Swimming in Russian

I am happy to say I am no longer drowing. I am still in deep water, but I'm swimming now at least. ;) I'm actually enjoying my Russian studies both in getting to know other students and more especially in getting a better grasp of Russian.
I realized at some point that the eight+ hours of homework we were receiving on a daily basis was really not realistic and I just need to focus in on my areas of "felt need". That's taken a lot of the pressure off, but I am still doing more than four hours of homework every day and not keeping up with my "felt need". I do enjoy that it is a challenge, I think I would find it boring otherwise. Particularly with the variety of students that are in the class, if I was any more advanced I'd be bored stiff every time he stopped to explain something, but as it is now, I appreciate it and need the repitition. It's been so good to have certain things slotted into place that I could not understand previously because I just didn't have a good grasp of the grammar.
I love my homework time, just spending time reading and doing the exercises. I really appreciate your prayers as I have been amazed at how clear my mind is and how much I have been able to absorb every day.
Classes run from 8:30 to 2(30) for me. I try to get a little studying in on the commute to and from. In the afternoons I have been going for a swim in the Dnepro on my way home and then by the time I get home it is time to hit the books, so I study for four or five hours with breaks for a quick supper and all and then it's bedtime and the next day starts with the same thing all over. It is a challenge and I am tired. I was very tired today. We all were. Now I just need to do about four hours more of homework and then to bed so that i can get up int he monring and do at least a couple of hours and then I'm off to Priscilla's for a quick overnight visit. Then back here on Sunday evening for a bit of studying to get me in tune for Monday. I am looking forward to the break, but not sure how much I'll be able to mentally break from it as my mind is so consumed with this that I was conjugating verbs in Russian in my dream last night! Hopefully being with the kids will help.
Keep praying, I have two more weeks to go. Pray for us all, students and teachers. We all need it. Thanks.

Drowning in Russian

I'm in the middle of my first week of an intensive Russian course and drowning in it! I do love the challenge, but I would appreciate your prayers too. I've learned all of my Russian very unconventionally, so now I have to go back and relearn a lot of things the "right" way so that I can gain the benefit of this class. It means a lot of extra review for me and extra homework. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and swamped, but hoping that by the end of this week I'll be doing a bit better.
I'm in the "special needs" group right now. I have great vocabulary, but my grammar is terrible. Classes start at 8:30, so I leave the place I am staying at 7:30 to catch the bus, then the metro to class. We study until about 1 with a few breaks in between and then I attend the tutoring for about an hour or so after that yet. It makes for a long day, esp. since we don't have time to go out and get lunch inbetween. A long, hungry day--which can help with mental clarity.
I am struggling both with my allergies and migraines as well as back pain (from sitting so long), so I would very much appreciate your prayers for that. Pray that people remember to not wear perfume and colonge or after shave as that would really help me out!
Hopefully I'll be able to update on the weekend again.

Russian Studies

Mum and Dad left last night on the train for Kyiv, then on to America.
Now I'm recuperating from all the celebrations and the aftermath, plus getting everything together for mum and dad to leave. And of course, moving forward with my own life. I'm off to Kyiv this weekend, on Sunday, to start a Russian course for three weeks.
In between now and then I need to get my newsletter out. Make sure things are set to go for the office as they'll be closing next week and I need to make sure everything is in order. Pack. Pay the bills for the next couple of months. Figure out where I am going on vacation so that I can organize for my visa invitation. And a few other details, like pick up the dry cleaning that mum forgot. :)
I am really looking forward to this session in Kyiv. I think it will be a good break for me. Not a vacation, but a vacation from my life as it will be a completely different routine. And hopefully I'll be able to catch up on some rest during that time as well.

Thank you so much for your prayers and participation in this past weekend. I think it is a memory that my parents will cherish for many years. I feel so blessed to have been able to make that possible for them.

Anniversary Celebrations!

Here are a few pictures to show you how everything came together for mum and dad's special day.

Despite some problems that we had with the icing melting off the cake on Saturday, I was able to patch it up decently on Sunday and this is how it turned out. I did not make the flowers on it, I bought them in the market place, but everything else I did myself.
We had a little rain after the ceremony. At first it was just spotting and eventually it came down in earnest, but we managed to get everyone fed before that happened. Matthew was kind enough to protect the cake as the rain began to get more serious around the time we set up the cake (we couldn't set it up in advance because of the heat).

The ceremony itself was really beautiful. Mum and Dad looked great and it was a special time. They also gave other couples the opportunity to renew their vows as well and about eight or nine other couples chose to do so.


My sister, Priscilla, and her family came for the day. It was so great to have them here. And, of course, Matt and Anya were here as well.


The day started off really warm, but overcast. The weather held beautifully for the ceremony and just started to sprinkle right as the ceremony finished. We decided to go ahead and serve the food outside since it wasn't raining seriously and we knew we would swelter and be crushed in the house.
Unfortunately, because of the threat of rain people got a little over excited and began eating before we had set the tables up properly or brought out the plates! On the other hand, the rain kept things informal which was nice too.
We set the cake out at the last minute so that it wouldn't melt in the heat or the rain. The rain began to get more serious about the time we set the cake out, so instead of doing the program that we had planned we went straight to the cutting of the cake. After everyone had their piece of cake the rain got really serious so we rushed everyone and the food into the house. Mum and dad have a big living room so we continued the celebration in there. It was crowded and warm, but I think that people still enjoyed it.
With the rain the party didn't last as long, but that all worked out for the best too as mum and dad were really tired. Everyone still had a chance to share something about how mum and dad's marriage and ministry had impacted their lives, which was really meaningful for mum and dad.
It was a special celebration.
Thank you for your prayers and for the cards that were sent.

Today

Today I started out looking better than this, but by half way through the day this was about as good as it got. Preparing for Mum and Dad's 40th took its toll.
I got a lot done. I think. I went out for breakfast. I went to the market and bought lettuce and parsley and dill for garnishes and ham and powdered sugar and bacon. This is the fridge after the market. It normally has about 1/5 of that amount in it.
After washing all the lettuce and parsleys and sorting them all for garnish or for actual use in salads, I tried an experiment. Not having relish on hand here in Ukraine, or even sweet pickles, I decided to make my own "sweet pickle relish". I need it for the beef spread and maybe egg or chicken salads tomorrow. I ground up pickles in my food processor with sugar. It actually tasted pretty good. A little runny, but...
Today I also ran over to mum and dad's (running being figurative, taxied would be more literal) and took all the punch base and fun stuff from my freezer and put it in theirs while grabbing the bread from there to bring back here and putting the cakes in the fridge at their place (from the freezer--more on the cake tomorrow or whenever I blog next). The bread is now in my freezer overnight (which is why it isn't properly packaged) till tomorrow when we turn it into sandwiches.After that, I came back home and I rested a little then got to work cooking up some beef and soaking some beans for calico beans for supper. The calico beans didn't get finished until about 10pm, but they were worth it.
While that was happening I got the ham out and cubed some for appetizer toothpick thingies and then tossed the rest in the food processor with some onion and honey to prep it for deviled ham that will be made for tomorrow. The honey was added because I didn't particularly care for the ham (never have) and that made it much better. A little sugar does wonders!
I also threw 30 eggs on to boil so that they would be ready for peeling and making into salad tomorrow morning too.
I decided that if I had to turn the oven on, I was going to make it worthwhile, so I baked the bacon (much easier than stovetop). It always amazes me how much it shrinks! And yep, it is real bacon, sliced it myself.

After grabbing another rest to have a snack and watch Burn Notice :D, I decided that I needed to make cookies (don't ask why!), so I did that and baked them while the calico beans were baking. I think it was maybe because I had the oven on anyway and I wanted to make good use of it. They are dried cranberry and white chocolate. A very happy mix.
In between popping cookies in and out of the oven I worked on some cucumber garnishes. There's a lot of pics of these, cause I'm proud of them. :) Now I hope they just keep shape when I remove the toothpicks on Sunday. Each one is a couple of inches long and folded up like a ribbon. I put four or five on a toothpick and packed them in tupperwares with a little water in the bottom and a paper towel on top. There should be 70 or so all up. Enough to garnish one set of sandwiches.

And, my crowing achievement for the day? I've killed a half a dozen mosquitoes while writing this entry.

Now to go do some more dishes, tidy and make sure I am all ready for tomorrow.

Oopsy Doopsy

So much for posting pictures. I have some someplace. I think at home. I'm a little fragmented (nearly wrote twitterpated, but that is SO the wrong meaning). Between trying to keep up at work, get my newsletter out, make sure all the details are in place for the party on Sunday, arrange accommodation and begin to prepare for my course in Kyiv, keep up with email, feed myself, and recuperate from migraines. Well...fragmented...

This weekend is the big party. Hard to believe. I hope I make it through, the last few days have been a bit rough physically. For some reason I'm having an upsurge in migraines/allergies/pain--it's like my body knows that I need it!

Do pray that this celebration is really special. I have this one shot to honor my parents. In ten years none of us know where we will be, but my guess is that it won't be possible for me to do some of these stuff that I am doing now. I just want it to be a time to honor them and their 40 years of marriage and ministry.

I hate visas!

So, I remembered at some point a few weeks ago that my visa would expire in the middle of August. Actually, in the middle of my vacation in Crimea. Aargh. I began checking around to see if I could get it extended in country instead of having to leave to get a new visa. The answer? "All your documents are in order, but we just can't do that right now." :| *pulls hair out
I only got that answer at the end of last week, after having waited over a month to hear. Naturally, I had assumed that "no news is good news". I'm particularly bummed about this because my visa expires August 20 and I was supposed to leave for vacation August 17. Now it looks like I'll be heading to Poland instead of Crimea. Poland, in my memory is a very gray depressing place (that part probably has something to do with having visited Auschwitz previously), as opposed to the sunny happiness of Crimea. But, my friend, Saron, with whom I am going on vacation is looking into finding some options for us to vacation in Poland and I do trust God that this too is under His control and that this is for the best. I was looking forward to vacation in Crimea because I haven't been there for years and years, but God is giving me peace that this too is under His control and that if I am just willing to trust Him, I'll find that He does really have His act together.

In any case, I supposed I shouldn't complain too loudly: at least I haven't been threatened with deportation. Please keep praying for the Billings. Paul is hoping to get a new visa this week or else he has to wait until September when he may be able to get a new visa.

In other much less important news, I am working on getting things together to go to Kyiv for my Russian language course at the end of this month (the reason I can't go out of country and renew my visa before vacation). I'm still trying to finalize a place to stay, as I would really prefer to not live on the street for those three weeks. Trusting that God will provide something above and beyond what I can imagine there too.

One weekend to go! *slight panic visible around edges and everywhere inbetween

I'm working on finalizing the details for my parents' 40th anniversary celebration. So far, I've managed to rent an arch, order the bouquet, buy paper/plasticware, make the cake and the rest of the desserts, buy most of the drinks and prep the punch base, buy and prep the meat for the salads. And I don't remember what all else.
Next up, buy the remaining ingredients. Oh ya, and finish fixing mum's dress. The ingredients that I still need to buy are the fresh ones for the most part, hard to buy in advance too much.
Now, I'm trying to recruit some helpers to actually put the salads and sandwiches together. I still haven't decided if the sandwiches should be made up on Saturday or to wait till Sunday. I'm thinking Saturday. Not because I want to. I would prefer to wait until the last minute so the bread was the freshest it could be, but practicalities intervene. Hopefully, the sandwiches will hold up for 24 hours. It's just that on Saturday we need to decorate mum and dad's place, I need to decorate the cake, make a salad, prepare some appetizers, and make 300ish sandwiches (pretty ones). So it'll be a bit of a busy day.
I'm only slightly panicked. Hopefully that will pass. :P

Prayer Update

I received an email this morning with an update about the prayer request I had put up last week about my friends in Kyrgyzstan. Melanie has remained in Kyrgystan with the three kids while Paul left voluntarily last week to see if he could renew his visa from another country.
The consul that he has been dealing with has been very sympathetic, but informed him that they are required to request permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyrgystan before they can issue him a new visa. They have sent that request off and it should be decided today. Please pray for this situation, so that this man can return to his family and ministry.

Apartment Pics

I have a new lease! The landlord came last month and asked if I could pay several months in advance. I agreed and we set up a new lease. I've now paid up until December. My rent was only raised 100 UAH which is a huge praise!






Along with all that excitement, I also have a new roommate, Julie. This is her room, which we just painted. It used to be my sewing room.

And below, in yellow, is my room. Unfortunately, the yellow looks rather insipid in the pictures, but it is quite friendly in reality. :) Matthew very kindly helped me paint my room and he and a friend moved all the furniture for me. Bless them!

Weekend!

I'm so excited, Matthew is coming to visit this weekend! He's bringing his girlfriend, Anya, as well, and it'll be nice to see her again too.
I'm looking forward to having a little time with Matt. It was nice to visit with him briefly a month ago, but it'll be good to have him here for a few days. We also have a painting project planned (my bedroom) for while they are here and I'm excited about that too. :)

I've been thinking lately about how much I have to be grateful for. I have a beautiful apartment (with a new water heater--boiler; soon-to-be new wallpaper; painted and decorated to my style; and the perfect size for me). I have lots of clothes that I love (well, probably not lots by American standards, but plenty enough for me!). I can afford to buy the food that my body needs and most of it is easily available here. I have family not so very far away from me most of the time and most places in the world. :P God's also been providing me with a lot of friends and the energy to enjoy them. I'm so thankful that my health is so much improved too. I keep thinking back to a year or two ago and realizing just how much more energy I have and how much clearer my mind is. I'm very grateful for that.

More for Prayer

Apparently, now the KGB are requesting that Paul give a $1,500 USD bribe or he will be deported in less than 24 hours. Please keep praying!

Prayer Request Update

Paul was supposed to have a meeting yesterday with some key leaders, but was apparently misinformed (they like to do that in these parts) and he was not included in that meeting, but has another meeting today with even more key people. Please pray that the decision to deport him would be reversed!

I also pinched a nerve in my back this morning. Actually, more the shoulder/neck area. It is very painful, even with maxed out meds.

On the praise side, mum arrived back from Russia safe and sound last night! Very happy to have her back in town.