WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FREE – SPRITUAL FREEDOM
Greetings Mr. Kubik:
Thought I would write to you this way so you could make notes and comments. I know you are really busy so I appreciate you doing this. I find it really “coincidental” that just after I started this little project, things went nuts in UKR. I find the situation incredibly sad as do you.
Listened with great interest to your DVD sermon of August 2 in Cincy, played here last Sabbath (8/16). You spoke with a deep passion for something that had a strong impact on you. But, what about us? What are we going to do? It is along those same lines that I’m giving my message. During my month long trip to Alaska, July 2014, I had a chance to read my last book on the WWII time period. It was an eye opener for sure. I can really feel what those poor people are really going through. I really can, at least from my limited view. I was somewhat surprised in your sermon when you said you had visited UKR in 1988 and it was still pretty much destroyed from the war. I had thought they would have made some strides toward rebuilding and getting rid of those painful memories. I wasn’t overly surprised though. After all, Russia had a large part to do with that. They do not wish to see UKR prosper except as suits them.
To help you out, the purpose for my sermon is to deeply impress upon our members the need to do whatever we can to bring about the spiritual freedom for those in this world who God will call, and eventually the ultimate freedom of deliverance from the Governments of man. May God speed that day. How can we make a difference in people’s lives now? To help illustrate this, there is really no better story than the people of UKR. N. Korea and China fall into this category as well, but they have never really known any kind of freedom ever. L
One of the things that really annoys me today is the popular saying “we have to fight for our freedom because freedom isn’t free”. As well as “thank you for your service”. I’m going to illustrate why this is such a messed up concept and comes from the wisdom of man. God as we know has other idea on the subject.
So based on my research, I gathered the following information to help me out. Based on your sermon from August 2nd, I’m pretty sure it is quite accurate, but wanted to have you look at it for accuracy. I’m starting with WWI and going forward. Too much to cover otherwise. Research comes from all over the place. Books, Research, Biographies, state records, and the Internet.
UKR-RUS WAR 1917-1921.
“Russian Civil War”. Lenin feels the need to free the “working classes of UKR”.
1917- Govt. of Ukraine denounces Bolshevik’s armed revolt. Will fight any attempted coup in UKR.
Russian sends 30K Troops against 15K for UKR. Guess who lost? L
UKR incorporated into USSR 12-30-1922
Parts of Western UKR fell under control of the second Polish Republic. Interesting little detail.
Holodomor (1932/33)– Extermination by Hunger. From Ukrainian – Death by hunger.
Man made famine, 1932-1933. Ukrainian Genocide.
2.4 to 7.5 million people died. IN ONE YEAR!!! (Some estimates are twice that). Accurate?
According to the Kiev Appellate court 3.9 million adult famine deaths, 6.9 million children from birth defects/malnutrition. That’s 10.8 million
Soviets collectivized farming. We will distribute. You protest, you die. (Typical Soviet approach to UKR)
Soviet Workers were shown movies where all peasants were portrayed as counter revolutionaries hiding grain and potatoes when so many good Soviets struggling to build the future of the USSR were starving.
Between 1933-1946 the Jews lost 6 million people. UKR lost twice that in one year. You never hear anything about it today. Almost nobody talks about it.
Since 2006 Ukraine officially marks a Holodomor memorial day on the fourth Saturday of November.
Most interesting little tidbit. I will tie this to Thanksgiving as they are 2 days apart.
You want something to be thankful for? How about your freedom?
The first public monument to the Holodomor was erected and dedicated in 1983 outside City Hall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to mark the 50th anniversary of the famine-genocide. A monument to the Holodomor has been erected on Calgary's Memorial Drive, itself originally designated to honor Canadian servicemen of the First World War. The monument is located in the district of Renfrew near Ukrainian Pioneer Park, which pays tribute to the contributions of Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. (Most interesting little detail).
(Note: I am aware of many Huttarite colonies in Northern Canada that are made up of largely Ukrainian immigrants.)
(Churchill Biography) - Joseph Stalin gave Churchill the number of “kulaks” that were repressed for “resisting collectivization” were 10 million in all of the Soviet Union, and not UKR alone. Stalin implied that this meant those who had been deported too. (Official Moscow State Records). (Somehow I think this # is way low).
WWII period. L (My research was so sad on this period. So sad.)
Camp deaths.
Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland). 1.1 million out of 6 million recent arrivals. 48 sub camps
Janowska (Ukraine) Lviv. 40,000 minimum.
Majdanek (Lublin Poland) 78,000
Maly Trostenets (Belarus). 206,500 (official)
Treblinka 870,000
Magdeburg – Slave Labor Camp. Subcamp of Buchenwald.
Added up not counting Auschwitz = 1.9 million Russians/Jews/Ukrainians, just in the East.
Does not factor in deportations from UKR to Germany.
After WWII
This is the part I’m a little fuzzy on. I have two sources, plus a friend of mine at work from St. Petersburg.
(Churchill Biography). According to a secret agreement between Churchill and Stalin kept secret until 1995, it was agreed that the Eastern bloc Refugees would be “repatriated” back to their home countries. Why Churchill agreed to this we’ll never know, but it was probably to keep Stalin happy at Yalta.
From my sources, it is estimated that this decision resulted in the deportation and ultimate death of 1-2 million Ukrainians. L Accurate? Other sources indicate nearly the entire population of the Southern Caucasus region was deported. Result? Chechnya, Dagestan, Georgia and South Ossetia. Thank you Stalin. L
This is also a very large factor in what is going on in UKR right now. No large “anti-Soviet” elements in that area anymore. So hence they lean towards “mother Russia”.
CHERNOYBL (CEZ) 4/26/1986
2600 sq. km’s. 1615 sq. miles. Wiped out completely. For context:
Woodland and marshland area. Home to 120,000 people. Now “uninhabited”.
CEZ established at 30 km on 5/2/1986.
Although evacuations were not immediate, 91,200 people eventually evacuated. (Summer 1986)
In October 1989 they finally asked the Intl. Atomic Energy agency for help for those living in the contaminated areas. L
In 1991, a law was passed updating the borders of the CEZ. Really?
In 1992-1993 mandatory resettlement zone were established for the contaminated areas and some 53,000 people were moved between 1990 and 1995. (Little late don’t you think? 4-9 years after the fact. Maddening).
CONCL – Sermon concepts to cover.
1. What is the price of Spiritual freedom? Death of Jesus Christ.
2. Steps to spiritual freedom? Repentance, Passover (Bread & Wine), new man etc.
3. Step to Spiritual freedom? Caring for the disciples God has called out of this sick world
4. Step to Spiritual freedom? Preaching the Gospel. However it can be done. Personal example
5. Can you truly feel for the suffering of peoples across the world and deeply, humbly, truly pray “Thy Kingdom Come”?
Thank you so much for your help with this. I do appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to help me with it.
I hope that God will indeed call many more to “spiritual freedom”.
Bill Conway.
August 18, 2014
----Original Message-----
From: Victor Kubik
Sent: Dec 1, 2013 4:51 PM
To: Bill Conway
Subject: Re: Your Help: Ukrainian History
Glad to help. Maybe it would be better for you to call me and I can
verbally do my best to answer some of your questions.
Today is Sunday. Our home number is 513 843-7744. Or, call me at
work....have a meeting from 9-10:30am.
Or, please give me your phone number.
Vic Kubik
On Sun, Dec 1, 2013 at 11:24 AM, Bill Conway wrote:
> Hi Mr. Kubik. Hope you had a good Sabbath yesterday.
> Do thank you so much for all your doing to preach the gospel and more
> importantly to ensure peace and stability in the church.
> I think that is more important right now that any of our media efforts.
> Unless we have our act together first, why should we expect
> God to do anything spectacular for us.
>
> However, that is not the subject of my writing today. With Veterans Day
> and wars overseas being all around us these days, we keep
> hearing this little phrase. "Freedom isn't free. We must fight to
> maintain our freedom". When I put this with what God has done
> thru scripture, I find this to be an incredibly messed up concept.
> "Fighting for freedom". Okay. I've been working on a sermon on this
> subject for awhile, but need something really solid to just put it
> together with.
>
> Being an avid student of WWII history, I've read a lot on this subject.
> The other day, I read a book that gave me the idea for how to put this
> together.
> The gripping, riveting, and heart wrenching story of the people of Ukraine
> is such a story. Specifically from 1930-1948 and probably beyond.
> I thought I would use the story of the people of Ukraine as a "nation
> enslaved" under the Soviet yoke and what crushing hard ships they suffered.
> Because, as you full well know, when we talk about freedom as Americans,
> we really don't know what we're talking about.
>
> So today, I'm writing to ask you if you would mind checking my historical
> facts for me? That way I can be sure I'm accurate with them.
> Because, I know that people are going to be doing some "checking on them"
> shall we say. In doing so, I fully realize that this might bring up some
> incredibly
> hard and difficult memories for you, so if you don't want to do this, I
> totally understand. I really do. Just want to be sure I have my history
> right so
> as to give a true and accurate picture of the events that shaped that
> nation.
>
> I'd also be interested in when the Ukrainian language came into existence.
> Did it start before WWII or was it a necessity given the dynamics of the
> time?
> I know that there are differences between Russian and Ukrainian. Example
> Kiev vs. Kviv. Lvov vs. Lviv. and so on. Some of the German works I've
> read are even more
> confusing because they have even different names for those places. Makes
> it hard to get your head around sometimes.
>
>
> Sincerely and respectfully,
>
> Bill Conway
> ski4ever@earthlink.net
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