Heading to Poland

MAP OF OUR TRAVELS FROM SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE to KRAKOW, POLAND

Please pray for us this week as we travel. David, Nate, and I rode the overnight train last night from Simferopol to Kiev (as shown on the map). This evening we will be getting on a plane to travel from Kiev to Krakow, Poland. The train ride was 15 hours; the flight will be less than 2 hours. We are making this trip once again, to get our passports stamped. Nate was able to come with us this time because he recently turned five years old and needed a new passport. We came to Kiev a couple of weeks ago to apply for a new passport and we are picking it up today at the U.S. Embassy here. Tomorrow in Poland we will be applying for a new visa for him.

Ukrainian law requires Americans to leave the country every three months (unless you are registered, and we have not been able to get registered in the past... though we will be trying again soon...) It is a costly undertaking to do this every three months, but I love to travel, so I enjoy it nonetheless!

Davey and Brianna remained in Simferopol with two young ladies, Lena and Nelya, that we highly trust. I really hate leaving them, but I also understand that it is best to leave them... for financial reasons, yes, but mostly because it is hard to make a trip like this with the whole family. It was comforting to see their excitement to stay with their two babysitters.

I am typing this post at a McDonald's in Kiev (the capital of Ukraine) while David and Nate ride a bus to the U.S. Embassy to get Nate's passport. I will try to keep you updated as we find internet connection...