Not the M. Night Shyamalan movie. The isolated small community in the forest or on the side of the hill. Nestled around the countryside of Ukraine are thousands of villages. I’ve found a number of interesting discoveries in the last couple of weeks as God has built some relational bridges for us in several of them.

1. Population Unknown – Every time I ask the question of population from anyone living in a small village, they never know. In fact, by the looks they give me, you’d guess they’ve never pondered the question themselves.

2. They are VERY friendly. Maybe it’s infrequency of visitors, or lack of entertainment options but the smiles are abundant.

3. Drinking is as bad, or worse in the village. Many families are fatherless, losing the Patriarch very early in life often from chronic alcoholism or what it produces.

4. God can create bridges into the most remote village.

That last point has been made abundantly clear to me. Several villages in the past month have been on my heart as I’ve pondered the reality of most of them never hearing or experiencing the life found in Jesus Christ. I’ve prayed and asked God for open doors. I can’t say they’ve been faith filled prayers. “I have no idea how you will do this, but would you open some doors here God?” is pretty much the prayer. I have no idea what I’ll do once the doors open either, but trust Him for the next step.

Some of these villages have centuries of history, survived wars and famines. Some families have lived in the same dirt floor houses since the early 1800’s.

Anyway, God has opened some opportunities this week in two more villages. Contacts made ‘by chance’. Someone needing a ride, our dog needing a vet. I’m pursuing these relationships and excited that God is involved. I want to see His hand at work. To God, there is no such thing as ‘off the radar’, even in the smallest of villages He sees, loves, and is powerful to save.

Bruce

If you haven’t seen this, you’ve GOT TO watch it! It brings some humorous healing to the soul.. especially for those of over here that have to deal with OVIR and other government institutions.

I enjoyed this 12 minute clip, especially the last 5 minutes if you have time. I really like being around positive thinkers and find that it does stimulate ideas and creativity. In my business we have to remain positive because everything we’re asked to do is technically tough and fraught with pitfalls. If you think it’s impossible however, it is and you may as well not even try.

The only caveat I would add is that the pursuit of ‘happiness’ outside of peace through Jesus Christ is vanity. We have a sin problem, and no amount of positive ‘energy’ is going to erase that reality. But I do think we were created in His image, and part of that reflection is more accurate in a positive person.

We’re about to launch a website for my neighbor Sergei. He’s a well known Ukrainian artist who has been featured in magazines, galleries in Kiev and Moscow. He is the father of Sviachik (or as my own dad likes to say, “spy-check”) who we’re essentially raising as our own.

Testing out the flickr account here on my blog-sorry to those that subscribe via RSS, but enjoy a few Ukrainian country side paintings!