Ukraine - We're Loving It!

This post comes in the middle of our trip, but we wanted to share a little of our first few days in Ukraine. As with any international trip, there are always interesting stories to tell of traveling and the culture. These are just a few...

We left DC on Friday, July 17, and it was certainly an adventure. Our original plan was to take a flight to JFK and then a direct flight to Kiev. However, the plane we were supposed to depart on never made it to Dulles due to an "agent hitting the plane" with the skywalk accordian thing. Thankfully our Delta agent was in control, and more importantly God was in control. Our group was divided onto two seperate flights routed through Paris (insert Jeanette screaming "Paris!" in the middle of the airport) on Air France. The first group (Jeanette, Kati, Larissa, and Holly) were even upgraded to business class on their last leg! The second team (Kerry, Erin, Jess, and Michaela) had a little more of a challenge ... due to a very close connection in Paris and a very slow shuttle bus between terminals, the team was seperated and Jess and Michaela didn't make the connection! They made the next flight, however, and everyone was finally in Kiev. Our bags .... were not. Only one of the 16 checked bags arrived. The other bags were eventually located and delivered on Monday at 10:00 pm.

On Sunday we attended Almaz church in Kiev, where we were able to listen to the translated service through a headset. After church (about 2:00 pm) we took the metro into Kiev and ate at a delicious Ukrainian buffet. We then took a scenic boat-ride. Afterwards we stopped at McDonalds for icecream. While most of us avoid eating at McDonalds while in the States, a McDonalds in Ukraine means: a) airconditioning, b) a clean bathroom, c) berry McFlurries, and d) ice in our drinks. You could say we were loving it!

We are living in a sanitorium, or vacation estate in Vorzel that is within walking distance from the Orphanage. It is actually quite nice ... there are suites with several rooms, bathroom with toilet and shower, a working fridge, and 3 meals per day, featuring potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also a public radio that plays a variety of pop music from 8 am to 10 pm.

We are very much enjoying getting to know our Ukrainian friends and translators and excited to share more with you about our work in the orphanage!