Miracles

Just two--that have greatly encouraged me. We arrived home with the TLC team. After less than 12 hours we were out of water. I switched the pump off as quickly as possible. Seth ordered a water truck. It arrived, not as quick as last time but it did get here and put fresh water in our reservoir. Then I had to turn the pump back on. Normally when we run out it gets hot trying to pump and refuses to come back on until 12-18 hours later. With extra visitors trying to get their wash done that would have been miserable. This time the pump came on instantly!! I thank God!

One of our neighbors down the street came to us, "We want our girls to spend more time with you. When are your services? You only have ONE service for children a week? We'll get them there. How about English? Could they take lessons? We can't manage to get them to Kids' Klub this week. Next week they WILL be there."

The three little girls ages 6-8 years did come to Kids' Klub this week, not next, for the first time. Thank the Lord!

Arrival

Katrina is back!!! I just checked her blog and she hasn't had time to post pictures yet. I'm not sure that I have time this morning but I'm going to try anyway.

And just a day later, on her heels as it were, we met the Touching Lives for Christ Team Europe. The first challenge was to get us all in the van and to load their luggage. We took them and their luggage to a Kyiv appartment. The building guard was kind enough to let us put the trailer in their storage room. After rearranging the humanitarian aid and the then rearranging the trailer about ten times, the guys managed to get it in. The first couple of days we seeing the sights of Kyiv. We visited the Chornobyl museum. This was Dave's and my first time. It was also quite memorable because I tripped on the tram tracks in the street trying to get to it and fell flat on my face in the middle of Kyiv traffic. We went to the WW2 museum and various other statues. Several became quiet or teary-eyed after we visited Babin Yar where 100,000 people were mowed down into a ravine during Nazi times. One guy caught a snooze on a park bench.
We did half of the sight-seeing with sixteen people packed in our nine passenger van.

We finally reloaded all the luggage and headed down the road for the 300 mile Kyiv to Nova Odessa trip.

And now we're ready to start youth camp. Dave has headed off to meet our first set of campers at the train station at 6 am. Then we take the first load out to the site to set up. We're anticipating between 20 and 30 campers that we are placing on three teams. Please pray with us that God will change their lives at this time.

On the Run

Our Kids' Klub children earned another event . . . it's summer; what's better than a picnic.

They played capture the flag, enjoyed sub sandwiches and called, "come get a picture of me!"

This little monkey is as much fun as he looks. His name is Petya.

Dima D is a little more skilled at climbing.

Mnogo Monday

It's actually early Tuesday morning so please forgive me if things don't come out straight but I'm not sure I'll have a chance to get back to this tomorrow. Here are just a handful of things I'm thankful for that begin with "f."

1. Family--if you've noticed, I haven't been naming many people in my other Mondays. I didn't want to leave someone out. But I'm very thankful for my family. Often, growing up, I would compare my family members to members of other families and think, "What if it were possible to trade?" Over and over again, I've come to the same conclusion, I wouldn't trade MY family for the world.
2. Friends--just about as close as family, standing in to be a sounding board and letting us know that they care.
3. Fellowship--in this busy, busy day, blogging has opened up a whole new world of finding out what is going on in friends' lives, which I highly value.
4. Fridge--yep, soon I get to try it again, cook for a small crowd, with just a cooler or two for refrigeration. That makes me really, really thankful for the fridge at home.
5. Freedom--probably not as often as I should, I think of those who lie down on dirty floors or cots in crowded prison cells because they were brave enough to proclaim the name of Christ. I'm want to use this precious gift for God's glory.

Mystery flower

This flower looks almost plastic on a flourishing house plant. But it also has a strong fragrance. And it is also held in superstition in Ukraine. If this plant is in your house, then evil things will happen, the strength of your spirit will go out. Once when we were to be gone for a bit, a friend kept all my plants in her house except this one.

Friday the thirteenth

Dave left the house at 6:30 am. He was supposed to pick up a fellow to work on our well. Today was the day our water problems would be solved. We have our own drilled well that has run out of water. We've been using city water. Today the drilled well would be cleaned out and its water added to the reservoir where the city water came in. No more running out of water!



The rest of us wearily drug ourselves out of bed to go back to working on the boys' room after working hard all week. The ceiling was up. One half of the ceiling had one coat of paint. I got out my brush and continued the edging so that others could follow with the roller. Seth came in to spackle.

As soon as Allona and Vova got up and around I enlisted them cleaning out the debris of wallboard and pieces of boards, tools and dirt otherwise that lay all over the room. I wanted to finish the room and start moving in that day.

Faith came up to work her aching arms back forth to wield the roller across the ceiling. All of a sudden I heard a cry. "OH!!!"

"Dare I look?" I asked.

"Better not," was the answer.

Imagining a puddle of paint on the floor and over the freshly stained wall timbers, I turned around. The puddle of paint that I expected was slowing soaking into Faith's clothes. Seth and I started laughing. Seth's hands were not paint-spattered like mine so he ran and got the camera. "I shouldn't have gotten up today!" Faith said.

By mid-morning, the room was cleaned out fairly well. Both sides of the ceiling had at least one coat on them. I was starting on one special part of the wall. Vova had asked me to paint the wall in camouflage. Seth was continuing to spackle. Faith was starting on the walls. The men were outside working on the well, bringing up a small amount of sand.

At lunch Allona fixed us chili, with step-by-step directions from Mom. Because our worker said his stomach couldn't tolerate spice and tomatoes, she fixed him another soup of potatoes, carrots and meat.

After a break she and Vova did dishes. The rest of us continued to work on our respective jobs.

About 3:30 when we are all thoroughly sweaty, grimey and paint-spattered, Vova and Allona had an announcement. "We're out of water!" Dave and our friend had run up town for an errand.

They returned to work on the well. No success, a few gallons of water was all they were able to pump out. And those gallons were very dirty. Dave sent Vova to the store to get some pop to drink. We needed another tool to work on the well. We went to the neighbors. They fixed the tool up for us with a bit of welding. The fellows went back to work.

I sent Vova to the store to get some plain drinking water so we could fix supper. He came back with carbonated mineral water. He warmed the soups from lunch. They scorched, to the extent of ruining one pan. He tried to fix grilled cheese sandwiches using oil.

We ate and went back to work. Dave took our worker home, with no further success. Our worker told us he would like to give the well drillers "a talking to!" Here's what they were working with and on.

The camouflage was done. Now to finish the walls and get the linoleum cut to fit the remodeling and down. Ten pm found us trying to sweep the last bit of dirt from one side of the room to put the linoleum down.
By around eleven the first piece was down but we were getting tired enough that our fitting linoleum around things was no longer accurate.

We decided to go to bed, wallboard spackling dust in our hair, stinky and dirty as we were, and try again the next day!

Saturday, when the city water hadn't been turned on at 9:30 am, we ordered a small tank of water brought in. The driver brought it promptly. We were ever so grateful. As soon as the linoleum was laid, the walls that were hard to see in artificial lighting, touched up, and all the boys' belongings hauled back into the room, I disappeared to find the tub.

What a relief!

We had four city kids come in, to visit from around three pm until seven pm. Yes, we were busy, but I was afraid that if I said anything now at the beginning of summer, they might not want to come back!

By evening the boys' room was back in relative order, as was the rest of the house. As Seth did supper dishes, we worked on plans for youth camp. We're behind on laundry but otherwise pretty well set for Sunday.

Thanks for sharing my long Friday the thirteenth. . . . as my husband reminded me when I was in the US and he was in Ukraine . . . better days are coming!

Vova's Family

This is a picture of my family. I have seven brothers and sisters.There names are David, Andy, Kirk, Bethany, Seth, Allona, and Charity, and my name is Vova Kent Drummond. Seth and Allona are still at home and I am the youngest of the eight. We want to adopt another brother of mine, Dennis.

Monday--the day off

After several mini-crises since I've returned to Ukraine, I was ready for Monday. Yesterday we used our time to do research for youth camp. First we checked out the local ferry for the river that runs behind our house. "It's being repaired." the operator told us, "and will be for at least a month." Translation probably the ferry won't be working for at least another two or three months. That means to go across the river behind us we have to travel at least 25 miles either north or south to cross on a bridge. No go.

On the map located a lake that was supposed to be near us and also have a forest nearby. We passed brilliant poppy fields on the way and stopped for a picture.


We found the village and a sports complex on the beautiful lake but no place for camping. We asked a local how to get to the other side of the lake and he told us. We followed a rough worn trail around the lake, across the dam to the other side.

We picked up an older woman who was walking across the dam. She wore an old housedress. Her face showed the marks of alcoholism. We didn't turn off the music that was playing. I held my breath wondering what kind of questions English words would bring up. I started to pull out my camera to take a picture of the lake but quickly put it back. Here's what Faith caught on her camera.

She told us that side of the lake was still in the Nova Odessa region. There were ample spots in which to camp. The scenery was beautiful. Dave and I were not sneezing our heads off from allergies--another plus.

We came back home on another road and discovered that this lake is only about 30 kilometers from home. Perfect!! If we can just have permission from the local forester to camp near there.

After a couple more errands, Dave and I headed for Nikolaev. This was the first time out we've had since before I went to the US about a month ago. We didn't do much besides eat and talk but we both thoroughly enjoyed the time.

When we got back home we waited for our family to regroup. When we were all together again, we sat down to figure out a Nancy Drew mystery game on the computer. Faith rescued us and figured out the combination for the grandfather clock to get the glass eye out of it! We went until we were stuck again, had devotions and went to bed. All in all, a very good day.

Mnoga Monday

Things I like that begin with "e."
1. Easy chairs--translated recliners
2. Even sidewalks--an oddity that you see most of the time in America
3. Evergreens that break up the monotony of winter.
4. Everlasting faithfulness of God.
5. Equality--getting good service and politeness even when a person is poor or elderly or has a different skin color.
6. Enjoyment--the joy on the face of this child from a poor family atmosphere made the hour's trip to go to the village worthwhile!
7. Eagerness to help and pull the load.
8. Eversharps or mechanical pencils--I used them all the time in school and my children frequently used them for theirs.

Major Event!

Allona and Vova finished school this week. Together we are looking forward to a "school-less summer!"

Growing Babies

Little Timothy Shevelenko is growing. We'll miss him and his family when they move closer to Kyiv.


These kittens are also growing, but not too big to sleep on Vova's school desk.

Step by step

Returning from the US, we walked back into the project the family was working on. Step by step this week, we've made progress.


Dave cut boards that would be visible in the room. Faith stained most of them. Seth and I helped.


Dave and Seth put new ceiling joists up.


Then Seth and Vova put bridging that Dave cut between the ceiling joists.


The last step of this week was putting the dry wall up. We got half of the drywall up on the ceiling.

Mnoga Monday

I was travelling last Monday. I hope you will excuse me. Here's some things that I like that begin with "D:

1. Dirty dishes--yes, I'm old enough to appreciate the story behind them now. NEVER, NEVER in my younger days would I have been thankful for them.
2. Daring dreamers--People who came with hearts afire and faces aglow with ambition for God. I think the Apostle Paul would have fit that category. Some people who I met up with that impressed me that way have been my grandfather Wayne Montgomery, GT Bustin and an elderly gentleman, Brother Coen.
3. Darkness--the quiet time to sleep and to pray.
4. Daffodils and daisies are some of my favorite flowers.
5. Dandelions aren't pretty but I certainly admire their persistence!
6. Dimples add instant beauty to any face in my opinion!
7. Deference--men opening the door for women, younger people giving places of honor to the older!
8. Decency--in actions first of all and then in dress make a big impression on me.
9. Donuts--this is Allona's suggestion for my list. I do like them.