WORD OF THE DAY - 02 February 2011 Nikolaev, Ukraine

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" (Matthew 17:5 NASB)

Когда он еще говорил, се, облако светлое осенило их; и се, глас из облака глаголющий: Сей есть Сын Мой Возлюбленный, в Котором Мое благоволение; Его слушайте. (От Матфея 17:5 Russian)

Як він ще говорив, ось хмара ясна заслонила їх, і ось голос із хмари почувсь, що казав: Це Син Мій Улюблений, що Його Я вподобав. Його слухайтеся! (Матей 17:5 Ukrainian)

Y estando aún él hablando, he aquí una nube de luz que los cubrió; y he aquí una voz de la nube, que dijo: Este es mi Hijo amado, en el cual tomo contentamiento: á él oíd. (Mateo 17:5 Spanish)

Almighty God, our dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for making it possible for us to experience another joy filled day as we bask in your overwhelming generosity and kindness. Give people of all religious backgrounds the wisdom to pay closer attention to the teachings of Jesus Christ since He alone came directly from your Throne in Heaven to be a substitute for our sins and to teach us the Way of Salvation. All apostles and prophets bow before Jesus, therefore dear God help us to be truly humble and respectful toward the doctrine of Christ that is revealed in the Scriptures. Give us clear minds and courage to reject the philosophies of mortal men who are so bold that they dare to be diametrically opposed to our wonderful Savior. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

In this photo, you may be able to notice the glaze on the icy part of the sidewalk. That is the zone where many young folks skate down the sidewalk, while wiser and more mature folks see the crunchy area along the sides. This year seems to be the year of snow for most folks living in the northern hemisphere. Maybe we'll just have to develop better systems to deal with it.

Our Post Office is beginning to look like a new place. We will miss the massive old wooden double door system that was previously the portal through which we passed when retrieving our mail. Remodeling jobs often overlook the beauty of the original design. I’m not sure if these European metal doors and windows will stand the test of time like the older wooden ones, but they are certainly providing many folks with work as they replace windows and doors all over Ukraine.

This busy intersection is near the area where we live in Nikolaev. The streetcar is very popular with pensioners who are allowed to ride free. That is why we seldom choose that method of transportation since it is nearly always overcrowded. If we don't walk, there are many convenient busses that will take you to just about any area of the city. The church steeple in the distance belongs to a Roman Catholic Church that has been here for a long time. They have a museum that we have still not found time to visit. We’ll likely do that when we have some guests to entertain.

Very often we see something that makes us pause and appreciate the thoughtfulness of some unknown person. Some nice person cleared out a path where many people take a little shortcut on their way out of our apartment courtyard area. Only a very few wealthy people have snow blowers here, so this kind of work is done the old fashioned way. First, the loose snow must be shoveled out of the way, then you need to use the shovel or whatever you have to break up the ice and remove that off to the side. We thank God that there are kind-hearted people all over the world whose hearts are receptive to the Gospel of Christ. We regularly pray that we will come in contact with such open hearts that will hear and obey Jesus as Lord. Thank you for joining us in prayer.