Two phone calls in just a few minutes can show the intracacies of life. Dima called to let me know that we would take a van out to the city where his wedding would be. He was getting excited and couldn't wait for the big day. The next call was from Sergei Skiba letting me know that our friend Sergei K. had lost his battle with HIV/AIDS and that the funeral was the next day. At first it seemed a cruel twist of fate that a new life, where two were to become one, was about to begin, as another one of a friend was ending after only 27 years.
But the reality is that both lives are continuing, in different ways. Sergei was a believer and the promise of Christ of eternal life is now his reality. For his wife, daughter and friends, that gives hope. Please pray for them.
For Dima and Sveta, their lives are also moving forward in new and wonderous ways. This was my first experience at a Ukrainian Orthdox wedding and it was a treat. The pageantry and the beauty were awesome. As the godfather, I held the icon of Christ and as the rings were blessed, my eyes teared up and I had to blink as fast as I could to keep my composure--I'd be banished if I dropped that icon!
The day after the wedding, quite a few people wanted to come over "to meet the American", which I came to find out involved trying to drink a whole bunch of vodka and cognac with said American (when they weren't looking I put juice in my shot glass so it looked like I had already poured). It was fun getting to know some new people and to see how Dima is already part of another family.
I guess this is going to be a time of lots of new beginnings, even when endings seem to come with them...
Still no internet so photos will follow
1 comments:
Just finished going through the passage for Sunday in Romans 8 where Paul says "Neither Life nor Death can separate us from Jesus Love. Death takes us into his presence in a real way, but life is also lived in that presence if we will only realize it. Thanks for sharing your heart and the heart of Abba.
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