Leonid’s Devotion

Posted on November 5, 2009 
Filed Under Life, Orphan Care, Personal, Spiritual Life

The following was written some time ago, while I attended a radio event. While I never posted this journal entry, I thought it was a good story worth sharing here.

~~~

I’m staying a downtown hotel in Nashville, and while the place is pleasant enough, the AC has not been adequate. I especially noticed it yesterday afternoon, when the sun was pouring into the room and adding unwelcome heat. Despite having the thermostat cranked as low as I could make it go, it stayed uncomfortably warm in here, even until almost midnight.

So, today I finally called the front desk and a “technician” was summoned. A few minutes later, I met Leonid at the door, and greeted him with appreciation for his prompt response. A shorter man with graying hair, he had his little cart full of tools, light bulbs and supplies. Quickly he asked me some questions about the direction of the outlet vents, and the fan speed, and how cold I wanted the room. I told him I’d had the unit going full blast, and that the current temp was just too warm for my comfort. His brow wrinkled, as if he were thinking about the possible source of the problem.

Leonid pulled off the face plate of the furnace/air conditioning unit and tinkered around with it there for a few minutes. He then changed out the clogged air filter (ewww…it was bad), and put the unit back together. After carefully cleaning up after himself, he inspected his work and pronounced the AC was fixed. He showed me the venting arrangement between the bedroom area and the bathroom, and how I could redirect air if desired, in case I wished to direct 100% of the cold air toward my ‘living space.” I thanked him, and asked if he had another few minutes?

“I wonder if you can repair toilets,too?” I explained that it needed an adjustment, as the toilet did not flush without the handle being fully depressed for almost 30 seconds. It was most inconvenient, and probably an easy fix. Leonid took a quick look, and two minutes later was finished with that job.

“Wonderful,” I exclaimed, “Thank you!”

Noting his foreign name, I asked where he was from? “Oh, where you guess,” he asked? “Well, it seems to me that you probably grew up in Eastern Europe or Russia.” “Ah, Ukraine,” he replied. Turns out Leonid came to the USA 15 years ago, hoping to give his children better opportunities than were possible while back home. Indeed that had worked out well. Now, in addition to a good job at the hotel, his kids were enjoying success in a way that wasn’t possible in Ukraine.

In fact, Leonid is working so his 26 year-old son can complete his MBA from Wharton. His daughter, in her early 20s, is in law school, in part because of her father’s sacrificial support.

“Now I know why so many people come here (to the U.S.),” he said. “The opportunities here are great. That is why we come.” It occurred to me that Leonid’s kids will eventually earn bigger salaries than he could possibly have imagined making back in Ukraine.

I showed Leonid a photo of our youngest son, who was adopted from Russia. He smiled, knowing that the boy’s life will probably change significantly, much as his own children’s lives have undergone transformations since arriving in America. We talked a bit more, and I expressed my respect for him for the work he did with such devotion, all to benefit his family. After thanking him once more for taking care of the AC and the toilet, Leonid left.

As I reflected on the exchange, I felt a variety of things. Gratitude for my own situation, for the many good things God has given to me personally and to my family. Glad to live in freedom, in a culture that allows a person to chase their dreams, whether that is to go into business, to study law, or to work maintenance jobs so his children can pursue those vocations. Happy to see a father so devoted to his children that he’d leave everything familiar, move across the ocean, and take a new job, solely to see the next generation succeed.

And I became even more anxious to get home to Colorado, so I could see my own children. I couldn’t wait to hold them close, and tell them I missed them a bunch and that I love them dearly.

Finally, I was really glad the hotel room AC unit needed some attention. It allowed me to meet a remarkable man. Thanks, Leonid!

Comments

One Response to “Leonid’s Devotion”

  1. Larisa on November 9th, 2009 10:42 pm

    What a sweet story :) I’m from Ukraine too, and my parents came here for the same reason Leonid did. We have an incredible amount of blessings here- our family loves this country, and we thank God for the blessings we have by living here.

Leave a Reply

Comments are moderated and will not appear on johnfullerblog.com until they've been approved. While we are eager to facilitate conversation by publishing most comments, we may withhold one from time to time if we deem it offensive, vulgar, overly personal, cynical, disrespectful, irrelevant, redundant or unnecessarily contentious.
Comments on John Fuller's blog may not refer specifically to any current electoral candidate, or any measure on a current ballot – at any level of local, state, or federal government. Focus on the Family is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity, and therefore cannot take a position on specific votes. Nor can we display any such statements on our Web sites. Likewise, we cannot discuss here the personal viewpoints of people like Dr. Dobson or Jim Daly on political candidates or ballot measures. Any posts to this forum which violate these rules will be removed. There is an alternative venue for this type of discussion. Some activities of this nature are undertaken by Focus on the Family Action, a 501(c)(4) organization, and its media outlet, Citizenlink.
Finally, if you would like to contact our ministry directly, please feel free to do so from one of our FAQs.