We had a great weekend enjoying Kiev. We really like the city, it is very nice - nicer than any american big city- safe and clean. Saturday our tour person was sick so Chris and I went out on our own and walked around the city. We went to Indepence Square (the site of the Orange Revolution where the current pro-western president came into power after his poisoning). We also saw several churches and toured them. They are very beautiful with their gold domes and dating back to the 11th century (rebuilt in the 16th century after fires and wars). We ate at McDonalds for lunch as nothing is in english anywhere, so that was the only place we felt comfortable ordering. Chris said it was the first time he has ever had a big mac. Then we walked around to the mall and other statues. Chris saw someone with a Georgia Bulldog hat on, so he went up and talked with him, but he couldn't speak much English. We walked for a total of about 6 hours so we were worn out that evening.
Sunday, we had a driver named Nicolai take us and the other american couple that are adopting to some sites. We went to the caves monastery and toured the church, grounds, and underground tombs that are in the caves beneath the monastery. It was very interesting. We also saw an orthodox mass going on since it was Sunday morning - the place was packed. We also visited a WWII memorial (that was Chris' favorite part of the trip so far). It had lots of tanks and artillery and helicopters, etc. It also had large metal sculptures of people in battle. After that, Nicolai had to go be the godfather at a child's baptism, so we went along with him. It was just the baby's family and the godparents in a small Russian Orthodox chapel- and us 4 americans. I'm sure we stood out, but everyone was very nice and gracious to us. We felt honored to be a part of the occasion.
Last night we met our facilitator for the first time. He is the one that will be with us for the duration of the trip. His name is Igor, and we really like him. He is only 21, but he is very mature. He speaks perfect english and also is fluent in german and french. He is a journalist for the paper in Kiev. We think he will do a good job for us and feel fortuanate to have him. He took us to a salsa club and then on to a coffee house for a quieter place so we could talk.
We will leave tomorrow morning at 5am to head to the orphanage. We are really excited to meet the boys. We have had a lot of time this weekend to pray and talk about them. We've been a little nervous thinking about getting two at one time, and at those ages, but we have felt reassured by God that He won't give us more than we (with His help) can handle. We will let you know how the meeting goes!