Christian Unity Ministries

Unity News

June, 2006

Walking the Fields of the Ukraine

by Ann Farris

On our second trip to this unusual country, I learned even better the fields of the Ukraine : both the farms and the people.

First, there were the farms. The eastern portion (“our” part of the Ukraine) is largely agrarian, the breadbasket of the former USSR . The soil there is dark and rich, more agreeable in nature than ours in Central Texas . Although I did see a 1960 John Deere tractor in one field, the planting is still done mostly by hand. Reaping occurs without coaxing. In each field there are homemade hothouses where farmers grow their own seedlings. The hothouses are made with clear plastic spread across 6” tall rebar joints. And it works! Herbal tea is made using a loose mixture of herbs gathered from the garden. Eggs come straight from chickens. Milk comes straight from cows, with no time lost to pasteurization. The root of a mysterious native plant is used to shrink scars and heal sore throats. And, sometimes, a baby goat becomes dinner, sadly, on behalf of the “American delegation.”

Second, there are the people. The people in the eastern portion (“our” part of the Ukraine) are still trying to find their way—economically (What can they export?), politically (Why not remain communist?), religiously (Surely freedom of religion is not available to everyone?), and socially (Is the wearing of head scarves by married women worth fighting over?). They love each other and us, with women hugging and kissing women and men hugging and kissing men. Between the tea parties and meals populated by potatoes, we fattened, literally, under their care. Their love for Jesus was most clearly manifested in their Bible study (We lost every single Bible drill opportunity that presented itself.), their fervent prayer, and their propensity to witness on every possible occasion. Their sense of humor rests under decades of hopelessness, it seems to me, but, when it surfaces, it rocks! I still laugh each time I recall the lady who prepared meals for us in Lugans'k; by nature, she was hard working and not funny. When meals were ready, our only responsibility was to be there, sitting down.

One evening after the church service, when one of the congregants took Blake aside to talk, the talk extended beyond dinner time. We looked up to see the cook, standing with her hands on her hips, as only cooks can, looking intently at both Blake and the congregant. Then she said, clearly, “Set my people free.” We laughed so hard that we held our sides. She did not smile. We moved quickly to the dinner table.

In summary, our dear Ukrainian friends met us at the train station when we arrived, laughing and helping us to carry our suitcases. They accompanied us to the train station when we departed, crying and helping us to carry our suitcases. That really tells our story best.

From our Ukrainian friends we learned two incredibly important blessings that we are compelled to share with you. First is their form of “God speed.” When translated literally into English, their phrase becomes, “May God help you go away.” (How useful is that? )

Second is their response to multiple sneezes. It goes like this:

First sneeze—May God bless you!

Second sneeze—Richly!

Third sneeze—And give you a big red cow!

We left the Ukraine richly blessed, with big red cows.

Dr. Ann Farris is an Executive Board member and long-time friend of Christian Unity Ministries. She is a Bible teacher, a leadership coach, and currently serves on the faculty of the graduate school of Education for Tarleton State University. She and her husband, Gerald, live in Killeen, Texas.

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