This past weekend Ukraine celebrated Easter. Spring is in full force with grass growing, trees in blossom, tractors in the fields, and sneezing in our house.
The kids had a little egg hunt in the yard. Leading up to Sunday, Deb and the kids each gave up something for an entire month as a way to better appreciate the concept of sacrifice. For the kids, it was giving up juice – they could only drink water and milk. Bronwyn went all month without sugar, as did Deborah. I’m not sure if Broderic went all out crazy like the two ladies but I think he also attempted a sugarless month. I didn’t participate in the crazy events, although I did suffer from secondary effects of it.
This week we’ve had 5 students from the US staying with us. They stayed back for a week as the rest of the team went back stateside. All bible school students, Deb and I have enjoyed the crew. It brought us back to the days at CFNI where we met. Their whole lives ahead of them, embarking out into life with nervous excitement, green as a four leaf clover and simple believing faith. It was fun to chat and relive some of our own testimony – we’re old now to them, amazing – we feel 21, life just happens doesn’t it?
Yesterday we took the guys and our family to the first Cricket match in Khargalyk. Yes, cricket! The only think I could tell you about cricket before we moved here was that the English gentlemen played is whilst their gowned ladies sat under umbrellas and drank lemonade, eating cucumber sandwiches. Since moving however, and being alongside Australian cricket fanatics, we’ve been introduced to it a bit more. I’ve even played a few quick games, swinging away and running in circles. Here are a few pictures from the event. This is a labor of love by Wayne in Khargalyk, a fellow missionary and pastor. He loves the game, and has found opportunity to get involved introducing the game in Ukraine, among several Indian friends and teams from around the area. It’s been a great way to build relationships and become salt and light in the community for them – their mayor even came out and watched a bit. Crazy foreigners.
Been working up at the cafe this week with Tom and Alyosha Kurliko. We’re getting close to finishing the office upstairs on the 2nd floor. It feels good making progress of some kind while we wait on documents. Still no word, but I’m itching to see this thing open this summer. Deb and I were talking the other day about possibly opening earlier just with coffee – it could mean we could open without gas which may be a while still, and allow us to hone in on the coffee part of the business. We think ‘coffee and pizza’ and they really are two different business models. Maybe smart, once we can officially open, to open with coffee and desserts and get that going well before introducing pizza. We’ll see. I’ve been thinking even an ice cream soft serve maching would be enough reason to open, it doesn’t exist in our town – but I fear I would live off it, we love ice cream!
Soft serve ice cream sounds like a winner Bruce. A couple of frozen yogurt shops here in Longview appear to be real $ makers and people attractors. Self serve, several flavors. Yum.