TLCsabbatical

Everything is Illuminated; Well Almost!

2006-09-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

"I was of the opinion that the past is past, and like all that is not now.
It should remain buried, along the side of our memories;
But this was before the commencement of our very rigid search."
Alex from the movie Everything is Illuminated

Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "if you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32

The purpose of this sabbatical journey was multifaceted, because I wanted to explore the roots of my Lutheran Christian faith as well as the roots of my father in Ukraine.
The history of the Church can be learned from books and that is how we should begin. Yet it is harder to imagine and internalize the details of place and person without seeing the present reality with our own eyes. To actually see the places where Martin Luther began a revolution in faith can be nostalgic, but it also impresses one with the fact that our perception of history is not always accurate.
The Church has always been composed of sinners and saints (often found in the same person),and the same truth applies to our families.
One of the most powerful symbols on the journey was the steeple cross that was found in the rubble of the totally destroyed Frauen Kirche in Dresden. The Feb, 1945 firebombing of that Saxon and very Lutheran city killed over 100,000 citizens in the middle of Nazi Germany. Since it was in East Germany, it was not rebuilt until 60 years later. It can be considered a museum, or a church without a congregation, or a testament to the suffering and humility of Christ's body that persists and resurrects the human spirit and our own bodies by faith alone.

The Lutheran Church in Europe and America is in a near death crisis of faith. Yet, we will only begin to deal with the present when we can truly allow Christ's cross to redeem the present by unburying the past to see the truth and give hope for the future. From the grave of the past comes new life symbolized in the chapel underground Frauen Kirche chapel.

We rarely if ever, learn about the reality of our family histories from books, but we can trace the past through the memories of those who continue in the present. While spending almost two weeks with my mother's family in Bayreuth Germany, I was once again reminded of the complexity of human relationships among those who continue to come together because of blood and history. It is both with joy and sadness that we continue our course on earth, linked together by our identity that is a foundation for stability and even growth in love and faith. My dear grandmother's grave (My Oma, Anna Riess) is still a marker of her generous life that suffered the loss of my grandfather, Heinrich on May 7, 1945 but she never gave up hope and faith. Her faith inspired my mother and was somehow shared with me in our struggle to become an American family.

When my father, Mykola Pavlyuk left his hometown in Rovno in Ukraine in 1939 to be drafted into the Russian army, he knew of the suffering of his people under Soviet rule and tried to do something by deserting and joining the Germany Army. I had some suspicions that he may have been anti-Semitic like many Ukrainians, and may have participated in Nazi massacres of 20,000 Jews in Nov. 1941 and July 1942, but after a somewhat rigorous search, I found no evidence for this. His own family thought he was dead for 20 years until 1959 when he first wrote home. From family members (one sister out of 8 siblings has survived), I found that he was beloved, talented, but haunted by melancholy. While I was prepared for the worst, I was surprised by the joy and love of my Ukrainian family, which has fulfilled a deep yearning in my life.

In the end, it is in our church family, founded in the waters of baptism, and through our human families founded in the genetics of blood, that we learn the past, both good and bad, live together in the present and hope for a future redeemed by Christ. Ultimately our identity in both families are bound up with him by his love and forgiveness.

Home at last on 8/10!

2006-08-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

Before I try to describe the "eternal city" of Rome, I want to give thanks that by the grace of God we arrived home in the USA in safety. Of all the dates to come home, August 10th will be etched in our minds.
When we left Rome at 10am, (4am EDT) we had heard nothing about the bomb plot, but something strange happened at the ticket counter: we received only 5 boarding passes instead of 6, and were told that we would have to reboard in Washington DC before going to Hartford.

Then in Frankfurt, we went through very tight security and everyone was frisked. But it still wasn't known that there was a code red situation until we arrived at Dulles and were told to claim our luggage, (which was supposed to be transferred without us) and remove all liquids from our carry on luggage. During the chaos at customs hundreds of international passengers were herded together and after an hour we able to try to find our connecting flights. We ran through two terminals and arrived just after the aircraft doors were shut. By the goodness of United Airlines and God we were able to book the last flight to Hartford, which also was delayed and arrived just after midnight, exhausted but glad to be home with all our luggage.

Rome is a fascinating city because of its historical location as the center of the Roman empire and the center of Christianity. However, it is also frustrating due to large crowds and the laid back way that Italians work and play. The subways are inadequate and full of graffiti, but some how we managed to see what was most important and the weather was very good.
The first day, we booked a tour of the Vatican museum, waited in line for an hour and a half, but the galleries were very interesting, especially the Sistine Chapel, but very crowded. We then went of St. Peter's and were overwhelmed by its size and beauty. Pope Benedict XVI was on vacation so I could not wish him "Gruess Gott", and then we had a fine Italian dinner.

The next morning, we took the subway to the Colosseum, the Forum and Palatine Hill. We had anther tour and learned some interesting details. Later, we made a long walk to San Giovanni Church in Laterano where the popes had their residence until going to Avignon, France (14th Century) and St. Peter's was begun, (16th Century). We found it to be more beautiful, mainly because of the statues of the 12 disciples (no Judas but St Paul was added) and very impressive. It was built over the place of the first Christian basilica by Constantine in the 4th Century.

One very intriguing thought was that the building of St. Peter's was a source of the Reformation, because indulgences were sold to pay for it, and the Colosseum was built with plunder from the Jewish temple destroyed in 70AD and by 40,000 Jewish slaves. God's hand in history is ironic since both of these breath taking monuments to the Roman empire and Roman Christianity are related to earth shaking changes in our faith's origins. The Roman empire was overcome not only by barbarians, but by Christ, and the Vatican was reduced in power and privilege due to excesses in corruption and straying from the Gospel. Yet, both buildings continue to inspire and teach us about the history of the Christian faith.

I went on this 40 day journey to find the roots of family, faith and the future that God's grace gives to us. I was illuminated by many things, many of which were not physical but spiritual and relational. Now, after some time to further reflect and rest, (from traveling), I will be ready to continue my ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Maybe, I will continue to add more reflections and pictures to this blog in the next few weeks...

From Germany to Italy through the Alps

2006-08-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

I am writing this, while standing in the lobby of the Summit Hotel in Rome. We arrived from Venice on an overnight train after waiting four hours (10pm till 2:30am) in the Balogna train station. We did not sleep and crashed this morning after 13 hours of travel.
We had a great trip through the Alps, stopping for a night in Garmish and Balzanno to escape the crowds of city life. The trip up the Zugspitze, (Germany's tallest mountain) was memorable.

We then went for two nights in Venice, which is incredible.
It truely is a city without any motor vehicles except narrow boats. We did not ride gondolas, (too expensive), but water taxis for hours, which was great for sight seeing.

We are starting to get homesick, and have now been "on the road" for 36 days. I hope my garden and cats are alive and all is well at Trinity Lutheran Church.
You are all in my prayers.

Time to move on....

2006-07-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

After three big meals at the home of each cousin, (except one), it was time to choose the way back. Since it was such a long and hot journey by train, my interpreter convinced us to go to Kiev and take a jet back to Frankfurt. In addition, we were told that one cannot visit Ukraine without seeing the capitol of 3 million.

We left in a full minibus for the 4 hour ride, which did not have a real rest stop, (more on that later), and after two failures to find an affordable hotel downtown, we went to the renovated Hotel Tourist and had a nice room next to the subway station. Later, we went on the underground and I mean deep underground to the city for 10 cents and walked to the famous place of the “Orange Revolution”. We found that there were very fashionable stores, underground mall and plenty of campers protesting that the government had reached a political stalemate.

The next morning we took a two hour flight to Frankfurt, and a 3 hour high speed train home for 5 times the cost of the trip to Rivne, but it was worth it. The first thing that one always sees in Bayreuth is the world famous Richard Wagner Festspielhaus, which had begun the opera season.

We rejoined our happy Uncle Alfred, Aunt Martha, cousin Günter, wife Irene and children Manuel, and Simone for more family get visits with other relatives. The beer is outstanding and the friendships will endure in spite of the lack of my parents. We are grateful for their outstanding hospitality.

We are getting a bit homesick, and tomorrow morning we will travel by train to Munich for the last leg of our trek to Rome…

SUNDAY, Sunday

2006-07-30T03:20:00.000-07:00

Today, I attended my mother’s church in Bayreuth for the third time and once again was refused Holy Communion since it was a non communion Sunday. It was a very nice service with a special ensemble from Lemberg, (Liviv Ukraine) where I was last Sunday. The church was two thirds full and it was great to listen to Mozart, but the preaching was hard to understand and a bit boring.

Last Sunday, I attended my father’s Orthodox church in Ukraine, but we missed the regular morning service and arrived during a wedding which followed. I doubt if I would have been offered communion there either but for different reasons. The little church was celebrating its 250^th anniversary this year and I was impressed by the icon of Jesus holding his hand out to a sinking Peter in the sea. We all need that hand when the evil and selfishness of the world threatens to destroy us with doubt and unbelief.

We then walked to the grave of my Grandfather Roman, (and other relatives) and passed by a Soviet apartment complex built on land confiscated from him by the Russians, which is why my father hated Stalin and wanted to come to America. Then, we went to my older cousin Natalya’s home for a garden party. The sumptuous dinner of pork, chicken, and small beef steaks on the grill along with lots of homemade wine and vodka.

The next day we toured the city center and went to the local historical museum, where I asked about the slaughter of 25,000 Jews in and around the city in Nov. 1941 and July 1942. They showed me a picture of the monument built to honor them near the city, and said that they had been able to find the names of 1000 so far. I asked if they knew which Ukrainians assisted the Germans in doing this, and they said they were mostly from other neighboring regions and that it was highly unlikely the my father had any role and was already gone.

God is full of forgiveness and hope in Christ. Gott sei Dank!

Home at Last!

2006-07-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

Upon our arrival in Rivne, I wasn’t sure what to do next, so I motioned to a taxi to take us to the Hotel Tourist, since according to the travel guide, it had a better range of rooms than the alternative, which was the Hotel Mir. In the lobby I tried to speak broken Ukrainian to the receptionist but she spoke no English. However, a young man nearby noticed us and he spoke some English and so I paid for a standard double room for 3 nights. It was only $25/night, and it seemed like a good deal.

In our room, which overlooked a busy bus station, we found a nice double bed, no fan, and 2 tiny hand towels in the bathroom next to the shower. It was old, Soviet era furnishings, but we were content. I then called the phone number that my Baptist Pastor acquaintance had give as my Aunt’s home and when it was answered in Ukrainian, I gave my name and I could tell that whoever answered was very excited. I tried to say that we were in town at the Hotel Tourist and would come over in the morning since it was now about 7PM. I could hardly understand a word that she said. I then went downstairs and wandered around and found a very good restaurant next door which had an English menu. While going through the lobby, the receptionist called me and had the young man tell me that a cousin of mine had called the hotel and said they would meet me at the hotel after 12 noon. I then called the Pastor, and while he didn’t speak much English, I was able to request his presence and a translator to come over on Saturday at noon.

The next morning, I anxiously awaited their arrival, after buying a bunch of roses on the street. I bought a bouquet of 5 and then realized that according to custom the wrong number meant bad luck and so I went back to the street vender and wanted one more, she tried to sell me two, but I took only one. Later, I discovered that even numbers of flowers are the wrong number. I went back to the room to wait and suddenly just before 11 AM there was a knock on the door, and in came three happy middle aged women and a man, and gave us big hugs. The three women were my first cousins and with sign language told us to come to my Aunt’s house, where my father had lived, for dinner.

We six squeezed into a compact car and made the five minute ride to a broken down farm house on a dirt path next to some more modern homes. Then I met my father’s sister Galina, (my Titka), who couldn’t say much since she could not hear, but my other cousin and her husband and a daughter was there and we sat down for a huge meal of cutlets, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, breads with various toppings like smoked fish, and lots of wine, and cognac with many toasts (Budmo!) and some tears after the translator arrived and we began to communicate.

I asked after a while, when was the last time that my aunt saw my father, and was relieved to hear that he had been forced into the Soviet army in 1939 and they thought he was dead until 1959 when he wrote them a letter from America. They said he was born in that house, but it didn’t make much sense since they also said my grandfather Roman had built the house in 1928, nine years after my Dad’s birth. However the house seemed much older.

Going "home"

2006-07-28T00:41:00.000-07:00

It was a grueling 25 hour train ride from Prague to the first major city in western Ukraine, Liviv. Later I tell you how we went back to Germany.
First of all, we assumed that food and water would be available on an overnight train so we brought a small sandwich and two small bottles of water and orange juice. Boy, were we wrong!
Since our car was disconnected from other cars that may have had refreshments, and we were not allowed enough time to get off whenever we stopped in a train station, we began to wonder if we would make it. The old Russian made train car had some air conditioning that worked only when we went over 30 mph and the lights were off in the daytime to conserve energy.
There were two other Americans in our section and one young man (about 30) shared our bunk area (top bunk of three), we had a chance to speak some english. However, they left us at 5:30 AM in Cracow, and we had to fend for ourselves. We did get a fresh cup of tea at 8:00 AM, but that was all. Then we spent 8 hours on a siding in the hot sun with no ventilation while other cars were added for the trek to Ukraine. I was able to find a German speaking conducter from another car who sold me more water, Coca Cola, and two bags of pretzels. We were saved.

Then we left for the border and two hours later stopped to have our train car lifted up with Karen it and the under carriage changed to fit the eastern European train tracks and after a few more hours we were off to Liviv. We called ahead on our cell phone to tell our landlady that would not arrive until midnight and would she meet us at the train station and take us to our reserved apartment, which was quite beautiful.

The next morning we awoke to see the "new Prague" of the east but we only had 4 hours to find breakfast and get to the train station for the 4 hour ride to my father's hometown. Everthing it seemed was under construction, including the street below our balcony, (3rd story with satellite dish with over 2 hundred stations.

Finally we boarded the train and after traveling across beautiful farm land with horse drawn carts, we arrived at the train station in Rivne (Rovno in Russian)!

WE MADE IT...

2006-07-27T04:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we returned to my Uncle's house in Germany after a 9 day adventure traveling to my father's home in Rivne, Ukraine. We succeded in finding 4 cousins, my father's only surviving sibling, (from eight), and a few spouses and their children. Their hospitality was outstanding.

But before I get to that, we need to review our journey.

We left for the east by a 5 hour train trip to Prague where we spent two wonderful days, except for the heat. European hotels, at least the ones we could afford, do not have fans or air conditioning and there has been a heat wave this summer. Upon arrival we had a bit of a time finding the right trolley to our hotel, since we didn't speak Czech. That evening we went to the famous Charles bridge after supper and by riding the subway which was a pleasant experience. By the way it works with an honor system: you buy your tickets at a machine and validate it when you get on, but no one checks to see if you have a ticket.

The next day we went to the castle hill where there was a beautiful church, the king's residence, and beautiful gardens. It was hot so we didn't see everything but really enjoyed an art exhibit by Albrecht Durer.

The next day we revisited the downtown and saw some interesting old buildings including the Czech Municipal Performance Center where Smetana and Dvorak performed and independence declared in the recent "Velvet Revolution".

Then we went to the train station and left on an overnight train to Liviv, passing through all of Poland in one Ukrainian traincar added to the rear of the train. It was going to be a long 25 hour journey which I will describe in my next blog.

War and Peace

2006-07-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Now that we had completed our first goal of finding my "Luther roots", it was time to go to Berlin and find my war roots that led my father out of Ukraine to Germany.
First we went to Potsdam, which like most of the former East Germany is making an unbelievable transition from a worn out Communist state to modern western capitalism and freedom. I have included a picture of an unrenovated building across the street from our Hotel to indicate that not everything has changed in 16 years.

We spent one half of a day in Berlin to see the remnants of the Wall, and the Jewish Memorial to Holocaust victims. It is bleak and you can easily be disoriented by it, much like post war Germany.

I saw map of sites all over Europe where there were memorials to large massacres of Jews and found my father's city, Rovnow. Berlin was a bit hot and so we returned to cool Potsdam and the next morning on our way out stopped at the beautiful royal residence where the Conference between Russia, Britain, and the USA decided how to divide up postwar Germany. The owner of the palace was a German nobleman who had committed suicide by throwing himself out of the 4th floor window (see picture) before being arrested for plotting against Hitler in 1944. He did not want to face torture and give up the names of his co-conspirators.

We then proceeded to Dresden, the infamous site of an allied fire bombing on Feb. 13, 1945, in which 35,000 average citizens died. The most famous Lutheran cathedral built for Lutherans in Saxony was destroyed two days later from the fire. It is called the Frauen Kirche (Our Lady’s) and was considered the St. Peter's of Germany because of its 300 foot high dome. For 50 years it was a pile of rubble and after the wall came down plans were made and money raised to completely rebuild it using only 20% of the original sand stones that survived. 90,000 computer pictures helped them duplicate the original and it is magnificent and it was rededicated on Oct. 30, 2005.

On this day of our arrival, the city of Dresden celebrated 800 years of life even after surviving the near death of their city. There must be a connection between the death of the past even as we celebrate new life and freedom in the present when the truth of our sin is exposed and dealt with. The rebuilt Frauen Kirche is a testament that the Church of Jesus Christ will heal and survive the sins of wartime on all sides.

Tomorrow morning we leave on a train to Prague for two days before a 26 hour train ride to the Ukrainian city of Lviv (formerly Lemberg), and from there another train ride (5 hours) to my father's family and my Aunt Galina. We will have no computer access for the next 10 or more days. Pray for us!

Luther and Bach - Soli Deo

2006-07-16T04:43:00.000-07:00

Here is Bach's house in Leipzig
It seems that Luther and JS Bach would not have much in common since they lived two centuries apart, but our tour brought both of their chief residences into our view one day apart. While Luther only spent some time in Leipzig when he debated the RC theologian Eck, JS Bach spent his best years here (29?) as the city choir master and often debated his contract at the Rathaus, (city hall). His famous church home was St. Thomas church were he wrote a tremendous amount of Lutheran music usually signed, Soli Deo, (God alone).

Next we drove to Wittenburg where Martin Luther taught and conducted the Reformation with his colleague, Philip Melancthon. Quite often they have statues and pictures next to each other inside the local churches. Luther's other partner was his wife Katharina von Bora, and they lived with their children in a converted Augustinian monastery, where many fellow teachers, clergy and friends met to discuss the struggle for the Gospel in the Luthers' living room. Yet the world only saw what he did by hanging the 95 theses on the Castle Church where he was the Pastor. He had begun his preaching in Wittenbury at the St. Mary's Church where he was buried.
His portrait in death was painted to show that he died peacefully and not in great agony as his enemies predicted. His lived and believed that nothing can truly harm us when we put our trust only in God (soli Deo) and his justifying grace given by Christ alone.

Here Luther Stood (and Sat)

2006-07-15T07:39:00.001-07:00

It’s been a long wait to finally get internet access once again!However, after five days of driving and visiting most of the places that was important to his faith journey literally from west to east. (see Picture of Map)

Leaving the Wartburg, where Luther fought with his demons within himself, (see pic of his room), we stayed in Erfurt where we saw the World Championship of soccer on a large outdoor screen next to the cathedrals. The crowds were well behaved and there was lots and lots of beer.
The next morning we went to the Augustinian monastery where Luther debated with his superior and prayed for release from a troubled conscience and finally was sent to Wittenberg to teach moral theology and scripture. JS Bach also played the organ in Erfurt.

On the way to Leipzig, we stopped in Weimar to see the center of the German enlightenment with Goethe, Schiller and later Nietzsche. Here a humanistic view of human ability to be virtuous and in control of one's own existence paved the way for a secular world without God. Luther would have insisted on our constant bondage to sin that keeps us from truly being free and able to govern ourselves. Later the Weimar Republic would a try to introduce enlightened democracy here and fail, leading to the rise of fascism.

The Wartburg at Last!

2006-07-10T23:35:00.000-07:00

It was a long but fast almost 3 hour ride on the Autobahn to Eisenach in what used to be called "East Germany". Since there is no speed limit on many parts of the road, it takes a little getting used to cars passing you at over 100 mph, when I am driving at 140 Kph, (about 75 mph). I am getting used to German roads even if I don't understand the signs...

Outside view of castle Wartburg and entrance

We had just enough time to see the Wartburg castle which was begun in the 11th century and was old and beautiful by the time Martin Luther was hidden there in 1521 for his own safety. Under the false identity of Junker Jorg, he translated the New Testament into German in just 6 weeks. This was the first time in history outside of the earliest centuries that the Bible had been translated into the language of the common people. While there for almost 2 years, he translated the rest of the Bible and wrote many short booklets on various topics, yet he felt that he wasn't being useful. However, this forced time of "getting away from it all" helped change history and recharged him for the future of the Reformation. Maybe this was his Sabbatical.

Gottesdienst= God's Service

2006-07-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, my wife, cousin Guenter, and myself attended the Church where my mother and father were married at 9:30 AM for "Gottesdienst" without Holy Communion. The word, "Gottesdienst" means "God's Service", but is it ours to give or God's to give and for us to receive?
Because we believe in God's grace as primary and our response cannot earn forgiveness, it must be God's gift to us.

Pictures are from the ceiling, Altar, and Baptismal Font.

In Ordenskirche, my family's church, I expected a traditional Lutheran liturgy, but was not sure I would like the "Taize" music that was added for this special day. There was a youth orchestra with guitar, flutes, violins and bass and a choir. It was not overdone and yet there were all the traditional elements of confession, psalm, Epistle, and Gospel, (no Old Testament Lesson), with the Pastor preaching a somewhat understandable sermon, and announcements in the middle of the service. I tried to sing in German very uncomplicated hymns and with the simple Latin wordsfrom Taize. All done in an hour without any coffee hour afterwards!
While I was skeptical and almost unwilling to go, I received a real sense that the Holy Spirit was present and filling us with grace even if I wasn't able to give much service.

Gott sei Dank

2006-07-07T06:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks be to God!
We have been staying at my Uncle's house that my grandfather Heinrich built in the 1930's and where my mother grew up. It survived the war when the city was bombed and has been expanded and modernized.
When I first came to Germany in 1971 everyone had very small cars and usually only one. Now the cars are bigger but we have seen no pickup trucks and few SUV's. At first I thought our rental car was small, but now I feel average. However, it took 50 euros (about $60.), to fill it up today, about 8 gallons. Now I know what real sticker shock is. My cousin recently bought a large Mazda 5 minivan, smaller than my Dodge Caravan, but it seats 7. They don't complain about the cost of gasoline.

Sometimes we don't realize how much we have and how blessed we are to have God the Father provide so much for us. In the picture Karen is standing next to our rental car. I am standing next to a Mercedes "Smart" car in more ways than one.

A Sad Day for Germany

2006-07-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

It was a big event watching Germany get ready for the semi-final match with Italy and with high hopes we watched them lose in the last few minutes. I expected that the German fans would react with anger, frustration and even animosity towards the winners but they did not and accepted the result with dignity. Everything was back to normal today and the stores had FIFA soccer memorbilia on sale today. We will watch the other semi-final tonight as soccer fans love the game no matter who wins.
What really surprised me was the song that was played in English , (which I hear so rarely now), as the soccer players left the field: "You Never Walk Alone" and how this is a theological statement as well.

When we toured the churches in Wurzburg I was happy to see that these buildings that were bombed during the war were rebuilt mostly to reproduce the previous architecture which is historical. However new furnishings and modern artwork were added to reflect the post war mood of repentance and hope that God had not forsaken Germany and that the Christians had not walked alone in the post war period of depression and poverty. We believe this because Jesus also suffered for us and intimately knows our pain and poverty from the cross.
In the Lutheran Church I found this cross over the altar:

GruessGott-Greet God

2006-07-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks be to God.
We made it with no real problems and were met with the traditional Bavarian greeting of "Greet God" when meeting people. Our visit to the old imperial city of Wurzburg was very interesting even though we suffered from jetlag.
There are 39 churches in this city, and 36 are Roman Catholic and 3 are Lutheran, (Evangelishe). All are exceptionally beautiful as well as the Residenz of the Bishop Prince.
We then left for Bamberg and the famous smoked beer on Tuesday and then arrived at my Uncle Alfred's house where my mother grew up and my grandfather built. (pictures to follow).

2006-07-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Time to Pray

We have packed our bags and are still thinking about things that we should have remembered to bring, but can't remember. We had a last minute emergency on Thursday when Karen had an infected front tooth removed and needs to take medication. She won't be eating hard food for a few days.
We are nervous, excited, and a bit apprehensive about what lies ahead. We have an ambitious schedule that will take a lot of planning as we go with the grace of God. We leave Bradley Airport on Sunday at 2:30 PM and arrive in Frankfurt on Monday at 7:00 AM.

Lord God our Father, you kept Abraham and Sarah in safety throughout the days of their pilgrimage, you led the children of Israel through the midst of the sea, and by a star you led the Wise Men to the infant Jesus. Protect and guide us now in this time as we set out to travel, make our ways safe and our homecomings joyful, and bring us at last to our heavenly home, where you dwell in glory with you Son and the Holy Spirit, God forever. AMEN

Learning Ukrainian

2006-06-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to teach myself my father's native language for 3 months by audio CD. Now I am trying to read and write the Cyrillic alphabet, which you can see is quite different from ours. I want to be able to read signs and have very basic conversations. Still I will hire a translator and driver for the first day or two when I find my father's family. I recommend watching the DVD, "Everything is Illuminated", for seeing modern Ukrainian social life and anxiety.

last minute panic

2006-06-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

My blog needs help from Kent the webmaster and our Lord Jesus Christ.
(This is a carving of the crucifix from Tanzania at the Lutheran seminary in Philadelphia)

Home Sweet Home

2006-06-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

Visit my home church's website! http://www.TrinityLutheranNH.org

Time to start packing and planning

2006-06-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

The journey of a lifetime is hard to imagine since I have not been in Europe in over 30 years.
My cousin in Bayreuth Germany is excited and my aunt in Rivne Ukraine has been found and informed of my coming in July.
I have much to do and the worst is getting shots for hepatitis A, Typhoid and tetanus
in the next week or two.