The Tour begins…

The Tour de France begins today with an individual time trial…in Monaco. What a gorgeous setting, though I’m not sure the riders get to enjoy it much today.

For more information on the exact route today, click here.

Ukrainian hospitals

Fellow missionary Michelle posted a link to an eye-opening article about the state of Ukrainian hospitals.

We have heard firsthand from Ukrainian physicians that funds have been greatly reduced to even provide food for patients. We are currently seeing fewer children in “our section”: the ward for orphans suffering with secondary illnesses in addition to being HIV+. We’re not sure whether this is because of reduced funding, or whether this is because it’s summer and most orphanages send their children to camps throughout Ukraine and even to some foreign countries.

Please pray that poor government decisions — or NO decisions at all — will not prevent dedicated physicians from doing their work.

Unusual sculptures

I love the creativity of my Ukrainian tutor. She is always looking for interesting ways to engage me in conversation, or to give fresh insights into Ukrainian culture. We take part of a lesson every once in awhile to go on little excursions — typically to museums.

But today we went on a little walk to look at some very entertaining sculptures. Mind you, we were speaking Ukrainian to each other MOST of the time.

We began this stroll near the great Golden Gate of Kyiv where we discovered this feline hanging on to a nearby tree. Made entirely of plastic forks.

Cat of forks

From there we walked a couple of blocks to see this Hedgehog in a Fog. Apparently this guy stars in a very famous children’s cartoon here and was actually drawing quite a crowd today. Teenage girls were being photographed kissing this sculpture and one even attempted a hug. This creature is made from screws pushed through screening so that the sharp end of the screw is on the outside.

Hedgehog in a Fog

A quick glance at a map to find the quickest route via backroads led us directly to this ballerina posing on a street corner. Her skirt is made from what looks like chicken wire.

Ballerina

Several more blocks and we found this hard-working donkey pulling a cart with flowers. He is made from wood and his eyes are created by philips screws. His simple rope tail made me think of Eeyore.

Donkey

Our last sculpture of the day was a mosaic cat head yawning to accommodate a small bench. Tatjana was happy to sit down for a moment as she told me that the sculpture desires 100 cats to be around town. One is made from forks, a second is brass and near the Golden Gate, and this is the third. Only 97 to go.

Mosaic cat

There are three more sculptures for us to visit, but they were a bit out of the way for today’s adventure.

Stay tuned!

Putin outlaws most gambling

Gambling is now illegal outside special zones in four remote regions under laws ordered by Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister… as reported today in the timesonline.

Maria’s Big House of Hope

How all-inclusive is this home!

I love to see how God uses even devastating events in our lives for His glory. Mary Beth Chapman says, “God’s given us a story. We don’t necessarily like it, but we’re going to steward it well.”

Freedom

“Freedom is not more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the blood stream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and grandchildren what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” Ronald Reagan

What is prayer?

Prayer. It’s one of those words that can stir up a lot of discussion…even disagreement…among believers. It has certainly been a hot topic among folks I know over the last months.

An interesting blog that I frequently read is Pyromaniacs and today as I was catching up on some reading, I ran across this re-post of theirs. It clearly speaks of what prayer is…and what prayer isn’t.

Thoughts?

Yes, it’s hot but…

I can’t help but notice the clothing that so many females here in Ukraine wear (or NOT wear) as the weather turns hot.

A new friend of mine who was escorting a group of American students (all male, I believe) to Kyiv for an intensive Russian language experience commented when asked what his students are saying about Ukraine: “The girls here sure don’t wear much…”

During our prayer time together in the mornings, Jim often prays that God will protect his eyes and guard his thoughts. He prays this not just for himself but for all men (particularly Christian) who are bombarded not just by billboards — which we must see year round — but by the “real thing” as women of ALL ages remove any semblance of modesty in the summertime.

It reminds me of some passages and questions that my friend Lisa is going through with women in her area:

“I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety…” (1 Timothy 2:9).

Nancy Leigh DeMoss asks the following questions in her booklet entitled “Biblical Portrait of Womanhood” and I ask each of you to also ask yourselves these questions:

Do I dress modestly?

Do my clothing styles encourage men to think pure thoughts, rather than stimulating them to have sensual thoughts or desires?

Do I dress in such a way as to draw attention to the heart and spirit of Jesus within me, rather than to my physical body?

Yes, it’s hot. But, ladies, are some of us being stumbling blocks to the men around us? Are we drawing attention to ourselves? And why are we surprised when men respond inappropriately? Or even feigning disgust at their attention?

The Letter

Please click this link and read the letter that a woman from Arizona wrote to Glenn Beck. She is not speaking as a Democrat, nor a Republican, but as a patriotic American who can no longer just sit quietly as she witnesses what our elected officials are doing in Washington, D.C.

I think she may speak for the silent majority…

The Purple Cellar

I was happy to browse some of my favorite blogs this afternoon — it seems like it’s been forever since I’ve been to some of them — and discovered another book that needs to go on my “to read” list: read about it here at The Purple Cellar.

The Purple Cellar has been a longrunning favorite site of mine. I find that I agree more often than not with the author particularly on subjects of biblical womanhood and counseling, and find a fresh biblical perspective on life and “hot topics,” in general.

(Note to me: update blogroll)