This is my first Christmas to be spent in Ukraine and certainly many things are very different here.  First of all, the Christmas season really does not begin until January 1^st so very few have decorations or trees up yet.  We do!  Katya has done an excellent job of decorating our home like an American Christmas!  It’s beautiful!  Second, Christmas here is much simpler than in the US.  Usually, everyone gets just one small gift for Christmas.  Katya and I had purchased a few gifts and put them under our little tree. One Ukrainian friend was visiting and was amazed at ALL the presents under the tree!  Katya said she could not bring herself to tell about all the presents we have in America under our tree!  Needless to say, Christmas in Ukraine is much simpler (as maybe it should be). Finally, Christmas is not really until January 6/7 (St. Nicholas Day) because we live in an Orthodox country.  But many believers still celebrate Christmas on December 25^th like we do.  But Christmas Day is a work day here so any celebrations are only in the evening after work. Continue Reading »

Pray for Ukraine! (December 2013 Update)

Ukraine is in its biggest crisis since 2004.  The President has been systematically taking away freedoms and basic civil rights for the last 3 years, but this time, the people of Ukraine are revolting against his actions.  The current crisis began when the president made a surprise reversal of policy regarding joining the EU.  One condition the EU required was the release of Julia Tymoshenko from prison.  She ran against President Yanokovich in the last election and he had her punished for treason because she signed documents when she was Prime Minister (it was her job to do so).  But he has refused to release her.  Russia and Putin have been putting pressure on Ukraine to prevent Ukraine from joining.  Yanokovich returned from a visit with Putin and announced that Russia would help us more than the EU and that Russia would not tell us what to do with our political prisoners.  His decision to not sign the EU agreement has sparked peaceful protests all over Ukraine.  Over 100,000 people gather daily in Independence Square to sing songs and protest the current government (some estimate that over 350,000 came to one rally). Continue Reading »

Going, Going, Gone! (October 2013 Update)

I know what you are thinking!  I have baseball on my mind — I wish!  Maybe if the Cincinnati Reds hadn’t been swept by the Pirates at the end of the season (and in the wild card playoff), I might be thinking baseball.  But even if they were in the World Series, I would probably be thinking about something else — verbs of motion in Russian. Continue Reading »