back in the USSR!

I just got back from an adventuresome trip to Predniestrovia, the Moldovan break-off Republic
between Ukraine and the Dniester river. I visited my friend Marik Fashevsky where I enjoyed
the fellowship with his father Roman and the food preparations of his mother, Ludmila.

The whole trip was mostly about renewing my welcome n Ukraine, which wears out more frequently
now that Internal affairs has determined not to register the K (cultural) visa. Now I must leave Ukraine
every three months if I am to stay legal. Legal is a status my heavenly father wants for me so I gather
from the pages of Holy Writ (Titus 3:1,2). So as I told Roman and Marik I will be seeing them more frequently now. Perhaps the Lord will show me a way for this quarterly break to bear fruit for His kingdom.

I was nervous about this trip because it was my first with an unregistered  K visa and since customs and border police are part of Internal Affairs it could be that the same people that refused to register the visa in the first place might find some reason not to let me pass through the border control.

I was also having to leave between the end of the The Least of These children's camp and the River of Joy children's camp, using money for the trip I would rather use to serve the Lord as a servant of healing to Ukrainian children and their families. The ROJ camp begins on the 8th, just two days after my return from this whirlwind trip.

So on the last day of the TLOT camp I left for Simferopol. I had some nice fellowship with the COJCFG church family Sunday Morning in town, ate lunch with Mitaxia and Dr. Laura near church and caught the train to Odecca that afternoon with the help of Oleg Loboda. The next morning at 8:30 when I disembarked I asked the Dovidka (Information desk) when and where I could catch a bus to Tiraspol Predniestrovia. She said the soonest I could catch one would be at the central Bus Station at 1:35. I had to catch city bus 84 at the train station first though. I waited awhile to catch that bus, found central Bus station and went
in to buy a ticket.

The ticket agent told me I could catch the 9 AM bus! I looked at my watch. It was 8:55 AM! I bought a ticket, her last one for that bus, and got on just before the bus took off....AND BOY DID IT EVER TAKE OFF! The bus driver had a lead foot and his smaller bus had a stiff suspension. On the little chuck-hole ridden highway it was like a bucking bronco training session. I was in the far back center of the bus trying to keep my rear end on the seat. My attempt was far from successful. Maybe I should have awaited a later bus.

We filled out some standard Arrival / Departure cards on the bus. That can be a real challenge as you bounce off your seat at high speed.

On the Border
They did as they always have done at that border and called out the "Grazhdan America" (me) for special attention after our baggage had been scanned. I had to get off the bus and go into a tiny office and tell an older uniformed border guard what I was up to and why I was leaving Ukraine. I told him and he blessed me! I left feeling as though the prayers that have been offered for me about this trip are being well answered.

The Predniestrovia flag 

features the hammer and sickle symbol on a red field

with a green stripe across the middle. Christian ministries

are seemingly undisturbed there so what the symbol

really means remains a mystery to me.

One thing I enjoyed about Predestrovia the first time I visited her

villages is the way people decorate the gables

on their otherwise unassuming houses..

The owner of this house must have gotten a new scroll saw with his load of lumber

So the evening of July 4th I met Nikolai. He was interested in a spiritual 

conversation. We talked about such matters until Midnight. I had a nice rest 

and the morning of the fifth Marik took me to the Tiraspol bus station.

It was good to have him along as my grevna were no good for the fare.

he told me to assure my friends that he would be able to

receive them any time after July 26th when his

current guests will have left.

At the Border Again

As we approached the border I had my departure paper all ready to go

and saved back my Ukrainian Arrival/Departure slips for the Ukraine side.

I was called out and went to see what the Moldovan customss wanted. They told me there

was a problem because my Moldovan entry visa had not been registered. I told them

that Marik had assured me that if I did not stay in the country 24 hours I did not 

need to get registered. They tried to frighten me. Told me that the 24 hours

"Sutki" starts and stops at 12 midnight. I asked them, "What should I do?" One said.

"go back!" I said. "That does not work for me as I have a train ticket bought

from Odecca to Simferopol. If I go back I could miss the train. I said Marik 

had lots of experience bringing in people. I wanted to register my visa but 

he said it is not necessary. I asked if the 12 o'clock change is something new.

They asked me my business in Predniestrovia. I told them of my work

with Ukrainian kids and of Mariks similar work. They said, "It is a good thing you

are doing. just leave a little gift for coffee for our boss and you can go." I laid down 

200 grevna. Later I texted Marik and he was saddened by this.

On the Ukrainian side there was no call out! My visa was processed with the rest. 

They did throw me a curve of sorts however. They stamped my departure slip rather 

than my passport with the visa stamp.

Anyway, I am now good for another 3 months.

...and the work goes on.

Love & Blessings,

David