population density

When I tell people that Kiev is a big city, about 4 million people, I often compare it to Atlanta’s size.  However, that’s only half the story.  When you start looking at how many people per square mile live in each city, you realize why Kiev feels larger than Atlanta.

In 2008, Atlanta had 4,018.4 people per square mile in the city proper, and 629.4 people per square mile in the greater metro area, which is what most people think of when they talk about Atlanta being huge. Kiev’s population density is more than double that of Atlanta, at 8,544.4 people per square mile. In Chattanooga, where I currently live, we have 1,264 people per square mile.  So then I was curious how Kiev and Atlanta stack up against the population density of other major world cities.

मुंबई (Mumbai) Density (2010) 59,368 /sq mi

London Density (2007) 12,331/sq mi

Chicago Density (2009) 12,649/sq mi

Nairobi Density (2009) 11,678.3/sq mi

Berlin Density (2009) 9,987.7/sq mi

上海 (Shanghai) Density 7,070.3/sq mi

北京 (Beijing) Density (2010) 3,391.4/sq mi

Київ (Kyiv/Kiev) – Density (2008) 8,544.4/sq mi

New York City Urban Density (2008) 5,435.7/sq mi / Metro Density 2,828.4/sq mi

Atlanta Density (2008) 4,018.4/sq mi / Metro Density 629.4/sq mi

Looks like Mumbai, India leaves everybody in the dust when it comes to packing in the people.

How close do you live to your nearest neighbor? What are the best reasons to live where the population is dense, or why do you choose to live in a sparsely populated rural hamlet?

Rochester L’Abri Conference 2010

This past weekend I had the joy of attending the Rochester L’Abri Conference in Rochester, MN. Running all day Friday and Saturday, the weekend was full of plenary sessions and workshops on the power of the gospel to transform all that it touches. On Sunday, I worshiped with Trinity PCA and lunched with good friends before catching my return flight.

While at the conference I shared my future ministry in Ukraine with a number of people. One of the L’Abri workers in the Netherlands told me that there’s a Belarusian family with a vision to begin a L’Abri-type ministry in Belarus, but they were kicked out by the government and are now living and building their ministry in Kyiv, Ukraine. I hope to get in touch with them soon, and put them in touch with my team members in Kiev. L’Abri has been a blessing in my life and the lives of many people I know, so its exciting to think how the churches in Ukraine could be strengthened if their ministry were to grow in Kiev.

Thank the Lord with me for the work he is already doing in Kyiv, and the ways I and my team there may be able to support and come alongside the Ukrainian church.

time to travel

I am returning to Ukraine tomorrow (15 – 26 September) to visit with two
teams of missionaries, one in Kiev and one in Odessa.  Many of you have
prayed for me over the past few years as I’ve considered and pursued how and
where the Lord is calling me to serve.  Both teams are Mission to the World
church planting teams working with Ukrainian presbyterian churches to
establish and strengthen the church in Ukraine.  During this ten day trip, I
will be considering these two teams and they will be considering me, to see
if I might be a good fit on one of their teams for two to three years.

Some of you may wonder how this fits with my civil engineering work.  I am a
professional engineer, but that is not my passion, and I’m hoping that some
of my gifts, strengths, and skills that have benefited me in civil
engineering will be able to transfer to a church planting team.  The folks
in Kiev have a seminary for training Russian-speaking pastors, and I’m quite
interested in the possibility of teaching there longer-term, if that is how
the Lord leads.  That team also has university ministry outreach, music
ministry (including possibly mentoring Ukrainian musicians for thinking
about music in worship), work with an orphanage, and lots of possibilities
since its a city of 5 million people.

Please pray:
1.)  For safe flights (Newark to Boston to Copenhagen to Kiev).
2.)  That I will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
3.)  That the Lord will clarify his leading in my life.
4.)  That I will be an encouragement to the missionaries I meet with.
5.)  For safe travels within Ukraine.  The evening of the 20th I’ll take an
overnight train to Odessa, and the evening of the 22nd another overnight
train back to Kiev.
6.)  That I will pick up a few Russian phrases quickly.
7.)  That the nations will delight more and more in Jesus!

Please let me know if you have questions or comments for me.  Thanks so much
for your prayers.

joyfully,

Joel