Traveling eastward by train from Ternopil to Kiev, Ukraine, we rolled across flat farmland under a clear blue sky stretched above fields of bright yellow sunflowers. The blue and yellow countryside scene is reflected in what we all now recognize as Ukraine’s flag. We passed clusters of homes along the railroad tracks. Potatoes had been harvested from now-empty gardens, apples picked from now-bare trees, and wooden carts and wheelbarrows held the bounty which soon would be stored in cellars for winter meals.
I had been joined in the sleeper-compartment by a Ukrainian man and wife. We smiled at one another, and exchanged “Dobry den,” the customary greeting. There was nothing more to say, separated as we were by the language barrier.
At supper time, a tabletop was raised from the wall into the aisle between us. I brought out a wrapped deli sandwich, a bag of chips and a bottle of beer. The Ukrainian wife opened her bag, too, and brought out bread, cheese, and sausage. When she set a cup before her husband, I tipped my bottle to signal a willingness to share. He smiled and nodded. I poured, and we lifted a silent toast to one another. A moment later, a different bottle was produced, and another cup was filled and pushed across the table to me. Another toast. I opened my chips and moved the bag to the middle of our table. She sliced a sliver of cheese, placed it on a chunk of bread and gave it to me. In our silent supper, we became “companions,” because after all that word from the French means “those who break bread with another.”
During this holiday season we will spend time with companions—not likely to be strangers and less likely to not share our language. Regardless, we appreciate as gifts the people God gives to us at every moment of life, especially those with whom we celebrate the coming of the Christ-Child, those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6). Here’s a familiar prayer for this Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior:
“We gather round Thee, Jesus dear, so happy in Thy presence here;
Grant us, our Savior, every one, to stand in heaven before Thy throne.”
Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, #144
(The ELS relationship with the Thoughts of Faith ministry in Ukraine is conducted by the Europe Committee of the Board for World Outreach.)
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Steve Petersen – www.worldmissionsouvenirs.com