Merry Christmas!

The snow was beautiful. Everyone safely arrived. Here are some pictures from the day.

Where is Paul??? Behind the camera!

The 4th Sunday in Advent

A living nativity was staged at our church this past weekend. Larry was the angel Gabriel on both Friday and Saturday.
On Sunday night, the live nativity was held from 5-6:30. Then there were treats inside before the music concert. Marlys played hand bells, the choir sang with a brass quintet and the praise band accompanied some of the music too. It was a night of beautiful music ending with the Hallelujah Chorus!

We send Christmas greetings to all who read this blog. May you know the Christ of Christmas as your Savior and Lord.

Baking Cookies

Well, I managed to bake cookies with each of my grand children this year. The picture shows Genevieve with her finished gingersnaps. She was a big help rolling the balls of dough in the sugar. Mom took Vivienne out for the afternoon. Pat's family baked roll out ginger cookies and oatmeal drop cookies. Paul's family made spritz. I like the interaction with the kids. Hope there are still a few left to eat on Christmas.

Winter

Winter has arrived in Minnesota. It seemed like as soon as December arrived, so did the cold weather and snow. We love the snow but the really cold weather is like January. But as Minnesotans we take it in stride and enjoy the beauty that God has given us.

It has been so fun to decorate for Jesus' Birthday. Some of the baking is done but I haven't started my Christmas letter. Hopefully, that will be finished soon.
In the meantime, we wish you the joy of knowing Jesus as your Savior so that Christmas has a special place in your heart.

Sunday School Christmas Program

Last weekend was the Sunday School Christmas program at our church. The children did a wonderful job of presenting the message that it isn't just a great time of year, but it is the birthday of the King - Jesus! They sang with enthusiasm and endured three hours of wearing sometimes uncomfortable costumes. We had a great showing of kids. I didn't take a class photo until after the last service, so I missed many of my students, but here is a sampling of the group.

Thanksgiving 2009

This was a sickly Thanksgiving for our family. Those of us who gathered were the healthy ones. But half the group was sick. We had planned to gather at Paul's house but their whole family was sick including mom and dad. So at the last minute we moved the party to Grandpa and Grandma Wilson's. Grandma had already cooked a turkey to bring to Paul's as a second. So that was done. Everybody was bringing something so we just exchanged sweet potatoes for mashed potatoes and the menu was set. Grandma, Genevieve and Vivienne provided the female component and the rest were 'men.' Both other daughter-in-laws stayed home under the weather too. There was plenty of food and plenty of wrestling too. Pete taught two new games which caught on. The computers got looked at and were working better when they left. We were all thankful that our health was good. We are looking forward to gathering at Christmas and hope that everyone will be able to be here.

Vivienne was a big hit with Pat's boys. Genevieve had the older boys' attention for the day. Pat got in a nap and so did JP. JP can sleep in the middle of the action because he just turns off his cochlear implant and falls asleep. Grandma got to hold the baby quite a bit, so she was happy too. Pete did a great job with his girls.

This picture of Vivienne was taken about a week later when she was eight weeks old.

Girls, Girls!!

Here's the newest picture of Genevieve and Vivienne from a proud Grandma.

Grandchildren!

Vivienne is almost 4 weeks old!

Grandma was able to visit Pete & Anne's girls today. Grandma and Gen went to the story time at the library. Then she watched both girls while mom had a little rest, uninterrupted for a change.


Gen is a Fairy Princess!

New Windows, New Weather

October is the season of colored leaves falling in the wind and rain. Usually. But not this year. We have had some beautiful days with some trees in beautiful colors. But today is the second day of snow!!! The first snowfall melted quickly. Today it is like a beautiful fairy land outside. The snow is coming down very gently. There is no wind and it feels mild outside. Our back yard trees still have green leaves. The big oak leaves form an umbrella so not as much snow is filtering down through them. The branches are all covered with an inch or more of snow. The grass is well covered. It is really strange to have the snow with the leaves. We expect that this will melt also in a day or so. But it is a peaceful experience right now.
I have included some pictures of our latest house project. We had windows and our patio door replaced. Hopefully you can see the snow out the window! The bathroom window is still in the process. Larry has to stain the new board and then varnish the window sill and frame. The others are completed and the curtains are back up. I am still putting back knick knacks and house plants. We hope that the new windows will make a difference in our heating bill this year.
We are still working on pictures of our trip and visiting Vivienne and her family. I may have a new picture to share tomorrow since I will take Gen to the library and hope to get another picture of Vivienne then.

Vivienne Joanne

She's arrived, healthy and beautiful as you can see in her first portrait for grandma. Born Oct. 1 7 lbs 14 oz 19 inches long
Mother, Dad, Genevieve and Vivienne are all doing fine.
Here is one of Gen's first pictures.

Copenhagen

The final leg of our travels was Copenhagen, Denmark. We had 24 hours to spend there. We chose a hostel only a few blocks from the train station and Tivoli Gardens in the downtown area. We got our room, a co-ed dorm room. No one else was put in our room, so it became ours.

We walked the 'pedestrian only' shopping street. The city hall square was filled with people. We realized that most of them were Asian or Mideastern - probably Muslims because it was the celebration at the end of Ramadan. A stage with music entertainment blared across the square. It was a happy time. Across the street we noticed lines of teenagers near Tivoli. As we walked down the street, no one was entering but the lines circled the block. We later found out that it was probably a rock concert in Tivoli.

We ate at Burger King (about $11 for one sandwich and one meal). The Americans behind us in line were in the city to start a cruise to Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland and Florida! We tried to pick out the other cruise people as we walked along.

The next morning we had a lucious breakfast at the hostel and then went out walking again. The buildings along the canals are very interesting as well as the fountains in the squares. It rained a little as we walked but was clearing when we headed to the airport. We visited the National Museum. Marlys took the English tour of early Danish history - Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age eras. Larry wandered the museum on his own. We had pizza and then headed to the airport.

Since arriving home, we have been sleeping. One suitcase was lost but arrived today. We hope the jet lag will lift soon.

Ukraine 4

The final trip in Ukraine was to visit Odesa on the Black Sea (which looked as blue as any other body of water). Viktor's family had lived here for many years and it was his wife's home town. The 4 hour drive south was on a good divided highway. We stayed in the seminary and had breakfast with the missionary family for the southern region. Alexander and Olga had three children.

On Saturday, Alex hosted the kickoff for three clubs in Odesa. They came together to have Awana games and Bible times.


There were more than 80 kids from 3 to 14. Leaders were from all three clubs. Half the children did games while the others did Bible games and story time. Then they switched. At the beginning they had prayer, a short Bible message and greetings from Viktor, the director of AWANA for Ukraine and me, a visitor from the AWANA club in Buffalo, MN. It was fun to watch all the activity. They were like the kids I work with. I just couldn't understand the words they said.

On Sunday we attended a large Baptist church in Odesa. What a surprise when the first preacher was an American who spoke with a translator. The second half of the service was a wedding. The bride spoke English so part of the service was in English. The music for the wedding was handbells! Besides the wedding, they also celebrated a 50th Anniversary that day. We felt right at home as we met Viktor's relatives and spoke with a few others who used English.

We got back to Kiev in the early evening so we could pack and get ready to leave on Monday.

Viktor and the other AWANA missionaries made us feel welcome, took time to show us their country and fed us physically and spiritually. We were very blessed.

Ukraine 3

Looking back on the next part of our trip, it was very meaningful because we visited the club that we support and the one which our church will support this year.
We met Maksim (Max), the missionary for the eastern regions of the country.

Max spoke excellent English. He drove us to Kozelchina to visit with Pastor Valentin and his family. This energetic pastor has led his congregation to renovate an old, broken building into a good-looking place of worship. A fireplace will warm the church this winter. Wood is much cheaper than gas for heating. The pastor's family has a large garden and several animals (pigs and chickens) which help supplement his meager salary. He and his wife have applied to make their home an orphanage, so he has remodeling projects at home too. His daughter captivated us with her outgoing personality.
Max took us to a Cossack museum with indoor and outdoor displays. The Cossack village from the 1500's has been the backdrop of movies. One character dressed as a Cossack scout brought the place to life with his stories.

We drove south almost to the Sea of Avov to Meritopol to meet with AWANA leaders in one of their homes. Most of the leaders are 18-25 years old and many of them have grown up in the program. They have a lot of enthusiasm and energy. They had prepared a scrapbook for us to bring back to Buffalo to our club. We shared how our clubs run. I left a DVD for them to watch of our club. We hope to keep in contact with them and pray for them as they pray for us.

We drove part way back to Kiev that night, stayed in a hotel. We picked up Max's wife and returned to Kiev on Friday afternoon.
Max was also a good nurse practicioner. He bought medicine for Larry who developed uncomfortable symptoms. We drove several hundred miles. Larry slept in the back of the car most of the way there and back.
We had an hour at Viktor's house and then we were on our way again.
Tell you about that tomorrow.
Marlys & Larry
P.S. Across from the restaurant where we ate our lunch was a park with this fountain. We had to wake Larry up to see the rotating ball!

Ukraine 2

We are just back to Kiev from the western part of the country. Sergey is the AWANA missionary for this area. He drove us with Viktor and his daughter, Vika, to Lvov. We stopped overnight near Rivne. Going in this direction we saw many farms and forests. The land became more hilly and they told us the mountains were just beyond Lvov.
The weather was warm and comfortable but we did have rain one night. We spent two nights in Lvov at a hotel resort in the woods. Each day we went into Lvov to sight see. The old city is very much like other European cities including Prague. Huge older buildings line the streets. Cobblestones with trolley tracks make driving a very bumpy ride. We took a sightseeing train around the city. It came with English headphones. That really helped us get a sense of the history of the town.

On the way to Lvov we saw an old castle on the hill. We drove through farms to reach the castle. It is being repaired and was not open. We could walk all around it and take pictures of the building and its moat. There was also an old Catholic church across the road from the castle.

Lvov is near Poland and Catholicism is more prevalent than Orthodox. Protestant churches are not found very often in Ukraine. The train station is very ornate.

We found that Friday and Saturday are popular days to get married. The civil ceremony is in a special hall. Then the wedding party goes to the local main square for pictures. This couple were in front of the Opera House and fountain.

We visited two important tourist destinations the second day. We went to a huge cemetery at least 400 years old. It is also designated as an historic place. Many poets, scientists and other important Ukrainians are buried here. The monuments were varied and interesting. The second site was the hill with the TV tower on it. From there we could see all the sides of Lvov. Marlys doesn'tlike heights but the climbing was on metal stairs which were close to the side of the hillside and in the woods, not overlooking any precipices. The view was great.

On the way back to Kiev we stopped at a large Orthodox monastery.
It had at least 4 churches. Vika and I had to rent wrap around skirts and head scarves in order to go into the grounds and churches.

The insides were very ornate with much gold and many paintings. I enjoyed the paintings which have been recently finished in the halls going down to the cave tombs of the monks. The paintings told the story of Jesus life, death and resurrection very well.

Today we went into Kiev to sight see again. We visited the Chernobyle Museum commemorating the disaster which occurred there in 1986.
Then we walked up the hill to St. Andrew's Orthodox church.
It is time for dinner now. See you later.

Ukriane 1

PRIVAT - HI
Our flights from Oslo to Vienna and then to Kiev were uneventful. Both of them served snacks and drinks so we were well taken care of. We arrived on time, but it took awhile to get our luggage. Marlys left her carry on bag at customs so had to go back and find it. Viktor had an AWANA sign so we found him easily. Vika, his daughter, is studying to be a translator. Her English is very good and she has only studied it for two years.
We drove to Viktor's home in a town outside the capitol. His family includes his wife, Inna, two sons and two daughters, and two adopted children. The older children are in their upper teens, the younger ones three and five. They bring a lot of livliness to the house. We have been treated so well. Larry has brought out all of his tricks and games. Our meals have been very good. Marlys has been eating almost everything!
Thursday, today, we took the bus and metro into Kiev for sightseeing. Viktor, Vika and the five year old boy led the way.

We all came home very tired but we saw a lot of Kiev. We started on the hill at the Motherhood memorial - a huge titanium statue of a woman with sword and shield. They have many tanks, helicopter, and other warfare equipment around the area. The view of the city is wonderful.

Nearby are the monastery buildings and churches around the caves used by priests of long ago to study and then be buried in. We walked down the street but didn't go into the churches there. Instead we went to the main shopping street and visited a big department store. Marlys wanted to see the house ware section.
Outside again we walked back towards Independence square. Before arriving we took a side street and went to a restaurant called Good Health or something like that. It was a cafeteria with real Ukrainian food - many varieties and lots to choose from. Marlys had chicken shish kabob, baklava with cheese in it, and meat filled dumplings. I haven't mastered the names yet. The eating rooms were decorated in different motifs. We were in the Turkish area. There were also Roman, Greek and Egyptian rooms.
After seeing Independence Square, we walked to the Dnipro river walking bridge. Marlys waited while the others walked across the bridge to an island in the river. The weather today has been warm. I'm sure I got a little sunburned. It was warm in the sun but really nice in the shade.
We ended our visit by entering a small church near the river. It was filled with icons and paintings. The altar pieces were bright gold. The painting on the ceiling were mainly of Christ's life. Many icons were in glass cases around the room where people prayed and lit candles. It was beautiful.
I need to go to bed. We leave tomorrow for Lvov.

Norway 5 Life at a hostel

I went up to bed about 10:30 last night. We have two bunk beds in our room and every bed was filled. I was the last one to come so there was only a top bunk to take. I watched for the girls in the bottom bunks but they were gone for the evening so I missed asking for someone to change with me. Well, at 10:30 the other top bunk girl (I still haven´t met her) was asleep. Trying not to bother her, I just propped the door open a little to see what I needed and went to change clothes in the toilet room down the hall. That was fine so I climbed up to the top bunk on the ladder attached to the bed. In the dark I found I was climbing into her bed! Luckily her feet were not at the bottom of the bed so I didn´t touch her or I probably would have scared her to death! So I climbed over two footboards into my bed and settled down. However, I started wondering how I was going to climb down if I had to get up in the middle of the night. I laid still for a long time - more than an hour I´m sure. Then I decided I´d better try getting out of bed. I backed down to the end of the bed and tried to use my own ladder, not hers. One foot was out and reached the ladder, but the other foot was stuck in the corner of the bed. There is a board to keep you from falling out which I had to go over to get out. Anyway, there I was, stuck!! I got back into bed before any of my muscles cramped for then I probably would have fallen. I laid there panting for a bit and finally crawled back under the covers and waited another hour. Finally, the girl below me came in (about 1 AM). I asked her to help me get my foot over the edge and I sort of fell out of the bunk but landed on my feet. Mission accomplished. I used the toilet and then climbed up again. Needless to say, I didn´t sleep very soundly but planned how I would get out differently next time. I couldn´t stay in bed any longer. It was light out and perhaps nearing 8 when Larry was meeting me, so I took courage, got both feet free and heaved myself over the board and landed on my feet! Hurray!
We ate breakfast with the two girls on the bottom bunks. The one under me would gladly have changed places with me if she´d known how old I was. (She didn´t say it that way but that is what she meant. In a very nice way.) She was leaving today so I confiscated her bed this morning after she left. I also did a load of wash in the washer and dryer in the basement. (40 NOK = almost 7 dollars but it included soap.)
The other girl is from Austria and plans to come to MN next summer. We hope she contacts us.
We went to Vigiland Park today and took more pictures of the fantastic statues there.



We also spent 10 dollars on parking to walk to the palace for some pictures. We came back near the hostel to find a grocery store and get supplies for lunch supper and something before the plane ride tomorrow. The car is gassed up and ready to return to Avis.


The next blog will be from Ukraine or from home if we can´t access a computer.
God bless you. Thanks for reading.

Here is the picture of a round about that Larry went straight through!