Great weather and Christmas in February!
When we first arrived in Ukraine, we arrived just as winter was beginning. It never got real cold and nothing like the Prairies have experienced lately, but there was hardly any sunshine and it was dreary almost every day.
That cycle seems to have broken and we have had much more sunshine lately and our snow is pretty much all gone except on some streets in Dnipro and in shelter belts. On Sunday, it was +8 C in the village and +6 C today, with lots of sun. On our farm here, the guys have been out with the plow on some of the fields that never got done last fall. The fertilizer has been applied to the winter wheat and the sun is shining! :)
This past Sunday I (Scott) preached at the church we attend in Dnipro. Misha was my interpreter. The next time I preach will be April 14. On the way home, we took some pictures of winter wheat that is looking very good. There is a lot of winter canola also and most of it is looking good from the road. It is nice to see the rolling fields covered in green!
With the beautiful weather, we were out working in the yard today. Shannon was pruning a number of trees in our yard and Scott was raking up the front area. Scott was even raking in short sleeves today. There is a lot of yard work to do, but at least it has begun. Shannon even found some tulips that have poked through the ground and are getting ready to show off some colors. Scott found what they think are peonies, so that will be great. The lilacs and some other trees are starting to bud, so here is hoping that Spring is here. It might be a little early yet, but we will appreciate each day.
As far as Christmas in February goes, we had some visitors from Canada to the farm from Sunday night to Tuesday morning and we knew them all. We met Dennis and Sandy from Lloydminster, AB last June after they had heard about us and made contact. We had visited with them a couple of times in their home. Sandy's brother, Richard, from Salmon Arm, BC, was also here. We had dinner with Richard and his daughter last June when we shared about Hope For Each in Salmon Arm. It was great to see friends from Canada and they came bearing gifts.
We received some things we take for granted and yet are not easy to find in Ukraine, if you even can. We received a bag of chocolate chips (you have to chop up bars of chocolate instead) and a 2 kg bag of brown sugar. The kind that we have in Canada is not available here.
They also brought popcorn kernels (lots of microwave popcorn is available here, but no kernels). Popcorn is one of our favorite treats. We also received some Hawkins Cheezies (one of Scott's favorite treats). Richard brought a ball cap for Scott to wear this year as we forgot to pack one. We were so blessed by their gifts and friendships! We all had lunch together Monday and then continued our time together at Garry and Teresa's Monday evening with supper, visiting and a game. A very special time!
Tomorrow morning we will be off to Kiev with Garry and Teresa to go to a Farm Show which is very large. We will take some pictures and share them when we get home. We will be travelling on what they call the "fast train" and it takes 6 hours to get to Kiev. We will see a bit of the city, spend the night in Kiev, visit the Farm Show and arrive back home on Thursday night. We are looking forward to seeing more of Ukraine.
That cycle seems to have broken and we have had much more sunshine lately and our snow is pretty much all gone except on some streets in Dnipro and in shelter belts. On Sunday, it was +8 C in the village and +6 C today, with lots of sun. On our farm here, the guys have been out with the plow on some of the fields that never got done last fall. The fertilizer has been applied to the winter wheat and the sun is shining! :)
This past Sunday I (Scott) preached at the church we attend in Dnipro. Misha was my interpreter. The next time I preach will be April 14. On the way home, we took some pictures of winter wheat that is looking very good. There is a lot of winter canola also and most of it is looking good from the road. It is nice to see the rolling fields covered in green!
 |
| Preaching at Morningstar Church in Dnipro |
 |
| Winter wheat |
 |
| Winter wheat |
With the beautiful weather, we were out working in the yard today. Shannon was pruning a number of trees in our yard and Scott was raking up the front area. Scott was even raking in short sleeves today. There is a lot of yard work to do, but at least it has begun. Shannon even found some tulips that have poked through the ground and are getting ready to show off some colors. Scott found what they think are peonies, so that will be great. The lilacs and some other trees are starting to bud, so here is hoping that Spring is here. It might be a little early yet, but we will appreciate each day.
 |
| Lots of work to do. |
 |
| Tulips poking through! :) |
 |
| Shannon pruning fruit trees |
 |
| Cutting away a dead branch |
As far as Christmas in February goes, we had some visitors from Canada to the farm from Sunday night to Tuesday morning and we knew them all. We met Dennis and Sandy from Lloydminster, AB last June after they had heard about us and made contact. We had visited with them a couple of times in their home. Sandy's brother, Richard, from Salmon Arm, BC, was also here. We had dinner with Richard and his daughter last June when we shared about Hope For Each in Salmon Arm. It was great to see friends from Canada and they came bearing gifts.
 |
| Adam (serves in Krivoy Rog), Richard, Dennis & Sandra |
We received some things we take for granted and yet are not easy to find in Ukraine, if you even can. We received a bag of chocolate chips (you have to chop up bars of chocolate instead) and a 2 kg bag of brown sugar. The kind that we have in Canada is not available here.
They also brought popcorn kernels (lots of microwave popcorn is available here, but no kernels). Popcorn is one of our favorite treats. We also received some Hawkins Cheezies (one of Scott's favorite treats). Richard brought a ball cap for Scott to wear this year as we forgot to pack one. We were so blessed by their gifts and friendships! We all had lunch together Monday and then continued our time together at Garry and Teresa's Monday evening with supper, visiting and a game. A very special time!
 |
| After supper at Garry & Teresa's |
 |
| Focused on the game. |
Tomorrow morning we will be off to Kiev with Garry and Teresa to go to a Farm Show which is very large. We will take some pictures and share them when we get home. We will be travelling on what they call the "fast train" and it takes 6 hours to get to Kiev. We will see a bit of the city, spend the night in Kiev, visit the Farm Show and arrive back home on Thursday night. We are looking forward to seeing more of Ukraine.
Comments
Post a Comment