Fiasco could be too strong of a word, but really, it has simply turned into a much longer and more difficult process than originally thought.

No I am not talking about visas for Ethiopia (that could be another matter) I am referring to the visas for those going to India. They have had a crazy time getting their visas. I thought I would try and tell the whole story to give you the big picture of how part of the my whole team is doing.

There were 10 people going to India. Six of them Ukrainian, 2 Russians, and 2 Canadians. I am not sure where to begin. Hmmm, two weeks ago, they all left for the Indian embassy in Kiev. They traveled all night to get there by the time the embassy opened. Some went by train and the rest went in the van. People tried to sleep in the car, but we all know how that goes. Well, they thought it would be better if they separated and stood in line in pairs, not as a big group. No big deal, except the train was late so everyone had to wait.

The line to get into the embassy was huge, massive, stretching forever out the door. (This is all according to those that were there. I was back in sunny Ternopil in a warm room reading a book.) So the poor team of 10 stood in line for hours in the rain waiting to get into the embassy. People were pressing and cutting in front trying to get into the door. Apparently they only let a certain amount of people in each day so the urgency of getting the whole team inside in one day was critical. I am happy to say that our team managed to smush their way in despite some disgruntled people behind them.

The trials just kept coming though. My dear Canadian friends were taken to a back room to be questioned. “Why didn’t you apply for a visa in Canada?” “What are you going to be doing there?” “Who are you staying with? Do you know them personally? How do you know them?” “Why are you staying for three months?” “Are you working with a religious organization?” After some time of being question they were told that they will have to leave and call back the next week. The embassy officer said that he would review their paperwork.

This was just the Canadians. Since Dima is gypsy they did not believe that he was Ukrainain. They thought he might have come to Ukraine illegally, stolen a passport and now wanted to go back to India. So they turned him away and required a birth certificate. (I can’t imagine if this happened in the states!)

The two Russians were also given the same treatment as the Canadians. They were turned away and told only to call back next week. Valya had to turn in some additional paperwork on Monday so she stayed with another staff member, Oksana until then.

Oksana came to pick up everyone’s visas on Monday only to be told hers was missing. She had to come back on Friday. So after many phone calls were made this week, the two Canadians went back to Kiev this past Friday. Dima also went to Kiev on Friday after having to go to his hometown to get a copy of his birth certificate. Again, the Canadians were questioned and interrogated. The embassy took their paperwork to be processed but were told they needed to show their airline tickets and confirmation numbers to hotels. Before they even took their paperwork, they each had to sign a document that said they were not going to do any social or charity work. Crazy! Dima did finally get his visa- praise the Lord!!! Oksana was given hers, but with a strict warning. Her picture, along with the Canadians, has been passed on to the embassy in India. If they are caught doing any kind of social or charitable work they could be deported. Double crazy!

So what has this crazy story led us to now? There have been many discussions about what to do. It was finally decided last weekend that the Canadians, Valya and Lena and Riza will stay here in Ukraine to form a third outreach team. That is correct, you heard me. Lena and Riza are no longer going to Ethiopia and yes, we will have a group of people stay in Ukraine. This decision was made based on the fact that it would really be jeopardizing the team to have so many people being watched and told they could not do charitable or social work. Oksana is taking a risk on going to India. Lena and Riza are joining this team because it was just getting to be too difficult for Riza to be able to get his visa to Ethiopia.

We are all sad about the changes, but we know it is also exciting and will lead to more exciting stories and experiences. Oh and our second Russian was able to get their visa yesterday!! Hooray! The visa fiasco has come to an end!

Yes, I was able to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Ukraine. I don’t know if they celebrated just because they have an American here or if they would have still had a day of thanks with or without me. Nonetheless, I was able to celebrate and show others what Thanksgiving is all about.

For the majority of those in attendance, it was their first Thanksgiving. Ukraine does not have their own Thanksgiving day so most people do not know what Thanksgiving day is all about. As the sole American, I felt compelled to give a small history lesson on where Thanksgiving day came from and why America celebrates it.

Giving a history lesson

Naturally there was food, but sadly, turkey is not all that common. We had the next best thing, roasted peppered pork. YUM!!! Tons of mashed potatoes and someone even made gravy. We north Americans take gravy for granted. You have no idea what a gift gravy is until you have to have meat without it! Trust me, the gravy was a blessing! There were lots of salads that I am not sure I can fully describe to you. There was a pomegranate, sour cream, beet, and chicken salad, a beet and fish salad, a potato salad and a normal green salad. Bread is always present at the table as well. For dessert we had butter tarts, cookies and little squares of pumpkin pie! Hooray for pumpkin pie and whipped cream!

Yumm! The red salad at the top is a fish and beet salad. The other red polka dot one is the beat, pomegranate, and chicken salad. Can you see how delicious the meat looks?

We fit a little more than 40 people into one room where we ate and proceeded with a small program. Some sang or read poetry. Since we had invited some of the seniors that we had been visiting, they also wanted to participate in our program. One gentleman played a chromatic button accordion, or Bayan in Russian, while the others sang. We had a great night of fellowship with everyone.

I have much to be thankful for. I am so blessed to have such a great team with amazing leaders. My friends have multiplied and are always encouraging.

The Canadians and Me

Now that I have finished the Ethiopia team, all that is left is the India team. I will start with those that are in my room so you can know who I share a room with.

Here is Lena (yes, remember we have 3 Lenas). Lena and I are bunk buddies, I have the bottom bunk while she has the top. We have given her the nickname zichick it’s a combination of the Russian word for rabbit and of course the ‘chik.’

Age: 24, She just celebrated her birthday a week ago!

From: Lena is from Crimea which is a region in southern Ukraine on the Black Sea.

Lena grew up in a difficult family. She will tell you that dysfunctional barely begins to describe her family. She does not know her real dad and her step father loves the bottle. She became a Christian about 2 years ago and is hungry to know more about God and his love.

Lena enjoys sleeping and listening to music. She enjoys quiet and intimate conversations. She is very artistic and always seems to be doodling.

I love that Lena is so real and loves to be with people. She calls me Meggie and gives me a fun little look whenever she says it. She is passionate about going to India and hopes to stay there long term someday.

The last but one of the most important members of the Ethiopia team is Marichka, pronounced Mar-eech-ka.

Age: 29

From: Lviv, Ukraine. Her home town is about 2 hours northwest of Ternopil.

Marichka makes some yummy desserts. She is always baking cakes for people’s birthdays. My favorite one she made was a snickers cake, just imagine eating a gigantic Snickers bar. Mmmmm. She also likes to sleep in really late on the weekends. She is like every other girl and loves to shop and find cute clothes and shoes and she loves massages.

The rest of her family still lives in Lviv. She is the middle child out of three kids, one older brother and a younger sister. She has a cute little niece and nephew too. She calls them her prince and princess (the princess was just born this last Friday!)

Marichka has been in Ternopil for 6 years but she also did her DTS here so that is an additional year. She  loves to invest in other’s lives. She has lots of wisdom and insight about leading teams to different places. She has been on many other missions trips and has lots of experience.

Marichka loves to love on people, really truly. She calls it ‘portion of love,’ and all the girls need to receive their portion of love. She gives hugs freely which I am grateful for. She will be a great leader in Ethiopia and I am so blessed to have her as my leader!

I will finish off the Ethiopia team by telling you about our staff. Here is Ruslan, pronounced Roos-lan. (We occasionally call him Roos.)

Ruslan in India last year

Age: He will turn 20 in December while we are in Ethiopia.

From: Ruslan is from Moldova, a neighboring country of Ukraine. His family came to the Lord through another DTS outreach and now he is able to be a part of the same program that led his family to the Lord!

Ruslan is learning to play the guitar so he enjoys music. He likes sleeping on his days off and in the summer he enjoys playing sports.

Ruslan comes from a family of 5 kids. He is the oldest and has four younger sisters. So being with all girls isn’t too big a deal for him. He loves his family and his sisters very much. He wants to set a good example for his sisters- isn’t he the ideal older brother?!

I can’t describe enough how Ruslan is like a brother. He is just a real genuine guy. He is handy at everything, he always seems to be fixing something. He is a gentleman (he treats all of us girls like ladies), but can be playful and silly with kids. We like to kid around all the time. He is quiet and yet strong. He is definitely an important part of the ethiopia team!