That's right, Ukraine, again. The people and places continue to fascinate me. Shlomo took me along with a couple of others to Irpin to present a special financial contribution & to be a speaker at a leadership conference.
Poor Shlomo, he was quite sick throughout the time we were there but thank God, he was able to pull through. The generous donation was raised mainly during the conference in Zavelstein (see previous blog post) & was presented to the Ukrainian Bible Society so they can print Bibles for child refugees & waterproof ones for those serving in the military. That's right, I said waterproof. I was given one & though I cannot read past the title page, I've been having a great time pouring water between its pages to see if it is true.
It's true. I want one in English or Spanish please.
I digress. Our stay lasted only for 3 days but it was equally restful & educational. We stuffed our suitcases with plush toys for the society's children ministry. I was surprised to see familiar faces among the group of kids who went up to our floor to receive them. Turns out, the same group of kids that I saw in January were still there. We were told that they were supposed to only spend two weeks there but alas, when the program ended, there was no way they could go back to their home in East Ukraine. The current situation does not allow them. Isn't that tragic? They have been enrolled in schools nearby & the church compound has been able to provide them with a place to live & food to eat for the time being. Dr. Kommendant, the leader of the show, told us that they may not be able to afford to do this for long. My heart suddenly weighed double.
On Saturday, us ladies (there were three of us) were driven & taken about the city of Kiev. There was an intentional set up between me & our driver. I did not appreciate this & this made things awkward for both of us but I tried to not let this ruin the day.
I think it is notable to say that we went to the ravine where the Babi Yar Massacre occurred during World War II. Around 100,000 humans were executed there & buried, some dead, some still alive. Learning about this horrific crime amongst others during that time gives me an indescribable, gray feeling. Human nature is baffling. We must learn from our history or, as the wise George Santayana said, "we will be condemned to repeat it."
After saying our grateful goodbyes we took the El Al flight back to Israel. I forgot to mention that on our flight to Ukraine there were only a handful of us females on the flight. How curious we looked among so many Jewish ultra-orthodox men! The flight back was the same. I tried to sleep the whole way back to stop my brain from worrying about my date with the Israeli border control. Considering my last encounter, who knows what my next one would be like.
Alas! My worrying was in vain. After a few questions about my parents & my occupation, I was printed a new visa & sent on my way. THERE IS A GOD!!
...I already knew this. I am just being dramatic.
So now, what's next? My new visa gives me until mid-June to stick around but the question is: Can I or my family possibly last that long?