Thursday 22 March 2012

The Next Leg of My Adventure


Well it’s been a very busy couple of weeks.  We played host to a team from Port Colborne, Ontario as well as surprise house guest.  All of this was tied in with Women’s Day celebrations all week, celebrating March birthdays at Sunshine Orphanage, my report writing for Operations CAN be Done and another flood in my kitchen.   

This time the kitchen drain backed up and went all over the floor (yuk).  I’m bailing the sink as fast as I can with one hand while dialling for help with the other.  And once again our translator, her husband, her mother and her plumber father-in-law arrived within the hour.  Then the house guests come home to do their own thing (getting in the way).  Then the city had to be called to come snake the drains (waiting game).  And somehow in all of the confusion I see my door open and the downstairs neighbour is pushing her cat into my apartment.  So now we’re chasing this cat through the apartment as if we didn’t already have enough going on.  I think it was a stunt for the nosey neighbour to get into the apartment and see what was happening.  It was not a good night. 

This week I’ve been busy again tying things up here in Krivoy Rog before I leave for Kyrgyzstan tomorrow night (March 23rd).  I take the night train to Kyiv then to the airport on Saturday morning for my flight to Istanbul and then on to Bishkek.  I’ll be living in Tokmok for 3 months and then back to Ukraine in June. 

It’s still a bit surreal to me that this is finally happening.  It’s taken since July 2007 to get this far.  If you had asked me then if I thought I would be at this point now I would have said a big no with all that I had to overcome and had to deal with at the time.  (See my previous blog entries.)  It’s been a long road but after many, many miracles – there’s just no other word for it - all of the logistics are still falling into place miraculously.  It’ll all probably sink in somewhere between Istanbul and Bishkek…lol.  I am so looking forward to seeing friends again and meeting friends in person that I have only communicated with on line so far.  Yet on the other hand I am going to miss my Krivoy Rog family.  (Strangely, I don’t miss Canada yet - is that wrong?) 

So the next leg of my adventure is beginning.  I’ll keep posting blog entries as I am able so stay tuned.  I ask for your continued prayers and support and as I have said before, thank you for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!

The kids at Dome Invalid put on a musical play for Women's Day.  It was very well done.  Just don't ask me the storyline...my Russian is STILL pathetic.


Passing out flowers to the Sunshine Orphanage directors for Women's Day.

The traditional Ukrainian bread welcome for the Port Colborne team.

Making a presentation to Ed Dickson for his birthday.

The March birthday kids.


Wednesday 7 March 2012

Women’s Day March 2012


March 8th is Women’s Day in Ukraine and many other countries.  It is very similar to Mother’s Day in Canada except that ALL women are honoured, not just mothers and grandmothers.  It’s a very big deal here.  March 8th is also our friend Ed Dickson’s ??th birthday.  Happy Birthday Ed!!

 This past weekend we celebrated a little early by honouring the women on our team here in Krivoy Rog, which was provided for by Ed.  It was really nice to give these wonderful ladies a special night out.  In my last blog entry I mentioned how amazing the people on the ground here really are.  After having seen some of these ladies in action, believe me they more than deserved a night to sit down and enjoy themselves.  We went to a Japanese restaurant for sushi…yes, I actually ate sushi.  But I’m still dying for a Papa Burger with cheese, onion rings, a frosty root beer…Oh…sorry…I digress.   The ladies truly enjoyed themselves and wanted to make sure that Ed got a big “thank you.”


Thank you 

Ed!!! 

To me, there is nothing more honourable than (any) woman who has what I call a mother’s heart.  This is the kind of woman who asks where your hat and your gloves are when it’s cold or whether or not you’re getting enough to eat; the kind of woman who fusses over you for everything and makes sure you have a ride home.  After my Mom died in 1998 until I came to Ukraine I hadn’t realized how much I missed hearing that.  (Although I did hear it over the years – thanks Maxine, Sue, Miriam and all my many “church Moms.”)   Here in Ukraine it seems EVERY woman I have met is like that to me, almost a total stranger to them, and I have mentioned some of them in previous blog entries.  I now have many mothers here and as I said to them it shows how much they really do care for others. 

So to all ladies everywhere, thank you for all that you do and for all that you are - may you be truly and richly blessed.  Happy Women’s Day!!

Thank you all for your continued prayers, your support and for seeing my heart.  Till next time…Я люблю тебя!