June 23, 2012
-
A Miracle on the Metro
We have had a great week here in Kiev! God is directing our steps and continues to increase our ministry and influence. Praise Him!
God is providing a growing list of people we have met who need to know Jesus. We are praying daily for this list of friends and are looking for God’s open doors in conversations. God is also opening more doors for me to interact with pastors here in Kiev. At the same time, I have had some initial conversations with other pastors outside Kiev. Our call to the CIS is wrapped up in the pastors across these countries. We are called to discipleship, leadership development, and theological education (with the focus of all three areas being the pastors).
Our grasp of the Russian language grows daily. I have to admit it seems like we are moving at a snail’s pace, but when we realize that we have only been here for 2 ½ months, it helps encourage me. I called a taxi driver yesterday and ordered a taxi for Sunday morning. He does not speak any English. I was able to tell him our names, where we needed picked up, when we needed the taxi, where we were going, and ask about his prices. I understood him, and he understood me. So, we are celebrating the “little victories” daily.
This past week I had the fun privilege of attending an international soccer game that was a part of the Euro Cup 2012 tournament. The Euro Cup (and soccer) is a huge event each year and is being held this year in Poland and Ukraine. The government built a brand new soccer stadium in Kiev to hold some of these matches. On Tuesday night, with three other men, I was able to attend the Sweden vs. France game. France was the favorite, and since I didn’t have a favorite team, I decided to root for the underdog… Sweden. Sweden came out on top… 2-0! It was an incredible experience and a great time with new friends!
This week also involved a miracle on the metro! We wanted to go to a particular store that is a few metro stops from our home. I decided to make it a daddy/daughter date with Sarah. The physical journey is an interesting one for people from the States. We walked about 10 minutes, boarded a marshrutka (mini-bus) for a 5 minute ride to the Metro station, got on the Metro green line for two stops, transferred from the green line to the blue line, took the Metro blue line for three stops, and then finally walked 10 more minutes to reach our destination (total one-way trip of about 1 hour)!
On the way back, Sarah and I were transferring from the blue line to the green line. This transfer includes a ride on an escalator. There are many people in the metro stations with many potential dangers, and so we always are extra attentive with the kids. Sarah and I were on the downside of the escalator (about 30 feet from the bottom of the track) when all of a sudden Sarah began to scream. I looked down and her tennis shoe had become lodged between the metal of the moving stairs and the wall of the escalator. As the escalator continued to move, it seemed that her foot was going deeper. My only thought was, “Sarah’s foot is NOT going to still be stuck by the time we get to the bottom of the escalator!” I reached down and grabbed Sarah’s calf and pulled. Her foot came right out of her shoe… leaving the shoe lodged between the metal stair and the escalator wall… Sarah still screaming.
It all happened so fast. I was unaware of how things looked around me. There must have been a lot of movement of others because the operator stopped the escalator quickly. Soon there were about 7-8 officials surrounding me, of course speaking Russian. In the moment, I didn’t even think to speak the little Russian I know. Only English came out
! Within one minute an official with very good English came to see if Sarah was ok.
I later realized that her foot was uninjured, but she continued to scream thinking that all of these officials were doctors and were going to hurt her… LOL. Everyone was very nice and very relieved that we escaped without injury. It could have been very bad. We thank God for the miracle He performed that day!
On Friday of this week, I helped a team of about 10 people unload an entire semi truck load of Crisis Care Kits and School Pal Packs from the Church of the Nazarene in America. These supplies will help show the love and compassion of Christ to orphanages and underprivileged children across Ukraine.
For the past 18 years of ministry, I have been on the other end of this… preparing these bags and boxes for the mission field. This week I was on the receiving end. I have no idea how many boxes we unloaded, but they filled a large room at the church (floor to ceiling)! I was overwhelmed as I looked at the mailing addresses of these boxes… Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, California, Indiana, New Hampshire, and on and on. One box was from Ossian Church of the Nazarene, a small church not far from our hometown in Indiana. One box had the name, Sonya Nixon, on it… a childhood friend of mine. What a blessing to see the church loving the church across the miles!
This coming week is an important week for us in our visa application process. We would greatly appreciate your prayers!
Comments (1)
Scott, Jenni, Bekah, and Sarah: I LOVE your blogs!!! I look for them each week—wanting them to be longer and longer!!!! Praise the LORD the foot miracle!!! LOVE you ALL so much and am SO proud of what you are doing!!!
Joy Lou