This morning we all slept in. We didn't have anywhere to be until 11 am and Justin wasn't feeling well (apparently the party life is too much for him). So we laid low waiting to hear from our guide about where to be and when. We finally left the hotel around noon and headed for the passport office for what was supposed to be a quick stop. It was not. The computers were frozen. This seems to be a common problem here. So we sat, stood, and walked around for 3 hours while the computers were fixed and the giant line of disgruntled people made their way through the office.
But we got what we needed so no need to focus on the long wait. It was a gorgeous day. I mean really gorgeous. And Justin has been super chill about all of the boring paperwork so it was a very pleasant wait. As luck would have it we ran into the Sister missionaries here in Poltava while we were waiting. Boy were they excited to see us cheery Americans. They asked if we had time to walk to the branch meeting house. We didn't so they gave us a card with the address and their number.
After the passport office we had 3 more stops to make. Again, no lunch. No one even mentions lunch. When we all get back in the car between offices we frequently hear, "I know you might be hungry but there isn't time now, we will eat later." It made me think of my mom's favorite saying while on vacation: "You can sleep when you're dead." Except when you substitute food for sleep it becomes, "You don't eat you'll be dead," so it's not as funny... at least in the moment of hunger.
At 5 pm we finally finished our errands for the day and went to have dinner. Tonight was Italian. As always, very tasty.
Wouldn't you know it, as we were sitting there at our dinner table along came a pair of Elders strolling down the street. Seeing two sets of missionaries for the first time during our travels in the same day? Hmmm...
Our guide has been to Utah several times and is familiar with the missionaries so we started talking about church. Justin started asking questions and said, "We will go to church every Sunday?" Realize of course attending a Sunday service at a Ukrainian Orthodox church is just a wee bit different than what most Americans experience at church on Sunday. It's not exactly a "youth group" kind of feel. We decided it might be a good idea to visit the branch and show Justin around before church on Sunday (we plan to attend the ward in Kiev). So when we called the Sister missionaries we asked if we could just meet them at the branch after dinner. The Sisters had an appointment but arranged for the Elders and one of the local youth to meet us.
After dinner we took a taxi right to the branch. It was much more impressive than the branch we had attended in Tver. They did not have their own building, but everything inside was there: the chapel, relief society room, primary room, nursery, even a room for a ping pong table (we'll count that as the cultural hall).
The Elders teach some English at the branch building. My favorite is "Do less bad stuff." After 2 years away from English speakers, the Elder's English starts to slip a little...
Justin's favorite room in the building I am sure. My ping-pong skills are a little rusty.
We had a good time and visited with the Elders for a while. When we left Justin said, "They are nice boys. Very good." It was time well spent. Hopefully he wont dread going to church on Sunday now.
After our visit we came back to the hotel. Justin asked to message his friends on VK. He was laying on his bed down the hall when I called the kids to Skype. The moment he heard their voices he came scurrying into the room and enthusiastically said, "Hi Caity!" Tonight he held a conversation with Drew for a minute (all about Sprite, Cola drinks are a rare treat in our family and Drew had scored one as a daily prize today). I loved seeing my kids so excited to talk to each other. Squeezy-heart moment.
And now it is off to bed once again. Tomorrow we drive to Kiev for the weekend.
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