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Two hours later, the train pulls into Krivoy Rog. Alexander Mosorov climbs the long iron stairs that lead over the tracks, descends to the waiting car and looks for the Chernomors. Fortunately, the sleeper cabin in which the Chernomors have bedded down has two extra bunks. Alexander joins them.
The trio arrives in Moscow in time to catch the early tram to the Russian Baptist Federation building where the radio program The Bible Today rents a small office and a smaller studio. Leonid Sergienko, Russian program producer for Family Life Network/MB Communications, welcomes them. They drink coffee and join in prayer to bless the work before them.
Down three flights of stairs, they push open the heavy metal door of the studio. Neatly stacked equipment awaits. Natasha pulls a handful of papers--scripts for radio programs she has been writing during the past month--from her bag. Together they review the scripts, make changes and begin recording.
Nicholi will engineer this session and do the final mixing. Natasha's upbeat voice welcomes listeners to the program. Later, Alexander, Ukrainian program producer for The Bible Today, will record eight programs. Some of Natasha's programs will air on the local radio station in Joltye Vodee. Others will be combined with Alexander's programs, which air on regional and local radio stations. Before Nicholi leaves, he will also assemble several of Leonid's Russian programs.
In a week, the Chernomors and Alexander will have recorded and edited enough p programs for several months, and will retrace their journey to the Ukraine. Every few months, this cycle is repeated. Moscow is far away, but equipment is available there, help is close and they can be assured that their programs are well-produced. Local radio stations have almost no recording equipment, and what little they have is generally of poor quality.
Nicholi and Natasha formerly lived in one of the hastily constructed apartments in Joltye Vodec. Recently, they sold the apartment to buy a run-down house from an old couple. Now they are remodelling. Piles of sand and used lumber cover much of the small yard. Where there aren't˙20building materials, vegetables cover the earth. The garden is vital to their survival. Nicholi works in a uranium mine nearby. Since the end of the cold war, nuclear materials have found few buyers. Now the workers mine iron. Even with two months of vacation during which he receives no pay, Nicholi is fortunate--he still has a job. Nearly all other mines in the area have been˙20closed. Unemployment stands at over 80%. Crime and despair are on the rise. With small and erratic paycheques, garden produce supplements this family's diet.
"Without our garden," says Natasha, "we could not live."
Even though Joltye Vodee has seen better days, it is still home for the Chernomors. They are part of a new generation in the Ukraine who are determined to take what they have and make it better. By chance, they met Oleg Sulima, a local radio producer concerned about the downturn in community morale and morals. Although not a believer, he invited them to do a 10-minute program on a religious subject each week.
Members of a local congregation that emphasizes creative outreach, they jumped at the offer. Soon thereafter, Alexander heard their program. Impressed with their abilities, he invited them to produce a section on family issues in his programs. They would have access to the Moscow studio and the expertise of the Family Life Network staff. With the blessings and support of their church, they began working with Alexander in nearby Krivoy Rog and with Leonid in Moscow. Twice a month, their "family special" plays on stations across the Ukraine.
Their local church remains important to the Chernomors. The church has just bought an old building that needs renovating. This congregation has seen such good results from the Chernomors' programs that they have decided to make radio programs a permanent part of their˙20outreach. When the remodelling is complete, three rooms will be devoted to radio program production.
In the meantime, producing a Christian radio program for the Ukraine means many family adjustments, a 24-hour train ride, and long, intensive hours in the studio. Results make the work˙20worthwhile. "Since we began broadcasting and doing community evangelistic meetings,˙20our church has grown from 30 people to over 400," note the Chernomors.
Burton Buller, Executive Director, MB Communications
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