I'm here!

Sorry for my lack of posts this week, I flew back to Ukraine Monday afternoon, which means I landed Tuesday afternoon. I got a ride back from Kiev with Victor and his daughter Dasha, who had flown in the day before. We stopped along the way for a visit and home-cooked dinner with Victor's sister and mother (she's 82). The roads get really bad for a while before getting to their village, so it was slow going around Kremachuk but it improved in the Dnepropetrovsk region, where we met up with Garry by the big bull stature. I was home in bed by nine pm. (I would have gotten off the train in Dnepro after 11 pm).

Garry has been busy, they took delivery of a new plow the day before I arrived, and the guys have been busy plowing up the wheat fields. Today they made a deal on a used disc to work up other fields, like the sunflower ones that will be ready to do when the disc gets here next week. I am told it is neither light or heavy, so a medium size/weight disc. They have been looking at new and used ones all over Ukraine for the last month (or two), but they are buying the one they hired to work up our fields last fall.  They wanted to upgrade from the tillage machines we had to go with the new tractor. They sold the last load of wheat to the mill in Zaporosia that will pay for most of the disc. Wheat sales also paid for the plow. The price of wheat was 33 at harvest and they sold it at 48.5 this week. Our Quonset-type storage building was definitely a good idea. They got the shed all cleaned out this week, and did a little maintenance so they can store sunflower (seed)s until they sell it.

The combine driver who was so optimistic about the sunflower field while harvesting wheat started today on that field by the barn and says it is the best field he's ever combined. They had two tractors going back and forth with wagons to put it in the shed so he didn't have to wait long to dump it when he was full. Max had been reluctant to start because he was worried about the dryness, but they are testing at 6, and Garry tells me that 7 is dry.  We should be finished harvest (except corn) before the rain that's predicted for next week (if it comes). All the fields look good except one that had some problems with parasitic plants and fungus (part of that field was in sunflowers for a second year in a row.) We will be storing most of the crop to sell later. They may sell a couple loads for buying fertilizer for the wheat that will be planted this month, or after the rain comes (if it doesn't come next week).

This pile was much higher when we stopped by in the dark tonight

Today is September first, which the first official day of school in Ukraine, (and the first day of fall) so my facebook feed is full of pictures of kids at first day ceremonies. No, they don't really have class on the weekend, but many schools have the ceremony at nine am anyway! However, some schools will do it on Monday, the real first day this year.

We were at Just Youth in the park to celebrate the end of summer, games and a talk by Steve and snacks (I think our students all took extra cookies). Most of our guys and girls came with us, some of them say it's their favorite outing each month.


Garry and I are going to drive down to Odessa Monday to pick up Nellie, who's ready to rejoin us, just in time to translate for our classes.
Classes for our students will start next week, because this week we are having another retreat by the sea like last year. It's a good time to go, prices are down because everyone is back in school and summer is officially over, while it's hot enough to swim.
 Garry is preparing devotions about how God loves you anyway, our theme for the year. I am busy preparing to feed 15 people- breakfast, lunch and dinner for four days. Almost every student is coming, except our new parents and recently returned Julia and Dima,  since someone has to milk besides some of the staff, and the trip to the sea is a reward for a long summer of work they missed. However, we need a second car or van to transport everyone there and back, so they may come down on the last day.
Alona and the baby should make it home this week, he is gaining weight now. They  won't be coming even for the day, maybe Alona and Daniel will make it to next year's retreat.