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Team and friends and family gather at Calvary on Monday 4-4-16

Thanks Tim for lift to Charlotte

Quick flight to Washington DC then overnight to Munich and arrival in Lviv mid-day Tuesday 4-5-16 for a short nap prior to dinner and meeting with interpreters and in-country facilitators.

Getting ready o get going

Thanks family and friends

Yikes! This is German

Igor and the team

Gathering of Interpreters

Dinner over wood fire

We arrived in Munich on Saturday afternoon and spent the evening with pastors and members of a congregation that are developing an outreach ministry for Munich’s refugee population.  Germany took in an estimated 1.2 million refugees in 2015 alone and the numbers continue to swell.  A young couple from Syria shared their story and perspective throughout the evening.  The greatest challenge is learning to speak German, which is a prerequisite to attending school or getting a job.  The German government is providing assistance, but learning a very different language from your native tongue as an adult is difficult.   The refugee population is primarily from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria & Iran.

 The Americans agreed to try the non-alcoholic beer on tap…when in Rome.

The ministry is also seeking to raise awareness about how Christians are treated by the Muslim majority in state sponsored refugee housing.  Many Christians continue to be persecuted even after traveling so far and risking so much to start a new life in this culturally Christian nation.

We joined a tour group for a trip to the Dachau concentration camp on Sunday morning.  It was a very moving experience that encouraged deep reflection about humanity in a fallen world.  Munich was the birthplace of the Nazi Party, so there are several other monuments in town that serve as reminders of a dark past.

We spent the afternoon touring Munich and ate nachos, burgers and onion rings for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.  We were missing home and tried to eat all our favorites in one sitting.

We took a train to Salzburg, Austria (throw another shrimp on the bar-b!) this morning and were fortunate to stay dry while we took in the birthplace of Mozart.  The Sound of Music was also filmed here, but we didn’t have time for the full tour.  We did visit a few churches and the amazing Honensalzburg Fortress.

  
  
 Assuming we can safely fly into the winter storm at home, our journey ends tomorrow with 15 hours of travel.  See you soon!

Lviv is often referred to as the “Little Paris of the East” because it’s ancient streets, buildings and monuments give the city a feeling of being an historic and popular spot in Western Europe.

Scott Jones lead Module 5 before we closed the week with a group picture and a time of celebration that included toasts and exchanging gifts as well as farewells.   

 
  
We spent the afternoon enjoying great coffee in one of Lviv’s many cafes and then did some power shopping for souvenirs and maybe some chocolate.    

We went to the fabulous opera house for a ballet early evening…    

And met up with the Resistance Army at one of their many hideouts for dinner.  

    
    
 Yes, that is a 1/2 meter sausage and no, there weren’t any leftovers.  The two former BB&T executives in the group passed the test for army volunteers. 

We finished the evening on the shooting range.  Taking aim at Ukrainian public enemy #1.  

 It was a very special week and we are all grateful for the opportunity.  Looking forward to sharing more with you in person soon!

According to Google translate, that’s how you spell Thursday in Ukrainian.  Perry did a wonderful job teaching Module 4.  We have been handing out trinkets as incentives for answering review questions at the beginning of each day.  We don’t think our descriptors of “World Famous” or “One of a Kind” are fooling anyone, but that hasn’t kept us from trying!  They have been calling us American Millionaires, so we make sure they know that every American Millionaire has a BB&T frisbee and a Prudential insulated water bottle.   

 Our lunch discussions have become more meaningful each day and the students have started to try out their English on us.  

We spent the afternoon meeting with administrators and students at the Lviv Polytechnic National University.  Some of our students joined us for a presentation on the meaning of success.   

 The university was founded in the 1800s by decree of the Hungarian Emporer and some buildings have beautiful architecture and ornate finishes, while the most modern buildings, built in the 1960s, are very utilitarian and in need of repair.   

 We finished the day at the home of our in country facilitators, Igor & Tonya Grishajev, just outside of the city.  

 They are lovely people and it was nice to have a quiet evening and a home cooked meal.  Thank you Tonya!  Tonya is a very talented seamstress and you can check out her work on Facebook by searching TG Petra.  We all picked up a few things she had on hand in her basement workspace.  They don’t have a way to order online, but she will make just about anything that someone on a future trip is willing to bring home.  Happy Shopping!

Sleep has been hard to come by and we’ve had virtually no downtime since we arrived, but the Lord has blessed us with energy, gracious hosts and great coffee (I think the hotel staff are warming up to us)!

 It’s day 3 and we were back at the Chamber of Commerce, which is just a short walk through a parking lot from the hotel.   

 Henry did a great job leading the students through the mind bending subjects of Net Present Value and determining an appropriate required rate of return for their business.  Scott Jones provided an assist by working some Excel spreadsheet wizardry in the background. 

 We taught the 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace (Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Tangible Gifts & Physical Touch) during the afternoon session.  Tim was able to secure 20 copies printed in Russian that we provided to participants.  This was also well received and very thought provoking.  Each day there is increased laughter and engagement.  

 Anatoly, who has asked all the wonderful probing questions that we’ve been happy to answer, brought his entire management team to the afternoon session.  As we concluded, he took the floor to express his gratitude and gave each of us a card signed by his management team and a book about the city where they live and work. 

Ukrainians have been through a lot and still struggle underneath a heavy burden of war, corruption and inflation. Our impression is that they don’t trust anyone, so it is miraculous that Troika has been able to make so many contacts and so much progress in so little time.  

We met with Shannon Ford, in country with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, early evening and then headed out for a raucous evening at Pravda.   

 Our table overlooked ice skating in the center of the city.   

 Not to worry…we didn’t listen to any rock n’ roll…  

[wpvideo rqTQ5ASH] and we certainly didn’t dance… 

 but we did enjoy pork rinds, homemade chips, beef jerky… 

 and delicious ribs (this plate was $6).  This is a great time for Americans to visit Lviv.  

Well…not really, but there is at least one Mexican restaurant here and it’s a catchy title.  

We were back at the Chamber at 2:30am EST for module 2.  Scott Reed only yelled with his eyes closed a couple times, so we agreed that the instruction was well received again today.   

 Some of the group connected with the President of the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary at lunch while others continued to get to know participants.  We had the opportunity to talk with participants individually and in small groups in the afternoon, which was challenging and insightful.   

 Tim and Scott Reed met Paul Lasante and the President of Lviv Theological Seminary for a tour of the campus, dinner and began a dialogue about teaching business basics to seminary students during future trips.  

 Perry, Scott Jones and Dennis Lennon opted for sushi and a Rotary Club meeting.  Perry was prepared and exchanged chapter flags.  We also had an unexpected opportunity to talk about the seminar and why we are here.  The chapter is a small group of young professionals who seemed genuinely interested. 

     There is much discussion of a flu “epidemic” (there have been a few other things that have interesting translations), so we would appreciate your prayers for continued health for the team and participants as well as our in country facilitators and translators.  Grace and peace to you!

The VP of the Chamber of Commerce kicked off the day and Scott Reed gave him a gift of thanks and appreciation.   

 Pavlo is our primary translator, a brother in Christ and a very good sport when it comes to dealing with this rowdy bunch of Americans.  Pavlo and his wife, who is an endocrinology nurse, are trying to start a pregnancy care center in Lviv.   

 During introductions in the morning, one of the older, more successful participants asked some very specific questions about how our values and faith affected our business and personal lives.  He pointed out that there were several broken families among the participants and that many Ukrainians are struggling to meet basic needs.  Wow, thanks for the perfect assist!

After Scott Reed set up the week, Tim Whitener lead the presentation of the first module and Marianna translated.   

 We each had an opportunity to discuss a variety of topics over lunch with individual participants before concluding the instruction planned for the day.  

The afternoon session was voluntary, but many of the students stayed while we shared our perspective and approach to faith, family, the workplace as well as social justice and caring for the poor.  Thank you for your prayers, what a blessing!

Our group split up and attended 3 completely different worship services this morning.  Hosanna Church was a mostly young, reasonably affluent congregation, Gethsemane Church had people of all ages, but serves a poorer population and Tabernacle was a small vibrant home church.  There were many similarities, which included a genuine sense of community, heartfelt worship and the opportunity to receive our Lord’s supper with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in Christ.  We were all blessed and encouraged!

Hosanna Church   

 Gethsemane Church (notice the Operation Christmas Child boxes presented to children who had completed their discipleship program.  This was particularly meaningful for Tim Whitener)    

   Tabernacle Church   

 Those who visited Hosanna Church also went to a Holocaust Memorial for the Jews who were brought to the Ukraine.  

   
 We met with our interpreters and in country facilitator over lunch at a restaurant and celebrated Scott Jones’ birthday in style!  

  After lunch we took a walking tour of the city.  Here are some of the highlights.  

  Bomb lodged in the side of the church of angels.  

 Wooden carving from the 15th century.     Their version of Lady Liberty…seated.  

 Jesus is also seated at the top of this church.  Reportedly contemplating the sins of the wicked.  Maybe he was resting on the 7th day?   The Opera Hall. 

 Famous poet known to have inspired Ukrainians through history.     Monument from the time of Polish occupation.  

We are looking forward to meeting our students and beginning the seminar tomorrow.  Thanks for all the prayers, emails, comments and texts!   We are grateful!

We are now 7 hours ahead of EST after 3 uneventful flights.   

 
 We even caught a glimpse of home in Munich.   

 Our luggage and in country facilitators met us at the seemingly new and only sparingly used airport in Lviv for the short drive to the hotel.  The DeLice Hotel is connected to the stroll way for the largest park in the city – Stryiskyi Park – and a short walk away from the Chamber of Commerce, which will host the seminar next week.  Here are a few pictures from the park.   

   
 We enjoyed a meal together (and the very favorable exchange rate) at the hotel restaurant this evening and are looking forward to splitting up into 3 groups for worship at local churches in the morning.