My trip to Ukraine

[LynnDel]

Just thought I'd pop in and say "hi" on my way to Ukraine for a mission trip. I've always wanted to go there, since my great-grandfather, Theophil Babienco, was from Kiev and the first SDA in the region. Interesting story. You can read about him in the SDA encyclopedia.

The first leg of my trip involved a stop over at Nashville where it seems they're having some kind of CMA celebration. I can't tell you how many hours it took to find a place to stay for the night.

Here in Huntsville, Oakwood College has a big striped canopy set up in its spacious grounds. I understand it is camp meeting weekend, so maybe I'll check out camp meeting just before I fly away to Ukraine.

In Ukraine I will be doing VBS crafts, right up my alley, though I wouldn't mind wielding a hammer, too.

[Amelia]

Oooo Have fun and safe travels LynnDel. I am jealous!

[LynnDel]

Greetings from Amsterdam! I am on the plane to Ukraine, where we will be having VBS for 200 kids in orphanages near Dnepropetrovsk.

[Dr. Shane]

I hope you are in your soul-winning spirit.

[Neil D]

How do you pronounce that????

[Amelia]

Quote:

Neil D]

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....we will be having VBS for 200 kids in orphanages near Dnepropetrovsk.

How do you pronounce that????

According to Reference.com : nep-roh-pi-trawfsk

[Taylor]

Praying for you Lyn! That is exciting! Let us know how your trip went when you return!

[LynnDel]

My trip blog:

http://360.yahoo.com/lynndeln

I will work on editing the entries later, but here is the first version in raw form.

We are having a wonderful time and are so blessed by the reception the people are giving us. The group I am with are very dedicated and service oriented.

[Neil D]

Just got thru reading your blog on your missionary trip...Looks like fun...

What type of foods r you finding there ? Is the daily fare more sweet than salty?

What are the people like? Very religious [and in what way]? Can you get a sense of what they are concerned about most in thier daily lives? What about thier politicial views? Are their prejudices that affect them in some ways? How do they view life on a day to day basis? How do the locals view Americans?

Ok, I will be patient and see what shows up on the blog now...

[Stan]

LynnDel

We are all cheering/praying for you!!!

[LynnDel]

Thanks for the questions, Neil. My thumbs are suffering from typing fatigue, so will have to save most of those questions for when I again have access to a lifesize keyboard.

[LynnDel]

From Neil's questions - not able to answer all of them because of the shortness of my visit:

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What type of foods r you finding there?

Since I was not traveling with an SDA group, I probably was introduced to more of the typical foods than vegetarian SDAs would get. I wish I knew the names of all the foods. Our morning meal was a continental style breakfast, purchased and set out by one of our Ukrainian interpreters. We had fresh fruit, pastries that are similar to ours, but not as sweet or sticky as a Danish, yogurt, coffee/tea/hot chocolate, milk, soy milk, and instant oatmeal packets. Most packages were printed in four langauges, so I could tell what was in them. The contents of the oatmeal packets included powdered milk and sugar. Except for wishing I had plain old rolled oats, the breakfasts were great.

Our group paid the local church ladies to purchase and prepare supper/dinner for us each day. They did the cooking outside on a rough board table and passed the dishes in through the window to the inside workers. The meals were beautiful and beautifully served, each evening meal starting with borscht, which I've had in my blood since before birth. There are so many variations of borscht, all of it delicious. Salads seemed to be variations of potato salad and coleslaw, plus there was usually a plate of fresh tomato and cucumber slices. Entrees were more dumpling like, some of them vegetarian. Meat did not dominate any of the meals. I wish now that I had taken a picture of each meal.

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Is the daily fare more sweet than salty?

No, I did not find it so. The desserts they gave us were usually popsicles and variations of ice cream on a stick. I don't know what kind of desserts are served to non-foreigners.

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What are the people like? Very religious [and in what way]?

The people I met were country people and were therefore, in general, very down to earth. The church people were very religious and dependent on God in ways we probably have yet to learn. One town had been historically quite resistant to evangelism, but this time we had no difficulties there. Other Americans told me that the Ukrainians tend to be less optimistic for personal change and national progress than we are. I suppose that is natural considering the political upheavals in their past, and how their lives have been controlled because they haven't had the freedoms we do.

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Can you get a sense of what they are concerned about most in thier daily lives? How do they view life on a day to day basis?

When we asked the children what their favorite food was, it was a new concept to them. Favorite food? They're just happy to have food. When we asked the "orphans" -- orphans only in the sense that their parents' were unable to house them or care for them due to alcoholism, and therefore the state stepped in to care for them -- where they would go if they could go anywhere in the world, they said, "Home."

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How do the locals view Americans?

I suppose that one would have to be there longer and have the opportunity to get closer to the people before you could scratch the surface of how we are viewed. The Baptist group and the orphan directors (not church-run orphanages) were very happy to have us there, helping them with their church building and Backyard Bible Camps. The local church leaders supervised the building project, telling what to do and how to do it, which turned out to be very different than we would do here: more efficient, but less concerned with straight walls and even floors. :)