Ukraine Trip - Part 1 of 4

Today, and for the next few days, my little bro Rob van Leeuwen will be featured on my blog. He will be telling you about our experiences in Ukraine. There's lots to say, so check back often. I should also point out that I've put a few of my pictures from the trip online. Check em out! Now here's Rob:

Ukraine has a long history of foreign rule and oppression. Because of this many people know the country as “the Ukraine,” a region within Polish, Austro-Hungarian, Turkish and tsarist Russian empires. Since 1991 when independence from the Soviet Union was achieved, it has officially been known as “Ukraine” (not preceded with “the”) but six hundred years of hardship have certainly left their legacy.

Though generally a social people, away from the tourist stalls Kievites seemed entirely disinterested and almost hostile to outsiders. What a contrast to Cairo, where you are everyone’s best friend the minute you meet them. Kiev (Kyiv in Ukrainian) is a city of “every man for himself,” what Bob Tolliver, our host, called the survival mentality. This means, for example, old ladies launching their groceries in front of yours on the conveyor belt when it is your turn. Or maybe being shoved out of the way and glared at when you smile at people. In many ways, the city seemed dead to us, from the dreary weather to the lifeless buildings (a remnant of Communism), and the hostility we encountered. The older generations have learned to accept the realities and hardships of life, which has given them a determined and resilient spirit.

Not so with the younger generation, which is often dissatisfied with the realities of life. They try to fill the emptiness with all sorts of things. On our first Sunday night we walked down Kreshchatyk Street and Independence Square, also known as “Maidan Nezalezhnosti.” On weekends, this street is blocked from traffic and filled with musician, artists, performers and vendors. I was offered an owl for 10 hryvna ($2 US) and we watched fire shows and countless street performances. In additions to this, there were numerous stalls selling alcohol. Public drinking seems to be either legal or simply not enforced. As we stopped at Independence Square one evening I watched several men fighting. All around us there were people drinking, partying and flirting. At that very moment a clock began to toll and it hit me how lost all these young people were. It felt like Judgment Day and I realised none of these people would be saved if Jesus returned at that moment. The consequences of this liberal attitude are clear: AIDS, alcohol, and drug addiction are major problems.

These things were reinforced as we prayer-walked a route along the Dnipro river. On Monday, we saw, among others, the “Kissing Bridge,” the Kiev Dynamo home football stadium, and the former royal palace. On Wednesday, we prayer-walked by the Museum of the Great Patriotic War (World War II) where the Mother Russia statue is found. We also visited the Lavra, and walked through the tunnels underneath the cathedral where people worshipped relics of saints. Bob told us that when a previous team had visited these caves, all their candles had blown out as soon as they entered while those of the people in front of them and behind them remained lit. By the time they got back to where they were staying, every team member was sick. Though none of this happened to us, it does show what huge spiritual darkness there is in the city. There are even some remnants of pagan places of worship going several thousand years back to the Stone Age. In fact, during our final prayer-walk on our last Monday, we saw ancient idols by the side of one street. On that same prayer-walk we also saw the “Golden Gate,” one of the last remnants of the old city walls. On it is a church built by Prince Yaroslav the Wise in the 11^th century AD. But just as the walls that kept invaders out have been torn down, so have the spiritual walls that upheld moral standards. They have given way for all kinds of sexual immorality, problems with alcohol and drugs, spiritual darkness, and most of all, a spirit of despair. On these three prayer-walks we saw so many ways in which these people attempt to fill the emptiness inside them and find satisfaction.

Rob van Leeuwen