Other than the heat pushing over 90F in some places, it was a great day to be outside. The sun was shining, there was a breeze, and I got to do a lot of walking. Oh, and I didn't get lost either. It was my first official time out by myself without a guide. I planned the route before leaving so I had a rough idea where I was going. I also had been there last year so unfamiliarity wasn't an issue. The only things that had changed were the locations of some street vendors.
It's an interesting experience walking around a foreign city not knowing the language or the exact directions to get somewhere. I wasn't looking at every corner as a potential hiding spot for trouble but I was wary. It's just good policy to be cautious in a new or unfamiliar place. I think that, while nothing bad happened this time, I'll be cautious for a long time to come.
From this point on, I'd like to editorialize and educate a little bit. So be prepared that this isn't directly related to the ministry here. There is a little correlation but that's at the end. I want to talk about war. Specifically, the war that Russia claims it isn't propagating but actually is.
Bear with me as I provide a bit of back story. It seems that someone at camp picked up the local bug-of-the-month at camp. It made it's way through much of the staff and I finally got it Tuesday. After slightly over two days of being sick, I finally had enough and had to get out. I went for a walk today to get some exercise and some fresh air.
I decided to walk somewhere I'd been before. That way the area would be familiar and I could see things that I didn't have time for on the last occasion I visited. I chose the park around the WWII museum called The Ukrainian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War. It's a Soviet-era museum dedicated to the history of WWII in Ukraine. I didn't go inside but there are a lot of interesting sights outside and around the Motherland statue. She is 62 meters (over 203 feet) tall! I'd recommend it if you're ever in Kiev and have an free afternoon to spend.
But before I got to the statue, there was a display of some damaged military vehicles. Each was accompanied by a sign in Russian, Ukrainian and English. These vehicles are examples of the equipment fielded by the separatists and rebels. Each of these had equipment and furnishings provided by Russian companies to Russian troops that the Ukrainian army does not have. These weren't battlefield-castoffs by the Ukrainian army. Many of these types of vehicles found on the battlefield have Russian military markings. The third vehicle (with the rocket launcher tubes), according to the display plaque, had ballistic charts issued by a Russian military base.
Each plaque held this phrase at the bottom.
"This item is a material evidence of crimes committed by
pro-Russian militant groups supported by the Armed Forces
of Russian Federation at the territory of Ukraine."
It's
evidence like this that the world continues to ignore. They ignore it
because the alternative is world-war. However, the last time someone
allowed unchecked theft of land and livelihoods on this continent,
Austria and Czechoslovakia were ceded to the Nazis prior to WWII. Color
me naive but the latest Munich agreements are looking an awful lot like
the Munich Agreement of 1938.
Walking around the WWII park today showed me more clearly than a news article what is happening in this country. I've been reading the news about the war since May or June of 2014 but now I can understand a little more clearly what this country faces. These bullet-scarred, explosives-damaged vehicles from the battlefield are a testament to the lies and subterfuge coming from Russia.
Moving on from the rant. Yes, I know I biased the framing of that last photo a little bit. As an American, it's hard not to root for the underdog. It is, however, a great example of the struggle the Ukrainian army is up against. They are fighting a military that has much larger resources while they make do with small donations from the civilians and foreign governments. So far they have been doing an heroic job of it. But it's been tough.
As I write this, I'm not greatly worried. But the Ukrainian people are. They are very worried about what is happening to their country. They are worried that they have been forgotten. They want to know what the rest of the world thinks is happening here. Yesterday I had to tell a good friend that most people in the US don't even know what is happening here. She had asked what people think about the downing of MH17 last year. I had to explain that many people in the States are more concerned with a geriatric lion shot by a dentist or the latest political scandal than what is happening on the other side of the world. It's a discussion we've had in the past. People tend to only look at what is in front of them. And when what's in front of them is part of a narrative focusing only on their own country, most people can't be bothered to look elsewhere. In this case "out of sight, out of mind" is more pejorative than happy-go-lucky cliche.
I know it's difficult to have a global view when your front lawn is burning. But if there's one thing you take away from this post, it is this. Please pray for this country and it's people. Obviously there are a lot of people in this world that need prayer. Well over seven billion by now. But if you are reading this, you at least have some interest in what is happening here. I'm glad I can help keep you informed. I'm also glad I can be here. People are surprised every time I tell them that I'm staying for longer than a just a week. I hope that surprise will lead to conversations about why I'm really here.
I had hoped to get to bed at a reasonable time but I guess that wasn't to be. It's getting close to midnight now. Oh well. Friday night is an English Club night at the church office and I'm the resident "expert" until David Purvis gets back and we start regular meetings again. It won't be a normal meeting. Just a night of games, discussion and fun. More like a game night with some friends. I'll let you know how it goes. Goodnight.
Update 08/18/15: If you want to keep up with news stories from Ukraine, I suggest these two sites. The first keeps record of war-related news along with tracking the evidence of Russian involvement. The second is an English-language newspaper that covers local and worldwide news.
http://en.censor.net.ua/
http://www.kyivpost.com/
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