I was overcome with emotion when buying flowers in the Ukraine today (July 2, 2022). The occasion for the flowers – I was going to see some friends – Misha’s parents. He is the pastor of the church that was planted in Russia. I had met them on various occasions when they visited him.
So, their son in law, Ivan, met me to help me get to their house. They live in a village off the beaten path. I told him I would like to buy flowers and chocolates to give them when I arrived. He stopped at a shop and they made the prettiest bouquet for me while I was trying to figure why I was flooded with emotion. They also had the chocolates.
When we arrived at their home I got out of the car and his father came out to greet me first. He kissed me on the neck several times and I hugged him. Then he grabbed both my hands and with tears in his eyes said, “Brother Kevin, I never thought I would see you here (in the Ukraine at his home). It seems like a miracle.” And he thanked me for coming. He also thanked God for making it possible.
Then his mother came out and I got the flowers out of the car and went to present them to her. She greeted me as a long, lost son. Hugging and kissing me. Then she accepted the flowers. I was a little taken aback by the range of emotions I was feeling. I was also glad it was mutual.
I spent the afternoon with them and had a great visit. I told them I would try to come again, but could not make any promises.
P. S.
The day before I took a bus about two hours to get to a larger city. Then it was necessary to figure out how to rent a car. That was an adventure in itself. Then I had trouble with the GPS on my phone. That was worrisome.
The name of the village is spelled “Lazy” in English. Easy enough.
My contact for this adventure was the son in law, Ivan. So, I called and told him I had arrived. That’s when I found out there were two different villages with that name and yes I went to the wrong one. Time to change the coordinates on the GPS and try again for parts unknown.
The phone had about 30% charge when I finally stopped to see exactly where I was. Absolutely no reception. I was convinced that I could get very lost with a dead phone and no way to get back.
The Ukraine is a great place. But this is not a good time to wander around aimlessly. So I called Ivan and told him I turned around and would try again tomorrow. He accepted this but told me if I could not figure out the GPS he would come to get me. I was two and a half hours away.
Thankfully I did much better the next day both driving in the country and figuring out the GPS. I actually downloaded the program on the GPS so it would work offline.