(my personal experience of the love and compassion we are to share with others)

I arrived in Kiev, Ukraine on March 4, 2002. After almost 13 hours in the air, 3 countries, and 4 different planes, the "jet lag" was very real. I went straight to our mission office where I stay when visiting Ukraine. I needed to rest, as my work would begin the next day with plans to meet with 2 pastors, one at 9 oclock and one at 10 oclock.

When I awoke the next morning I was hungry, and went into the kitchen looking for something to eat. My interpreter, Vadim Matuayha, had brought some items for the kitchen. The Ukrainian style of breakfast is not like our typical American breakfast. There were no eggs, no bacon, no cereal, no jam, but potatoes, cheese, bread, and butter. I decided to slice a potato and fry it for breakfast.

From the kitchen window in our mission flat which is on the third floor you look down to the street, and a wide sidewalk that passes in front of our building. I had just placed the potato in the frying pan and was looking out the window. As I looked down I saw one of the brothers that I was suppose to meet walk slowly by in front of our building. I do not know if my reaction at this point was just an American thing, or that we have become very selfish in our relation to others in the family of God. I can remember as a boy how close our church families were but today our "prosperity" keeps us so busy we have no time for our "Christian family".

I quickly closed the curtain, that brother was not suppose to come to the mission office until 9 oclock, here it was before 8 oclock. I was not ready to receive him, why was he here so early? What could I do? I wanted to eat, I had nothing to feed him.

As I turned away from the window the Spirit of the Lord smote my heart. The man that had just walked passed was a brother in the Lord. He was a man filled with love and compassion. This man had suffered many things for his faith in God. He had been placed in a prison cell filled with large rats for 5 days and nights, the Communist leaders hoping the rats would eat him, but the rats would not touch him. He was placed in another cell where the walls’ were a solid sheet of ice for many days. The guards would give him a narrow board to rest on in the day, but at night they would come and take away the board and his coat hoping he would freeze, but he sang praise to the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord came and warmed his body. He was placed in a special hospital where the Communist experimented with drugs. They began to give him needle’s filled with mind-altering drugs. He was given these drugs every day for one month. But again the Lord was with him and the drugs had no effect on him. The KGB had a man posted outside his home 24 hours a day until the Communist rule ended in August 1991. They tried to follow him everywhere, hoping he would disclose the location of other Believers. But again the Lord would help him, and in the large city where he lived he would ride his bicycle losing KGB agent in the traffic. Then he would go to visit other brothers and sisters. By this time my heart was completely broken.

As the potato was frying I opened the curtain and began to look out of the window. I was praying and asking the Lord to forgive me for being so selfish. Then I saw the brother come walking slowly back. It was cold, snow everywhere, and he had traveled all night by train arriving in Kiev at 7 a.m. He walked over and sat down on a bench in front of our building. I opened the window and called "Kobalinsky". He began to look around hearing his name but not knowing where the voice was coming from. Again I called, "Kobalinsky" and then he looked up and saw me. I began to motion for him to come up. I went to the door and waited for him to walk up the 3 flights of stairs. When I heard his footsteps I quickly opened the door. He sat his baggage down grabbed me around the neck, and kissed me. Yes, this was my brother, Vladimir Kobalinsky. I remembered when I went for my first visit to his home he came into the room with a basin of water, and washed my feet, showing his love to me.

When he was inside I invited him into the kitchen. I took the plate of potatoes put half on a plate for him, along with cheese, bread, and glass of juice. He motioned for me to wait. He went to his bag and came back into the kitchen with a covered dish. He removed the cover and inside was fried fish, boiled eggs, and sausage that his wife had prepared. After we had prayed, we sat down and began to share our food. I ate his fish, and he ate my potatoes. Oh how my heart was light and rejoicing, the heaviness was gone. I had just experienced the "love of God at work."

It was then, I began to think about "T.B.L.J." I realized that this should, and must be a reality in our lives. Jesus never failed to show His love.

"To Be Like Jesus, To Be Like Jesus

(*Click here to read a letter to Faith Mission from Vladimir Kobalinsky)

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