The last day of May - we've just come back from the Ukrainian School. Today is "Last Bell". We arrived at 8 a.m. The student body and teachers had gathered around the school ground, dressed in their finery for this exciting event - the"final bell" for the graduating class and the "last bell" of the sch
ool year. There was pomp and circum-stance, music and dance, laughter and tears. A first grade student on the shoulders of a graduate circled the school ground ringing a brass bell.
Graduating girls dressed in similar fashion to what they had worn at FIRST BELL eleven years ago when they entered first grade. This is Ukraine tradition.
The Mennonite Centre awarded prizes to 19 students who had distinguished themselves in various fields of study - some even receiving state recognition.
Tomorrow, June 1 - our LAST BELL! In the morning of our final day in Ukraine we will go to the Palace of Culture, the former Mennonite Zentralschule, and attend the closing concert of the Molochansk Music School. The band will play, children will dance and sing. The day will end with at trip to the former Mennonite villages of Ruecknau and Ohrloff. Farmer Grigory has received his tractor at last and Farmer Ury his baler and sprayer and as a gesture of gratitude we have been invited for "Shashlik" which we will enjoy in the field by the river. We can't think of a more fitting way to say "Good-bye". We predict more laughter and tears; bringing an end to a fascinating, enriching and many times heartbreaking chapter of our lives.
P.S. Al & Peggy Hiebert are continuing the work at the Mennonite Centre. You can follow their experiences in their blog at hiebertsinukraine.blogspot.com
5 comments:
What a great wrap-up to your ministry there! I especially like the photo of the two of you!
Thanks again for all of the interesting and enlightening info you posted during your stay. It will enable me to continue praying specifically for the many on-going needs of the Centre.
Have a safe and good trip home. God bless you!
Love, Bev
I love to look at this site - as I have actually met many of these people whom you have pictures of.
Yet - you paint a very false picture of what actually goes on there.
I'm just going to say this once - and then I will not bother you all again - I will let you all live in your little land of contentment.
These people in the Kolkhoz are having their own lives stolen from them - and their own land too.
I can tell you - waiting in the notary office with my son - to have his grandfather' land signed over to him - we waited - and waited - and sat - and sat - we watched five people go in after we got there - and they NEVER let us in the office.
We also tried the "Tavria" farm office - where Mr. Chip and his wife reign supreme over the entire general population - needless to say - no help there either.
We ended up going to Militopil to get our business done - and I can tell you - old Mr. Chip pitched a fit when he found out what we had done!
old Mr. chip - the Kolkhoz" that belonged to EVERYONE - MAGICALLY belongs to ONLY HIM!
You people sit around and just accept this as "normal"? Perhaps - for your Mennonites - everything is just fine? Or perhaps you just don't have the backbone to stand up about it?
I can assure you all - for the "kolkholzhniks" things are FAR from FINE there in Tomaksky Region..
Well - that's OK - It would be a hazardous proposition to make a stand on that - but at least I would expect you all to not PUT UP WITH IT AS OKAY EVERYDAY - and report here simply that "the locals drink too much".
Do you all not realize what is happening to these people - or do you all simply refuse to care about it enough to do something?
Okay - so I REALLY am going to get out of here now - after I say my last piece.
You people there are injecting more than a little money in the Tokmaksky Region economy - and i understand you are all happy to do that in order to have some control over your old original settlement of Molactniya.
I - myself - think you are BOUND by conscience and WHAT IS RIGHT to fight against the corruption there - yet I realize that is a very large battle that you all may not be willing to fight.
I'll tell you all - right here and now - I'm aq southerner - and I married a girl from there - and I've been there to meet her people and family -
I'm gonna go there again one soon day - and I'm gonna set things right - I don't care who gets pissed off about it - knocks me in the face or even kills me - I'm gonna set things right like a southerner out to do.
I just wish you people cared enough about those poor tricked people to do something yourselves.
I love to look at this site - as I have actually met many of these people whom you have pictures of.
Yet - you paint a very false picture of what actually goes on there.
I'm just going to say this once - and then I will not bother you all again - I will let you all live in your little land of contentment.
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