Busy student life

Svitaslav and his foster dad on the couch

Our newest student for the coming fall, Svitaslav, arrived last week while we were gone. He came from a Christian foster home and visited here with his foster dad about two weeks ago, they came on the train from the eastern region. His foster father knows both of our group home dads. I had never met anyone by that name, Victor tells me it is an old-fashioned name, we aren't sure what we will call him, most Ukrainians have nicknames.

They had lunch with us (and Maria), and the dad said the soup was good
because there was more meat than potatoes

Student Saturday church choir is directed by group home mom Luda

Two of the girls at the "new house" have celebrated birthdays recently, with parties with food and cake, Valentina's 21st birthday fell on a Saturday, so they celebrated after student church.

Valentina last summer

 That's Valentina, the taller girl in purple. She has really bloomed since arriving and starting dental work and braces last winter. She has always had a ready giggling laugh.

Valentina now

Kristina celebrated her 19th birthday on Thursday. She brought Garry and I a little cake when we got back from Hungary because we missed the celebration.

Maria brought our present to the party. Kristina is a very pretty and popular girl, who came to us from a Christian group home. She hopes to student at a vet school after she finishes here next year.

There are some other new residents at the group homes this summer.

 Here is Milka the heifer from the new house, the girls can walk right up to her and hug her in the field with the village herd. Oxana is with her here, but all of the girls do it. her sister Vika has a dozen pictures on her phone with Milka.

The new house got two baby potbelly pigs last week.

Mowing day at the boys house

The boys house has bought baby chicks, they are the ones with no feathers on their necks.


We have another prospective male student visiting later this week, so we have three guys for next year so far... and Luba, I guess since she was only here about two months of last year... and the six girls and Andrey for year two.





The girls at the new house were busy with a lot of dill when we stopped in with visitors yesterday. The students work at home in the house and the gardens too.

Vika is peeling potatoes...

then she fed the peels to the piglets