Blizzard in Belarus

Glenn and I are in Belarus visiting one of our families for a few days, and then we head to Ukraine to visit a few more. Glenn visited Belarus for the first time in 2005 on a mission trip with our home church in Marietta and that was the first step that led us to where we are now!

We stayed the first two nights in the Tourist Hotel. By law, we had to stay the first night in the country in a hotel so that we could be legally registered with the government.

We were on the 15th floor and this is the view out the window. There were 4-6 inches of snow on the ground but the government does an excellent job of clearing snow off the streets and sidewalks, including this plaza.

Notice the steam plant in the background? Most of the buildings, especially the large government buildings and the apartment buildings are heated by steam so there are steam plants throughout the city pouring who-knows-what into the air.

Notice the large building in the foreground? That is the Belarus Mall. Rather than having many different stores, it is a large department store with a grocery store as it's anchor.

It's freezing cold here! The temperature is -22 degrees celsius, which is -7.5 degree fahrenheit. I have never experienced temperatures as low as these, but the good news is that I am finally getting some use out of all those thermal long johns I bought 5+ years ago!

Recognize this mall from a former photo? I thought you might like to see how Belarus is spelled with cyrillic letters. Most Belarusians are bilingual, speaking both Belarusian and Russian.

One afternoon, Dawn, Phillip, Glenn and I zipped over to the Belarus Mall to look for a big furry hat for me, something I've wanted for a long time. Fortunately, they were having a 50% off sale! Unfortunately, I look too goofy in hats to spend the $90 (or 745,854 rubles, and that's the half off price!) for a hat I'd probably never wear.

On Sunday afternoon, we went with Phillip and Dawn to one of the "younger" churches to worship. The service started at 2:00 pm because they meet in the same building as another church.

As a side note, in 2005 when Glenn and I thought we were headed to Belarus as missionaries, we began taking Russian language classes in Atlanta, meeting on Wednesday evenings for 2 hours. I don't remember a lot from those lessons, but I was able to recognize and read the word seminary

above! It's the word that starts with c-e-m. Thanks, pastor Ken!

Glenn and I were able to schedule this trip to Belarus in conjunction with our pastor Ken's mission trip to Belarus and so we were blessed to be able to see him! The pastor of the church is Dima, on the left. Ken is to the right of him, and then there's Glenn and me, and Seth, Dawn, Anna and Phillip. What an awesome picture! As George said on Seinfeld, our two worlds collided! Our pastor from America standing next to one of our families here in Belarus!

Ken preached the message and then after church, we went out for a small dinner and a cup of coffee. It was really good to see him and we appreciate what he brings to the people of Belarus. He comes twice a year to train and encourage the local pastors, complementing the work that Dawn and Phillip do the rest of the year.

While we were in town we had time to do a little sightseeing. This is a memorial honoring the Jews who were lined up, naked, and dropped down into a pit in the Jewish ghetto by the Nazi's during WWII.

The red awnings are on the windows of one of the 5 or 6 McDonald's in Minsk. Why eat at McDonald's when there are so many other good Belarusian places to eat???

I believe this is the Parliament building.

There was a HUGE outdoor ice skating rink that was free and open to the public. Really cool. No, I mean it was really COLD!

The National Library is located on the outskirts of town. It is the pride and joy of Belarus, and is supposed to be the largest library in Europe. It is really a research library, rather than a community library where the average family goes to check out books for pleasure reading.

We took a drive (rather, a wrong turn) and ended up out in the country but we didn't mind at all because the scenery was gorgeous; tiny sparkling diamonds scattered across the fields reflecting the sun's rays. Along the road for a mile or so were these wooden crosses encircling a forest. During the Stalin era, political dissidents were gathered and taken out to the forest and killed.

Dawn and Phillip received another visa allowing them to stay in the country for another year while we were there and each year when this happens, they celebrate by going out to dinner at TGI Fridays. We celebrated with them, enjoying a nice American meal before ...

going to the Minsk airport and flying to Ukraine, which is where we are NOW.

We are in Kiev, the capital city, until this Saturday morning, at which point we will head upcountry to Kharkov and then on to Donetsk, returning home on the 24th, just in time for a birthday call to our daughter, Kari.

Pictures coming next week of Ukraine. Until then, hope you have a great week!