More about the journey through Ukraine to Germany...

My last night in Ukraine on this trip was November 2nd. Dr. Lev and I had driven for two days across most of Ukraine from Novomoscosk in the East to Lviv near the Polish border. We have been together for three weeks, driving over 3000 km, visiting friends in 6 Cities that formed a huge circle inside Ukraine!  All but one of these cities were bombed daily and most had lost power, water and internet connections at various times, including the Capitol of Kiev!  But by God's grace no bombs fell near us, we always had hot water and when the internet failed we still had cell service. Amazing Grace, and many prayers from the saints!    

When we arrived in Lviv, we spent the evening with three beautiful young ladies from Kharkiv that I have known for the past 8 years. They are all taking seminary classes, one  is finishing her last year of med school, another works for a University evangelistic  organization and the third is a gifted web designer!   Dr. Lev and I took them out for a pizza dinner and then went to their apt. two blocks away, to sing a few worship songs and have prayer before I had to leave for the bus to Poland... They are amazing followers of Jesus!  

The bus ride from Lviv to Warsaw, where I was to take a flight to Frankfurt, was supposed to take 6 hours but we spent an additional 8 hours just trying to cross the border!  

I missed my flight by 5 hours!  But God used the time in amazing ways. It was about a 60 passenger bus with four of us men and the rest women and a few small children. Most of these women had to leave their husbands in Ukraine because men 18-60 are not permitted to leave. Thousands of men have been killed and surely some of these ladies had lost their husbands or sons. My seat mate for these 14 hours, on the smallest seat I have ever been squeezed into, was one who was so grieved she could barely speak. She did some kind things to help me with my backpack and explain some of the directions that were in Ukrainian etc. but otherwise we only spoke to exchange names and then she turned away. We had to get in and out of the bus at the border a couple times with all our luggage and I was able to help several women who had more bags than they could carry or lift.  My seat mate was watching this all the time and started helping others herself and then it caught on... Finally at the end, when we reached Warsaw she turned with tears in her eyes and said, " Please forgive my poor english, but I have to tell you how grateful I am for you and for all America has done for our people!"  She was a particularly strong woman who kept trying to stop her tears...after we got out of the bus we bumped into each other again as we were picking up our bags in the bus' storage compartment - she just couldn't speak, so we hugged with a deep thankfulness for the way God somehow gets people  through this War, then her waiting daughters, took her to their home.  

When we had gotten on the bus earlier, people were pushing, taking the best seats, being very argumentative.  There was fear and grief in just about everybody, but during those 14 hours together, people started carrying each other's bags, helping with kids, and giving gentle encouragements!  For most it was a completely different experience between the time we got on the bus and at the end, when new friends said good-bye, most never to see each other again!  

I was able to get another flight to Frankfurt, then a train to Cologne where Taras Kushnir picked me up for the last leg of this 23 hour journey to Duren, Germany.   I am staying in Duren for three days to see Ukrainian friends and refugees who I have known since they were children and now they have children of their own but are forced to start a new life in a foreign Country, displaced by War...