Saturday, 24hrs later

First things first – it’s 7pm and I still don’t have the children’s passports. I just spoke to Anna and she told me that she has left a number of messages with the director of the passport office and he has not returned her calls. Please continue to pray that the passports will come soon.


It’s was a little cooler today because of a light wind that was blowing clouds across the sun. It was one of those days where pants were a little too much and shorts weren’t quite enough. Because I did laundry today, I opted for jeans so I could try and make it without having to wash my shorts again None the less, it was very pleasant!

I got up around 8am, went for a run (I took a little different route to see some different scenery), got my shower, walked to the grocery store (had to pick up my 2 day supply of Coke Light and a few other things) then went on a mission to find Natasha a small backpack that she could use to keep up with some things on the plane ride home.

When I was returning from the grocery, I noticed that there were some people starting to set up some booths along the main street, a few steps from where I’m staying. There are normally a few booths scattered about, but I could tell this was going to be BIG. After I dropped off my groceries, I hit the streets. As it turned out, the street fair was sort of a local artist and craft show. There are some very pretty things for sale. I came across an artist who was displaying her work and it was different than anything I had seen before. She created pictures of the Ukraine countryside using thread. She “stitched” the landscape using different types and colors of threads. Anyway, I liked them and did my best to tell the artist that I thought her art was pretty. Before I moved on, she showed me a brochure of her gallery and other work. She was very pleasant. I continued to browse the street and headed to the marketplace where I’ve been a few times. It’s not far from my apartment.

As I walked down the far right side of the market street I was keeping my eyes open for a backpack that might work. Unfortunately I didn’t see any but as I approached the end of the street, I noticed a lot of activity on the cross street and beyond. I made a right and walked down the street passing store/market/booth after booth. This was new territory, for sure. As I approached the end of the block, I crossed the street and headed back. Not too far, I noticed a gated entrance to a whole different group of stores/markets/booths. As I entered, I could tell them place was big and as it turned out it covered an entire city block which is about 1 square mile. The first area I came to was what I’ll call the garden and fresh market. It was all outdoors and you could find anything you want that had to do with plants (household and garden), fresh fruit, vegetables, all kind of grains, seeds, flour, wheat, mill, etc. This place was huge and people buying and selling stuff everywhere. Amazingly though it was clean and very well organized. As I approached the far side of the garden and fresh market (about the size of a football field) I noticed a large building that you accessed by climbing about 12 steps. People were coming and going so I went in. This building was also huge. It was round and had a dome roof that had lots of skylights. It was probably 200 ft. in diameter. This room I’ll call the poultry and seafood market. I’ve never seen anything like it. The closest thing I could describe it as would be Pike St. Market in Seattle or Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco (places I’ve never been but has seen on TV). If you wanted anything that was poultry (chicken, duck, goose, or anything else that quacks) or anything that comes from the water that is edible, this room had it. Everything was dead but you could buy the product in all stages of processing. If you wanted a whole fish, you could buy it. If you wanted a duck freshly killed, you could buy it. If you wanted a chicken breast or thigh, you could get it. The people behind the counters were handling all this food without cloves on and then would put it out on the counters for the customers to purchase. I saw all kinds of people picking the raw food up, inspecting it, and putting it back down; bare handed. Occasionally there was some product on ice or in refrigerator cases, but for the most part it was out in the fresh air.

This place was wild and at the same time exciting. By now, I’m starting to realize that I’ve never seen anything like this and may never get to again so keep soaking it in. I probably walked around this room for 10-15 minutes just looking and seeing things that amazed me. I’m sure I stood out like a sore thumb, but everyone was very friendly just smiling at me. They might have been as amazed at me as I was at them.

So after 15 or minutes, I notice an exit/entrance that led into a courtyard kind of space. I went through it to find more people buying and selling stuff. I figured out pretty quickly that this room was the center to 3 of the large dome buildings. I had 2 more to walk through. I thought. I wondered what’s in the other ones.

Building number 2 was the beef and pork room. This room was the same size as building #1 but in place of poultry and seafood, beef and pork. Again, if you could imagine any part of these animals for sale, you could see it and buy it if you so desired. By the way they had the “parts” displayed, I think people did! This place was a live butcher store. Lots of crazy things I saw in this room and to be sensitive to the readers’ stomachs, I just share one. No I won’t. I leave it up to your imagination. Ask me about it later and I’ll tell you.

I left building 2 and went back through the courtyard to get to building #3. It’s also the same size as buildings 2 and 3 and it was the most pleasant. This was the dairy and bakery room. Any and everything that had to do with dairy and bakery was in there. Things you could buy in the dairy section included eggs (the chickens were probably outside laying them) butter, cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, feta cheese, etc. And what was crazy, people were making all of it right there and were offering samples if you wanted. Over in the bakery area, there were all kinds of breads, cakes, cookies, etc. that people were baking and selling.

I saw a door that led outside so I headed towards it and after walking down some steps, I found myself on the opposite side of the buildings from where I entered off the garden and fresh market. This outdoor area I’ll call the grocery store. This is where the non-perishable food and items were sold. Literally hundreds of small stores/markets/booths were in this area. I spotted a Barbie backpack and ask how much it was. It was $10. Not bad I thought, but I still had the rest of the market street to look through before I could buy it. I might just find a better one at a better price, so I headed out and back to the market street. I walked down the street heading back towards my apartment and saw the exact Barbie backpack I saw earlier. I asked the lady how much it was and it was $10. Alright I thought. At least I don’t have to walk back down to the other booth, but there are a few more booths to see on this street first. I finished looking and headed back to the last booth to have one. When I got there, I asked the lady to get it down and got out my $10 in Ukraine money and she told me it was more. I tried to explain that she told me it was $10 and that I was going to buy it from another lady if she didn’t sell it to me for $10. I guess she didn’t want to sell it for $10 because she put it back up and I went back and bought it from the first lady. I think she was glad I came back. She smiled a lot. While I was back in that market place, I bought the kids a big bag of fresh cherries. They had told me they liked them so I thought they would enjoy them. I think I got 5 pounds or so for $4. I don’t know – it was a bunch of cherries!

After all that shopping I was tried so I headed back to the apartment, ate a pack of crackers for lunch and headed off to see the kids. When I first got there, they spotted the cherries. They crabbed them from my hand, went to a table, sat down and ate everyone one of them in minutes. I guess they really do like them. The few I had were very good. After the cherries, we went outside and played for a while. The rain shower popped up and sent us inside where we watched TV for a while. A couple of the older children were watching the Ukraine version of “So you thing you have talent”. It really was like the American show. I could at least understand what was going on even though I couldn’t understand what they were saying. About ½ hour later, the rain stopped and we went back outside and played until Kostya came to pick me up.

After I got home, I skyped with Jenny, Keely, and Iz. Max was at the Nicholas’; he had spent the night there. Iz’s kindergarten graduation was last night and I was sad I missed that. Tonya went and videotaped it for me. I can’t wait to see it. After talking to home, I went to eat at Demitree’s. It was their turn! I had Caesar salad and chicken on a stick with 6 French fries and 1 piece of flat bread cut into 6 triangles. From dinner I came back here to call Anna and got the news – actually no news.

Later, I’ll probably watch some of the Seinfeld DVD’s we brought and go to sleep. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, the Lord’s Day. God willing, I plan to have the kids over here for most of the day. We may catch the movie “Night at the Museum 2”. We’ll see!

Please continue to pray for the passports to come. We move to the next step without them! Also, please pray for Jenny as she shares with the 2-4 graders (I think) at Calvary Baptist Church tomorrow some of the ways God has blessed us on His journey to rescue Maks, Alona

Blessings <><,
David

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. 2 Samuel 22:33

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11

But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. Psalm 22:19

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 59:16

Summon your power, O God ; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before. Psalm 68:28

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Psalm 119:28

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2
O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. Isaiah 33:2

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' Mark 12:30

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

BTW - you can click on the image and it will enlarge in a new window, You have to hit your back button to return.

Maks with cherry earings
Natasha acting silly
Alona with cherry lipstick
Kids eating cherries
dairy room
one of the counters in the beef and pork room
one of the butcher blocks behind the a counter in the beef and pork room
one of the counters in the poultry and seafood room
bags of grains, seeds, etc.
fresh market
display of artists' work
picture of Ukraine countryside done with thread