We all want to live in a civilized society.  We expect that the government will provide us with appropriate physical conditions.  We are upset by the mess that is being made in our country.  How many times have I heard unflattering exclamations about the government while standing in line or riding the bus.  I am a Ukrainian and still don't have a lot of life experience.  But my twenty plus years are more than sufficient time to have observed one national trait of our people.  We talk a lot, but don't do much!

Not long ago I was talking with my friend.  He is interested in politics.  We were talking about the unsatisfactory state of affairs with our government.  "We need to do something," I said!  "Yes," he agreed, "but we Ukrainians acquiesce to a given situation.  Take a good look at the history of Ukraine.  We have always been oppressed by someone.  We learned to suffer, but we don't know how to resist."

Dear friends, we have to start somewhere!  We have had enough empty talk!  Maybe you won't start a revolution, but I don't think it is all that hard to tidy up after a picnic outdoors.  Let your zeal for change take the form of concrete actions.

So, for example, the youth of our church decided to clean up the wooded park area of the bank of the Vorskla adjacent to the church.  There were only a few of us, about 12, but we still managed to collect 75 bags of trash.

It was interesting to observe the reactions of the other people enjoying the park as they watched our cleanup work.  One young man asked for a bag, put on gloves and joined our team.  Some other people, though they didn't join us, still tried to do their little part in cleaning up.  Others, for some known reason, wanted to convince us that they were models of cleanliness and never littered.  Unfortunately there were also those who couldn't resist contributing by providing us with more oppotunities for cleanup.

Believe me, it is not only the forest that needs our help.  Social activism on the part of Christians can ignite a fire of change in the hearts of people around us.  If we are only indignant, if we do not pray for our country, if we remain focused only on ourselves, if we believers do not provide an example of true patriotism, then there is no reason even to think about change for the better.  God answers the prayers of the righteous.  Let's serve our countrymen in every possible way.

This song was written and performed by a fellow Ukrainian. It is direct, but the words. are worth listening to.