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My trip to Uzhgorod was great! I’d been looking forward to the trip since we began planning it. (Actually, even before that.) Our main goal for this trip was to find a location for a summer camp we are going to do with the kids and to get permission to take some of them to the camp. We were partially successful, finding a great location but not getting permission to actually take the kids there. They are already booked to be at an old military camp or old sanatorium so we can’t take them to camp but we can bring camp to them. This unexpected arrangement presents us with some challenges (90 kids instead of 30 for starters) but we know that God will provide for all our needs. Right now we’re putting together a program, raising funds and looking for more staff. (Especially Russian/English speakers.) Please pray for our preparation, especially Markus who’s heading up the program. I’ll be posting more about the camp as it gets closer.

Pictures And A Video From The Trip

This was the first time I was traveling on the “day train” which was great because I got to see some gorgeous views of Ukraine and the sunlight made photos of the train possible. Click on thumbnails for larger versions.

This is our train at the central station in Kyiv.

This is the lovely toilet on the train. Believe it or not this was actually one of the cleaner ones I’ve encountered on the trains.

Whenever the train stops you can count on the enterprising locals to show up on the platform with cigarettes, beer, vodka, water, fruit, and various homemade meals.

This is one of the views from the camp we wanted to take the orphans to.

The statue I am standing with is a memorial to the first missionaries to the area. (I think.)

This is one of the “toys” at the orphanage.

Four of the orphan boys.

Evan, Sasha and I.

Luda showing some orphans how to make a box out of paper. They loved it and just kept making box after box.

This is the bill (and money) for a glass I broke at a restaurant. Worst spent 80 cents of the trip.

This is the best hot chocolate (basically a melted chocolate bar) and the most well spent 80 cents of the trip.

This is a quick tour of the train. (The first 5 seconds of the video are corrupt, just keep watching it will get better.)

Tomorrow I’ll join a small team and we’ll get on the train for Uzhgorod. I can’t wait to go back! It’s been several months since I first went to the orphanage and I’m looking forward to seeing all the kids again. We’ll be there for about a week which will allow us time to visit the kids and also to find a location for a summer camp that we’ll do for them in July. Please pray for our saftey while traveling and success in finding a location for the camp as well as for our time with the kids, that we’ll “make the most of every oppourtunity.”

I just remembered some things I forgot to pack, have to go…