Day 10- Sunday rest.

Today was a different sort of day. We didn't visit the orphanage (Sunday).  Instead, we spent the day with a local family :)

Long story short, I contacted a couple in Charlotte that was from U* that I had read about in the Charlotte Observer.  We met with them one time to talk about our trip, and they suggested that we contact another couple in U* when we got here.  So, we finally had a chance to give them a call the other day, and we were able to meet them for church.

Actually, Bryan and I talked to Nate, the couple's son-in-law, who is from US.  He is an assistant to the pastor at a small church here, and was super helpful in getting us all set up.  Leonid and Luba (Mama Luba :)- picked us up this morning in a small red ukraine-made car (it reminded me of driving my '77 VW Bug) and brought us to church.  It is a very small congregation, smaller still because of the summer holidays, and meets in a sports-recreation building.  But small congregation or not, where 2 or more gather, He is present.  They were awesome, and it felt like home.  We could sing along to a couple songs that we recognized from Elevation, and Diana, Nate's wife and Leonid and Mama Luba's daughter, interpreted the sermon for us.

Funny story:  we greeted another church member and she said that we looked like U* people.  We must be looking like locals!! :)

So, the people were very, very nice.  The pastor spoke English very well, and it was so pleasant to be there.  After the service, Leonid and Mama Luba invited us to come to their house and listen in on a meeting that they were hosting for people who ministered to orphans, as they just got back from a trip where they brought a group of orphans hiking and camping in the mountains.  How amazing is it that we were connected with this family??

So, we get to their house, and find out that the meeting is not going to take place because of some schedule conflicts, but Mama Luba makes us the most wonderful lunch anyways.  Their daughter, Vera, was at home, as well, and she speaks very good English.  We ate awesome vegetable soup, with good brown bread, and then thick noodles with fresh tomatoes from their garden, some marinated beef, and sour cream, of course (which we now know is cmitana!!!)  We then had coffee and cookies, and slices of thick pound cake with fruit and seeds, and fresh sliced watermelon.  We learned about their family and how Leonid taught himself and all 7 of their children how to speak English.

After lunch we looked at photos of their family, of past mission trips, and learned about the Christian outreach program that they have founded here.  We took a walk in the garden, ate peaches and pears from the trees, and met more of their family- daughter Masha, her husband, and their 2 sweet daughters.  It was just a really, really lovely, relaxing time.

After a time, we thought we should be heading back, so Vera helped us navigate the Metro to our apartment. There were lots of offers to take us out again, to come back to the house, and we're even invited to spend time in the sauna that Leonid built with hot sands and all sorts of healthy-living stuff.  Totally neat.

I love how God lines up the people in our life.  We are looking forward to spending more time with our new friends :)