098 - Chapter 98

(Illustration: Ukrainian flag friendship banner)

There seems to be so many trouble spots all over the world right now; persecution, wars, unrest and lawlessness plague our world, but the worrying trend is that such things, are becoming more and more intense and more painful; just like the pangs of childbirth mentioned in Mark 13, so too all the suffering that they cause.

'When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.' (Mark 13.7-8)

In 2022, we witnessed on news accounts, Russia’s sudden invasion of Ukraine, with all that horror unfolding there, with bombs falling indiscriminately on schools, hospitals, homes with horrific consequences, and a mass exodus of civilians, fleeing from President Putin’s power and control. President Zelensky of Ukraine, on the other hand, was hailed as a great leader and hero, at one with his people in their fight for freedom.

I saw for myself on live television that in February at a United Nations conference, the Russian Foreign minister, Mr Sergei Lavrov spoke, via video link, to express Russia’s view, aiming to justify their stance on what his country called their ‘military manoeuvres’.

More than a hundred diplomats from forty different countries simply walked out on him as he spoke, in order to demonstrate their support for Ukraine, I’ve never seen the like before.  I completely understand why they did this, but perhaps it might have been wiser if these delegates had stayed to hear what he had to say, and offer some response? I heard him speak about NATO encroaching upon their territories, and getting far too close for comfort, and he also spoke of the danger to Russians living in the Donbas region, because of fascism and human rights violations. He also spoke of the arrogant, aggressive attitudes and immorality of the west, ‘We have to put a stop to it!” he added. It was quite a speech!  

Afterwards however much I searched I could not find that entire speech anywhere on social media or in the newspapers. It had somehow been erased. Why?

Surely it is necessary to have the courtesy to listen to one another’s grievances and exchange views. What do we ever hope to achieve, by our disrespect and a refusal to listen?

And so the stage was made ready for the theatre of war to go ahead!

Ukrainians continue to suffer today as they fight for their independence, and to keep hold of all that is rightfully theirs. Their cause has been somewhat over shadowed by the conflict now between Israel and Palestine, which I will mention soon. 

I interviewed Nicola Denyer in May 2022 on the topic of Ukraine for one of my radio programmes.  Nicola is an amazing woman. She’s a wife and mother, a Lay Reader, and also a ‘Lay Ministry Development Officer’ in the Newcastle Diocese. She began a website along with one or two friends, called, ‘Safe Homes for Ukraine at the Coast; Whitley Bay and Cullercoats’ (two North-East of England coastal towns) to give support to Ukrainian refugees.

It all began when she heard the voice of a young mother from Ukraine on a news programme. This mother was in hiding with her four-year old, she was homeless, with nowhere to go, and they were terrified of the bombing. Nicola thought to herself, “That could so easily be me, and my three-year old daughter, if I lived there, if my sons and husband were away from home defending our country!”  So she went into action, and consequently, many Ukrainian families came to be housed by local people in the Whitley Bay area. There is now a large Ukrainian community at the coast, and over 1000 people have subscribed to their Facebook page. 

Activities they’ve organised now comprise: free educational courses, English lessons, contributions of clothing, crisis management, sport and therapeutic leisure activities, friendship and support groups and the provision of toys, bikes and furniture! There have been concerts too and wonderful get togethers.

Nicola has two Ukrainian guests living in her own house, both young female teachers, who are now teaching her daughter Ukrainian! They also continue to teach pupils they once taught in Odessa by video link.

Our daughter’s ‘in-laws’ in Berkshire, also adopted three guests, a family of three, father, mother and daughter, and their lives have been greatly helped too! The parents found work in a hotel, and a year later were able to find their own flat.

When we visited them, Natalia the mother, taught me how to sing the Ukranian love song which had been played on my radio programme, when I interviewed Nicola.

https://drive.google.com/.../13Cwpd5SSZXVatOeWnYk2sW.../view

It's the most beautiful song in which a lover calls his beloved to walk with him in the moonlight. It’s exactly like Song of Songs 2. 10-13 in the Bible, (which is attributed to King Solomon) and it offers the best analogy of God’s love for us, calling us to a love relationship with him. 

I interpreted the song’s English interpretation like this to make it easier to sing:

Night of bright moonlight, so starry . .  and so clear,

With pine needle shadows below

‘Come my beloved, though tired from your labours,

Come for a while, to the grove.’

Be not afraid that the glistening dew,

Will soak you or dampen your toes,

You, my true love, I’ll catch up in my arms

And then up to the dacha* we’ll go. (repeat)

(*summer residence)

Be not afraid you’ll freeze, my pure white swan.

It is warm, and no icy wind blows

I’ll hold you close to my own trembling heart,

Because just like an ember, it glows. (repeat)

SPOKEN

The grove is so lovely, all moonbean strewn

Just imagine it, it’s like a dream,

You’re slender and tall, like an aspen.

Your leaves delicately trembling,

Heaven, is immeasurable, all strewn with stars.

Created by God, it’s such a wonder!

Translucent pearls, glow under the poplars,

the fallen dew glistens.

This makes a beautiful poem too, does it not?

Bob and I were walking in Berwick one day, by the River Tweed, and I was wearing, on my coat lapels, a badge of support for Ukraine that I had made of coloured ribbons, when a young ten year old on her bike stopped me and pointed at it. “You like Ukraine?” she asked me. It turned out that she was out for a walk with her Ukrainian family. They too had fled to this country, and were being looked after by a relative in Berwick. They told us there were ten of them in one small flat!

That is true hospitality is it not?

Just as there is so much darkness and aggression in our world, there are such a lot of loving, compassionate people working hard to shine the light of love on others, just like all those I have just mentioned in this chapter. We mustn’t lose sight of that.

And when people give as freely and generously as this, they are given so much back in return:

‘Give and it shall be given.’ says the Bible, ‘A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6.38.