We took the night train to I.F. which we thought would be a great idea. We didn’t want to try to drive the 10 hours and an overnight train saved the trouble of a hotel too. We didn’t sleep very well on the train even though the beds are comfortable and we were exhausted. The rocking of the train is OK but every once in a while the train hits a bump and I think it is going to fly off the track or something. I woke up about 40 times. I keep telling myself that it makes this trip everyday and you don’t hear about many derailments in Ukraine in the news, but you don’t hear the scary statistics that only 20 percent of orphans in Ukraine live to the age of 30 either so I wake up and talk myself into going back to sleep a lot.
We had planned to get to the region by train to avoid the pothole flying experiences that others have and so we will have to see. Maybe a day train next time. We will see. The motion is not the same as the gentle rocking of a cruise ship.
We had a great day visiting our son Bryan (Elder Hinkson) We arrived by train at about 7 am and walked about 10 minutes to the church. We found out the meetings were not until 11 and so we went to a nice hotel and used the internet and I used Wendy’s curling iron to try to look better for church
We didn’t surprise Bryan because the mission president had called him to ask if he would get homesick if we visited. It was so good to see him, He has gained about 20 lbs and looks good and healthy. We met everyone in the branch (it was small) and I got to lead the music because the chorister was sick. We lucked out because main speakers were a doctor and his wife from Canada who spoke in English and then their talks were translated into Ukrainian. They were great people. They travel a lot of Europe overseeing the medical care of the missionaries, They told us that here you can buy antibiotics over the counter in any pharmacy without a prescription and so if anyone gets an infection (which is not entirely unimaginable) you are in luck.
I told Sonya that it was hot here but yesterday we froze and so put those sweaters back in the suitcase. It is like Utah with a variety of temperatures to keep you guessing.
At the branch of the church in I.F. there were about 20 in attendance. One very sweet woman gave us a little sack of her hair to take back to SLC to give to an organization to donate to wigs for those who need them. We were a little surprised when she handed usher hair but once we understood what was going on, we were honored to take her donation for her.
Almost every time we said a prayer we would close our eyes and start to fall asleep. We are starting to adjust to the time change ….. I think.
After church we went to Bryan’s apt and they fed us some really good Ukrainian food. An Elder from Ukraine had made Borsch and they had Ukrainian bread and palameni and another pasta type thing with mashed potatoes in the middle. They used a sauce called paprik which was like sour cream with paprika in it. They also had really good juices that are sold very inexpensively here. At home they would cost about 2 dollars and here they are only 1 dollar.
I emailed Bryan and told him that I would cook for him a meal that he missed from home but he was determined to make sure that we had real Ukrainian food for Mother’s day and so we are grateful for his kindness. It was fun to hear Ty and Bryan talk about mission stuff and things they have learned in their study
When we arrive in Kiev we will get to go to our apt that Kostya has arranged. I will get to shower for the first time since we arrived. The one thing that we are very glad that we packed is baby wipes. Dave says that there is nothing like that warm water of a real shower to make you feel clean. That is one thing we will appreciate more than we did when we get home.
Just a couple more days and we will get to see the kids in Dnepro.. They are not answering their phone and so we haven’t been able to tell them that we are in Ukraine. It is another holiday here (Victory day) and it seems harder to reach the kids on the holidays. We have tried the orphanage numbers but they are not answering either. We will probably get to Kiev on the recovery day of the big celebration. They have parades and drinking everywhere to celebrate when Russia won World War 2. I thought it was the allied forces and so I need to study my world history better. Anyone who can put an end to war is a hero to me.
You have such a great attitude about things. I love reading your words. That is funny about the temple. I laughed out loud. The escalators in the Subway are a bit scary huh. You described the train perfectly. I read it to my kids and we shared a good laugh remembering it.
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