Sifting gravel is fun!

Today was the most exciting day we’ve had all week. The rain let up for most of the morning, and for a brief time the sun actually showed its face! Well, sort of… It was still behind the clouds. Volodya, who is the construction coordinator for the church building and Vova’s father, is convinced that the sun will come out tomorrow. I guess we will see…

In the meantime, Gene, Dan, YuriGeorge, and I worked on shoveling a large pile of gravel through a makeshift sifter to get the largest of the stones out of it. YuriGeorge is one of our translators – his Ukrainian given name is Yuri, the English equivalent of which is George. He goes by George when interpreting, as it is easier for English speakers to pronounce, but was also introduced to us as Yuri. It’s been very difficult for me to call him George, and many of us keep flipping back and forth from calling him Yuri to calling him George. Back to the sifting – the larger stones are being used in the floor of the forming sanctuary to level it out. I’m not quite sure what the rest of the gravel pile is being used for… I’m sure that there is a specific use for it, as nothing in this country seems to go to waste.

Emma, James, Dorothy, Stephan, and Volodya worked on cleaning up the property where a road runs along the side of the church property. There is a drainage ditch that catches not only water but debris, and the grass grows wild and high. They raked up the grass and cleaned the debris out of it, then moved it over to a compost heap on the property. This is quite a job – the property line along the side is quite long. Stephan is our other translator. He worked with the group last year, and really has a passion for ministry. Volodya is like a Ukrainian hummingbird. He has so much energy, and just moves so much! He is also very caring and concerned about us. He will not allow us to work in the rain because he is afraid that we will get sick. It doesn’t help that my allergies have been in full effect since we got here, making it seem more likely that one of us (me, in particular) will get sick. I seem to be collecting parents all over the world… I now have a Ukrainian father and mother in Vova’s parents who are watching out for my welfare here (feel better Mom?)!

Pat used the time we were working to prepare for Bible School. She’s doing a wonderful job with the kids! They are one of the most participatory groups of kids I think I’ve ever seen. They want to be a part of the program. One little boy has showed up early the last two days – yesterday around 4 p.m. for a 5 p.m. program and today even earlier than that. It just makes your heart go out to them. They love to sit and color before we begin the bible story (with the aid of an interpreter, of course), and have really enjoyed the crafts that Pat prepared for them.

We continued our “tour of Ukrainian food” today. One thing is for sure, we are definitely not starving! Vova’s mother, Anna, has been cooking lunch for us all week. Our lunches and dinners both begin with a soup course. Lunch today was stuffed yellow peppers!! Anna is an amazing cook!!! I have never had food as wonderful as I have here on a daily basis…

While we are having a wonderful time building the relationships with our Ukrainian hosts, please pray for sunshine tomorrow! We would really like to continue working on the church, and are so excited to see it take shape.