October 29, 2011
I am going to appoliogize ahead of time. I am the woman with a lot of words, and I have many thoughts and feelings to share with you. Yesterday was a phenomenal day. But first I am going to back up.
I want to give you a little Ukraine mentality. They believe that the only way to get young/old people to do what you want is to come down real hard on them. They think they should continually tell them what they are doing wrong, and never
praise people for doing things well.
Well, Bill and I get here and we believe that you reward the good and work on the bad behavior. This created a conflict for the couple (Andrey &Alona) that stay at the house all the time. Andrey was concerned about them becoming the "bad parents" (in the boys eyes) and us being the "good parents".
Alek asked us for a meeting to discuss this and some other topics. We basically had Alek assure Andrey that we are there to not only love the boys and help them know God, but we were also there to help him and Alona run the house the way they wanted it run. We also hope to alleviate some of the burden on them by taking over certain jobs at the house.
I am so thankful that this came up now. Andrey is now happy for us to come back and he told us that he is anxiously awaiting our return. God touches all of our hearts, especially in times of concern.
Now for yesterday; I am not going to bore you with the everyday stuff.
We were able to visit an orphanage that was about 1 1/2 hours away. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there since we continually had to stop and ask people how to find the village. It is so small that the GPS could not even find it.
We first stopped at the missionaries house to pick up some people. We then drove to the gates of the orphanage and the kids were so excited to see us they were in the road, hanging on the gates... basically mobbing the van.
When we got out, the kids started hugging the missionaries, but they kind of just looked at Bill and I and shook our hands. After a couple of hand shakes, I decided that was enough so I started taking their hand and pulling them into a hug. WOW, suddenly I was swarmed by children wanting hugs. It was so, so (there are not words to describe it) they were talking to us in Russian and we were talking to them in English and God was our translator; another WOW.
We watched the missionaries conduct group games with the kids. The first game we could not figure out the rules and the kids wanted us to play so bad.
One of the girls wanted to take Oksana and us into their dorms and show us her room, so we got out of the cold for a bit. As we were going into the dorm one little boy (probably 7 years old) attached himself to me, and when it was time to go outside again he tugged on my arm for me to stay inside and sit with him and a few other kids that were watching t.v. It was very touching.
I had taken my iPad out for the kids to play with and oh boy Pastor Clay you were not kidding, I was mobbed again. They ended up taking about 200 pictures and most of them were not worth keeping.
The missionaries brought the rest of the kids in and had a lesson. This same young boy sat by me and kept asking me to take my I-pad out of my pack, but I continually said "net" (no). A young lady on my other side reprimanded him a couple of times so he decided he was going to punch her. I was able to stop him twice but the third time he was in the air with tears in his eyes and fists flying. It took myself and a couple of girls to stop him. Then one of the male missionaries came and took over. I felt so bad; all that pent up emotion waiting to explode.
Before we left the orphanage the kids wanted all of us to take their pictures. Then it was the longest walk to the van with kids hanging onto us so tight they did not want to let go. Even after we were in the van they were so close to it I was afraid we would hit one of them. I cannot wait to come back. We hope to come and stay in that village at the missionary house for at least a week.
I failed to mention that Oksana was our interpreter. She is a 21 year old young lady that lives at the girls center in Kherson. Her love of God and Jesus is so inspiring. She has gone to missionary school and is going on a two year mission to India.
I was talking to Oksana on the way home and shared how I was feeling a little insignificant in my role here. She proceeded to tell me a story in the Bible about Moses, and how the Isrealites were fighting a battle against the Amalekites. When his arms were raised to God they were winning, and when his arms were tired and he put them down they started losing the battle. So Moses' brother Aaron and friend Hur stood on each side of Moses and held his arms up for him when he was tired. She went on to say how important the helper role is because not many people are given that gift from God; that it takes a special person.
I was so touched to be taught by this wonderful young lady. I pray that we will all listen to the young as well as the old because you never know who God will send to you to help you in your walk with Him.
Today we left the Joshua center (our house in Kherson) early and had to say good bye to the five boys that were there. All I did was hug one of them and tell them that I loved him and the tears were flowing. I had to work so hard to stifle the tears because it is hard on the boys to watch us cry. I am going to miss them dearly and look forward to coming back.
K&B
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
October 26 & 27
Today was a very basic day. Andre is back in town so he took the boys to school then went to work. Bill and I were the only ones home. It was very quite compared to the last few days.
We did get the van from Andre around noon so we could go have a meeting with Alek and then do some grocery shopping.
Today is Yasha's birthday so we made everyone an American dinner of chicken-a-la- king. Alona andthe boys made the other dishes. After dinner we had cake and ice cream.
It was very fun watching the birthday customs here. Instead of candles on a cake we all took turns lighting a match and giving Yasha a wish before the match burned out. They did a game and if I got the translation right they took the letters of Yasha's name and created nice things to say about him. We sang some songs, then the guests went home.
The kids do not get presents often and Alona was not sure of Sasha's reaction so we waited until everyone was gone before we gave ours to him. It consisted of a towel, shower gel and gum. He was very excited, especially about the towel and shower gel.
I do a lot of praying all day long to maintain patience. Sometimes it is hard to have kids hanging on you, so I pray to remember that these kids need so much love, that the time we spend with them is so short and when we leave there is no one else. I pray that other Americans will get a call from God to come and give love to these kids.
This blog is going to be for two days. I was so tired last night that I finished writing this morning. We had quite a busy day today. Bill took the kids to school, I made potato pancakes for the first time (thank you Mom Lois for the recipe). Bill was in heaven. His mother made them for him as a child and they turned out pretty good.
We had dinner at Alek's house. Yeah, yeah we had a wonderful home cooked meal with no potatoes. We even had chicken. We spent the rest of the evening talking business about Agape. Alek has a lot of great ideas.
We did not have a lot of interaction with the boys today, but I guess there have to be business days too.
Tomorrow we go to an orphanage about one hour away. We are picking up one of the teachers of that orphanage to take her home. We will be on our own on the way back. Thank you, thank you to the inventor of GPS.
That's all for now.
God bless and hugs to all,
K & B
Today was a very basic day. Andre is back in town so he took the boys to school then went to work. Bill and I were the only ones home. It was very quite compared to the last few days.
We did get the van from Andre around noon so we could go have a meeting with Alek and then do some grocery shopping.
Today is Yasha's birthday so we made everyone an American dinner of chicken-a-la- king. Alona andthe boys made the other dishes. After dinner we had cake and ice cream.
It was very fun watching the birthday customs here. Instead of candles on a cake we all took turns lighting a match and giving Yasha a wish before the match burned out. They did a game and if I got the translation right they took the letters of Yasha's name and created nice things to say about him. We sang some songs, then the guests went home.
The kids do not get presents often and Alona was not sure of Sasha's reaction so we waited until everyone was gone before we gave ours to him. It consisted of a towel, shower gel and gum. He was very excited, especially about the towel and shower gel.
I do a lot of praying all day long to maintain patience. Sometimes it is hard to have kids hanging on you, so I pray to remember that these kids need so much love, that the time we spend with them is so short and when we leave there is no one else. I pray that other Americans will get a call from God to come and give love to these kids.
This blog is going to be for two days. I was so tired last night that I finished writing this morning. We had quite a busy day today. Bill took the kids to school, I made potato pancakes for the first time (thank you Mom Lois for the recipe). Bill was in heaven. His mother made them for him as a child and they turned out pretty good.
We had dinner at Alek's house. Yeah, yeah we had a wonderful home cooked meal with no potatoes. We even had chicken. We spent the rest of the evening talking business about Agape. Alek has a lot of great ideas.
We did not have a lot of interaction with the boys today, but I guess there have to be business days too.
Tomorrow we go to an orphanage about one hour away. We are picking up one of the teachers of that orphanage to take her home. We will be on our own on the way back. Thank you, thank you to the inventor of GPS.
That's all for now.
God bless and hugs to all,
K & B
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tuesday October 25, 2011
An uneventful day, for the most part. I dropped the boys off at school and went home to pick up Karen. We had breakfast in a bar (we didn’t know it when we went in), but the food was really good. We then drove around to familiarize ourselves with the area some more. Our stop at Oskar’s (the grocery store) was routine.
I did make some elbow macaroni for lunch - with REAL butter! Sounds silly, I know, but it was a real treat.
We picked up the boys at 3:00 and have been home ever since. I’m delighted that Bill’s Taxi Service is off duty tonight.
I’ve been thinking all day about what God is teaching me as we visit this country:
- Patience is the first thing that comes to mind. I have no control over my time or my schedule, and that can be very stressful for me. So I’m learning to be patient, and that is a very good lesson for me.
- Grace comes to mind next. Loving people, even when they’re not behaving the way I believe they should, can also be a real challenge. God does it for us, all day every day, but I am still learning how to show other people His grace.
- Love, without a doubt. I realized today that I’m going to miss these boys a lot when we leave, and I’m already excited about returning to them in January. This too is an area that needs work, so it’s not surprising that our Lord would put me into a home with 9 or 10 teenagers.
Finally, while I’ve always been amazed at Karen’s inner-strength, I’ve seen a side of her that is nothing short of incredible. Here we are in a very foreign country, away from family and friends, and she is like a beacon of light in a storm. These kids will never forget her, because I dare say they have rarely, if ever, been loved like this before. It is a joy to watch.
Until tomorrow, God Bless and good night.
B&K
Monday, October 24, 2011
Oct. 24
I have to stop saying which day it is in Ukraine because I cannot remember how many days, but I do know the date.
Today was our first day alone taking the boys to school. I got the easy part of the deal. Bill got up at 5:45am and woke the boys at 6:00am, they get up, get ready, eat breakfast, do Bible reading and prayer before they get into the van to go. I had the easy part, I slept in.
Bill came home and got me so we could go get some breakfast that was close to American food. A big thank you to Felix (Cafe Monia). It took us a little bit to communicate, but it worked, yeah!! We were able to relax and do a bit of soaping.
After breakfast we walked around town for a bit. We found a street that had many people selling variuos things, and we bought some bananas for the kids.
When it was time to pick up the kids from school we messed up a bit. There are two stops in the morning so we figured they were the same stops for the pick up. We were wrong. After waiting 15 min we called American Andre and asked him to call one of the boys. It turns out in the afternoon we only go to the second stop. The boys we drop off at the first stop get themselves home. We were 35 minutes late picking up the boys. Other than being a little worried they were okay.
We got home and guess what we had? Yes, it was borsch. Oh well. In the morning some Babushkas (Grandmothers from the church) came and spent the morning making a fried apple turnover type bread. I did take a little bite to taste it and Bill ate two. That was Bill's dinner.
After dinner we took some of the boys to Friends Club. It is a fun program for the orphans to learn about God through games. Very cool. At one point they did a little skit about man being created and how worldly things can take ahold of you and God is no longer in your life. Then how repentance and forgiveness brings you back to God. There were no words said and it was very touching.
Some of the kids wanted to meet us and some were more reserved but we got a lot of smiles. In the future I can see us getting to know a lot of these other kids. We took 5 boys there and going home we had 13 people in an eight person van.
We got home and were settling in for the night when Yasha and Marina knocked on our door to tell us Marina needed to go to the train station. This is where patience comes in. Bill called Alex to make sure this was o.k., and off they went.
A funny for today. The roads here are horrible. Even the main roads have deep dips and huge bumps. There is not one smooth road in this entire country! Today we saw a street sign warning you about a small dip in the road. Bill and I spent time laughing and joking about which hole or bump they were referring to.
Another funny; I did laundry and thought I did okay. Well, you know the term whitey tighty; we now have purpley blackie tighty and sockie. Maybe when we get home we can do some bleaching.
To answer a question that has been asked a couple of times. We fly home starting on October 31st and arrive home on November 1st. Then we leave again around January 26th for the six months.
I guess you can tell the difference when it is Bill or me that writes. I am the wordy one.
Until tomorrow,
God Bless and Goodnight
K & B
I have to stop saying which day it is in Ukraine because I cannot remember how many days, but I do know the date.
Today was our first day alone taking the boys to school. I got the easy part of the deal. Bill got up at 5:45am and woke the boys at 6:00am, they get up, get ready, eat breakfast, do Bible reading and prayer before they get into the van to go. I had the easy part, I slept in.
Bill came home and got me so we could go get some breakfast that was close to American food. A big thank you to Felix (Cafe Monia). It took us a little bit to communicate, but it worked, yeah!! We were able to relax and do a bit of soaping.
After breakfast we walked around town for a bit. We found a street that had many people selling variuos things, and we bought some bananas for the kids.
When it was time to pick up the kids from school we messed up a bit. There are two stops in the morning so we figured they were the same stops for the pick up. We were wrong. After waiting 15 min we called American Andre and asked him to call one of the boys. It turns out in the afternoon we only go to the second stop. The boys we drop off at the first stop get themselves home. We were 35 minutes late picking up the boys. Other than being a little worried they were okay.
We got home and guess what we had? Yes, it was borsch. Oh well. In the morning some Babushkas (Grandmothers from the church) came and spent the morning making a fried apple turnover type bread. I did take a little bite to taste it and Bill ate two. That was Bill's dinner.
After dinner we took some of the boys to Friends Club. It is a fun program for the orphans to learn about God through games. Very cool. At one point they did a little skit about man being created and how worldly things can take ahold of you and God is no longer in your life. Then how repentance and forgiveness brings you back to God. There were no words said and it was very touching.
Some of the kids wanted to meet us and some were more reserved but we got a lot of smiles. In the future I can see us getting to know a lot of these other kids. We took 5 boys there and going home we had 13 people in an eight person van.
We got home and were settling in for the night when Yasha and Marina knocked on our door to tell us Marina needed to go to the train station. This is where patience comes in. Bill called Alex to make sure this was o.k., and off they went.
A funny for today. The roads here are horrible. Even the main roads have deep dips and huge bumps. There is not one smooth road in this entire country! Today we saw a street sign warning you about a small dip in the road. Bill and I spent time laughing and joking about which hole or bump they were referring to.
Another funny; I did laundry and thought I did okay. Well, you know the term whitey tighty; we now have purpley blackie tighty and sockie. Maybe when we get home we can do some bleaching.
To answer a question that has been asked a couple of times. We fly home starting on October 31st and arrive home on November 1st. Then we leave again around January 26th for the six months.
I guess you can tell the difference when it is Bill or me that writes. I am the wordy one.
Until tomorrow,
God Bless and Goodnight
K & B
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday October 23, 2011
What a glorious morning! I rousted the kids at 8:30 and we were off to church an hour later.
The service was wonderful. It’s going to take a while to get used to speaking at every service we attend, but it’s getting easier already. I spoke about God’s desire for us to come here to father (and mother) these children, and our desire to teach them to live righteous lives. Karen told me later that several of the older women were in tears as I spoke (maybe my message was that bad!) Anyhow, the Pastor seemed to like what I had to say, because he chose to take my message and turn it into a 2 hour sermon. Boy, you Grace Place folks think Clay can get long winded......
A touching example of these people’s kindness: One of the women noticed that Karen was wearing sandals, and offered to loan her some of her boots to wear while we’re here. When is the last time you offered a complete stranger your shoes to wear?
After bringing the boys back to the house, Karen and I met up with an english speaking young man. The three of us went to lunch, and we had our first real steak in weeks. It was GREAT! All I needed was a bernaise sauce to smother it in.
We decided to treat the boys to a “nice” dinner here at the house. They all wanted frozen pizza and coke. It tasted like cardboard, but they were all smiles.
Karen and I were just settling into our room to watch a movie tonight when about 15 people showed up at the door. It was time for a Praise and Worship Service. After giving my second testimonial of the day, I joined Karen upstairs, and we closed out our day.
Until tomorrow, God Bless, and good night.
B&K
October 22 Fifth day in Ukraine
Yeah :) we got to sleep in today. Some boys went to school and a couple did not. All the schools here are going six days a week because of the European Cup that will be here in 2012. They do plan ahead.
Alex and Andre left this morning for a three day prayer and fast in another town. Bill is in charge of getting us to church tomorrow and the boys to school on Monday. Alona is here to guide us.
After lunch Bill and I took the van and got to do some exploring around Kherson. We went to the downtown area and walked around.
We found the mega farmers market. Wow, wow, wow, you name it, it was being sold on the street. It is fascinating how they set up. One block was designated for the selling of dogs and cats, young and old.
We started at the indoor market place where they sell all the food products. I think Bill and I both walked in the doors and stood there with our mouths dropping open. I am sure no one noticed we were not from around here; ha, ha. It is set up like a big flea market where you rent your numbered space, the building was probably 40,000 square feet. Lining the outer walls were the butchers. First of all they were all women. They all had a scale and raw, non-wrapped meat displayed; it was behind them, in front of them and hanging from above. On one table were skinned rabbits, but with the fur left on the feet, and right next to that were geese (we think) that were plucked and cleaned, but with the beak and feet stuffed into the cavity. Amazing. No, we did not buy anything.
I do have pictures but of course I do not know how to attach them. There were dairy products, pastries, candy..... everything.
After the market we just wondered around and found a Burger Club and had a burger and fries. It did not taste the same, so we ate only about half of the burger; but the fries were good.
Before we left the house Alona asked if we would go to the grocery store. Thank goodness for translators. We thought we did pretty good until we saw the look on Alona's face when we showed her the mayonnaise. She said to get two big packages, so we did. As you know our mayonnaise comes in jars, so we got the biggest ones. We think one tub equals two of our regular sized jars. Oh well more laughs, especially Marina.
All the kids are so quick to laugh, the house is always full if laughter. The kids that were shy about trying English words in the beginning are attempting new words. It is funny how sometimes your tongue will not do what you want it to do.
We got home around 4:00 and Dima started dinner. It has been a relaxing night; as relaxed as it can get with so many kids.
The number of kids for dinner changes all the time. There are the kids that stay here plus whoever decides to drop by. We heard during the weekend there can be 15-20 kids at the house; especially on Sunday.
I guess that is it for now, if anyone can tell me how to put pictures on our blog please e-mail me.
спокойной ночи, и Бог благословит
Goodnight and God bless
K & B
Yeah :) we got to sleep in today. Some boys went to school and a couple did not. All the schools here are going six days a week because of the European Cup that will be here in 2012. They do plan ahead.
Alex and Andre left this morning for a three day prayer and fast in another town. Bill is in charge of getting us to church tomorrow and the boys to school on Monday. Alona is here to guide us.
After lunch Bill and I took the van and got to do some exploring around Kherson. We went to the downtown area and walked around.
We found the mega farmers market. Wow, wow, wow, you name it, it was being sold on the street. It is fascinating how they set up. One block was designated for the selling of dogs and cats, young and old.
We started at the indoor market place where they sell all the food products. I think Bill and I both walked in the doors and stood there with our mouths dropping open. I am sure no one noticed we were not from around here; ha, ha. It is set up like a big flea market where you rent your numbered space, the building was probably 40,000 square feet. Lining the outer walls were the butchers. First of all they were all women. They all had a scale and raw, non-wrapped meat displayed; it was behind them, in front of them and hanging from above. On one table were skinned rabbits, but with the fur left on the feet, and right next to that were geese (we think) that were plucked and cleaned, but with the beak and feet stuffed into the cavity. Amazing. No, we did not buy anything.
I do have pictures but of course I do not know how to attach them. There were dairy products, pastries, candy..... everything.
After the market we just wondered around and found a Burger Club and had a burger and fries. It did not taste the same, so we ate only about half of the burger; but the fries were good.
Before we left the house Alona asked if we would go to the grocery store. Thank goodness for translators. We thought we did pretty good until we saw the look on Alona's face when we showed her the mayonnaise. She said to get two big packages, so we did. As you know our mayonnaise comes in jars, so we got the biggest ones. We think one tub equals two of our regular sized jars. Oh well more laughs, especially Marina.
All the kids are so quick to laugh, the house is always full if laughter. The kids that were shy about trying English words in the beginning are attempting new words. It is funny how sometimes your tongue will not do what you want it to do.
We got home around 4:00 and Dima started dinner. It has been a relaxing night; as relaxed as it can get with so many kids.
The number of kids for dinner changes all the time. There are the kids that stay here plus whoever decides to drop by. We heard during the weekend there can be 15-20 kids at the house; especially on Sunday.
I guess that is it for now, if anyone can tell me how to put pictures on our blog please e-mail me.
спокойной ночи, и Бог благословит
Goodnight and God bless
K & B
Friday, October 21, 2011
Friday October 21, 2011
We slept in again..... to 6:40 a.m. The days start early here, and it’s almost midnight each evening before we turn out the lights. It will take some time to get used to this schedule.
After dropping the boys off at their various schools we went to Alek’s office. He and his staff begin each day with prayer. The prayer here is different than what we’re used to. Everyone prays out loud, at the same time. At first it is really distracting, but after awhile it’s kind of uplifting.
Watching Alek work is stressful because he is like the one legged paper hanger. He works very hard, and is being pulled in 10 different directions all of the time. I pray that his ministry finds the funds necessary to hire some additional staff, because no one can keep up his pace year after year.
Our next stop was Ukraine’s version of the Home Depot. A nice store, but a different culture. I purchased a drill bit, and was told that I would need to take the hand written ticket to the cashier, pay for it, and then return the receipt to the saleswoman (near the back of the store) to retrieve my bit. Can you imagine the response you’d have if they asked you to do that at home?
Lunch at Oskar’s (our new favorite market / cafeteria) was good, but even the nice stores have weird bathrooms. Karen is still trying to get used to the squat pots, and I’m betting she never will.
In Ukraine, it seems that most houses have washing machines but no dryers, so we hung our clothes out on a line to dry this afternoon. It worked for our grandparents so it should work for us, right? I wonder where we’ll dry them this winter.......
Tonight Alek took me (Bill) to the Russian Spa. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Basically you sit in a sauna until you’ve lost a pound or two of sweat, then you lie down - in the sauna - and a guy lightly beats you with some branches with leaves on them. Next you jump into a pool of freezing water. I could literally feel my heart pounding for about 10 minutes after that. This is followed by tea drinking, and another round in the sauna. Once you’ve lost another pound or two of sweat you leave the sauna, lie down on a table, and a guy rubs you down with honey and then rock salt. Then it’s back into the sauna until the salt crystalizes on you. It will be fun to do this with Karen when we return!
It’s now midnight, so it’s time to close.
Until tomorrow, God Bless and spakoyney nochey (good night).
B&K
Oct 20. Third day in Ukraine
The day started early. Bill was in charge of waking up all the boys. He even woke up one boy that did not need to be woken up. The kids are very good at getting going in the morning; they even clean up after themselves.
We went with Andre to drop the boys off at school then we came back and had some breakfast. Afterwards we went to Alex's office. We were able to get onto the internet for the first time so our posts are going to be late each day until we get the internet situation figured out.
A bit later we went to Oskar's for lunch. It is a mini mall, cafe and grocery store. Lunch was very yummy. We were able to get away from cabbage, potatoes and carrots for awhile.
After lunch we were suppose to go to a handicap orphanage, but they called and told us not to come because there was an outbreak of chickenpox.
We decided to go to another house (center) instead. We drove for a couple of hours to get to the center. They have only had this center for about six months so there is still a lot of work to be done. The house is pretty small with only five rooms and it is much more primitive than the house we are living at. There is one bedroom for the four boys living there, a bedroom for the house parents, a dining room/sanctuary and a sitting room. The bathroom is an outhouse with a squat pot, but without the porcelain (welcome to Ukraine). I needed to use a bathroom but I just could not get myself to do so. I waited until we drove back to our house, four hours later. The rest of the house is not much better. The kitchen only had a stove and refrigerator. The tub is in a room with the wood burning stove and it serves as the sink as well as a tub. While these living conditions seem deplorable to us, they are a much better alternative than living on the streets.
Alek asked our input for starting a business. A couple that have adopted five orphans (hallelujah) have a house behind the center. They were the temporary house parents until they found permanent house parents. This couple has 27 acres that sit between the two houses, and they are willing to lease this to Agape. We are all thinking along the lines of milk cows or pigs. We think it would also be a great spot to put a greenhouse.
The Lord is doing wonderful work here with the orphans. When they find Jesus they become very strong, committed Christians. One of the hardships is getting them to fully find Jesus. Unfortunately, one boy we have become very fond of has been doubting for quite a while, and will be leaving our center on Sunday. It is so sad knowing that he is packing up all that he owns and will just walk out the doors without knowing where he is going or where his next meal will come from.
Please pray for Serge's safety.
Until tomorrow, God Bless and good night.
K & B
The day started early. Bill was in charge of waking up all the boys. He even woke up one boy that did not need to be woken up. The kids are very good at getting going in the morning; they even clean up after themselves.
We went with Andre to drop the boys off at school then we came back and had some breakfast. Afterwards we went to Alex's office. We were able to get onto the internet for the first time so our posts are going to be late each day until we get the internet situation figured out.
A bit later we went to Oskar's for lunch. It is a mini mall, cafe and grocery store. Lunch was very yummy. We were able to get away from cabbage, potatoes and carrots for awhile.
After lunch we were suppose to go to a handicap orphanage, but they called and told us not to come because there was an outbreak of chickenpox.
We decided to go to another house (center) instead. We drove for a couple of hours to get to the center. They have only had this center for about six months so there is still a lot of work to be done. The house is pretty small with only five rooms and it is much more primitive than the house we are living at. There is one bedroom for the four boys living there, a bedroom for the house parents, a dining room/sanctuary and a sitting room. The bathroom is an outhouse with a squat pot, but without the porcelain (welcome to Ukraine). I needed to use a bathroom but I just could not get myself to do so. I waited until we drove back to our house, four hours later. The rest of the house is not much better. The kitchen only had a stove and refrigerator. The tub is in a room with the wood burning stove and it serves as the sink as well as a tub. While these living conditions seem deplorable to us, they are a much better alternative than living on the streets.
Alek asked our input for starting a business. A couple that have adopted five orphans (hallelujah) have a house behind the center. They were the temporary house parents until they found permanent house parents. This couple has 27 acres that sit between the two houses, and they are willing to lease this to Agape. We are all thinking along the lines of milk cows or pigs. We think it would also be a great spot to put a greenhouse.
The Lord is doing wonderful work here with the orphans. When they find Jesus they become very strong, committed Christians. One of the hardships is getting them to fully find Jesus. Unfortunately, one boy we have become very fond of has been doubting for quite a while, and will be leaving our center on Sunday. It is so sad knowing that he is packing up all that he owns and will just walk out the doors without knowing where he is going or where his next meal will come from.
Please pray for Serge's safety.
Until tomorrow, God Bless and good night.
K & B
Wednesday October 19, 2011
We were finally able to get a good night’s sleep. Praise the Lord! After almost two weeks of running around Israel, and then Ukraine, Karen and I were exhausted.
My first stop was the shower, where I discovered a hose with no shower head. Oh well, as they say here, “welcome to Ukraine”.
Mid-morning, I saw Marina in the back yard catching the chickens. Once caught, she would toss them into the chicken coup. I decided to help her out, and soon realized that I’m not as fast as I used to be. The good news is I entertained Marina as I ran around trying to catch them.
We took a walk around the house this afternoon and checked out the neighborhood. This house is surrounded by an odd mixture of beautiful new brick homes, and run down old shacks. There are chickens and dogs everywhere, but I think it’s a really nice area compared to its surroundings.
We had borsch for dinner. That’s a mixture of potatoes, shredded cabbage, onions and tomatoes, prepared like a stew. I think it may be a long time before I crave a bowl of borsch!
After dinner, we sat around the table watching the boys play with Karen’s I-Pad. They had a wonderful time. We’re quickly learning to love these kids. They are quick to laugh, very respectful, and eager to learn.
Now that we’ve been here a couple of days, it’s clear that God has really blessed us with this calling. There are definitely some challenges that lie ahead of us, but I’m now certain that this experience will bring us closer to each other, and closer to the Lord. Hallelujah!
Until tomorrow, God Bless and good night.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Oct 18 - First day in Ukraine
We landed in Kiev at 9:40
Welcome to Ukraine. We were picked up at the airport by a wonderful young lady by the name of Karen Springs. She took us to her home for the night. There we learned about her beautiful walk with the Lord. The next morning Alek, with his wife Vera and daughter Maria, picked us up from Karen's and we drove to Kherson.
Before we left the city we stopped at a store and Alek bought his wife a coat for their anniversary which is in the next couple of weeks. Since we were there and I did not have the appropriate coat I bought a small down coat as well.
You need to experience the parking in the city. If you can get your car into a spot it is yours. They were on the sidewalk, half on the street half off, crooked; you name it we saw it.
While we were driving to Kherson Alek and Vera were telling us about the rules of the road and the way to handle the police if we got stopped. Well Alek gave Bill an opportunity to drive. They do have speed limits, but everyone drives like they are on the autobahn in Germany. The key is when you see a policeman you slow down. We passed a couple of police stops and everything was fine until the next one. Bill did not see it in time and they got him. It is not the same as back home. They just stand in the middle of the road and point to the side and that is where you pull over. The police asked us for our registration and insurance like normal, but when you hand it over you have some money folded up in the papers. The bribe was 40 Grevnia ($5.00).
It is a six hour drive to Kherson from Kiev so we needed to stop for lunch. We stopped on the roadside at an Armenian restaurant and had kabobs that were very good.
When we got to Kherson there was a crusade going on, which was a play followed by some praise and worship. It is very interesting to listen to speakers and bible readings in a different language, but you feel the spirit with you and you are able to follow along. Alek had Bill stand up and say a few words. He gave the basics of who we are and what the Lord has done for us.
Afterward we went to the house that we are staying in. It is the same house we'll live in when we return in January. We got to meet all the kids, but we were very tired so we did not spent much time with them.
Until tomorrow; God Bless, and good night.
We landed in Kiev at 9:40
Welcome to Ukraine. We were picked up at the airport by a wonderful young lady by the name of Karen Springs. She took us to her home for the night. There we learned about her beautiful walk with the Lord. The next morning Alek, with his wife Vera and daughter Maria, picked us up from Karen's and we drove to Kherson.
Before we left the city we stopped at a store and Alek bought his wife a coat for their anniversary which is in the next couple of weeks. Since we were there and I did not have the appropriate coat I bought a small down coat as well.
You need to experience the parking in the city. If you can get your car into a spot it is yours. They were on the sidewalk, half on the street half off, crooked; you name it we saw it.
While we were driving to Kherson Alek and Vera were telling us about the rules of the road and the way to handle the police if we got stopped. Well Alek gave Bill an opportunity to drive. They do have speed limits, but everyone drives like they are on the autobahn in Germany. The key is when you see a policeman you slow down. We passed a couple of police stops and everything was fine until the next one. Bill did not see it in time and they got him. It is not the same as back home. They just stand in the middle of the road and point to the side and that is where you pull over. The police asked us for our registration and insurance like normal, but when you hand it over you have some money folded up in the papers. The bribe was 40 Grevnia ($5.00).
It is a six hour drive to Kherson from Kiev so we needed to stop for lunch. We stopped on the roadside at an Armenian restaurant and had kabobs that were very good.
When we got to Kherson there was a crusade going on, which was a play followed by some praise and worship. It is very interesting to listen to speakers and bible readings in a different language, but you feel the spirit with you and you are able to follow along. Alek had Bill stand up and say a few words. He gave the basics of who we are and what the Lord has done for us.
Afterward we went to the house that we are staying in. It is the same house we'll live in when we return in January. We got to meet all the kids, but we were very tired so we did not spent much time with them.
Until tomorrow; God Bless, and good night.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Greetings from Bill and Karen
Hello. This is the first post on our blog. Karen and I intend to post updates regularly from Ukraine, to keep everyone that's interested up to date on how God is working in Ukraine. We are honored and humbled to be His hands and feet, and can't even begin to tell you how much we appreciate everyones love and support. Our next blog will be from Ukraine in about 10 days. Until then, God Bless.
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