Our Second Trip to Ukraine

Hello Everyone,

We have enjoyed some unusual experiences while biding our time here in Oleksandria.

There is a farmer-owned zoo about 30 minutes from town that we visited a few days ago. They had a variety of animals including huge boa constrictors, monkeys, chimpanzees, a skunk, a big cat, wolves, lions and even bears! We were told it was free of charge, but bananas and cookies would be a nice gesture to feed the animals. This was not like an American zoo!

What a great time! The monkeys screeched when they realized we had snacks and they all held out their hands! Ben was so excited to touch their fingers! The grizzly bears were in a cage that had a 4 foot pipe leading into it from where we were standing. We dropped the cookies down the pipe and the bears ate them up. Then they stood up and begged for more. I never realized how cute they are! (We were pretty close to them.) We saw the lions on the way out and they looked healthy and well fed. (Not quite sure what they feed them...)

Giles had a birthday on the 8th. I prayed that I could find an apple dessert for him (my oven doesn't work) and to our surprise, the orphanage ladies made him a special apple pie! They also sang Happy Birthday in english and many of the children and the pastor prayed for him. Anna and Ben gave him homemade cards. Giles said it was the best birthday ever!

We are planning to travel to Paltava on Tuesday to visit Ben's doctor and nurses that he is so fond of. The pastor of the local church here has a big van and he is willing to drive us. It's about a 3 hour trip each way so that will take the whole day.

Tomorrow we will do some clothes shopping for Chris and Anna. That may be a challenge, because we have to eyeball the sizes and make our best guess! We must get them some things to wear because upon leaving the orphanage, they have to leave all their clothes behind.

Take care everyone! And thanks so much for your emails!