warm welcome. We hope she will join us in service Sunday evening.

Because of the 600th Anniversary Celebration downtown today and with the President and Premier of Ukraine here we were not able to have any services. But we spent the evening with Pastor Vitaliy and Ira Pavalenko at a very nice restaurant outside of Chernivtsi. We had a small dinning room in a courtyard area that would seat at the most comfortably six. The portions and quality of the food was excellent. But as we were surprised at the order in which the food was brought to us. The waitress brought the salad – so far so good. Then she brought my side plate of roasted potatoes – it turned out to be a large plate. We asked about the soup and were told that they served it after the second course. That means, eat the salad, the potatoes, then your soup (salanka) and then she brought my meat.

The others had their meals brought to them in a similar manner. Then we were asked about desert. But when asked about Marilyn’s main course – her meat plate which was plate of verenika (meat filled dumplings) we were told that it was presently being cooked and would be out shortly. So we told her to be sure and bring it before she brought the desert. When all was said and done, the evening was great, the food was superb and our stomachs accepted the order in which it was placed in its care.

We were able to continue sharing pastoral philosophy about caring for God’s sheep, working with pastors of other denominations and persuasions and how to handle those delicate areas that arise with relationships. Not all apostolic ministry is in the pulpit. In fact the majority of it is directly to the pastors and leadership.

Marilyn has an 11:00 meeting with a lady who was one of the former staff pastors of a Church which underwent a devastating trauma. She hasn’t been able to get back to even attending Church at this time. Remember her in your prayers.

Our final service here will be Sunday evening and then we journey back to Kiev for a day and one half then on to Donetsk.

Dr. D. & Marilyn