Whenever someone says “Home again, home again” I always think of my friend Cody.  When we lived together after college she would always say that as we pulled into the driveway, “Home again, home again, jiggity jig!”  That was a bit of a side note…love you more than words Cody.  🙂

So, we made it home safe and sound late Wednesday night.  Now I’m up quite early blogging and Jed already left to go exercise.  Jet lag can actually increase your productivity, you know- or it can cause you to fall asleep on the couch at 7:15….before the kids are even in bed.  Yikes.

Being with our kids again is unbelievable.  Oh my word we missed them like crazy.  I know the Lord was totally in this though because although we missed them, it was never unbearable.  We were able to focus on what God was doing where we were at because we knew our kids were loved and cared for at home.  My mother-in-law rocks the house.  Seriously, she took such amazing care of our babies.  Every time we skyped they were so happy and so excited to tell us about their adventures with Grammy.  We are so blessed by this gift she gave to us.  Love you Grammy!!!!

We are happy to be home, but already missing Ukraine.  We left a big part of our hearts there.  I don’t know how God did it, but it’s like He supernaturally knit our hearts with the believers there.  Some people we knew less than a week, but if felt like we were old friends.  It felt like we had history together…and we had just met.  Crazy.  I guess that’s how it goes when your hearts beat for the same things.  We were so blessed by the friendships we found in Ukraine.  Honestly, that wasn’t something we expected.  We were going with a heart for the orphans there and were surprised to find many kindred hearts along the way.  We miss them already.

God alone knows exactly how this story is going to play out.  We know Ukraine is in our future, we just need step-by-step instructions about how that is going to come about and what it will look like.  At the conference, on our last night there, an awesome new friend from UK Vineyard was praying for us and he felt like God wanted us to dream big, not to think the dreams God has given us are too big, basically not to hold back.  He also felt we needed to know that the resources and provision would be right there when we needed it.  We’ve heard those promises from God many times in the past few months along this journey. It was so great to hear it again.  Thank you Lord that you know just what we need, right when we need it.  I’m not sure if you all remember, but the first verse God gave us on this journey was in

 Isaiah, chapter 54:

“Enlarge the place of your tent,
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cord, strengthen your stakes.  

 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants will dispossess nations
    and settle in their desolate cities.“

Sweet.
We’ll keep you posted as this journey unfolds.

Before I go, I wanted to give an accounting for the money that we took along for orphan care.  It was given by all of you and I want to make sure you know where it went!  Thank you thank you thank you again from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity.  Really, after seeing the need firsthand, and the people God is using to be the hands and feet to meet the need, you can be assured that this money will be used wisely and 100% will be used for His children.  He’s got some awesome workers out there doin’ the stuff!

So, here’s the accounting; if you have any questions or want any more clarification feel free to email us at johnson commune AT gmail DOT com (no spaces).

We went with $2200.

$70.00- charge at airport for extra bag carrying donated items for the children

 (craft kits, fluoride varnish, stuffed animals, exercise balls…)

$200.00- donation to Mission to Ukraine, specifically for their work in the Romaniv Orphanage

$70.00- to pay for the trip to see the Lost Boys (Praise God again for that miracle!!!)

$400.00- bought diapers and soda (a very special treat!) for the Lost Boys

$750.00- left for Slavik and Alyona to pay for 3 future visits to the Lost Boys.  When they go they normally take a large team of people, clowns, etc.. so they have to rent a van.  It costs about $250.00 a trip just to go there.

That leaves $710- this money was left for Slavik and Alyona to buy needed items for the Boys when they go on those next 3 visits.  After the visits, Alyona will let us know that they went and what they bought to take along with.  When she shares that with me I’ll make sure to pass it on to all of you.  They really want to be accountable and we trust them that they love the boys and will use the money in the best way possible.  We love those two and you all would too!!!  🙂

So, there you have it!  That money was given with such love, compassion, and generosity and we know that as Slavik and Alyona go they bring light and darkness is defeated.  Praise God for His workers in the fields.  Our prayers are so important…keep it up!

GOD WILL WIN THE DAY!!!

Today is our last day here.  Late tonight, actually reeeeeeally early tomorrow morning, we’ll take a bus back to the capital and fly out at 6:00am tomorrow morning.  We spent yesterday at the Vineyard National Conference and will be there again today.  What a great time worshiping and spending time with the believers.  We have fallen in love with these people.  They have taken us in and loved on us, prayed with us and for us.  It has been great!  We are sad to leave them, but very very very ready to see these faces:

 We’ve been talking a lot the last couple days about what to do when we get home.  We haven’t felt that God has shown us our definite next step yet.  I’m praying He continues to speak today at the Conference and answers some of my questions.  🙂  Whatever He asks of us, we know we have to leave space for action when we get home.  We can’t just get back into the groove of things and forget what God did and spoke here.  He will be requiring something of us and if we don’t leave space for that it will be a very sad thing and something we will always regret.  So, I guess we will have some decisions to make when we get home about what things are our priorities, and what things in our lives need to go- simplifying to make room for the new.

Jed and I have had a great time together on this trip.  What an adventure!  We keep hearing from local people how brave and adventurous we are….in fact, we’ve heard it so many times it makes me wonder if we’ve been a little “too” adventurous!  Ha!  Oh well, God has guided us and protected us and we never got too incredibly lost.  🙂  It has been such a blessing to be able to spend this time together exploring and traveling.  What a fun way to celebrate our upcoming 10th anniversary!!!  (yep, 10 years this June…time flies when you’re havin’ fun)

Here are some last pictures of a few of the wonderful people we’ve met here.

Ukraine Vineyard, we love you guys and will miss you so much!!!!!!

Time to go pack the bags…Addy, Ezra, Havalah, and Seth….see you very soon!!!!!

Tonight we head out to another town, a new adventure.  What an absolutely fantastic time we have had here.  We had high hopes for this city and God went above and beyond what we expected.  Yay!  All along we’ve had anticipation and higher expectations for this portion of out trip…I think many things factor into this.  First of all, our sweet little love that first turned our hearts to this country was from here.  Second of all, the Lost Boys are in this region, so we knew if we were going to meet them it would have to happen this week.  Thirdly, we were super excited to meet Slavik and Alyona.  Everything we had read about them and what they do for the Lord really hit us in the guts (in a good way!).  We couldn’t wait to meet face to face.  God did something in our hearts while we were here.  He confirmed, encouraged, broke our hearts in a new way, and connected our hearts to the people here.  It has been awesome, and as much as I miss everyone at home…specifically the 4 cutest kiddos on the face of the planet…I am very sad to leave this place.  That’s how great our time has been!!!

Here’s some snippets from the week.

Friday afternoon after we saw the Boys (still freaking out about that miracle) we met Slavik for lunch and had our first taste of Chinese food here.  It was surprisingly good!  Then we headed down to see the Black Sea.  It feels like summer has come early here.  It has been pretty warm the past couple days and all the elderly people decided it was time to head down to the beach in their string bikinis.  Lucky us!  Ooooooooh my word, we had some big laughs together about that.  I mean, it was either laugh or cry, right?

After the beach we said goodbye to Slavik and Alyona.  Booohoooooo.  We’ll see them again.  I’m not sure how I’ll make it till Wednesday though without some baby thighs to squish.  Their baby Maria is seriously Havalah’s Eastern European twin- so soft, so squishy.   🙂

 Yesterday we spent the morning exploring the city, then in the afternoon we met Michelle, the American missionary we talked about before.  She took us to meet some other American missionaries here in the city.  One couple we met has been here for a little less than a year and they have 3 small children.  It was cool to hear their perspective and what God is doing through them.  Then we met a couple older ladies at McDonalds.  One of them, Darlene, has been here with her husband for 15 years and they raised all their children here.  It was great to talk with them too.  We just wanted to meet as many people as we could and hear their stories.

After our meetings we went to the Opera!  It was kind of funny, actually.  Our seats were pretty bad.  Like, laughable bad.  We could only really see if we stood, and seeing how the Operas are like 3 hours long, that was kind of a bummer.  We left at intermission…I mean, it’s not like we understood what was going on anyway.  It was still a great adventure and the opera house was GORGEOUS!  The sound was great, the tickets were cheap, it was definitely not a waste.

 Another great time we didn’t get a chance to write about was Thursday when we got to go with Nastya to an orphanage near our apartment.  She goes there weekly to spend time with the children, do some songs and a craft, basically to be a presence in their lives.  She really desires to build relationships and love them.  The Director there is very cooperative and open to help, so that is great!  We had just a great time with those kids.  This is a nice orphanage where the kids get a fairly good education and we could tell their teacher really loved them.  What cuties!!!  Here are some of their sweet faces…

Alright, time to get out of my jammies and start packing for our trip tonight.  Off to meet new people and have new adventures!

Today was huge.  Today will stand out as one of the most memorable days of my life.  That may sound dramatic, but it’s so true!  Today was a day when God brought us full circle- from beginnings, ideas, and hopes, to reality.  Today I made a friend for life.  Today God showed that He is the biggest and the strongest.

We met Alyona at her house at 8:00, drank some coffee, and hit the road.  Slavik’s brother drove Alyona, Jed, Mark (Alyona’s almost 3-year-old), and me to the town.  Yesterday Slavik used money we had brought, given by all of you, to buy a trunk full of diapers and some soda.  I am sooooooo sorry to say we forgot to take pictures of the gifts!!!  🙁  We were so excited and emotional that it didn’t occur to us till we had already left to go home that we hadn’t taken pictures.  Sorry!  Slavik called the Director about 30 minutes before we arrived to say we were coming.  Ha!  While she said that was fine, we weren’t sure if we would be allowed to see any boys.  We hoped and prayed we would see them.

We had a great time in the car on the way.  I love Alyona.  I really love her so much.  We connect.  We “get” each other.  I know if we lived near each other we would be good friends.  It’s not every day you meet a couple with the same heartbeat, dreaming the dreams we dream, doing the things we long to do.  Alyona is my kind of gal and she and Slavik are quite the team.  They are dreamers who get it done.  I love that.  Anyway, we laughed and chatted all the way there.  It was fun.

I was fine, and then I saw the sign for the village.  My word, my hands were sweating, my heart was beating so fast.  It was crazy.  We pulled into the gates of the orphanage and it was unreal.  I don’t really know how to describe all the feelings.  We’ve been praying for this place, reading about this place, loving this place from afar for 18 months or so.  Fundraising, dreaming, looking at pictures…now those pictures were reality!  I saw the shed where the boys eat, the gazebo where I’ve seen pictures of visits and the tulips.  Oh Melanie, I had tears for you when I saw all the beautiful tulips.  I told Jed “Look!  Melanie’s tulips!!!”  They were lovely today my friend.  🙂

We parked the car and unloaded the diapers and the soda….while not taking pictures.  Sorry again!  We weren’t able to take any pictures inside the orphanage.  We didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize our presence there.  I pray I never forget the pictures in my mind.  Alyona asked, and we were told we could visit with some of the boys!!!!!  PRAISE GOD!  They set up several benches in the courtyard near the eating sheds and the boys began to come.  Oh, the precious, beloved children of the Father.  If only they knew how much they are treasured- not just by Him, but by so many of us from near and far away.  I recognized many of the faces from photos of previous visits.  Some faces I had never seen. They sat on the benches with shining eyes, clapping their hands with excitement.  Then a couple other boys in wheelchairs were brought over.  Oh, my word, the cuteness was unbelievable!!!!!  These boys are hidden jewels.  One “boy”, who is really a man, could hardly contain his excitement.  He bounced up and down on the bench, laughing, eyes lit up with glee.  I will never forget that face.

We greeted the boys and then sang a song with some motions.  Most of the boys participated, some watched, and some tried to get their hands to move in the right way but couldn’t quite manage it.  Oh, but they tried!  One sweet little boy looked to be about 5 or 6 years old and was in a wheelchair.  You could see he was paying very close attention.  The wheels were definitely turning.  He is a beautiful little boy.  Alyona told them the story of Easter with some plastic eggs with little symbols inside of them.  They ate it up.  They couldn’t get enough of the pats, hand-holding, squeezes.  They loved Alyona and she was very good with them.  I pray that God reaches beyond their natural understanding and draws each of them to Himself.  They heard truth today and no one can take that away from them.

We only had about a half hour with the boys and then it was time for them to go to lunch.  We were a little disappointed it was such a short time, but then we got a present we weren’t expecting.  Since we were outside and the boys were to eat outside in the shed we got to see all the mobile boys walk by.  Many, many boys walked by us!!!!  That may not seem like a big deal, but you should have seen Alyona’s face light up.  “Look at all these capable boys!  So many of them I have never seen!  This is so great!!!”  We greeted them as they walked by.  Some looked away, some clapped their hands with excitement of seeing strangers, some yelled “Privyet!!!” (hi) as loud as they could.  Ha!  It was awesome.  It was so precious to see the older boys leading the little ones by the hand down the sidewalk.  Men and boys together, all in need of love, all deserving of that and more.  Next to the eating shed there is a building with a flight of stairs leading down.  One young man with Down syndrome who we had seen walking around doing chores carried a little one down the stairs to a wheelchair.  Alyona pointed “Look at how they care for each other…such treasures.”

Our visit was brief but truly amazing.  At the beginning of this week, we thought we would not be able to go.  Then we found out we would go, but still doubted we would see any boys.  Then we not only got to see boys, but we got to spend some great time with some, and see MANY!  God did a miracle.  I will never discount that time.  We truly believe that God is at work behind the scenes.  God has put this remote place on so many people’s radars.  Why?  So many people from so many parts of the world love these boys they have never met.  Why?  Slavik and Alyona are so persistent and determined to not let these boys be forgotten.  Why?  There is also much resistance to any help in that place.  Why?  I don’t know the details, but I firmly and absolutely believe that God has a big plan in place.  The enemy would love to keep those boys hidden forever, but God is not in agreement with that.  He has brought them to light for a purpose.  Again, why?  Because they are His children.  The gleam in their eyes makes His heart swell.  He sees in each of them the man that He has created them to be.  They are His precious creations and we believe He has a very big plan for them.

As we sat in the car outside the gates and Alyona prayed my heart swelled with faith in God.  HE is doing it folks!  He is bringing light into dark places.  He set Slavik and Alyona loose on this place and they are not going to back down!  They are fighters.  I am so proud of them and so humbled by them.  They are giving their lives for children all over this region.  They have a map of their region in the entry hall of their house.  The map is covered with little flags- one color for orphanages that have people ministering there, and one color for orphanages that are yet to be reached.  Slavik and Alyona are the real deal.

I wish so much I could sit down with each of you and share face-to-face what we have experienced here.  There is so much in our hearts, so much God is speaking, so much He is working in this place.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep on saying it: He WILL win the day.

Praise God for His victory today!!!

Yesterday Nastya, one of the pastors of the Vineyard here, showed us around town.  It’s very different than Kiev.  As Nastya put it, “No one is in a hurry here.”  It does have more of a relaxed atmosphere, even though it’s a big city.  We walked through downtown to the Black Sea.  We walked past the Opera House and decided to peek inside.  We found out that tickets to see a show are less than $20, so we bought a couple tickets to see a ballet on Saturday night.  Woohoo!  That should be a blast.  I mean, when do you have the chance to see a ballet in a fancy Opera House for a total of $35?  We just had to do it.  🙂  Jed’s excited because Rachmaninoff conducted on its stage.

Today we met with an American missionary named Michelle.  It was AWESOME.  Michelle has lived here for the past 6 years working with orphans.  She has built great relationships with kids and has watched them grow up.  When they get transferred to other facilities she follows them and visits them at their new home.  She is a consistent presence in their lives.  Michelle came here on a two-week mission trip when she was a sophomore in college.  When she got home from her trip she kept pictures of the kids in her Bible and started praying for their salvation.  One night after praying for a bit God asked her “Michelle, how are these children going to come to know me if no one tells them?”  Soon after that, she knew God was telling her she was the one to go.  She answered the call, and here she remains!  Cool.  We had a great time talking about visions, ideas, passions, and obedience.  Michelle is here doin’ the stuff.  It was an honor to meet her.

Tonight we will share at the Vineyard small group.  Tomorrow we are hoping to go with Nastia to an orphanage that she visits weekly.

My brain is spinning- in a good way!  Ideas are brewing, faith is rising; this city has been great so far.  The more we talk with people, the more we realize that the dreams God has given us are truly impossible without Him.  There are many people doing great orphan care, of course, many more are needed, but there are some amazing people doing great stuff.  So far though, we have not heard of anyone addressing the specific need we are burdened with.  No one is allowed to see these “laying down children”.  They are hidden from the world.  Today Jed and I were talking about how big our God is.  Governments, authorities, directors- none of them are above Him.  These are HIS children.  He created them for a purpose and He is not surprised or overwhelmed by their circumstances.  Our God IS mighty to save.  He is not sitting up in heaven wishing He could do something about this problem.  He does need people who are willing to step out and say “God, we are willing.  If you want to use us to tackle this problem, here we are.  We know it is not by our might or strength, but in yours alone.  Let your kingdom come and your will be done.”  While we risk sounding naive, I say we are full of faith.  🙂

Those are where our thoughts are headed.  We don’t know timelines, we don’t know logistics, we don’t know details.  We just know we are willing.  I guess we’ll see what God has to say about that!

Thank you for your prayers.  We are so encouraged by the support of the church.  You are a part of this love story.  We feel very loved and supported and it means the world to us.

Go God Go!

Today we spent the day doing what we do best in Kiev: walking and eating.  Oh yes, our talents in those areas grow daily.  Let’s talk food!

Today we found a cool indoor market.  We’d been searching and searching for it, only to realize we’d walked by it several times and just didn’t realize.  Woops!

I guess we don’t run in the right circles in the US because it seems caviar is pretty popular with other visitors in Ukraine.  🙂  Everyone selling caviar was determined to sell us some.  All I could think of was what it would be like if a jar of caviar exploded in my backpack.  Ugh.  No thanks!

As most of you know, Jed and I love our coffee.  We may be known at home as coffee snobs, but that may or may not be true.  🙂  After much research, cost analysis, and taste testing, we found the coffee with the best cheap-to-taste ratio to be the coffee sold from the little cars.  These little beauties are parked all up and down the streets here in Kiev.  They’re like little lighthouses beckoning us…come, drink, be cozy…I can rarely say no.

 Our other great food find here in Kiev has been “Puzata Hata”.  Translated it means something like “House of full bellies”.  To us, it means “cheap food and lots of it”.  Puzata Hata is a Ukrainian fast-food chain that is cafeteria-style.  We walk down the line and point at what we want.  It works out just beautifully! Below is a picture of my lunch.  Cucumber and tomato salad up top, then borscht down in the corner.  We totally love the borscht!!!  We found out from Alex and Dariya that you’re supposed to eat special garlic bread with the borscht, so now we do that.  🙂  It’s like dinner rolls with fresh garlic and oil over them.  Yum! The yummiest part of the meal is those little treasures down in the left corner.  Jed and I share that plate…in case you’re wondering!  Those are dumplings filled with cherries and covered with sour cream and sugar.  Holy tastiness.

We were walking downtown and all of a sudden we came up on some sort of festival thing.  We had no idea what they were celebrating, but it was fun to watch.  I think it was some sort of race…

 Oh, did we mention our hotel is a boat?  Ha!  We could see when we booked it that it was near the water, but nowhere did anything mention it was really ON the water.  It’s pretty sweet.  We got a great deal on it and are happy to have wifi in our room.  Thank you, Lord!

Thanks, everyone for praying for health.  We have felt great.  Jed has been eating anything and everything and he is feeling fantastic!  That is such a miracle.  We are very thankful.

Alright, speaking of food, time to go meet some Vineyard folk for dinner.

Bye for now!

Today was a day like no other.  I’m not even quite sure what to say or how to say it.  Today was wonderful, horrible, beautiful, ugly…and everything in between.

Today we visited Romaniv Orphanage with Mission to Ukraine staff.  The staff of MTU along with some volunteers from local churches have been visiting Romaniv weekly for 4 years now.  Romaniv is an orphanage for 78 boys ages 7-30.  It was much like we expected it to be.  What you can’t account for when you read about or hear stories about places like this is the real people that make up that story.  I have been dreaming about, praying about, talking about, and crying about places like Romaniv since we first discovered Reeces Rainbow back in the Fall of 2010.  Today we got to see the faces, look into the eyes, hold the hands, hug the necks of the children we have dreamed about.  It was unreal.  It was also a very sad reality.

When we arrived we were met by the Director of Romaniv and one of his staff members.  The staff member gave Jed and me a tour of the facilities.  There is a building for laundry and bathing, a building where a nurse is available, a cafeteria/kitchen building, a recreational building that is under construction (no roof yet), and then there are 2 buildings where the boys sleep and spend their days.  These are one-level buildings with one long hall and rooms off to the sides.  In building #1 live the boys who are more high functioning, meaning they can go the the bathroom themselves, dress themselves, and feed themselves.  We entered the building and there was first a bathroom, then some bedrooms lined with rows of beds.  Then there was the room where the boys spend all their time.  This room is a square room lined with benches.  That’s it.  No toys, no books, no nothing at all.  Just boys on benches.  When we walked into the first room with boys in it (they are divided into 2 rooms, one for younger boys and one for older) one of the MTU volunteers was playing worship songs with his accordion.  Some of the boys absolutely loved it!  They grabbed our hands and tried to dance with us.  They rubbed my long hair, they hugged us, they touched us, starving for attention.  That was to be expected and it was precious.  What I couldn’t look past and I hope I never forget is the boys on the fringes.  Many little boys, too busy self-stimulating looked like they were on another planet, appearing to be completely unaware of the happenings in the room.  They shrank away from our touch.  They rocked, they fluttered their hands in front of their faces, they drooled, they rocked some more.  These sweet, sweet little boys are so isolated and without attention that they don’t even know how to receive touch when it’s offered.  This is what killed me.  Here they sit in this room day after day, year after year.  While I go about my life, they remain.

This is their childhood.

This is their life.

We left that room and moved to the next group of boys.  The accordion had moved along with us so the party continued.  It was so beautiful to see the MTU staff interact with the boys.  They called them by name, touching each one that would accept their touch.  Teasing them, rubbing their heads, looking them in the eye.  God was so present there.  The boys’ eyes lit up.  Beautiful.

The next building was for boys that are lower functioning, and not as physically capable.  Here we met Misha, who loved to sing his guts out.  I’m not sure anyone could understand what he was singing, but boy oh boy he could belt it out!  Slavik, a little boy smaller than my Ezra, wandered the hall alone with a vacant look in his eye.  We met Vladik, a sweet boy with Apert Syndrome.  I felt partial to him of course, since our first Ukrainian love had the same condition.  🙂  Vladik desperately needs his fingers separated, but that didn’t stop him from building a pretty sweet block tower.  Jed and Eugene, a boy who looked about 10, crawled around on the carpet pretending to be animals and a vacuum.  One little one sat in a wheelchair, his face red and scarred from his self-harming behaviors.  So loved by God, so precious in His sight.

Some of the higher-functioning boys got to go to the cafeteria where some of the MTU staff taught them a Bible story and did a craft with them.  How proud they were of their craft!  The Romaniv staff says the boys start asking on Monday “Is it Friday yet?”  MTU’s visits give them something to look forward to.  That feeling of having something to look forward to is such a human emotion.  It has changed these boys’ lives.  Jesus is changing this place by His power alone.  Praise God.  One of the caregivers told us that years ago the death rate at Romaniv was 5-10 children every year.  Since MTU started coming 4 years ago there has not been one single death.  God is having His way.  He WILL win the day.

As Jed and I have started to try to process today we were struck by how many things would have to be done at governmental levels for the big changes to take place that is needed in places like Romaniv.  How many different “Romanivs” are there?  How many children are hidden away without people like MTU bringing the hope of Christ to them?  How many tucked-away institutions?  How many overwhelmed, underfunded directors?  How many exhausted, underpaid, unappreciated caregivers?

As we pray and consider how we are to help it can be overwhelming.  We can so easily move to that place of guilt.  Why them and not us?  How can our lives be so completely opposite?  How can I move on with my life knowing little ones sit rocking and drooling, merely existing, not truly living?  What can we do that can possibly make a difference?   The need is absolutely enormous.

In those moments I just hear God saying “Do the next thing.  Listen, obey, and do the next thing.”  We were so humbled by the obedience and faithfulness of MTU.  They have not let evil overcome them.  They have listened, and obeyed, and God is overcoming evil with good.  It is making all the difference in the world to the boys in Romaniv.  It is literally saving their lives.

God, speak to your people.  Show us how we should respond.  Help us live lives that say, “Yes Father. When you call, we will answer and say yes.”

Give us courage, Father, to say yes.

1.  I’m not sure if this is widely known, but Ukraine is being overrun by hot pockets.  Let me explain. There are at least 1, usually 2 notary offices on each block.  Why so many notaries?  The word notary in Cyrillic looks like “Hotapiyc”.  This of course makes us think of “Hot Topic” and skulls and crossbones on backpacks.  Well, of course then we think of “Hot Pockets”, which makes us think of Jim Gaffigan.  Now every time we see a notary we have to sing about hot pockets.  Our Ukrainian friends have been made aware of this problem.

2.  Confession.  We’re typing from the 3rd wifi hotspot we’ve frequented in the last 2 hours.  We are official wifi hoppers.  We go to a restaurant, order something so we can use the wifi, leave, and go somewhere else.  We don’t want to wear our welcome in any one place.

3.  Confession.  We are at a chocolate shop.  No big deal, you’re thinking.  This is the second time we’ve been at this shop today.  We just may be wearing out our welcome.  At least now they know to bring us the English menu.  🙂

4.  Ukrainian high-heel-wearing skills are RIDICULOUS.  How do they do it?  I am in awe. 4-inch heels, rain, cobblestone streets; enough said.

We had a great coffee date (chocolate shop trip #1) this morning with a really cool couple.  Oleg and Tanya are fellow Vineyard peeps.  They are super cool.  They are also in a time of transition and we are excited about the plans God is working out for them.  Like us, they found Vineyard at a time when they were hurt and really needed a place of healing and the Father’s love.  It was cool to talk and see how the Body of Christ is so much the same all over the world.  People are people, and God is God.  His love crosses all cultures and He knows just what His people need.  We will get to see Oleg and Tanya again at the conference at the end of our trip.  Please pray for this precious couple that God would continue to lead them and guide them.  Thanks!