Russia and Ukraine Gospel Harvest: WORD OF THE DAY

Sunday, January 13, 2013

WORD OF THE DAY - Sunday 13 January 2013

Galina at Boys Home

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. (Matthew 21:28-29 ESV)

А как вам кажется? У одного человека было два сына; и он, подойдя к первому, сказал: сын! пойди сегодня работай в винограднике моем. Но он сказал в ответ: не хочу; а после, раскаявшись, пошел. (Матфея 21:28-29 Russian)

Great and powerful God, our dear Father in heaven ~ we give praise and thanks to you for the brightness of your love on this new Lord’s Day. Bless the body of Christ as we assemble in honor of our crucified, buried and resurrected Messiah. As we make hast to repent, forgive us for those moments in our lives when we were just too stubborn to obey our Lord’s commands. Help us to use the wisdom of Christ by making certain our actions prove that we are good and faithful servants. We pray in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

All week, we look forward to our visit with the boys at the Boys Home on Saturday. Yesterday was another rewarding experience for us since it was our last opportunity to be with all boys that have had no relative to stay with during this long holiday season here in Ukraine. In most Slavic countries like Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, today is hopefully the last of these holidays. Tomorrow marks the Old New Year according to the Julian calendar. January 14 is also called Orthodox New Year since the Orthodox Church counts time by the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar that has been adopted by the governments of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus etc. Like most holidays, the celebration of Old New Year is already underway. So, once again - Happy New Year!

One of the photos I show today gives a before view of the area that will be transformed into a privacy room (glass enclosed) for the boys. Natasha and one of the other workers are donating some furniture where the boys can at least sit comfortably and even stretch out on a couch if they choose. It will be a little homier for them. We are very thankful for those who donated to make this possible.

We used our time yesterday to let each boy read scripture. I used this time to explain some basic concepts from God's word. We rehearsed the little saying: "Right is always right, and wrong is always wrong. It is never right to do wrong, and it is never wrong to do right." Three of our regular 9th grade boys know this by heart, but needed a little encouragement. Several of the boys quoted the Russian or Ukrainian translation.

We had great discussions whenever I asked the boys questions about envy and the various sins it can lead a person to commit. Their list was longer than mine! Theft is an issue that has haunted these boys in the past and still causes them some trouble. The boys always like to see us off and they cling to us until we just have to drag ourselves out the door. We noticed some brave skaters on the other side of the river who were very skillful in the way the speed skated and made figures. It was entertaining to watch as we stood in the cold waiting for our ride to take us to our next destination.

Following our time at the Boys Home, we called a taxi to take us to the home of a young couple where we had a Bible study that lasted almost two hours. After that, we walked home for several blocks and breathed the wonderful fresh cold air. We also took advantage of the opportunity to pick up a few things we need for today at a small market. Thank you for your prayers.