From UkrWorld

For this Saturday's prayer breakfast we enjoyed an hour of prayer, a good bit of sharing, and banana pancakes. I think they were better than the blueberry.

I then had an enjoyable conversation with someone about a somewhat difficult topic. But it was a great discussion and I thank Oksana (who occasionally reads the blog) for talking with me. Oh, if there were only more honesty and forthrightness in the body of Christ.

Lena's mom came to town and after a little lunch, we headed out to the Christian bookstore and bought a few items for the UEC. Nothing really great, but some good solid stuff as we continue our efforts to build the best circulating Christian resource center in Kyiv (and Ukraine!).

I then tried to make a blueberry cherry pie. But it didn't turn out like I wanted. Mostly, I let it cook too long though it was well under what was suggested. Who knew?

We ate lunch in Podil today. There is now a monument there to the students who put up the first tent during the Orange Revolution. I hope the new government doesn't remove it. I enjoyed talking with Lena's mom today. She has some important advice to give us. It wasn't solicited but it was something I think I needed to hear someone else say. The anthropologist in me loved since she was telling me what Ukrainians are like. Of course, broad generalizations are never much to build thinking on, but I think her point is true. It just helped me to hear someone else, someone I didn't really expect, to make that observation.

I am saddened by the war in Israel and Lebanon. What a tragic mess. But I guess the US set the example in how to deal with terrorists. Is there no other way besides bombs and tanks?