It Begins

Already Wednesday. Wow. The time is going by swiftly, but there are moments when it seems that the clock is stuck. Monday I was doing some cleaning and trying to find our luggage. Dust got stirred up, my allergies kicked in, and I thought my head would explode. And I felt terrible, as if something was pressing in on me, and I wasn't certain as to what that something was. I also had that denying feeling you have at funerals when you are trying not to cry and this numb pain settles in behind your eyes, from holding back the tears. We went for pizza with Oleg that evening to our favorite pizza place in Kyiv--one last time. They had changed the sauce and crust a bit so it was mildly disappointing. But tolerable. Then walked past Sophia (the new Hyatt across from Bogdan in Sophia Square is about to open) and down to Maidan. At home, I finally understood that what I had been feeling all day, besides the allergies, was grief. I was in mourning and didn't realize it. Having preached my last sermon on Sunday and the language of "this is the last time I will ever...." beginning to pervade our thinking, I had begun to mourn the loss of being in Kyiv, of being with our friends and family here, and being in this strangely wonderful world.

Tuesday packing continued and a long dinner with Dima and Zhenya. Wednesday, a long transition meeting, with Vitaly and Lera about UEC life and the church. And our cell meeting that came together well. I made raisin coconut oatmeal cookies and the raisins, some sort of very dark raising, kind of blew up like little balloons in the cookies. Never seen anything like that before.

Ira, Natalya's sister, had her cancer surgery today, and according to the doctor, everything went OK. Pray for her healing and recovery.

We want to thank our friend Judy in Abilene who is helping us find a place to live.

A special UEC gathering with Lera and Vitaly is being planned for July 31 in Nashville and a few days later in Memphis. Keep that date open if you are going to be in Nashville. Place and time coming soon.....