Today is our last time in the Ukraine. We have been on a train for 14 hours, and still have a few to go. Once we depart the train, we will spend a few hours in downtown Kiev doing some last minute shopping and seeing a few more sights. Four adult men in 50 square feet for 16 hours. You can’t help but get to know each other very well!
After we have shopped for the few hours, we will make our way to a small airport outside of Kiev to begin a 2 hour flight east to Amsterdam. There, we will stay the night (in a hotel) and fly out the next morning to Detroit. We should be back in Nashville late afternoon, just in time for a nice juicy ribeye!
Everything here has been incredible, from the food to the housing, to the comraderie to the comedy. I wish our Ukranian friends could better understand why we were always so happy and full of laughter! The blessings of this trip have just begun, for we can all see now how much of a difference this experience will start making in our newfound friendships both at home and abroad.
Here are a few thoughts that past team members can relate to.
You know you’re in the Ukraine if…….
-your “bus” driver appears to be preparing for the Indy 500 ALL THE TIME!
-an actual toilet seat makes you high-five strangers in public bathrooms
-being offered Vodka and pickled sheep eyes happens BEFORE lunch
-yelling “BOOTS” doesn’t always mean ” Butter On Our Toast, Shawn!”
-ping pong is THE national pasttime
-up-and-coming Indy 500 drivers also swing a mean ping pong paddle
-”logging in the upper mid west” has nothing to do with cutting timber
-you start everyday off with a cup of chai, a plate of coldcuts and a good sniff of sewer gas
-Charmin Pillow Soft with Comfort Pleats make you smile really, really big
-it cost YOU money to make ANY type of deposit in the city
-McDonald’s burgers and pizza are sure bets any day of the week (including consecutive days)
-milk, sour cream, mayonaise and cheese are always offered on or with every dish
-taking your cow for a walk is part of your daily grind
These are just the ones I could remember @ 4am. More on that later……
Brian
October 20th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Oh how funny! Thanks Brian! I’m printing this one out and reading it at our next HopeHouse board meeting!
Praying for your trip home.
Love,
Deneen
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Another big “shout-out” to everyone who had anything to do with our Hope House trip. Thanks so much for all the prayers, thanks to all the guys on the trip for a great time, and thanks to our families for allowing us this experience.
I would also like to thank those who have made contributions to Hope House International in the past. With your support, materials and local labor have improved the lives of many families in need by building homes to aid in local adoptions.
The underlying theme of these trips is to help those who would otherwise have no hope by building homes for Christian families so that they have the ability to adopt orphaned children. Our visit to a local orphanage made all of this come together. We were able to see first-hand the need for these families.
This trip was “not about me”, but it definately made a difference in my life that will continue to affect others through this organization. Thank you all, and please pray for these families and the children they will eventually be able to bring into their Christian homes. Max, we love you and your family dearly…………
Brian Hughes