The Voices of Ukrainians

In honor of the New Year, I have posted all the pictures I have taken of doors since coming here. I think doors are interesting. The end. I think the sign says it all. Where? I don't know. Don't remember! Mystery door... Probably located in Spare Oom. This door leads to......treasure! I am almost certain of it. This door is located miles underneath Poland; its in a old salt mine. A beautiful church in Poland, home of the famed Trumpeter of Krakow. I forgot where. Your guess is as good as mine! The same church in Krakow. Lovely, isn't it? One of my favorites....I think this was taken in Poland. My favorite church in Kiev, St. Vladimirs. I think this is also in Kiev. Kiev. The sun was not in a good place when I tried to take this picture. The Golden Gate in Kiev! My garage door. Also at St. Vladimirs. Its way cool. I pray many doors will be opened during this New Year of 2013, doors that will lead to ...

This Christmas season started with our team celebrating together on December 23rd.  Who is our team and what went down on December 23rd? I shall unravel the mystery. It starts with the Stoddards: Doug, Suzie, and their kids.  They have been in Ukraine for about 10 years. Two kids, Benjamin and Megan, go to high school at Kiev Christian Academy, the same school Suzie teaches at. Another son, Nick, is older and living in the States. Zach, the second oldest, is here in Ukraine for a few months, but normally lives in the States as well.  Then, Daniel and I made the team two summers ago (we're so happy) as well as a fun little gal named Meisha who is from Texas.  We invited a few friends to join us in our Christmas festivities, including Helga (a longtime friend and translator), Gerben (some guy Zach brought, apparently they went to high school together....oh and Gerben is from Holland), and Eric and his wife. Eric teaches at Kiev Christian Academy and is married ...

We just wanted to let everyone know that Anya is having surgery tomorrow, Lord willing. I know this is coming as a surprise, but we never really know what to expect when it comes to the medical system here in Ukraine. We will share more about the events leading up to the operation later, but for now we just wanted to ask for prayers. First, that it actually happens, and second that it goes as smoothly as possible. Thanks so much; we will keep you posted.

One of my friends back in Durango, Bicycle Bill (who happens to rock) made over 120 tie-dye t-shirts for the kids at our orphanage. We are in the process of giving them out, one class at a time (thus far we've given them to the first and second graders). I want to give a big shout out to Bill for making Ukraine a little more colorful! A cool selection to choose from! We made name tags the same day we passed out the shirts to the 1st and 2nd graders. I got her to smile! In the picture before this she was so serious. Yeah, sometimes you gotta whip out the charm! One of the second graders; a true little rascal. One of my favorite pictures ever. I want to adopt both of these kids! Someone's a little shy....but that makes her cuter! How cool is that shirt? It's one of my fave's. Smile or else............. Daniel's gonna tickle you! That tactic works for me, too. What a handsome little guy! Tie dye rocks! So precious! Th...

Early last month, Doug went to see the surgeon who performed Anya’s operation last March. The doctor said we could bring her on October 8th. He would look her over, do some x-rays and tests, and then set a date for her next operation. So, a few days before the 8th, Daniel, Meisha  and I went and picked her up from the orphanage and brought her to Smile House. We went early because we wanted to show her a little bit of Kiev and have some fun before she got stuck in a hospital. We are so glad we did! The first night we went on a walk together to see the lakes around Smile House, and then we played 13 rounds of  dominoes   A few weeks ago, Daniel and I went to a conference on working with at-risk kids and transition homes. We  realized how important it was to teach kids anything and everything. Therefore, after dinner that first night, Daniel taught Anya how to wash dishes. The next morning, he taught her how to make pancakes.  Thanks Anya for breakfast—it was ...

Last month, we had a wonderful team from the States come visit us in Ukraine. Members included Daniel's parents, Don and Brenda; a longtime family friend and her daughter, Donna and Sarah; and a friend of Donna's, Aja. We had the most amazing time! First I should mention that they brought about two tons of goodies for me, including brownie mixes, cream of mushroom soup, Ranch style beans (for that country boy I married), and twizzlers. How can you not love people who spoil you rotten? They also brought about two tons of stuff for our ministry: hundreds of toothbrushes, craft supplies, clothing, and hair accessories. We are so proud to know such giving people! Our project for the week was to repair and paint the playground at the orphanage. As you can see from the picture below, all the posts were rotted, and several other boards/rails were broken or rotted as well. We spent three days doing this project, and it went to so great. We truly were a team, and everyone was willin...