10:08 am

I have not stopped dripping sweat since we have arrived in Krasny Mak. Everybody's feeling slightly droopy and I'm hoping that we start adjusting to the warmer weather soon. Try dancing in this heat, you can go for about 20 minutes, and then require a cool down.

Yesterday we taught our hosts and team some of the dances we will be doing in the evenings with the community. I taught Alya (our hosts daughter) how to do the jive and she got it after about 10 minutes. Lots of fun. Angie has taught us well! We spent some time in the afternoon setting up for the evening youth/children's event (games, dancing, music). We're using a space right beside Maxim's church that actually has a small bandshell and a fenced in cement pad. Maxim has commandeered some sound equipment so we can crank out the tunes.

The first evening was a real hit!! Amanda, using the parachute prop, got a pile of kids involved with some fun activites and later Sara taught the kids several traditional dances (Canadian and Ukrainian) - WITHOUT an interpreter which was quite impressive. I recognized several kids from last year.

At one point, a slightly intoxicated Bubushka finds me and just starts talking up a storm. With tears in her eyes, she explains how Krasny Mak was such a beautiful place at one time, and things have just fallen apart. She is clearly broken as she recounts the decline of the last twenty years. I tell her I believe the people ARE beautiful and good, and that God is going to do something wonderful here. And then she joins right in with the Bird Dance. It was kind of funny how she went from one extreme to the other so quickly thanks to a few shots of vodka I'm sure J.

Maxim and I felt it might be appropriate to invite the Russian Orthodox group to join us, as it was apparent they were doing something with kids as well. We no sooner had entered the courtyard of the church than the head priest, an ancient guy dressed in black robes with a long flowing beard (the "pope")unloads both "barrels" on both of us, as two other priests join in. Some of the dialogue was hard to track, as I was listening second hand through Catya, but it was obvious that the priest was pronouncing curse after curse upon us and Maxim, threatening violence, calling us a sect, voicing plans to partner with the Muslims against Maxim's church. It was VERY dark and demonic. We saw first hand the spirit of the enemy and his agenda of oppression and religious bondage for these people. I noted over the door of the church an icon of Jesus where he literally looked angry (I have previously never seen that particular image). I think we saw first hand the antithesis of everything Maxim needs and wants to be in Krasny Mak.

Be that as it may, the night ended wonderful and we expect twice crowd tomorrow night. After a late dinner, we spend some time praying together and hearing from God. It is a very memorable moment as Maxim speaks blessing over the very priest who spoke curses over him. He mentions to us after, that this is the third priest to pronounce blatant curses over him. Each one is removed (miraculously) shortly after.