Almost everywhere you go in Eastern Europe, there are dogs. Of course, John-John loves every single one of them. This was "his" dog at the Christian Life Center in Irpin, Ukraine.
Honestly, these were some of the most comfortable accommodations I can ever remember having. As you can see, we slept really, really well. For those of you near FDR State Park in Pine Mountain, GA, it reminded us of the cabin we rent there for vacation every summer.
Yep! Five inches of snow...though it had been 60 degrees earlier in the week. C'mon! But it was really beautiful, and we had a good time playing in the snow, something we don't do much of in Moscow because of the pollution.Let the favor of the LORD our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17
After we arrived in Kiev, we went immediately and changed rubles for grieven, the money in Ukraine. Then we headed to McDonalds, so excited about eating breakfast, which we haven't had at McDonalds in a really, really long time, because only a few, stand-alone McDonalds serve breakfast in Moscow. It was about 9:00 a.m. when we arrived at the McDonalds across from the Kiev train station. As we walked in, Hannah said, "I'm so excited, Mommy. It's just like when Poppy used to take me and John to McDonalds before school!" Well, not quite. Because this McDonalds did not serve breakfast foods, we ended up eating hamburgers and french fries at 9. Oh, well. Someday, we will find a place to have a McDonalds breakfast!
We found a taxi for the "short" ride to Irpin, where we were staying at the Christian Center. An hour later, we were still not there. Finally, we arrived, exhausted and not a little frightened by the style of driving employed by our taxi driver. Marc went in to the center, and the kids and I got out of the taxi to stretch and get our bags. Now to understand our apprehension about the Christian Center, you need to know that places like this in Eastern Europe can vary widely in their sense of...their belief in...well, let's just say that it can be kind of scary. So we were looking for a sign of some sort that this was going to be okay. The place looked beautiful--well-kept lawn, newish buildings, fresh paint. Then we met Vasily, the director, who came out to greet us wearing (I am completely not kidding) a blue and orange Gators jacket from the University of Florida. I almost dropped my teeth. I knew that no one who was a Gator fan of any sort would run a shoddy establishment, so I felt okay from there on out. And it was wonderful! Beautiful accommodations, a really nice bathroom, comfortable beds, and lots of room to spread out and read and run and enjoy. There was even a dog for John-John to play with all afternoon!
The people who work at the Christian Center were just wonderful, especially the lady who runs the kitchen, Lyba. Even though we declined to have dinner since we'd done nothing but eat all day, she brought us tea and coffee, bread and fresh butter, cakes and other goodies. We ended up having a feast! Lyba is the sister of Vera, who works in the company office here in Moscow, so I think she felt like she was our adopted mom, which was just fine with us.
We took a long nap after eating lunch, and woke up to find that the ground was completely covered in snow. Big snow. Heavy snow. By nightfall, it was still snowing heavily and about five inches had accumulated. Under a bright moon, we went out to play in the snowy woods, surrounded by beautiful fur trees. Honestly, it was really fun. We went back to our room, which was huge, and drank hot chocolate (Swiss Miss packets from the U.S.--thanks, Aunt Kay!) and watched Gilligan's Island. After a great night of sleep, we woke up refreshed and renewed and ready to spend the day in Kiev with friends. I'll pick up there tomorrow.
I don't know that there's something really deep to glean from our time at the Christian Center. We enjoyed ourselves immensely, and look forward to returning some day. What we really enjoyed there was some rest. It can be hard for us to rest in Moscow--there's always stuff to do, it takes an hour to get anywhere, we're always tired, we drop into bed at night exhausted. But in Irpin, there wasn't anything to do but rest, read books, enjoy each other's company, play games, and relax. In this, as in all things, God knew exactly what we needed. A little bit of His beauty. A little time to relax. Some fellowship with believers who don't speak English but were very, very welcoming to us. A sign that He is at work in Eastern Europe, where the progress is beyond slow. We needed these things, and so He provided them. He is good and faithful, and He knows us so well. In dark times, when all I want to do is be someplace where the stop signs say stop and not стоп, I can take great comfort in knowing that He knows, that He is in charge, and that all is well. There is rest to be found in that knowledge.
During my "mommy" time yesterday (I went to by bathroom scales), I listened to my iPod, and one of the songs I listened to as I roamed Moscow's metro system was by Chris Tomlin. It contained these words: "We have only heard the faintest whispers of how great You are." More and more, I am overwhelmed by how little I know and understand Him. I am humbled by the ways He is revealing Himself to me here, but I am sad as I look at the years I have wasted on my own pride and ambition. As we learn to fully rely on Christ, those faint whispers are becoming louder, and I have to tell you this--knowing Him more is nothing short of awe inspiring. He is unbelievable in His capacity to love us enough to take care of the small details.
Wherever you are in the world, I pray that the whispers of His greatness are growing louder and louder, and that you have bathroom scales in pounds and not kilograms. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
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