Above Photo: Gayla left the mountain village of Zelena early this morning in order to get into Ivano-Frankivsk to be immersed. Bogdan, her husband, drove her and now they are joined in the Church in Zelena!
Today has been filled full to overflowing with good events. We started the day witnessing the immersion of Gayla and concluded the day with a good Bible class on “How to grow a GREAT Church.”
The day began with an early morning borsht breakfast with Ruslan & Maria and their two boys (Daniel & David). We enjoyed a wonderful meal of borsht, boiled eggs, liver pate, pickled tomatoes; pickled cucumbers and carrots, bread, and of course salo!
Following breakfast we met others at the sauna where Gayla was to be immersed. Gayla is from the village Zelena and that is where our campaign group spent their first day in the 2019 mission trip. During the remainder of that trip Doug Schofield and Caleb Colquitt traveled daily and spent the day in the mountains teaching at school and then having Bible study at Bogdan and Gayla’s home. Bogdan was immersed not long after our group left. Ivan and Sveta have been going weekly and continuing the study and today Gayla was immersed!
Bogdan works in timber and has a saw mill. He has said he will build a meeting house for the Church in the village. There is needed such a meeting place because too many are interested in Bible study and cannot fit into the house. Ivan goes and teaches 3-4 groups each Sunday after the Ivano-Frankivsk worship has ended. Ivan says he usually does not get through until around 1:00 am. So, Bogdan is determined to build a structure that will accommodate the number.
The immersion was scheduled for a sauna’s pool that is rented for the immersion. As I was told this I recalled that sauna pools are very cold because once one roasts in the sauna he’s to jump into ice cold water so his body will preserve the impact of the sauna. If you go into the sauna pool without coming from the sauna, your body takes a hard hit from the ice water. I know because I have had the experience of immersing in sauna pools several other times. So as soon as I saw Ivan I told him that I was delighted to be there to take photos. “But aren’t you going to baptize?” “No, I thought you could and I’d take photos.” “But they specifically asked for you to do it.” So, I relented and tried to prepare for the inevitable plunge.
Gayla went into one dressing room and I into another. In going to the pool I went first and was going to assist Gayla climb down the steps. I got ankle deep and had to stop. It was cold, very cold. Then little by little the freeze climbed upward until I was one-step from the last rung. I finally got in and tried to keep still so what body warmth I had would be kept in the water around me. The Gayla started down. Her descent into the ice pool was slower than mine. Eventually she was all in and clinging to me. I moved us as far from the pool’s side as was safe but still within reach for as hasty an exit as frozen muscles would permit. The usual form of me lowering her backward was impossible as she was still holding to my shoulders. This presented another thought—in order to get her fully immersed then whatever part of me she was gasping also had to be immersed. She made the good confession of faith and then buried the old man of sin in the watery grave. It was a joyful and memorable moment!
Following the immersion we went for a fellowship meal at the Church’s meeting house since all restaurants are closed.
The afternoon was filled with buying some groceries for an invalid and his grandmother and delivering them. Andrew and Marina have been working with this man (Volodya) for a number of years. This is the young man that Chip McEwen visited and has been communicating with since his return from the last mission trip.
Our class tonight discussed the practicality of UNITY being critical for building a GREAT Church. We had 11 present in-person and 9 families were listening via phone.
Tomorrow will be a day spent on the road as I go to Mykulychyn and Yaremche. We have had a significant amount of work and distributions in these two towns. In Mykulychyn I hope to visit an orphanage and give out some of the bears of love.
As we were enjoying the fellowship meal after Gayla’s immersion I was asked what I wanted to drink. They gave me some tomato juice. It was not until after I had drunk the first amount that I happened to see what the cup said. See below.
Things continue to go very well and even better than expected!!
Thanks for your interest, concerns and prayers!
John L. Kachelman, Jr.
Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
Gayla, Bogdan and Sveta outside the sauna where Gayla will be immersed. 
Gayla’s baptism 
Delicious hospitality & breakfast with Ruslan, Maria, Daniel and David! 
The breakfast group 
Andrew & Marina Lagno 
Tuesday in-person study was joined by 9 families on their phones! 
Sonya and Anya 
Khola and Pasha 
Church fellowship meals offer amazing menus…I didn’t realize what the cup said until I had the first sip of my tomato juice
You must be logged in to post a comment.