Ukraine.Trip.

Well, I am back from Ukraine and can report that I had a wonderful time. For the next few days I'll post lots of pictures about the different aspects of Ukraine for you to see. I took so many pictures and look forward to sharing the stories and pictures with you. My body is adjusting to Indiana time and I must admit that it is 2:30am in Ukraine, so pardon my misspellings:)

Ukraine was ruled by Communist Soviet Union for 70 years, just to be free from communism in the 1990's. Communism permeates every part of Ukrainian life. In Kharkov, where we were at for the trip is only 100km from Russia and has a Russian mindset of don't fix it, just patch it. So, it literally looks like you are in the 1940's and the city has just been bombed. Everything is just old looking and run down. The apartment complexes are all concrete and honostly falling apart. They are old communist apartments. The couple I stayed with, Luda and Volva, where given their apartment 25 years ago when Volva had a job at a tank factory. It was part of his compensation from the factory. This apartment is small!! They live in a two bedroom (we aren't talking big bedrooms), one SMALL bathroom and a small kitchen. That's it. No living space or anything. However, they are content and it is refreshing to be around!

Everywhere you look there are highrise concrete apartments with thosands of people living in them. Many of which have never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. There is approximatley only 1 church for every 30,000 people in Kharkov, there are approximately 2million people in Kharkov. The prayer is to start churches in these unreached areas and for Ukrainians to rise up and lead these churches. Won't you please pray for that?

These pipes are running all over the city. They are just patched up and like everything else, are run down. They carry their water to the apartments.

The playground outside of our apartment. Don't mind the mud and dog dung!!

Here is the couple that myself and another lady stayed with. The kitchen doesn't look that small, but I am standing inthe hallway looking in! Her oven, microwave, sink, and refridge are all micro sized in comparision to the ones we have here. Luda is a new believer and active in the Christmas Church, which I will about at a later day I'm sure. Volva is not a believer and Luda has such a heart to reach him. She is taking an English class (more later) and speaks pretty good English. She improved even the week we were with her. They were so hospitable and kind to us!

This was my "home away from home". Myself and Betty, another woman on the mission trip, shared with room and this futon. Surprisingly it was pretty comfortable and I slept pretty good, considering Betty snored, the pack of dogs outside our window, the dump truck at 2:30 in the morning and having to use the restroom due to a growing travel companion:) Just like Paul writes about in the Bible "I have learned to be content is all circumstances." I have no complaints and enjoyed EVERY minute of it!:)