The latest eReport is up! You can read it here. Also, don’t forget to check out this week’s photo album, which contains pictures of our hike up Mount Parashka.
On top of Parashka!
New eReport
August 28th, 2010Ministry Videos and a Baby Update
August 17th, 2010Josh Steele just uploaded three new videos about the ministry here in Ukraine. The first one is about our outreach during the second week of July. The second one chronicles the last few weeks’ travels in the Carpathians. The third video shows you who is the boss around here, or at least, who was the boss… ;)
On the Baby front, Katelin and I went in for her first checkup (if you don’t count the ultrasound that was done a few months ago). I’m sure Katelin will fill you all in on the details later, but the short version of the story is that Katelin and Baby Day are both healthy. However, we did find out that Katelin’s blood is Rh-, whereas mine is Rh+. At this point, that does not really affect us, but it does have the potential to make future pregnancies a little more complicated.
The cutest 22-week baby tummy this side of the Atlantic!
August Adventures
August 5th, 2010
July Update
July 21st, 2010Katelin’s Kronicles – July 2010
July 19th, 2010Note: I (Katelin) have decided to merge my Katelin’s Kronicles e-mail newsletter with Nathan’s blog. Because of the 128 newsletter recipients and my recent difficulty in sending out my last newsletter via my Yahoo e-mail account, I will be posting Katelin’s Kronicles here. I have made sure that everyone who was on my newsletter list has been added as a blog subscriber. Again, if you do not wish to be notified of our blog updates, please unsubscribe. (It won’t hurt our feelings at all.)
Carpathian Mountain Outreach (CMO) began at the beginning of June and has brought some change to our daily lifestyle. (For more information about CMO, please click here: http://euroteamoutreach.org/) Every day, Nathan has been busy helping to lead the team of young men (more about them below.) On week days, he is out the door at 7:30 a.m. for team meeting and then literature distribution in the city and surrounding areas. He must decide what areas to work in each day, what means of public transportation is required to get there, and have maps ready for each team member. The literature is placed in apartment mail boxes (it is legal here) or on house gates in surrounding villages. Each pamphlet invites Ukrainians to join our Bible correspondence course, for which they can sign up via the mail. During the weekends, the team has been showing the film Fireproof in villages 2-3 hours outside of L’viv. This requires meeting with the village leaders ahead of time, in order to schedule the showing and receive access to the cultural building. Also, film invites must be passed out to each house during the weekend preceding the showing. The team rides public transportation to the village, passes out film invitations for the next weekend’s showing, and tries to find a relatively flat and “rock-less” spot to camp overnight. Armed with 35 lb. backpacks, these guys are hard to miss! The next day, Sunday, the team sets up their equipment in the cultural building and waits to see who will come. Thus far, some villages have been very receptive, with a high attendance, while other villages have canceled the showing for various reasons. Correspondence Bible course literature is also made available at the film showing for those who are interested in studying the Word of God for themselves. This also allows our team in L’viv to maintain contact with the villagers. Monday is a “day off” for all team members, during which time Nathan attends to personal matters, knocks off a few items from his ever-lengthy to do list, and spends time with me!
Passing out invitations for the correspondence course.
Ready for a trip to the mountains!
Fire masters at work
So, what do I do every day while Nathan is gone? My morning goal is to send Nathan out our door fed and happy! I make breakfast for him before he leaves and pack him a sack lunch and a water bottle to enjoy during the day. I also try to make sure that my goodbye kiss will last him until he arrives home in the evening! :) My daytime hours are filled with keeping our home clean and tidy, managing laundry, studying Ukrainian, writing e-mails, handling mail from our correspondence students, preparing supper, making sure that Nathan has some “cave time” when he gets home, and all the little things that tend to pop up in my day. For example, on Tuesdays, I plan our menu, make a shopping list, go to the market for produce, shop at the grocery store, and meet with our Ukrainian friends for English Club. On other days, I help with our correspondence course by collecting the mail from the post office, entering new students into the database, filling envelopes with the students’ next lesson, and mailing books. Between home and team responsibilities, I stay pretty busy!
Dinner at our apartment with some of the CMO guys.
Because Nathan is away during the day, I have had to learn to be a little more aggressive in using my language in public. If we need something and I have the language to communicate or the time to run the errand, I get the job! It has been very good for me. I am very comfortable walking to our farmer’s market and interacting with the vendors to buy our produce for the week. Usually, I carry home 40 lbs. of fresh food! I also get my workout! Speaking of language, my teacher, Veronica, has gone to the Black Sea for a month, meaning that I have a long break from language lessons. I have been thoroughly enjoying the break and the opportunity to pursue other interests. While she is gone, it is my goal to review all of the material that I’ve learned thus far and fill in whatever gaps I find. As of yet, I have hardly touched my books! However, I know that I need to crack down and get busy with the two remaining weeks that I have until she returns.
A glimpse into our local farmer's market
Home from the market!
Sometimes it’s difficult to try to explain exactly where I am in the language (because I’m still figuring out how big of a task it is.) I feel like I have a very good foundation in grammar and understand the “whys” behind different endings. Although my speaking (getting the correct sentence from my brain out my mouth) is slow in coming, I have what it takes, minus the speed! ;) I can now listen to an average conversation and understand about 50%. That’s more than I could understand three months ago! So, although language learning is one baby step at a time and it’s often difficult to see any change, I am encouraged to know that it IS happening!
This year, the 2010 CMO team is comprised of a unique group of fellows. By the end of the summer, six men will have served in Ukraine. Three of the guys (all in their 20s) have participated in CMO in the past. The other three (all 17 years old) are the new guys on the block. It’s always interesting to watch how the team dynamic changes with the arrival and departure of each team member. It’s also fun to see how each guy grows and matures throughout the summer.
Benjamin, Bryan, Nathan - CMO alumni!
Church service with most of our team
July has been a hot month for the CMO team. With average temperatures in the 80s, being outside most of the day, and non-air-conditioned housing or transportation, let’s just say that these guys have “sweated out their eyeballs” on more than one occasion! Being from Houston, I thought that nothing could top Houston’s summer heat and humidity. But now, I’m beginning to think that L’viv can compete with Texas! For several weeks, I wondered how the 80s in L’viv could feel hotter than the 90s in Houston, but I think it all boils down to the humidity here and the lack of air conditioning. In our apartment, we have two floor fans that are our best friends! They move around the house with us. There are some benefits to the heat, one being that my laundry dries on the line in no time at all! Between our fans, showers, and smoothies we are able to make it! Although I know we’re all dreaming about winter! ;)
Wheat fields outside of L'viv
Speaking of winter, that’s when we’re looking forward to meeting our little one! I am 18 weeks along and feeling much better than I was at 6 weeks! (Gratefully, my morning sickness only lasted for six weeks.) It’s taken me a little time to get my full energy back, but I’ve had a lot more “umph” lately. However, I still like my afternoon nap! ;) I’m just showing a little bit and have only gained six pounds since the pregnancy began. Right now most of my regular clothes still fit, but I’m thankful for and looking forward to the arrival of a box of maternity clothes that my Mom and other “personal shoppers” have sent over!
For all of you who have been asking for a picture, here you go! I'm still pretty small!
On other days, I seem to show a bit more.
As far as prenatal care and a delivery doctor goes, let me explain my understanding of the birthing situation in Ukraine. Midwifery is illegal here and therefore a home birth is not an option for us. :( Also, we have yet to hear of a “private clinic” in L’viv. All of the prenatal care and delivery facilities are state-run. Unlike in America, Ukrainian women go to two facilities and have two doctors over the course of their pregnancy. The first part is their prenatal care (blood/urine analysis, ultrasounds, etc.) done at whatever hospital they choose with a doctor who works at that hospital. About 8 months along, the expectant Mom will begin looking for her delivery hospital and doctor (usually this is done by word of mouth from trustworthy acquaintances.) She must submit paperwork from her prenatal doctor, which states to the delivery doctor that she has been cared for accordingly and is in good health, ready to deliver.
Looking forward to meeting our baby!
Feeling good these days!
Because Nathan and I are most concerned about the delivery doctor/facility, we have gone about everything backwards! We started asking friends to recommend a trustworthy delivery doctor. At thirteen weeks, we met with one doctor with whom we are planning to deliver with, at this point. Nathan asked the doctor our “priority” questions, we saw the hospital, and had an ultrasound. The doctor wanted to see me around 20 weeks for a full check-up and then he will recommend a good prenatal doctor/clinic. Between our initial meeting and our next visit, he wanted me to be weighing myself and having my blood pressure taken each week. (Thanks to an American nurse friend here, I haven’t had to go to a local clinic just to have my blood pressure taken!) After the next meeting with our delivery doctor, we will have all of our prenatal care done with the gynecologist he recommends (or with whomever else we choose) and then return to him for oversight and care toward the end of the pregnancy. So, it has been an adventure! We’ve learned what can be expected in a country of socialized medicine and what questions must be asked. Of course, Nathan has been doing all of the research, setting up of the meetings, translation, etc. He’s definitely an involved father-to-be! :)
The last main point of interest in our family was a ten-day separation for Nathan and me. No worries…we’re not having marital troubles! Quite the opposite-we’re more in love and appreciative for each other after our time apart. Nathan and the team of guys traveled 18 hours, by train, to a city in eastern Ukraine called Dnipropetrovsk. They were invited by an American missionary, who works in the Dnipropetrovsk area, to distribute literature for our correspondence course. It was an interesting experience, since they have never done anything quite so far away or for so long. While Nathan was gone, being a faithful soldier and sweating his pores out, I tried to keep busy so I wouldn’t be too lonely. I was able to accomplish many of my “someday” projects, organize and clean areas of our home, spend time with the local missionaries, and enjoy a few Skype calls to America. Nathan and I missed each other A LOT!! I think we were more excited to be reunited at the L’viv train station than we were meeting at the Houston airport before our wedding! ;) It was a challenging “marathon” to run, but through it all, I was made more grateful for my husband, our joyful life together, and the strength and security he is for me! Oh, and I’m glad the trip is over!! :)
Waiting for Nathan's train at the station...I was one HAPPY WIFE!
Home sweet home!
Well, that’s all the news I have for now. If you have made it to the bottom of this Kronicle, I congratulate you!
~Katelin :)
June update
June 24th, 2010
Yeah, it looks like everyone else's ultrasound, but this is OUR baby!
After I cleaned out the cooling fan in my computer, Jessie asked me to clean out his. It was dirty!
Teresa's computer was even worse, despite not being used as much. (And some of the lint even got scraped off before this picture was taken!)
We recently bought a water filter like this (minus the cool lighting feature in the base) so we wouldn't have to buy purified water anymore. The rate of return on this investment is 188%, which means it will pay for itself in less than 7 months. I wish I could make investments like this more often!
For those of you who may not have heard, ETO recently got itself a YouTube channel. You can watch videos of what is going on in Ukraine here.
ETO also writes a weekly report on its activities. I wrote the current report and you can read it here. You can subscribe to our reports on the same page. Just look for the “Subscribe to the ETO eReport!” icon in the top right corner.
Babysitting and a Birthday
May 28th, 2010Recently Katelin and I watched the Steele’s children for a few days while they went to Krakow, Poland. They were able to get some document needs taken care of, as well as some shopping.
Abigail helping Katelin do the dishes.
"But Uncle Nathan, that doesn't go there!"
One of the Steele's purchases for the Babysitters. Just think, in 7 more months, there will be a little person inside that outfit. Now that's a scary thought! :)
Two years of hands?!?
Ah! There's the rest of the message!
Yours truly is getting older! That’s another scary thought! (And yes, I do realize 26 is only scary to those of you who are under 26. The rest of you just wish you could be 26 again!)
Wedding Guest Portraits
May 13th, 2010In honor of our six-month anniversary, we decided to post some pictures of… our wedding guests! You can see the pictures here.
Note: Not all of the families/individuals who attended our wedding had a “portrait” taken. If you remember having your picture taken, your photo will most likely be in this group. We did not label the pictures because we figured that you would know who you are! :) Enjoy! Many thanks to the Riddell Family for their photography.
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Nathan with a ____ ________.
May 10th, 2010That’s right, forget getting myself a new bike for Christmas, I’m going to be spending that money on a baby carriage. ;) Real quick, due date is about a week before Christmas, so it’s likely that something besides a mouse will be stirring at our house Christmas Eve. Katelin has been dealing with some morning sickness the last couple weeks. But other than that, Katelin is fine. If you ladies want more details, you’ll have to ask Katelin. ;)
I wrote the previous, Katelin wrote the following:
Nathan and I are expecting our first little Day this year! I’m 8 weeks along. Due date is around Dec. 18th. It was with excitement and uncertainty that we waited and waited and finally confirmed our suspicions with a home pregnancy test! Two lines! :) We’ve been sitting on the news for awhile…planning to tell everyone on Mother’s Day.
So, far I’m doing pretty good! I made it to 6 weeks with no problems and THEN the nausea and morning sickness hit. Gratefully, it only seems to affect me in the mornings. I have great days where I am up and moving and then I have worse days when I stay in bed until my Ukranian lesson at 4 p.m. I do alot of studying in bed these days! I’ve also been REALLY sleepy and a daily nap is a must if I am to make it to 10 p.m. bedtime. Nathan has been very supportive and helpful…he is getting good a making his own breakfast again! ;) I’m still trying various things to help with the nausea and try to find what seems to work consistently. I eat little bits throughout the day, but it is rare that any food sounds good (except for corn chips which we can only get in Poland!!) I’m looking forward to this phase being over! At this point, we are planning to have the baby in Ukraine. We still need to do alot of asking around to our missionary friends and Ukrainian friends and find out what our prenatal and birthing options are! Anyway, seven months seems like it is going to go by quickly! :) The news is out and you’re welcome to tell anyone else. Thank you for rejoicing with us and praying for the health and safety of the baby!