Annunciation.   Thursday evening

After our last post, Mark and I walked in the drizzling rain to St Sophia's Cathedral so we could pray there. The entrance we used was for the museum and since it was late, we decided to leave and come back tomorrow so we could have the whole tour.  Leaving Saint Sophia's, I felt sad. I felt like I needed some holy wisdom and I felt distant from God. I know that when I feel distant from God, it's clearly my fault, but it can be hard to know what to do about it other than being still and praying 

We wanted to pray, so when we saw another cathedral nearby we went there. It is the cathedral of St Michael's and you can see it behind me in the photo. When we went in, I felt at home. There were chanters singing in Russian and I could understand a few phrases such as lord have mercy.  The church has a beautiful interior with lovely painted icons and candles burning. There were many people coming in to pray for a few minutes and then leaving. It was peaceful and calmed my spirit.

The first icon that Mark and I each noticed was the icon of the annunciation. Today is the "old calendar" feast of the annunciation. Maybe seeing that particular icon today, the day of our SDA appointment is a way that God is letting us know that we are going to be parents ( of three  redheaded kids!?). Maybe not, who can know the mind of God, but we both saw it a a good sign.

We are still worried, we both have headaches from the pollution and cigarette smoke everywhere,  we are  not at peace about  our path, but we have wonderful people helping us here and most importantly, even when we don't feel it and seem to be literally walking away from wisdom (Sophia), we are in God's hands and can choose to trust in His care.

Friday morning, updating from the Underground Mall

Last night Mark and I went to the Irish pub that is under our apartment for dinner. I had a delicious Irish stew which mark ordered fish in honor of annunciation. He wasn't a bit flustered when it arrived complete with scales and a mouthful of teeth. He said it was delicious, too.

We have a very nice apartment in a great location. We're next to the Golden Gate which is where the old gate to the city was. The gate has been rebuilt many times and is visible from our balcony.

We had crepes and cafe americano for breakfast and are having a leisurely morning. Ok, we slept in really late and are moving slow, but it's ok.

We'll stay in Kiev until Sunday evening so we'll have more time to sightsee and relax more before meeting the children. We expect to take an overnight train Sunday evening to the region where the orphanage is. We'll meet the youngest boy on Monday. wow!