Yesterday we were up at the main post office near the offices of the city and regional governments. We were mailing a package to Sonya with some of her things that she left behind from her summer stay with us. While Galina was speaking to a clerk, I noticed a beautiful seal that depicts Nikolaev. This may or may not be the official seal of the city. It is seen frequently around the city, but I also see other renditions. At the Post Office, I was once again aware that during Soviet years in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and all the other republics, there must have been a czar who was in charge of defining which jobs were for men and which for women. Post Office jobs in the Soviet Union belonged to women. That is still the case in Russia and Ukraine. I thought back to my time as a boy and all the men that we used to see sorting mail at the Post Offices where my family lived in North Carolina and Alabama. I remember that several men had pretty decent paying postal jobs and they also preached the gospel. In the USSR, a man could drive a truck that brought mail, and have an executive job "upstairs", but no men were seen by the public when you visit a post office. That is the same in Russia and Ukraine, at least in my limited experiences in a few Russian and Ukrainian cities. This immediately caught my attention in 1993 when I applied for my first P.O. Box in Khabarovsk. (P.O. Box 1020) I didn't see a single man working at this central post office and I thought it was odd. But, then as the years go by, I suppose it would now seem odd to see a man here working at the post office. We should be very thankful for the opportunities that our daughters and granddaughters have these days. However, in God fearing countries, there should always be jobs available for men so that they can have a family with a wife who may choose to spend her time with the children and managing the household. This is not to decry the mothers who also work alongside their husbands in the family business, or those who go into careers in the marketplace or other areas. However, the scriptures make it plain that couples should have God first and raise children with knowledge of Jesus Christ and the whole Bible. In the Soviet system, couples more or less turned their children over to the government to look after them and educate them from the earliest ages. That is why there are still so many of these institutions that take in orphans. Some parents still think it is the problem of the state to look after the babies they bring into the world. We must continue to work to spread the gospel of love that honors parents and their children as gifts from God. Thank you for the prayers for our work. Today we are scheduled to visit the Boys Home. It didn't work out yesterday since they are in the middle of all this remodeling. We are not completely certain if they will want us this morning at 11.00, but we are hoping to see them. Last night, Olamide - one of the maritime students from Nigeria who is a member of the congregation, informed me by Facebook message service that he will be in town this week. We have been missing him this summer and hope that he is ready to resume his Bible studies.Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you. (1 Timothy 4:16)
O LORD God Almighty, our Dear Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for hearing our prayers on this new day as we bask in the prolific blessings from your amazing grace and mercy. Give your wisdom to each person who preaches the gospel so that we will not go along with a popular cry of the man not the plan. Help everyone to understand that without your great plan to save man, no Man would have suffered and died to save us from our sins. Awaken within the leaders of all congregations a desire to know the difference between false doctrine and the true gospel of Jesus Christ. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Вникай в себя и в учение; занимайся сим постоянно: ибо, так поступая, и себя спасешь и слушающих тебя. (1-е Тимофею 4:16 Russian)
Уважай на самого себе та на науку, тримайся цього. Бо чинячи так, ти спасеш і самого себе, і тих, хто тебе слухає! (1 Тимотей 4:16 Ukrainian)
Ten cuidado de tu conducta y de tu enseñanza. Persevera en todo ello, porque así te salvarás a ti mismo y a los que te escuchen. (1 Timoteo 4:16 Spanish NVI)
No comments:
Post a Comment