Today I traveled from Ivano-Frankivsk to Lazarivka to visit the VBS program. It is nesting time for the storks. Yes, in Ukraine, the people also believe that storks bring babies to the families. It is believed to be good luck for the family if a stork chooses your home as a place to build a nest.
Three young storks in a nest by a "lucky home."
The church building in Lazarivka dates back to the early 1900's when it was occupied by a Lutheran congregation. The congregation ceased in 1945 when Communism took over Ukraine. The building was used as a community building. In the mid-1990's, with Ukraine independence, the building was returned to the re-started Lutheran congregation and restored for church use. This is where the VBS program is being held in Lazarivka. Lazarivka is a village of 450 people that is 3 kilometers off the main highway between Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil. There are 31 children in the local school and 26 of them were in the VBS program today.
The VBS team in Lazarivka includes (left to right) Katherine Cleven, Beth Krause, Julia Telko (translator), Pastor Oleksandr Husar and Rachel Skaaland.
The craft projects were divided between the upper (on the left) and primary (on the right). There is limited table space, but the children seemed happy to make do with the space they had whether on a table or on another bench.
This boy of about 7 or 8 years was standing on the road about 50 yards from the church building. He seemed interested in what was going on inside. Pastor Husar went to talk with him to invite him to the VBS program. He said: "Not today, I am too late. But, I will be the first one tomorrow!"
Pastor Husar led the closing prayer at the end of the VBS session.
I explained to the children that some of the pictures I was taking would be on the Internet and asked if any of them had access to the Internet in their homes. They said: "No, but we can get the Internet on our cell phones!" Some of the children have cell phones and they quickly programed www.tof.org into them. What a "connected world" we live in.
Tomorrow I vist the VBS program in Ternopil.
Kermit Traska
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