Ukraine!

Dear friends,

I have made it safely to Ternopil!  It is absolutely beautiful.  Praise God everything went smoothly entering the country.  I almost missed BOTH of my connecting flights, but God intervened and in New York I was helped by a woman who worked for the airliner to quickly get through security.  She was wonderful – everyone else basically said, “Sorry – you missed it.  Reschedule for tomorrow.” But God had other plans.  I made it onto the plane with time to spare. 

Yesterday, I met up with the family who came to meet me at the airport and went for my first meal in the Ukraine – McDonalds chicken nuggets, fries and a coke!  J  There are no McDonalds in Ternopil, and since we were in Lviv, the girls wanted to stop. 

As soon as I arrived at the base, I was welcomed by the team.  I have met so many awesome people who I am looking forward to getting to know.  We sat down for a family-style dinner of chicken curry and rice which was made by one of the young men here at the base.  Everyone was speaking a combination of Russian and Ukranian and (for me) some English.  Please pray that I am able to catch on quickly to some conversational language skills!  I have realized that many people speak Russian. 

Today, I rode a bus to the bazaar to buy fruits and vegetables with one of the women here at the base.  It was absolutely indescribable, but I will do my best.  First, I went to exchange some money – in a matter of minutes, I went from holding 20 bucks, to handling about 150 brightly colored hrynvia!  After making the exchange, we headed right into the heart of the market.  Imagine an outdoor market in the most crowded area of San Francisco, and you can have somewhat of an idea of where I was – keep in mind, very few people know more than a few words in English.  There were countless vendors selling everything from raspberries to homemade cheese.  The market system is so interesting.  Rather than selling for less in hopes of attracting more business, most of the vendors sell low to get attention and immediately hike up the prices once they have a crowd gathered. 

Enough about the bazaar – the people!  One of the first things I am noticing as I explore this area is the people’s eyes.  They are the most beautiful colors!  If they are blue, they are VERY blue.  If they are green, they are BRIGHT green.  From little children sitting on curbs to very old women selling vegetables, these people have the most beautiful eyes. 

Today was a very cold day.  It has been overcast, and there were some sprinkles this morning when we were at the bazaar.  (this is probably one of the reasons I was reminded of San Francisco)  I wish I could somehow tell you all everything.  I am taking so much in each minute, and I feel incapable of properly describing everything.  Please pray that as we begin the new ministry here at the base God will work.  Please also, as I said before, pray that I am able to catch on to some basics of the language.  I’ve included a photo taken out the window of the base.  I hope to get more pictures of the architecture within the next few days.  Just down the street is the oldest church in Ternopil.  It is gorgeous. 

God bless you, and thank you so much for your prayers!  Love from Ternopil, Ukraine