Nov 22: Thanksgiving in Ukraine

(If you haven't already, be sure to take a look at the other post from today, with William's acting debut!)

11/22/07: Jonathan picked us up at 7:30 on Thursday morning and we drove to Berdyansk. We arrived around 8:45 and were greeted by Heather, Maya and Sasha. We visited, talked, played, and had coffee. Heather's parents had recorded the Macy*s parade last Thanksgiving and sent it over, so we watched it for a while. Zack read some Thanksgiving and Christmas books to the girls, and they did a Thanksgiving craft.

Around 12:30 it was time for lunch. Turkey is not a common thing to serve in Ukraine, but a man in the next village over had raised and 'prepared' a turkey for the Powells. Heather, always the wonderful cook, had gone all out for Thanksgiving. Along with the home-grown turkey, we enjoyed stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, and homemade rolls. Everything was delicious!

Shortly after lunch the girls went down for a nap, and we enjoyed some coffee and pumpkin pie. After the girls got up, we went for a ride down to a different part of the shore. We saw a boat that was run aground into the rocks during the recent storms. Some of the old cement barrier walls had crumbled as well.

After that, we drove into town and went to a place called Neon. It's an indoor "zoo" - mainly aquariums of fish and reptiles. It was a nice way to spend some time out.


We went back to their place and munched on leftovers. We played play*do with the girls for a while. Then Zack and I got on the computer for an hour or so. We talked to some of our family through Skype. We played some more with the girls, then they went to bed. We watched a couple of episodes of Friends before laying down for the night.

It was different from any Thanksgiving we'd ever had before, but by far I think it is our most memorable Thanksgiving ever, and definitely a good one! We had much to be thankful for: that God led us to meet the Powells; for friendships that are built on and because of Him; for blessing us by leading us to our son in Ukraine; for keeping us safe on our journey; for protecting our son for his first 5 1/2 years; for family and friends back home that were supporting us through love, prayers, emails, and finances; and of course most importantly for a Savior who died so that we might live. Half a world away from the land where we'd normally celebrate this day, we went to bed feeling blessed and encouraged, and once again re-energized by the time spent with our "Ukraine family".