Chapter 16
8-10-2014 –
The morning started out very well, though the continued lack of water is incredibly difficult. Church was very good, and encouraging. It is great to come weekly set aside some time to come together to encourage one another, in a not so encouraging environment. One focus was how to help our church members, and how to channel help to the community. Looking at ‘what’ we were able to do, we decided to pool our 6-liter containers, and any other water container, and drive to Novghorosk to fill and distribute to the community. After a wonderful compote and bounty of fruit for a light lunch, we gathered all our bottles and left for Novghorosk. Arriving at a home, Sasha talked with the bespectible owner, it seemed as though he knew him, the man graciously told us to ‘help yourself’. We had 73 – 6 liter containers, and 22 – 1 ½ liter containers, and a few odds and ends. The process lasted about 1 ½ hours, relatively quickly for the number of containers we had. We drove back to Dz., going back through the same check point that we drove through on the way. The UA army men were respectful and polite, though official; such a different scenario from the previous regime that held that same checkpoint. We arrive back to Dz. and start distribution. People were very thankful, and profusely told us. We used this opportunity to minister to them, explaining that we used our God given resources to benefit the most, and that God loves them and desires a relationship with them. Everyone listened, and Nastia’s mother has requested times and places for worship! Exciting!!
RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) goes sideways:
You’re thinking way too much like an American, if you think that help is always wanted and embraced. Today was such an occasion. During church this morning. Ira, mentioned that my old house in Seravna (North) district was hit by a bomb. When I first started this work in UA, we were in a different location across town. As our work became more intense with orphans and shelter children, we decided to move closer to the area that is home to these groups. The internot (where orphan school age children live and attend school) and the orphan shelter (temporary housing for orphans), is just a few blocks from one another, but fairly far from the Servana district. Seems the separatists are still shooting in the direction of Dzerzhinsk, and they can only reach the Servna/Artema district. Unfortunately people in that area think that the UA army is doing this shelling, ‘why’ they think that can only represent what they hear on the T.V. propaganda news. So, today, during water deliveries, we were in that area, and I wanted to go by and check with my former neighbor, Andrei to see if he needed anything. Andrei has always been very nice to me, and for years he kept an eye on our adjoining house, when I was in the states. He is a Christian, miner, and a strong family man, with 3 daughters. Years ago, Sveta, his (former) wife, left him, leaving him to single parent the girls. I always tried to give the girls something special from the aide when I would come for a visit, as he didn’t have much in the way of ‘extra’ money to spend on them. So, when I heard that ‘our’ house (the house is a duplex, he on one side, us on the other) had been hit, I wanted to make every effort to help him. Sasha and I had completed our ‘water’ run, and we were on the way to the Servana house, when I saw a man in the road with a motorcycle nearby. My thinking was, he needs help…we have at the very least water to wash his serious wounds. I pulled over and Sasha jumped out to assist. I got the water, and he took it over to help, I pretty much stayed out of the way. About 10 minutes passed, and his knee had a serious puncture wound and would not stop bleeding. I have a first aid bag (thank you Judy Henderson) in the car, so I grabbed it looking for gauze, when the man made a comment at me about being an American. I never said a word, nor could we figure out how he figured it out, but he stood up, threw the jug of water to the ground, and started to come at me, when his knee gave way. He threaten to kill me, and said that ‘I’, an American started this war’. Calling me several horrible names, along with our government, he cursed me over and over. His daughter (about 11) who was on her bike (so it seems maybe they live close by), kept saying, ‘Papa, she is a good lady, she is trying to help you…she isn’t doing anything to you but give you water, and help.’ He yelled at her, telling her to ‘shut-up’, but she repeated it again, when he called me more bad names. Sasha all the while is trying to calm him, though he is yelling very loudly. Sasha told me to get in the van and be ready to leave. He tried to calm the man, but he wasn’t going to calm. Sasha desperately tried to stop the bleeding of his knee, but he was too agitated and though yelling at me, ‘thanked’ Sasha for stopping, at which Sasha replied, ‘it was my friend (me), who insisted we stop and help you.’ It was all sort of amazing, yet sad, because he couldn’t discount the fact that I stopped to help him, but I represented a government that he believes caused this war. I can only assume, he was trying to wrap his mind around all that, but couldn’t do it. Additionally, I predict he was in shock, from the injuries of the accident. And lastly, I think he was pretty upset with himself, as he wrecked his motorbike, scattering his cell phone in pieces across the road. I discreetly shot photos prior to the outburst, he didn’t know or see me doing it, so that wasn’t the issue either… I was thankful I could leave with my life, as sadly, RAK takes a sharp 180…