Category: Bruce Posts (Page 126 of 211)

Returning from the gas company again today – if you remember last week they said the documents would be completed for us this Tuesday.  We called ahead and found out the documents were actually not ready, and the worker in charge suggested Friday as a new date.  We’ve been through this enough to know what was going on.

We decided to go anyway and talk to the head chief.   Fortunately he was in, and seemed frustrated that the documents were in fact not ready.  He called down the worker, and harshly rebuked him in front of us all.   I’m not sure how much of of this was for show, but it seemed to get his attention.  The chief said the documents must not only be one tomorrow, but delivered to us.  The chief then apologized for the delay and we went on our way.

On our way.. next door to the regional Fire Department Chief.  Last week the chief inspector dropped by the Cafe and issued a series of warnings/threats concerning our property.  He said we hadn’t ascertained the fire inspection documents yet, which is true.  We have been waiting to get gas and heat, and knew this was next on our list.  He didn’t seam to care that the Cafe is not yet open, and said we were in trouble.

To make a very long process readable, here’s what has to happen –

• Thurs/Friday this week the fire chief comes to Cafe to ‘inspect.’
• He is also bringing with him a fine (we have no idea how much) for not as of yet having our permit.. even though we are not open.
• He will present us a list of items we must address to pass inspection.
• We then call one of his buddies to come and officially install the alarm system, address all noted items, as well as provide a certificate of some kind.  This will cost us about $2,000.
• We then invite the chief back, within 30 days to inspect again, or we get another fine (even if we’re still not open).
• After the system is installed and we are legal, we still have to pay $80/mo (or so) for the ‘servicing’ of the fire alarm.  Nobody in our town does this, they all pay a side ‘gift’ to keep the fireman away, however we are not going to let this happen.  The only money exchanging hands after we open will be them paying for pizza.

The chief then directed me to his car, where in his trunk he pulled out 4 fire extinguishers and offered to sell them to us at a reasonable price.  I figured it would be wise to do what he says at this point, at least if he finds a problem with them during inspection I can tell him they were his!  It wouldn’t surprise me if they were the wrong kind, and we get fined for this.  We’ll hope for the best!

We are now arranging for the Gas ‘course’ details.  It’s insane how much legwork is involved just to find the information on the law let alone try and be legal.  The gas company for example says we must complete this course to have gas legally for our business, but refuses to tell us how to get in touch with this government department – it’s more of a ‘good luck you need this document’ and the search begins.   Government offices rarely have anything online that is helpful, and just as rare if they answer the phones – so easier to spend a day hunting people down in another city, just to get information.

Beautiful spring-like day out today.   Afternoon spent reviewing Russian grammar with Dema.  I am thankful for his patience.

Today we saw 5 jets fly overhead (at my house), heading directly south.  We rarely see more than one plane in the sky.  Surely they were part of something in Crimea – that lingers in all of our minds at the present time and gives perspective to the many trivial frustrations with this Cafe effort.

Thankful to be safe, warm, and healthy.

Bruce & Deb

As most of the western media focuses on Crimea, streams of Russian citizens are entering the East of Ukraine.  This is only going to further confuse and escalate the challenges ahead.  You’d think we’d have some sort of satellite we could access – Google Maps needs a ‘live’ feature.   Scratch that, bad idea!

The sheer amount of news and perspectives involved in this conflict is exhausting, at least to me.  The moment you think you have at least a decent grip on the situation, you wake up to more news and have to start your own personal analysis all over!

I’ve been energized with fresh motivation to improve my Russian language this past month.  Heading into the new year this was already a focus, but by the grace of God this past Feb I have been able to focus and pour myself into more serious learning.   I’ve probably studied on average 20hrs per week, like a real student should!   Very thankful to the Lord for this opportunity – in some ways thankful too that the Cafe hasn’t been opened just for this focus.

We are still awaiting our Russian Visa invitations which I’m told can take up to 20 days.   I’m starting to wonder if we’ll have them in time to process the visas and travel to Rostov-a-Don but we give this to the Lord.   In the meantime also studying in preparation for teaching 1 Corinthians to the YWAM school.

I think it’s important that we remember an entire nation is not exclusively represented by it’s leader and the media they control.  This is true in a democracy, and emphatically so in a controlled dictatorship.   God has given His Son for the world – and all those that traverse through it’s many cultures, languages and era’s.  One nation or people are not labelled as evil, or unworthy of the gospel – we are all equally deserving of that label but for the mercy of God.

May God help us believers, from the east and the west, to remember who the real enemy is.  Our enemy is alive and working in every nation, corrupting, dividing, and misleading.  Jesus Christ is the answer for the nations, no matter how this situation unfolds.  I have a feeling it is only just starting to unfold – so all the more our hearts and prayers need to be fixed on eternal things.

Bruce & Deb

One of these days the title of the update will be, “It’s Open!” with pictures of a packed Cafe, full of our neighbors, friends and community.  Today is not that day, not yet.

Are we closer to opening?  Yes.  Does it feel that way?  No.  I have to remind myself that though this has taken almost 3yrs to get to this point, we have covered a lot of ground, and by God’s grace are still chipping away.  It’s at times like this in Ukraine, with the political upheaval and tension, that people are searching for hope.  I sure wish we could already be using the building, but we’re still stuck in the winter weather without heat.

Today Dema and I visited the regional gas “chief.”  Each time I visit, I think of the Godfather series.  It’s like we’re dealing drugs or attempting to secure some plutonium.

He invited us in, ‘please sit down.’  The next question caught me by surprise.  “How can I help you guys today?”  It was all I could do to keep from laughing (in delirium).  They know we have been calling several times per week, for 6 months asking for our gas/heat to be turned back on.

We have payed 100% of the legal fees to convert our gas from private to business (in Sept 2013), but for reasons only reasonable to this part of the world, the documents are still not ready.  We have been told ‘next month’, and ‘next week’ at least 10 times.  Each time there is some missing detail or process ‘discovered’ that requires someone to provide a document, a stamp, or receipt.

My response was simple and to the point, “September of last year I sat in this chair, and you told me that if we paid the fee, the gas would be back on by October – guaranteed.”  He began to explain in Ukrainian the many obstacles and processes that we are unaware of.  I smiled and replied, “You know what?  I just want to make Pizza, and I can’t.  There’s this little gas valve that needs to be turned on, that’s all I want to talk about – when will you turn that on?”

We had an amicable conversation.  He brought in one of his workers and documents began moving – opening, closing.  Phones were picked up, and things seemed to be happening.   I think it’s possible that our Cafe documents only progress when we physically show up.  At one point he informed us the process could take another 5 months.  I replied with the ultimatum that we would then seek our money back and convert the Cafe to full electric.  It turned out this was misinformation after his employee confirmed they actually only needed about a week.   Bullet dodged.  Heart rate returns to normal.

So we’re to return next Tuesday in person, and receive the final stack of gas documents that we are to take to another town – about 45 minutes away to a government inspection office.  They will review the documents produced by the gas company, and approve/reject them.  They will most likely find something, that’s their job – it’s the same with doctors when you visit one here, if they can’t find something wrong with you, they haven’t done their job!

So just in case you missed that – we are working with our local gas company, who requires us to work through the regional gas company, which can’t turn on our gas without us working through the federal inspectors.  I won’t be surprised if our little ole’ Cafe needs a stamp from the interim Ukrainian Presidents office – who will then require us to get permission from Putin who supplies the gas.

If by miracle the documents are approved without issue,  they’ll give us a receipt which we return back to the Gas company.  With this receipt they will schedule a few of their guys to physically come to the Cafe, install the new meter, connect the Pizza Oven, and turn the small tap back on.  At one point we laughed together at just how powerful a small little metal tap is in this country.  He said, “It’s small, but it brings with it many problems.”

All of that to say, we are aiming now for an April 1 ‘gas on’ date.  It won’t be an April 1 ‘grand opening’ because we found out a few more ‘gas’ hurdles today we’ll be working on this month.

It turns out that if you have business ‘gas’ in Ukraine, anyone that is to touch the gas (cooks, janitor) must undergo a specific gas course 90 minutes away in another city.  This course, unconfirmed but reported to be +10 days long and only takes place a few times per year.  So essentially if you want to make a pizza or adjust the heating in the building, you need to be certified with the gas company.

Two large pizza’s coming right up! Let me just fire up the oven.

I hesitate writing in such detail but so many ask, have prayed and given toward this endeavor.  Anyone that has attempted to push through the bureaucracy and corruption over here immediately appreciate the challenges.  However those in consumer friendly, business friendly environments might wonder how it’s possible that the Cafe isn’t already in operation.   This is just a taste of our more recent challenges.

Other remaining challenges include:

• Fire Department – we are only partially legal.  We haven’t found one legally ‘certified’ private building in town yet.  They all pay the Fire Department every few months $15-20 as a ‘fine’ for not having their documents.  The reason for this is that it can cost over $3,000 to receive such documents, which simply provides a piece of paper.  To private businesses here, that may as well be $30,000, so the entire system has developed a ‘work around’ through the little ‘fines’.  We have started the legal route, paid deposits but now trying to get some sort of guarantee that if we do finish paying this, we won’t ‘also’ get a regular visit from the friendly fireman.

• Heath & Food Inspection – as we approach an actual ‘opening’ date, we need to finalize who will work (for wages vs volunteer) in the Cafe.  Those working and paying taxes must undergo a series of medical examinations which are not your standard western exam – we will be organizing this this month.

• Electric – Everything is going well with this, however taking more time than they said it would.  We’ve bought our new required ‘business’ meter, and documents are being completed this week.  They hope to install it next week which should not only connect our new electricity but stabilize it and add an additional 5000watts of much needed power for the kitchen.

Some have asked about our finances, if financial support would help expedite the opening date.  Without bribing we have taken the slow and legal route.. and being so close we must finish this well for our testimony in the area long term.

We have paid everything to date that we can.  However in the short term we do have some significant costs coming up that we’d love some help with.

We are anticipating $5-8k of operational costs out of the gate for the first two months.  This includes salaries, taxes, utilities and food.  It also includes finalizing the fire legalization, medical exams and training costs for Gas certification.   This isn’t money we have personally, all of our reserves have been exhausted.  If you have made it this far in our blog, and would like to participate in our final stretch – click here to donate online.   100% goes to the project, nothing to our family personally.

Our new website – coming soon!

The summer would be a great time to get operational and figure out our costs heading into winter (where our heating costs could be quite dramatic).  In the meantime we are doing all we can, including finishing up our website (in Ukrainian and English – I want to have a live webcam in the dining room for all of you to hang out with us!).

So there you have it on the Cafe.  The mayor and town are ready for it to open and we anticipate a very cool grand opening this spring or summer.

Bruce & Deb

This morning I shared at a church in Kiev.  It was sobering to pray before the service with Ukrainians that are passionate to see God move in this tense situation.  I shared on the Kingdom of God, the nature of freedom in Christ and our need to stay focused on our dependence in Him for all things.

With the overwhelming amount of rapid news alerts and mediums available, we need to stay focused on the big picture – beyond that of nationalism and maintaining a Kingdom centered worldview.  This is not to promote passivity, but to keep grounded in eternal truth and preserved from temporal fear.

The scripture verses used:

John 18:36 – Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.

Eph 1:21 – which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Heb 12:28 – Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

2 Peter 3:7 – But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Rom 5:1 – Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Jesus has a Kingdom, though not of this world.  It is unshakable, eternal, and He has been seated high above all powers, rules in this age and the next.  As believers, we are not independent but slaves/servants of the King.  We must ensure our citizenship, and our documents are in order.  We enter this Kingdom not by force, or by any human effort – but through faith in Christ’s work – by His grace only.

As we surrender our lives to His reign and rule, we willingly subject ourselves to His ways.  This faith produces peace with the King, freedom from sin, and true liberty.  Dependence on Christ = true freedom.

“How do we enter the Kingdom?” – like the rich young ruler, we find only through faith which consummates in the surrender of all other idols.  We can’t serve two masters.  In the words of Bob Dylan, ‘Everybody Serves Someone.” We don’t have much to offer, but what we do have, He wants.   It’s our choice, He doesn’t force – His Kingdom is entered not through coercion.

As citizens in good standing, we now look to promote and advance God’s Kingdom.  We look for opportunities to share the simple, pure gospel.  We employ God’s spiritual means of victory – prayer.

This kind of prayer is not passive, or apathetic.  It’s not a ‘whatever happens is God’s will anyway’ fatalism.  It’s intense, aggressive in effect, the invisible changing the visible.  This is what our Savior taught.

We shine and broadcast to our neighbors, our co-workers, and family outside of the Kingdom that God is love, is passionate to reconcile them into His Kingdom if would only surrender, laying down their weapons of rebellion.  We confirm this message through acts of love, caring and serving – because that is what Christ communicated as the nature of God while on earth.

God doesn’t force.  He doesn’t show off His power (like the Russians and Americans do with military might).  He demonstrates His character on the Cross, sacrifice.  Power through humility- constrained power is ultimate power.  He rose from the dead to declare His victory, and we now enter into the Kingdom through that very blood.  We receive now, in part, what is promised in the end of all things.

It’s with this perspective, with a Kingdom worldview, that we view the tense political and potentially dangerous situation in Ukraine.  As it unfolds in the days ahead, the church is awakening to the spiritual realities.  It’s dusting off the spiritual weapons of war – and I believe seeing the opportunity to advance God’s Kingdom in the turmoil of human animosity.  God is waiting patiently for more to surrender before it’s too late – but a day is reserved when all things will be brought to light, and made right.

Pray with us.  Pray for the Kingdom of  God in this part of the world.  May the church rise up in prayer, and seize this time in faith.   Let God’s people not walk in paralyzed fear, but a faith that mobilizes.

Bruce & Deb