We have been in Kherson one week. It's been a big adjustment for all of us. We are in temporary housing: it's a 2-bedroom apartment on the 7th floor. Yes, the elevator works, though one has to buy an elevator card to make it work. One ride is about 3 cents. We are very grateful for a big grocery store right next to our apartment complex. There is also a big market behind the grocery store, and it's great for buying household items and non-perishable items. Julia and Nadia toured the meat section and saw quite a selection of all kinds of meats, including liver, kidneys, tongues, as well as chicken and pig feet and pig heads. As there is no refrigeration in the market, we have to forgo the wonderful selection.

Something else to get used to is to plan our daily schedule around water schedule. For a reason unknown to us water in most parts of the city comes on at 6 am till 9 am, then from noon-2 pm and from 5-10 pm. Now we schedule baths, showers, laundry and bathroom trips. Julia had to relearn her dishwashing techniques, since there is only cold water in the kitchen. After a week we have it down.

However, all these idiosyncrasies do not dampen our joy of being here and working with the church. We worshiped with our brothers and sisters last Sunday, and we are excited for our new Trinity Reformed Presbyterian Church - Kherson. As of last Wednesday, the church is a new owner of a plot of land with hopes to begin building in the fall.

The pictures were taken yesterday from our apartment window. Poor visibility is not smog, it's a sandstorm! We have heard that this is the first sandstorm in 40 years.

And last but not least, we have cable internet! The installation process was a story in and of itself, but it's done and we are able to communicate again.