First things first...

Ok, I have to get this out of the way - Hi Mom! We're safe. I'm being good...mostly!

What gorgeous scenery we've seen so far. Just look at the Swiss Alps from the plane! I'm so excited to be here! We came in the long way in - from Hungary we went into Slovakia (for less than an hour) and then on into Ukraine. By the time it was all said and done, I believe that most of us had been up for close to 30 hours straight. I know that I didn't get much sleep on the plane, and the crazy Ukrainian drivers (Hungarian drivers, Slovakian drivers.....) didn't help much on the bus either. We're taking today to rest and recharge before jumping head first into work tomorrow. I've been able to use a little bit of my Russian so far, and have convinced Vova to teach me some Ukrainian and his wife Carmen to teach me some Romanian. So far, I've learned the word for pen (Ручка in Ukrainian which is the same as Russian and pix in Romanian). It's made some interactions easier, as many Ukrainians speak Russian as well.

This group of people is amazing! Susan, our fearless leader, has put together a great team who I believe are going to be a blast to get to know. We're keeping each other on our toes, that's for sure! I'm not sure, though, if Vova and Carmen quite know what to do with us....

Last night, in Hungary, we had the pleasure of eating at a fine dining establishment - Buffalo Bill's Western Restaurant! With saddles instead of barstools, Native American dreamcatchers on the walls, a mounted bison head, and fried fried fried food (except for the Hungarian goulash), it was almost as if we'd never left Oklahoma! The language barrier, however, was an even wider gulf than going from Woodward to Idabel.

I still haven't heard from the airline in Budapest. Hopefully, they will find my suitcase quickly and we can get it to Ukraine so that I have clothes. Thankfully, I listened to my wise team leader and packed an extra set of clothes in my carry on. I'll just have to use the Nehemiah Center's laundry service and switch off from day to day, washing what I wore that day each night.

Just keep us all in your prayers - Susan especially, as she has to keep us all in line, and I think she has her hands full!