I don't believe that many of you reading these lines are still unaware of our impending move to Ukraine, so I won't rehash this, but feel free to peruse some some earlier posts on our connection to Ukraine here - I'll wait.....
Ok, now that we're all on the same page, here's how we're progressing. Our move date is December 11th when we fly out of Denver direct for Munich. We have nice long layover there before hopping a short flight to Kiev. We've decided not to spend a night in the capital before continuing our trip to Kerch and instead will catch the 15 hour overnight train to Simferopol where we will be met by our new bosses Andrey and Tanya for the 4 hour drive to Kerch. Please pray for Campbell and his attitude during an extremely trying 36+ hours of constant travel.
We have come to an understanding with the lovely young lady who will be renting our house and feel confident that our humble home will be in good hands. Diesel will be staying with my parents and his on again, off again friend and fellow canine Ginger (sometime I'll post the pictures of Ginger's scars from their dust-up).
Our support continues to come in slowly but surely and we thank all of you who have given to our ministry or committed to support us monthly.
I've been tasked with cleaning up the portion of our beach on the Strait of Kerch which continues to suffer from the fuel oil spill from earlier this month. I read this morning that the tide is pushing the slick north and east meaning that the effect will be more devastating on the Russian side of the Strait than on the Crimean coast.
Also this morning I discovered that we will not have traditional health insurance while we're in country, instead we will use a combination of travel insurance (evacuation, catastrophic injury, etc.) and out of pocket doctors visits. Tanya says that doctor visits run $4-$20 USD which in decidedly less than any insurance premiums available on this planet.
More updates to follow...
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I apologize for asking...but I had no idea that people had to support you while you were there. Did I miss something in your letter or is this something where people support you through Global Action without you asking?
ReplyDeleteWell, no one HAS to support us...
ReplyDeleteKidding, I know what you meant. We are paid enough to cover our expenses in Ukraine but being young and poor, we still have some expenses here in CO that must continue to be paid. It isn't a huge amount and we have had a good number of people express interest in helping free us up from our junk here so we can follow the Lord there.
Just wondering what area of Kerch you moved to? I lived there for a while and know the town very well. I hope you enjoy your stay as much as I did! :-))
ReplyDeleteI'll be visiting again soon, so maybe I'll bump into you. :-))
We live in the far south side of Kerch, not too far from the sea. If you have google earth or some similar mapping program you can find us at
ReplyDeleteN 45 17.9
E 036 25.5
WoW! That Is south! :-)) I can't say I know that area too well, although i spend a lot of time on the beach near there. If you have google earth or something similar, My apartment;
ReplyDelete45°20'6.53"N 36°27'26.16"E
My fiance's apartment;
45°18'13.29"N 36°25'43.39"E
Have you been to the old fortress in your area (45°18'25.74"N 36°28'21.98"E)? If not, I would reccomend it. Get a local to take you because they know the history of the place. If you need someone to guide you, give me a shout and I'll get my fiance's son (Sasha) and his girlfriend (Carina)to take you. They are wonderful people and know this place very well! :-))
We have been meaning to get over to that fortress but haven't yet gotten the chance. With a 2 year old we are forced to wait for warmer days to do excursions around town.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you live now?
I'm in St Helens, England now. I'm originally from N. Ireland, but moved to Kerch for a while, then came to England so start a business. I'm hoping to get back to Kerch some time this summer for a few weeks. If you want, I can arrange a tour of the fortress when I get there?
ReplyDeleteI'm looking at buying apartments there sometime in the future and also want to buy a house in Bagerovo. Have you been to Bagerovo? I love the place! A sleepy little village with not much happening. I like that! :-)) I also know the mayor, planning officer, airport director and a few locals up there, so have some good contacts. I brought a CD player from Ireland and fitted it in the English class at one of the schools in Bagerovo. I also gave them a pile of Russian to English lessons on CD to get them started. It cost me nothing and I was happy to help, but anyone would think I'd given them gold bars! Lovely people who appreciate everything you do for them! :-))
This coming tuesday, my fiancee will be landing in London to spend 5 weeks with me. :-)) After that, I hope to start planning my return.
From N. Ireland, huh? For some reason I just assumed that you were American...I guess a little ethnocentrism showing there.
ReplyDeleteThis blog has connected me with a half-dozen people from around the world that either do or did live in Kerch; one is from Holland and is practically my next-door neighbor!
Actually we do quite a bit of work in the surrounding villages, including Bagrovo. We go into the schools and have presentations on drug abuse, smoking, alcoholism, human trafficking, etc.
We actually just got back from a friend's house in Voikova (sp?). He is a dentist and my son busted his front teeth this evening.
I'm sorry to hear about your son! I hope he is ok and did not do too much damage!! :-((
ReplyDeleteIt's funny! I assumed you were... Well.... An American too! LOL Irish sense of humor coming out. :-))
I can't remember the name of the school I helped, but from the "bus station" *he said, laughing*, you would walk down the road opposite (with the steel barrier if it's still there)it is about halfway down on your right. Would it be school number 5? Anyway... That's the one.
It is good work you are doing there. Keep it up! :-))
Do you know the American in the library in Kerch? I'm not sure if he's still there because he was talking about going back to the states. I'm not sure if he meant to stay, or just for a visit. He was setting up an internet club there. A very nice guy! Mark Pulver is his name if my memory serves me. We uses to swap dvd's with various movies in English. :-)) He still has my "Gladiator"! :-((
There is also a Scottish man living in Kerch centre called Robert. He has lived in Kerch for 5 - 6 years!
Anyway... I assume you like it there as I did? I'm jealous! :-) I'm sure you know a lot of people and have everything under control, but... If there is anything you need, if I can help you in any way, or find out information on anything for you, just give me a holler! I'm always happy to help.
Chris.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI like that Irish humor. Thanks for the well wishes...my son just needed the jagged parts of his front teeth polished so it wouldn't cut his lips and tongue.
Actually the Pulvers went back to the US and live in Santa Fe, MN. Ginny found my page just before I moved here so I have communicated with her a little in the past 6 months or so. I think their website is www.pulverpages.com if you want to make a run at getting your DVD back.
I haven't met any Scots here but I do know a Dutch guy named Robert.
We really do like it here, though I can't wait for some warmer weather.
I appreciate the offer for advice and help. I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but I'll be sure to ask if something comes to mind.