Some are gold--Remembering our dear friends in Kiev

I'm thinking of the gift of long-term friendship. There have been many wonderful experiences during this step-away time. We have seen beautiful sites, shared delicious meals and enjoyed so many days together. I've told you about some great hospitality shown us in Ukraine and The Republic of Georgia. But there are new memories of old friends which keep coming to my mind in waves of appreciation. I want to share them.

When I was a child in Sunday School, we used to sing the song:
Make new friends, and keep the old.
One is silver and the other gold.

There were so very many people in Kiev that came to a reception for us. It was wonderful to spend time with them and remember what those days were like together. Two doctors (Marianna and Alexander) and their three children who are now doctors (or almost so) gave us gifts and amazingly encouraging words and renewed our relationship in their same warm way. How dear they are. Our missionaries there, Colleen and Bob Skinner, had us to dinner along with our old work mates. Bob returned us to the airport and had so many kind and encouraging words about our work.

I hope its OK to focus attention, however, on some dear friends with whom we lived and worked while serving in Ukraine some eighteen years ago.

We spent most of our time with Natasha (a faithful friend who has called me "Papa" for all eighteen years), Zena (an amazing young woman who has grown up from the delightfully spunky child we knew so long ago), her mother Svyetlana (who was our first translator and friend in Kiev and is now a pastor of our Obolone church there), Kolya, the young guy who took our children to school each day and Shelly shopping for food most days), and Vova (who also translated for us, and who pastors the first church we began in Kiev). This was most of our "A-Team" back then, and the accumulated time we spent together has forever endeared them to our hearts.

During our visit, each of these took time out of their lives--Natasha coming all the way from Germany--just to be with us. As alway when in Ukraine, we went with the idea of giving gifts, but they gave us so much more. Natasha, Zena and Svyetlana took us out to dinners. Yes plural. They showed us the new Kiev. They stayed out late and laughed and reminisced and filled us with joy. They even hired our taxis.

Kolya drove to the airport to pick us up. Vova joined him and spent days taking us through the city, and driving us (along with Natasha and Svyetlana) to a distant village to visit important new developments in the work. Vova and I had opportunity to share, not as we did in the past, but heart to heart--each of us now pastors.

I love this core group of early leaders. They gave and gave and gave to us last month, as they did "back in the day." And as I reflect upon our times together there last month, I'm feeling particularly grateful. I hope they understand how much.