You asked for it, you get even more Oleg photos.

¶ 10:20 AM //

Nirmal enjoys the state of the art washing machine, the only new thing in our bathroom, save that tube of Colgate on toothpaste row.

¶ 10:02 AM //

The washing machine story.  Been saving this one.  I’ve been sitting in lectures all week about life skills training for orphans.  Not an interesting read.  So instead I’ll share a recent testimony about laundry.  No seriously, it’s a decent story.
When I first arrived in Kyiv, my roommate wanted to split the cost of buying a washing machine.  I turned him down, first because I didn’t know if I’d be here long enough to necessitate buying major appliances.  Second, I just didn’t want to spend the money.  I hadn’t figured out my budget yet.  So, for the first couple of months, I hand washed all my clothes.  Not fun, but going Amish was probably good for me.
Of course, that got old quick.  Then a Ukrainian friend made a funny suggestion.  Her friends at another base had washed their clothes in a crazy way.  Imagine how a washing machine agitator works, except make me the agitator.  (This actually would not be a new role for me)  Hmm, it’s easier to explain this step by step:

1. Fill bathtub with water for wash cycle.  


2. Add laundry detergent


3. Put dirty clothes in tub.  Note:  Don’t exceed the clothesline limit


4. Take off socks and climb in bathtub


5. Slosh through dirty clothes for 10 to 15 minutes then drain dirty water.


6. Pour new clean water into tub for rinse cycle.


7. Slosh around washed clothes for another 5 minutes.


8. Drain tub, wring out clothes and hang on line.


9. Note:  Not for use with delicates.  Ha!  Delicates?  No such thing in my wardrobe.

First time I did this, I laughed myself silly.  “Markus,” I said, “You are such a hillbilly.”  And I was.  But outside of wringing out the clothes, laundry was really quite fun.  During future loads, I started up the Media Monkey on my computer so I could splash around to my favorite tunes.
Being the wise little financial planner I am, (thanks Larry Ameling) every time I did laundry, I put a little money in an envelope for the day that I grew tired of the Grape Stomp Laundry Method. (© 2005, pat pending)  This way, I would lessen the economic pain when I made the purchase.
Finally one day in July I decided that I wouldn’t want to GSL anymore come November.  I would buy a real washing machine in the fall.  To say my apartment gets cold in the winter is a bit like saying Fruity Pebbles cereal is bad for you.  It’s technically an accurate statement but the adjective doesn’t touch the magnitude of it all.  I had a good nest egg (two-thirds of my share) set aside for a machine and told my roommate I was nearly ready to make the plunge. (pun intended)
But within a couple days, I got a message from Nurlan.  Would we like a washing machine?  They had one in an apartment that they’re no longer renting, and have no place to put it.  God blessed me with a free washing machine.  I never even prayed for one!
I lugged our “new” machine up to our apartment the day before I left for the states.  Didn’t even have time to hook it up.  Now, of course I use it all the time.  I’m told by some female that the only downside is that I’m no longer getting my feet exfoliated.  I don’t even know what that means.  Girls are weird.

¶ 12:33 PM //

Oleg was a little droopy today.  But he was happy to see me after a month of absence.

¶ 11:18 AM //

We celebrated this little guy's third birthday with a new pair of shoes.  Orange and Blue fight, fight!

 

¶ 11:15 AM //

A little balancing act from the girls at the orphanage.

¶ 11:08 AM //

Life skills.  You learned them and didn’t even know it.  Sharing.  Vacuuming the floor.  Making scrambled eggs.  Doing laundry.  Maybe you discovered the ones you didn’t have when you went to college.  Maybe your wife still says you still don’t have some of them down.

That’s one of the roles of parents in equipping their children for the “world out there.”.  In Key of Hope, we are trying to teach some of these skills in fun and creative ways to the orphans in our charge.  Next week, in fact, I’m going to a life skills training course, sponsored partially by CBN, the Christian Broadcasting Network.

We do have another plan that’s forming.  Many of the basic skills that I mentioned above are difficult to do in the confines of the orphanage, due to health laws in the kitchen, or maybe child labor laws.  These are things I hear.

So we’re looking into renting an apartment for a month in Makariv, (home of the orphanage) and bringing the children there for life skills stuff.  One possible scenario would be renting it through the Christmas season, and preparing for a Christmas celebration.  But that may be too soon.  The ducks aren’t quite lined up.

I think it will be fun for kids to leave the orphanage and hang out in our little apartment.  Like a field trip.  Yippee!  In their village, rent isn’t expensive.  I’m told around $150 a month.  

Anyway, it’s my job to make a proposal and/or presentation for the orphanage director, to see if we can get permission to do all this.  In fact, no matter how good our ideas are, the director (who’s quite nice) controls the shots.  So keep me in your prayers.

One week, I’d like to devote to making pancakes.  Or actually the better Ukrainian version, which is called bliny.  They’re more like crepes.  In that week, we could introduce kids to measuring cups and spatulas and frying pans.  They can learn how to break eggs.  Plus teach the hygiene in washing your hands before, as well as washing dishes WITH SOAP at the end.  Sorry, the caps reveal a deep seated issue in my heart.

So here’s a nifty opportunity to make this communiqué a little more interactive.  I’m looking for suggestions on what life skills, and how to present it.  If you’ve got a clever idea, you can email me at captaincrouton@hotmail.com or post it as a reply on my blog  at www.markuswolf.blogspot.com  

¶ 10:35 AM //