Adventures With the Dentist

When I was a child, I seldom if ever went to the dentist. I guess that in those days, if you had no pain, why bother the dentist. I was blessed with healthy teeth, so I didn’t develop good dental habits beyond regular brushing.

Before moving to Ukraine, I had visited the dentist only a few years before. He was so kind as to give me a root canal and crown for the cost equivalent to three mortgage payments. Prior to that, I hadn’t seen the dentist for twenty five years. My first year in Ukraine was filled with uncertainties about their health care system. Along with that, I had a tooth that needed some attention. I put off doing anything about it for the whole year.

Finally, I had my translator, Ira, set me up an appointment with the dentist at her church. They had a certified dentist who did her work as an evangelical outreach. Free dental care if you listen to the Gospel message and receive a Bible. She did some good work on my tooth, but because I had waited so long, a large filling was needed. It lasted only six months.

By that time, she was working in the village. Getting to the village was a challenge. Ira took me to the village via two separate public transports. Once we arrived, we had to find the building, somewhere within one hundred meters from our drop off point. Seeing the outhouse to the distant right of the entrance, the building showed no resemblance to a medical facility. I felt as if I was walking into yet another world. This was quite an eye opener, esthetically speaking. There were three offices, each a different form of medical practice. I saw the true, heartland people of Ukraine and their children being served. The poverty was heartbreaking, but I was in Ukraine to help people, so I did understand.

Another six months went by and I had to revisit the village dentist. This time I received two pieces of information. First, my dentist was expecting a child and would not be working for the next two years. Second, she said that I would need to see a dentist who had the equipment to do a root canal and crown. She suggested a good one.

A while later, we went to this new dentist. He was in a new facility with new equipment and new everything. I was impressed, but was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It turned out that everything was very good. He had to pull the tooth, but ordered a bridge that connected to two other teeth. One actually needed a root canal. It worked out very well.

That was four years ago. In that time, I had to go back for work on another tooth. He was busy, so I was asked if I would see another dentist in the same practice. This turned out to be a blessing. This woman is very pleasant and gentle. She enjoys a good sense of humor, and I have one. The challenge is having it translate into Russian so that it remains funny. Ira, now my assistant, has been working with me for six years. She catches the meaning of most of my humor and is able to translate it well.

Previous to my current visits, I had gone to this dentist for a root canal and filing. This required two or three visits. During that time I tried out my humor on her and she always responded with a big smile. I would start off the visit with a joke, wanting her to be in a good mood before she started working on me. This visit, number three of three for this filling, I didn’t have a joke for her.

Her task was to remove the temporary filling installed on Thursday, and replace it with a permanent one. In the process, after the filling was in place, she needed to smooth off and match the surface of this tooth with the bottom tooth. I knew what she was doing, but my humor surfaced. The material that she used, asking me to bite down on it to check the surface of the tooth, came on a roll, like tape. When she finished everything, I looked at her seriously and said, “I have been very impressed with the quality of your work. But when I saw you reaching for the scotch tape, I began to have second thoughts."

July 2009 MUCH Newsletter

Hello family and friends,

July is a hot one in Illichevsk, 90 F in the shade with high humidity. But then, everything is relative, isn’t it. I got some good exercise walking around Marganets when I visited the orphanage during the first week of July. And have I got some stories about that week! See International Riot in Marganets and Promise, Provision, and Progress. For those who don’t have access to a computer or the internet, the problems in Marganets began in a bar and were not politically related. It was all contained prior to my arrival. The other story refers to the concert that the youth of the Marganets Baptist Church gave to the children at the orphanage and the Transition Home.

While in America, I was given three sets of items to bring back to Ukraine to give to our children. I had a great time watching the enthusiasm of the children at the Transition Home. First, I gave them the stuffed animals that Jenny Renner, National Champion in synchronized trampoline competition, provided for them. Next, the picture story books written in English and Russian, from Jessie Bullock and Kate Bullock Price, captured the imagination of the children. Finally, the children from Lighthouse Christian School in Pompano Beach, Florida made bookmarks for our children. The bookmarks were filled with colorful designs and messages of love. My Marganets translator and I took pictures and videos of this great event.

My big surprise happened one evening as I was out taking a walk. There were so many militia patrolling the city, I felt quite safe. All of the sudden, a young man walked up to me and said, “Prevyet!” That means “Hi” in Russian. I replied the same. Then he said, “It’s me, Bogdan!” I made the connection, and we began to chat as we walked. Bogdan was my first translator in Marganets seven years ago. He was twelve years old at the time. We met up with his wife and his second child, six months old, and walked across town to his parents’ flat. What a wonderful evening. After a short visit, his mother, his wife, and he walked me back to my street. What an interesting evening.

Progress can be seen in different ways. MUCH has accomplished many things in the past seven years. The big building blocks have been relationships. These are the keys to progress. In Marganets, we have built relationships with the orphanage administrators, and the children. Recently, we have been reaching out to the churches to help us. The youth group concert for the children at the orphanage is what I see as GREAT PROGRESS.

Blessings of love and healing,
Mark

Ira's Insight (July 2009)

I wish that every reader of the Newsletter had experienced what I did at the Christian camp. It was a great time for many children, especially for children from difficult homes (from the Christian club “Emmaus”) and for the children from the orphanages.

Every year, the Illichevsk Baptist Church holds a Christian camp for children. The goal of such a camp is to tell children about Christ. Most participants of the camp are children from difficult homes and children from orphanages of the Odessa region. And it is very important for these kids to know that there is One who loves them very much, and He is ready to listen to them and understand them.

Each year the subjects of the camps are different. Last year it was “Egypt”. There was even an Egyptian Pharaoh who made the people of Israel (children and their leaders) make bricks and other works for him. During that camp the children not only found out the history of Israel in Egypt, but also learned to trust God.

This year the subject was “The early evangelical church”. Together with Saul who later becomes Paul children experience how to live in an ancient city where they are trade makers. Also they experience persecutions and God’s love toward them. The camp lets children feel the real life in the beginning of the first century. For me it was a real blessing to see how children responded to the improvisation of the early church. I visited the camp for children from 10 till 12 years old. I enjoyed watching them while they were making different things with their hands to sell for their emperor (local mayor), or how they were participating at the worship services on the beach during the time of persecution. They took everything very seriously.

It has become a tradition for MUCH to help financially to hold the camp. Thanks to its money, children have more fresh fruits and vegetables during the camp. Personally I want to thank those who support this ministry. Your financial gift helps not only children to have good nutrition, but also to be at the camp and enjoy it. From my own experience, I know that many children who have been at the camp one time, live the whole year with the hope that they will go to camp the next summer.

I think today many people realize how important it is to help such projects to be available. Children are our future. And it depends on us what future we will live tomorrow...

Until next time,
Ira

Promise, Provision, & Progress

Seven years ago, I moved to Ukraine to work with children in need. The first group of children that I was introduced to was in the city of Marganets, south central Ukraine, at the Orphanage for Children with Mental and Physical Disabilities. At the time, most of the 156 children had learning disabilities, but some had minor physical disabilities.

Leaving my new-found manager to buy clothes, shoes, and winter boots for the children, I moved to missionary school in western Ukraine for five months. When I returned in December, I was introduced to more of the children with their new winter boots. They were all smiles. I saw a glimmer of promise in whom they were and who they could become!

The following 4 year were filled with provision. Clothing and shoes were the main items provided, but we had a number of projects, big and small. MUCH was changing the physical and visual atmosphere, but more importantly, the self images of the children. God’s provision had been meeting the physical needs of the children, but their spiritual needs were still untouched.

Two summers ago, Ukraine Challenge sent a team of short term missionaries to provide a Vacation Bible School at the Baptist church in Marganets. While there, they visited our children at the orphanage, bringing the Good News to them, possibly for the first time. In the process, I was introduced to the youth group of that church. Each time that I would visit Marganets, I would talk with the youth group and encourage them in some way.

During my last visit, I asked if they would like to put on a concert for our children during my July visit. They said yes and it was arranged. They had lost no enthusiasm between my January and July visits. When they arrived to perform the concert, they asked for some boundaries. I told them that the more involved they could be individually with the children, the better. As they began, I took videos and photos, recording the progress of seven years of loving our children. As I realized what God was doing, tears filled my eyes. A new door had opened; a new team had begun a wonderful work!

International Riot in Marganets

For three days before I arrived, the city of Marganets was closed to all traffic going in or out. At least six buses of militia were guarding the city. I knew nothing about this until I had been in Marganets four hours.

This is the story that I pieced together from two reliable sources. Two men, a Ukrainian and an Armenian were at a bar drinking. After a time and a few drinks, their conversation became a disagreement. The disagreement became violent. The violence spread to the onlookers. They began to take sides. Ukrainians were damaging cars known to belong to Armenians.

Finally, the police arrived. By this time, the fighting had escalated into a riot. In the process of taking control of the situation, one policeman was killed with a knife. A second officer was hospitalized. By the time that I arrived, the only evidence that something had happened was the presence of the militia, walking the streets in teams of four and five, patrolling the city.

June 2009 MUCH Newsletter

I’ve been back in Ukraine for 17 days. My body and mind have adjusted; my twice-a-week cook has returned from her vacation in the village, visiting her grandmother; and I still have hot water. What more could I ask for? It is good to be back to the sights and sounds that I call home. See my post Home Sweet Home. Natasha and Vika took good care of my flat while I was away.

What’s happening this summer? Summer is an organizational time for me. Even so, I will visit the children in Marganets in July. I hope to visit the children in Dobromel, too. I want to have the neurologist from Borislav come to Illichevsk to share his specialties with our massage clinic team. Ira tells me that her church will provide camp for the disabled in September, but that is not a final date.

I met a friend while I was out walking the other day. He is now working with a realtor, specializing in summer rentals. He said the cost for a small flat is about $60 a day. I’m not sure if that is with a view of the Black Sea or if it is anywhere in Illichevsk. How things have changed in the past seven years!

As Ukraine develops as a country and as an economy, the problems of the children remain. The biggest need for most of our children is to have regular activities that they can participate in during the summer. This is nothing new, of course, but finding a solution would be something new for our children. At the Marganets orphanage, the problem was solved last summer by purchasing some sports equipment for summer use. Here in Illichevsk, church camp is offered to the Emmaus children and a special camp for the children with disabilities. Pastor Volodya provides a camp for the children at Dobromel Orphanage. Summer is a long time. The camp activities last about a week, so what else can we do?

Ira has some news about one group of our children who are dear to her heart.

The minds of our children are fertile soil waiting to be planted. The big question is, who will be the first to plant in this soil, and will it be good seed, or not? I am here to set the example, as God leads me. It is a big job. Our team continues to grow as time goes on. I say thank you to all of the team who reach out, each in their own special way. To others, I want to encourage you to see things through Ira’s eyes. Don’t hesitate, step up to the plate, get involved, and change the world of tomorrow by changing the children of today!

Blessing of love and healing,
Mark

Ira's Insight (June 2009)

This time I’d like to tell you about children from the Christian Club Emmaus. This club is for special children, children from underprivileged families.

In our church the first priority is children. Many people understand this simple truth: “The future depends on today.” Children who attend the club are the future of our church, our city, our country. They are the adults of tomorrow. That’s why there is a club in our city called Emmaus. The main goal of the program is to give them as much love as we can and to show them good examples of life. We want them to understand how much God loves them. I know that many who read my stories support this program financially. And you want to know what is happening in the club and how God changes our children’s minds.

Several weeks ago our church held a contest “Brain Ring” for the children who attend Sunday schools in the Illichevsk church and Illichevsk region. The contest was about the Bible characters and events. Most of the questions were about Old Testament. The contest consisted of two tournaments.
And do you know who the winners of the contest were? Children from Emmaus Club! They said it was a real surprise for many people! The prize for winners was a trip to Odessa and to visit the zoo.

I pray to God about these children and hope that the knowledge about the Bible will help them to change their futures.

I know that the desire of each person who works with these children or cooks for them, or supports them financially is to change their lives. May God help us to understand that it is one of the most important ministries in our lives – to give our own input into the future through the lives of our children.

Until next time,
Ira