Achoo!

As I sit here typing this, Shannon and Carson are laying down for a nap (mine was earlier). She is almost asleep on the couch; he is jabbering and talking to the wind blowing outside the bedroom window. Ahhhh, the wind. So inviting and welcome - the combination of wind and cloudy skies has made August much more fun there in Dnepropetrovs’k than in good ole’ Southeast Texas. Today’s high temperature? (factored for est. heat index) Around 70^oF; back home it’s more like 109^o. yeesh.

(UPDATE: at the time of posting this entry to the www, the current temperature is 66. niiiice.)

The only environmental downside for me is that my body seems to be rejecting this pleasant, welcoming Ukrainian city. In the last two days, I’ve been (on occasion) sneezy and sniffly, with itches in my eyes and the back edge of my palate. I’m not sure what’s going on here. Shannon tells me what I’m experiencing is something called “allergies”; I have heard mention of this, but to this point, have not been able to experience it. I would like to return or exchange it for something else, please.

"Hey buddy, can you spare a brother some nettle?"

Fortunately, we have something I can take for it that will counteract all this loveliness in no time; I’m also eating local honey like crazy, though I admit that I would do that anyway.

In other news, we have just three more visits with Anton and Lena before our court date when the judge will award the kids to us and make us legally parents of five! Please join us in praying for a great outcome. Who knows? We may even get to bring the kids home on this first trip if the Lord so ordains another miracle. Otherwise, it’s back home for about a week, and then Shannon and Carson will make another journey back here to set the prisoners free and bring the solitary into our family!