So You Want More?

Okay! I'm back. I left off with Saturday, right? We'll see how good my memory is regarding the last couple of days. And this is going to be one of those long posts I'm known for. I won't say whether that reputation is good or bad.

Also - we've been getting, on average, 40-45 visits a day to the blog. When I saw that today I figured I'd best not go two days between blogging again! Thanks for your support, prayers and encouragement. I've been reading all the comments, and appreciate them even if I'm not responding to all of them. You all mean much to us!

Sunday
Sunday started with church, again in Russian, here at DCU. It was communion day, and the girls found it interesting to be in a church where communion was "real" bread and wine instead of "crackers" and grape juice. There was no Sunday School, so the girls did get a bit clingy after a while. Church here usually involves two or three sermons, some testimonies, prayer requests and singing between each thing. Services go 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on the church. So it gets a bit long for the girls but I'm sure it's good for them. They did brighten up with the cakes and sweets they had after the service.

With fatigue still an issue from Saturday's adventure, we took it easy with the girls after church. It really was a day of rest, and Shannon was even able to take her 2nd Ukraine nap. The girls and I did some movie watching and that was about it. It's amazing how quickly they're fluxuating between full sleepy-silly mode and worn down mode. But they're still doing very well, and we're proud of them.

Monday
Another busy day. We went to Makeevka by marshutka (first time for the girls!) and went to the orphanage. This is a much cheaper and convenient way to get there than arranging for taxis, so we of course wish we'd have figured this out sooner. When we arrived at the orphanage, Galya was helping sweep the dirt in front of a little pavilion area. We finagled an agreement to take Galya for a walk away from the orphanage (and her sweeping), and went to a little park nearby the orphanage. In this park were a statue dedicated to war heroes, and a fountain (turned off for the winter) as well as the latest in a long line of Ukrainian cats that Tierney has photographed. Tierney did tweak a muscle in her leg when slipping off a wall, but otherwise we returned Galya to the orphanage sans incident. The girls played in the playground area for a while, then Galya went in for lunch.

We figured we should get some food, plus there was an outdoor market in Makeevka I wanted to show the girls. Unfortunately, the market was closed (meaning we walked ~15 minutes each way for nothing other than exercise) and there are no easy-to-find restaurants in Makeevka. So, lunch was some cheese and juice bought in a little convenience store, and some candy. Needless to say, the girls liked it. We spent a bit of time walking around downtown Makeevka, which was interesting as I'd not been downtown Makeevka on my prior visits to Ukraine. It's not the same city as Donetsk, to say the least, but it has its charms. A lack of restaurants for hungry kids, though, meant we had to head back to DCU.

The marshutka ride home was uneventful, although we missed our stop and had an extra bit to walk from the next one (or two?) down. Tired and hungry, we got back to DCU in time for a late lunch/early dinner and more movies. This is the "mom, dad and the lady downstairs need a break from the running around the apartment" event of choice, though we've also played a few family games. The weather was warm, but wet and muddy, so the girls have had to stay in the apartment more than perhaps we'd like.

In the evening, I went to the prayer meeting at Olga's again. The girls stayed home to get rest and all that jazz. It was a good time, highlighted by singing more Christmas carols (one of 'em in four languages!) and eating the best chocolate cake I've had in years. Jim and Margaret, another two Americans who work here at DCU, had just returned from a visit to the States. Jim's a very good cook. Having the prayer meeting at their little home meant good treats, and they were kind enough to let me bring pieces home for the girls.

Tuesday
Today. Or, in a few minutes as I type this, yesterday. Another day of rest. We're in our routine of getting to see Galya every other day, which I think is hard on the girls. They want her to come stay with us, but until the court order becomes official next Tuesday that's not possible. The girls did get to play on the playground, but Tierney fell through a hole and got a bruise on her leg. The playground is nice, and was built by members of our church a number of years ago. It's since fallen into some amount of disrepair, though, and the spot she stepped was missing a couple of boards. It was a lesson in paying attention (for Tierney) and a chance to demonstrate love and compassion for a sister (for Amissa.) That ended the playtime, and they came in for lunch. I took off for Amstor to pick up a couple of groceries, and shortly after I returned we had a light dinner.

(Side note: the food here is very good, although we've surprisingly made it this far without having any cabbage other than what was in our one bowl of borsh in Kiev. The favorites are the sausage, yogurt, bread and chocolate, all of which are better than what we get in the States. The girls haven't been as crazy about the vegetables, and drinking bottled water gets a bit old (fortunately, there's lots of juice and Fanta around.) But the simple diet has been working for them. We've found plenty Amissa can eat, dietary restrictions and all, and God's blessed us all with good health. So far, even the cravings for food we'd normally eat are minimal!)

After dinner, we went downstairs to have tea with Sergey Rybikov and his wife Luba. Sergey is the president of DCU, and we'd had the privilege to host him for dinner at our house earlier this year while he was in America. He remembered Shannon's "tasty" dinner, especially the meat. That was nice to hear:) This was a good time of hearing how things are going at the university, and to share a bit with each other. Olga was there to translate, although Sergey's english is much better than my Russian. We've really enjoyed the hospitality and generosity of those here at DCU.

We came home to get the girls to bed, and then watched a couple episodes of Big Bang Theory on iTunes. Angelina called during this time, and we're working on a couple of things to try and expedite Shannon's trip home with Galya. First we'll try to send a picture of Galya to the embassy by mail so it gets there before Tuesday. That is needed so they can check records for her visa application. If the embassy will accept that to start her file, we can fax the rest of the documents Tuesday before leaving Donetsk and try for a visa interview on Wednesday. We're not sure this will fly with the embassy folks, but it's an idea. The other notion is that we're reserving two refundable tickets for a 12/20 flight for Galya and Shannon. If we can't make 12/18 for the visa, we'll hopefully be able to make 12/20. That's a much better, though still not ideal, option than waiting until 12/25 or later.

We're also going to go to the orphanage tomorrow, and I'll get scans of the documents I need for my FMLA application, as well as (more importantly!) have a party for Galya with the children there. Should be a fun day!

Randomness
That catches us up. I'll try to post three things tomorrow: a recap of the day, pictures, and a blurb on Donetsk and Makeevka. That would leave only a couple more non-recap topics I want to touch on: DCU, Good Shepherd and Galya's story. Which is good because I need to get it all in before we leave for Kiev. We're not sure we'll have Internet there, and I'm not sure we'd have time for that anyway if we're running hither and yon doing visa-related stuff.

The Riccardellis headed out today, and we're hoping we don't have the same problem they did getting out of the country. Basically, their passports were stolen a while back, and the new ones do not have the stamps from their entry into Ukraine. So excitement ensued. But God is good and they made it to Munich okay.

Doing laundry by hand. Brushing teeth with bottled water. Different beds, food, language and culture. No television (though DVDs and a laptop help.) Quieter, slower lifestyle. Strange looks when we get a bit too loud, as Americans sometimes do. I can't say enough about how well the girls have handled this trip. They're even keeping up on homework, and emailing their teachers/classes. There are moments of cabin fever and a bit of stir-crazy once in a while, but I need to brag on the girls. I couldn't be prouder.

Until tomorrow! (Er, later today local time!)

God bless,

Ron