Our reality in Ukraine
For weeks we have been asking ourselves whether MDI should make its scheduled trip to the troubled country of Ukraine. When checking with our friends and advisers in Ukraine, they said they wanted us to come, some even said they needed us to come. So come we did. Upon arrival yesterday afternoon, we received a call from Anatoly Kaluzhny to say he had spent the day praying on live TV and meeting with parliament people. They were telling him that tonight was the night when the troops were going to move in -- 7 pm was the magic hour.
At 6 pm, Marti Scudder, Heather Karls and I went to one of our bedroom windows that has a view of downtown (about 2 miles away across the river) to see if we could see anything. We opened the windows and could see the beginnings of a broad-based wall of smoke building from the square. We could also hear explosions, gun shots and fireworks (some citizens are throwing fireworks because that is all they have to resist with). When we left the restaurant, we could easily hear loud explosions and gun fire coming from a few miles away.
Heather Harris, an MDI missionary here in Kiev, joined us for dinner. We all decided we would go to Anatoly Kaluzhney's office afterwards were he was holding a prayer meeting. There we watched a live internet feed and were shocked by what we saw - major fires as tents and tire barricades were set ablaze. Troops, coming into the city from five different directions, dressed in armor, helmets and shields were slowly moving into the troubled area gaining ground inch by inch. Anatoly told us about some of his church members saying goodbye to their families as the headed for the battle. The had decided that this battle was worth loosing their life over. We prayed! We then heard that the whole metro and bus systems have been closed and will stay closed today (imagine New York City with no Subway or buses) and all the roads into the city have been closed including the ones going to the airport.
We then talked about how the MDI team could stay safe during this rebellion. Our apartment is about two miles from the battle. But it is across the river and we are on the 10th floor of a high-rise. We now have food in the refrigerator and feel very comfortable and safe. We decided to have Heather Harris spend the night with us and not try to get back to her apartment. Please DO NOT worry about us. We feel no sense of danger where we are.
For many of us at MDI, Ukraine is our second home country. We love and care about the people, their well-being, freedoms (or lack thereof) and their right to worship in the manner they wish. As Americans we see these conflicts on TV. But I can assure you, it is quite different being here and experiencing this first hand. The tension is palpable. There is a deep rawness to what is happening here. Something that we Americans,who have not fought in wars, know little about. Our friends are not only afraid for their country but for their neighbors and children who want to stand. And standing is what they are doing. The have no weapons or skills to fight. They do not have armor, shields or helmets. They just have their faith in God that that is what He is wanting them to do. Just stand! What we can do is "to stand" in the gap for these people and country. This is real! At this writing, there are 25 dead and, reportedly, thousands injured. Please pray!
Your MDI staff:
Steve Lorenz
Marti Scudder
Heather Karls
At 6 pm, Marti Scudder, Heather Karls and I went to one of our bedroom windows that has a view of downtown (about 2 miles away across the river) to see if we could see anything. We opened the windows and could see the beginnings of a broad-based wall of smoke building from the square. We could also hear explosions, gun shots and fireworks (some citizens are throwing fireworks because that is all they have to resist with). When we left the restaurant, we could easily hear loud explosions and gun fire coming from a few miles away.
Heather Harris, an MDI missionary here in Kiev, joined us for dinner. We all decided we would go to Anatoly Kaluzhney's office afterwards were he was holding a prayer meeting. There we watched a live internet feed and were shocked by what we saw - major fires as tents and tire barricades were set ablaze. Troops, coming into the city from five different directions, dressed in armor, helmets and shields were slowly moving into the troubled area gaining ground inch by inch. Anatoly told us about some of his church members saying goodbye to their families as the headed for the battle. The had decided that this battle was worth loosing their life over. We prayed! We then heard that the whole metro and bus systems have been closed and will stay closed today (imagine New York City with no Subway or buses) and all the roads into the city have been closed including the ones going to the airport.
We then talked about how the MDI team could stay safe during this rebellion. Our apartment is about two miles from the battle. But it is across the river and we are on the 10th floor of a high-rise. We now have food in the refrigerator and feel very comfortable and safe. We decided to have Heather Harris spend the night with us and not try to get back to her apartment. Please DO NOT worry about us. We feel no sense of danger where we are.
For many of us at MDI, Ukraine is our second home country. We love and care about the people, their well-being, freedoms (or lack thereof) and their right to worship in the manner they wish. As Americans we see these conflicts on TV. But I can assure you, it is quite different being here and experiencing this first hand. The tension is palpable. There is a deep rawness to what is happening here. Something that we Americans,who have not fought in wars, know little about. Our friends are not only afraid for their country but for their neighbors and children who want to stand. And standing is what they are doing. The have no weapons or skills to fight. They do not have armor, shields or helmets. They just have their faith in God that that is what He is wanting them to do. Just stand! What we can do is "to stand" in the gap for these people and country. This is real! At this writing, there are 25 dead and, reportedly, thousands injured. Please pray!
Your MDI staff:
Steve Lorenz
Marti Scudder
Heather Karls
posted by Heather at
2:16 AM
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