What a day this has been. Over 50 hours now without water. The black 50-liter barrel in the hall beside the fridge is almost empty. The toilet room is beginning to remind me of that old outhouse out behind our ‘cabin’ in Alaska. Dirty dishes are piled here and there all over the kitchen (what a job that is going to be, cleaning off all the dried on food – I don’t want to think about it!) There is a water truck parked outside in the area in which kids play, distributing free water. The line of people has been solid since it got here. Dozens of people standing around, each carrying a brightly colored bucket, usually about 10-liters worth in size. If I go out and stand in line, my bucket will be pale blue. I keep it between the washer and sink in the kitchen for times like this. Ira was here earlier today and called the water department for us. Apparently there was a water main break down the street a mile or so from us. Our whole district is without water and no one is sure when it will be repaired. It could be another day or two, or it could be before dark tonight.
The internet cable is out. Sasha was here a while ago checking everything. Apparently our computers and their connections are ok, so it must be the “equipment up on the roof” of our building. Ira thought maybe it might be the cable itself because her internet was disrupted a while ago when rats on the roof ate a large section of it. Rats on the roof … I hope they stay up there! Oh my.
Last night we attended a birthday party in our office. Little Bogdan Nakul is now one year old. Happy Birthday, little man! During the middle of the party Mel got a phone call. Our co-worker who was bringing our meds back from the States had forgotten them and left them on the plane in Kiev. The airline staff had turned them in to customs officials at the airport. Ira spent more than an hour today on the phone calling different offices at Borispyl Airport, trying to find out where they are and how to go about getting them. She is on her way tonight to Kiev to pick up some other Americans and escort them back to Kherson, so she offered to try and get it all for us. Hopefully we gave her the correct paperwork and enough money to “ransom” everything. Hopefully Mel’s insulin will not be ruined by not being refrigerated for all of these hours. Remember, Cindie – God is in control!
We started getting reports from CNN this afternoon about what is happening in London today. I feel an incredible sense of sadness and even despair. It is only when I remember that my God is in control of all of this, only then does the weight lift from my heart. We have BBC World News via our television cable. All of the news for the past hour has been in some way connected to this situation. Mel and I prefer to fly British Airways because it has a direct flight from London to Denver. The video from Heathrow – we know exactly where a lot of it is coming from because we have been there several times over the past five years. I cannot imagine being there now….
We live in interesting times. I wonder what it was like for the citizens of Jericho when Joshua and the children of Israel showed up. Did they experience feelings of dread, fear of what the future would hold for their children and grandchildren? I’m sure they must have. What is happening around the world is not new, only the means in which it is happening are new. People have always killed each other since the day Cain killed his brother, Abel. We are just better at it now, more efficient. How sad.
So, no water equals stinky people who need showers. Neither Mel nor I went out for our normal walks the past couple of days because we cannot take a shower when we get back. We are conserving water however we can. No internet cable is not so bad because we still have internet via modem connection. We can’t change what is going to happen regarding the medications, only pray that God will protect it and give Ira an open door to pick it up. The situation in the rest of the world, specifically Great Britain, is out of our control and all we can do is continue to pray for safety for those of us who are currently at the airports, those who often fly and those who are involved in the investigations.
Hopefully, by this time tomorrow three of these four situations will be corrected, be back to normal, over and done with. Terrorism will be with us until the end of time, I’m afraid, but life does go on.
Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last,
Apart from me there is no God.
Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
What has happened since I established my ancient people,
And what is yet to come –
Yes, let him foretell what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.
Isaiah 44:6-8 (emphasis mine)
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