En Route to Germany

It's time for us to leave the country again.... this time for new visas. The VanSants told us about a Christmas Missionary Retreat being hosted by BIMI missionaries in Germany, so we decided to head to Germany this time, instead of our usual trip to Poland. The VanSants will be attending the retreat too, and we are also looking forward to meeting up with long-time friends and missionaries, Clint and Jennifer Shipman.

Very sadly, we once again had to leave our children behind. I really, really do NOT like leaving them, but we felt it would be best. They are still small, so traveling with them is difficult and costly. But, it is a huge relief to me to know that they are in amazingly good hands with their two babysitters, Nelya and Lena. My kids ADORE these two ladies and were jumping up and down with joy when we dropped them off at their house. It made leaving them a little easier to see their sheer happiness, but I am still their Mommy and long to be with them....

NELYA AND LENA, OUR BABYSITTERS

We rode an overnight train last night (on an old Soviet train, no less) and arrived here in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine early this morning....Then, we rode on an underground metro to the center of the city, where we are spending the day. This underground metro system is truly amazing. I wish I could have taken more pictures, but frankly, I was afraid of having my camera taken away. Back in the day when we were rookie missionaries, I was videoing the metro whizzing by when some officials asked me to stop videoing immediately or my camera would be confiscated. I did not even know much Russian at the time, but I got the message. Because of communism and this country's history, there is still a lot of government control, and where you can take pictures and not take pictures is still one of those areas of control. Anyway, here you can see some of the early-morning rush through the underground tunnel (200 feet below ground!) and an elderly lady selling some things on the side, which is very typical here.Below is the exit from the underground metro... By the way, these tunnels were built many years ago, not for a metro, but to give the people a place to hide in case of attack during war. The tunnels have since been turned into metros and underground malls. (And malls, my dear friends, are a wise use of empty space, don't you agree?!) The main square here in Kiev is pictured below.... and if you look very closely straight ahead you can see.... ... McDonald's!!! And this is where I am right now, drinking a Diet Coke and happily typing to you. Tonight we will be boarding a plane for the 2 1/2 hour flight to Germany. Please be praying for us as we are away, as we get our visas, and especially for my sweet babies and their babysitters.