Kyiv en route to Zhitomir:
Part 1
Wednesday, July 11
We began our day in Kyiv, on
the famous “St. Andrew’s Descent” the so-called Andriskiy Street - the winding
and picturesque street next to the gleaming green and gold St. Andrew’s
Orthodox Cathedral on the hill. (sorry, here these colors are not for you Green
Bay Packers and John Deere fans!) This is not far from the famous pair of
colorful cathedrals St. Sophia (beige) and St. Michael (robin’s egg blue) which
face one another on the other end of the hill overlooking the city.
During the years I have been
here, the street has undergone continuous upgrades. Today, those were clearly
obvious. The buildings along the street have all either received or are in the
process of receiving façade facelifts and structural repair both inside and
out. Even the brick paver sidewalks on either side of the street are new. Even
today, portions were being carefully replaced, straightened and tamped down and
the cracks in between filled with sand. In many ways, this kind of work is
transforming Kyiv into “the new Prague” and in very little time, this city will
become one of those preferred European destinations. It is moving quickly in
that direction.
This is an important street
and area of Kyiv almost purely for economic reasons. This is place tourists
come to get souvenirs, gifts and “tschachkiys” that come home with us and adorn
our homes and offices with memories of time spent in Ukraine, and the memories
that accompany them. (shhhh….don’t tell anyone, but many of you are going to
benefit from this shopping spree) Part of the challenge in this shopping is the
traditional bartering that is done to get the best price. These folks are used
to Americans buying things at face value, but since I grew up in South America,
I enjoy the thrill of the barter. Proud to say that I escaped with minimal
damage to my personal financial portfolio. Others may not have been so
fortunate! We still managed to contribute significantly to the local economy. These
businesses are controlled by a, let’s call them a dynamic “band of brothers”
(think Tony or Vladimir Soprano!) so they are skilled at what they do. It’s
always an interesting experience. I will leave it at that.
There was ample time for
both shopping and finding lunch, but since all good things (like meals) take
longer here, as they do in many other parts of Europe, many of us discovered
(or rediscovered) that it is not unusual for meals to take an hour or more to order
and enjoy. That pace is one of the delights of Ukraine, but can interrupt the
best-laid plans of tour organizers. Dennis and I chose a slower descent than
most from our group, due in part to his soon-to-be-replaced right hip, and that
we have “been here, done that” a few times before. Our wives are not keen on either
of us bringing home more curios for those already burgeoning cabinets! He and I
found a little French bistro with a charming wait staff and the most wonderful,
stylish, cleanest and best-smelling bathrooms (and photo worthy) in all of
Ukraine. Amazing how a good bathroom is memory-making here. A lovely Croque
monsieur, pommes frites, good coffee (old fashioned, hand made lemon iced tea with
fresh mint leaf for me), and apple torte made our 2-hour conversation even more
memorable. A few Evangelion members joined us at the Bistro, and others discovered
other options and Ukrainian fare along the descent.
Kyiv en route to Zhitomir:
Part 2
Wednesday, July 11
We left Kyiv en route west
to Zhitomir, another city I am visiting for the first time. Upon arrival, it was
clear this was our most “Soviet style” city experience. Our soprano-translator
Marina Khrapak is from this city, and her father Pavlo is the pastor of the House
of Prayer church hosting our concert. The word Zhitomir, means “Living in
Peace” and this would take on important meaning as we checked into the Zhitomir
Hotel, a Soviet-era hotel struggling to find its place in the new Ukraine. Slowly
moving into the 21st century, this hotel is clearly a relic of the
past, and aside from the ATM by the door, entering it felt like stepping into a
1970’s Soviet time machine. We received our room assignments in a darkened
lobby with one operational light, followed by the adventure of riding the
smallest and sketchiest (is that a word? if not, it is now) elevators yet – not
to hold more than three people, or two people and luggage. And, they don’t stop
at the Second Floor by the way… Fortunately, it did stop at floors 3-8, and the
doors have opened consistently.
Our concert again went very
well, singing to a warm and full church full of appreciative audience members
of all generations. I was drawn in particular to a young man and his wife, who
were unusually joyful as we were singing. Joy. Radist. There is is again. I spoke to them briefly after the
concert. Their love for Christ and for music about that love was palpable. Our
concert was followed by a rousing song, sung by the congregation – an old
Jewish tune called Shalom Eleichem (not
the author). Then, we had a wonderful, life-giving time of meeting and
greeting outside the front door of the church, with stories and scenes that can
hardly be described. Those of you who have been there know what I mean. By that
point, I was low on “fuel,” so I sat and observed many of these interactions. Pam
Sohriakoff, our amazing pianist was approached by an entire family of the same
name, hoping her family tree intersected with theirs back in 1945 Germany
during WW2, but it was not to be. The initial hopefulness and then
disappointment and tears of the old man whose father went to war and never came
back was clearly palpable in that moment. Heartbreaking. A quintessential group
dinner in the fellowship hall featured all of the typical Ukrainian delights,
and cold Coke products! It’s the little blessings….
Back at the hotel, I am in
my room on the 7th floor. From the window of my room I can see the
gleaming gold towers of the Russian Orthodox Church, of which there are two
here. Pastor Khrapak told us of two Catholic Churches here as well, since this
was once part of Poland and there are many people of Polish descent living in
Zhitomir. Contrasting that, there are bands of dogs, barking and fighting in
the town square, even as I write this early in the morning! To complete the
human symphony, there are people conversing loudly with one another in the
streets, even this early in the morning. But on a positive note, there is a
delightful lack of car traffic on the main square. Not to be overly detailed
here, but the hotel water was turned off from midnight to 6am – not exactly helpful
if a 3am trip to the bathroom is unavoidable, if you know what I mean. All in a
day’s work. Fortunately, the electricity was not shut off – this is good, because
I have music playing on my computer and my phone charging as I write this in
the middle of the night in Ukraine! Let me be clear: this is really not
hardship whatsoever! These are just the small inconveniences caused by the
absence of things we have come to expect and sometimes hold too dear as
Americans living in 2012. Compared to the suffering and even torture experienced
by our sisters and brothers here in Zhitomir during Communist occupation, these
are nothing in comparison.
One of our favorite songs by
Knut Nystedt is called “Be Not Afraid.” The prophet quotes the Lord, who says: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have
called you by name; you are mine. I am with thee, tremble not for I am thy God.”
(Isaiah 43: 1b)
At the same time, I was
pondering this passage from Psalm 112 which was used in worship the Sunday
before our departure, which I felt was a sort of personal encouragement and
ministry commission to me, though I did not share this out loud until now. Once
again, in it, I saw so much of our trip, our concerts, our hosts and the
Ukrainians for whom we sing, and ourselves:
Psalm 112: 2b-8a
The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth
and riches are in their house, and their righteousness endures forever. Even in
darkness, light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and
righteous ones. Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who
conduct their affairs with justice. Surely the righteous will never be
shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad
news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are
secure, they will have no fear…
Slava Bohu, indeed.
