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Impressions of My LifeNets Mission to Vinogradov, Ukraine in June 2008

by Stefan Saxin

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August 17, 2008

During the two last weeks of June 2008 a team of four people traveling from the U.S., France and Sweden came to Western Ukraine in order to start up an English program for children.

About 35 children came for summer camp at the Light of Love Mission – a LifeNets-sponsored project in Vinogradov.

We arrived on Sunday, June 15th, and were greeted outside the entrance of the Chop train station by many of the children accompanied by adults that had come the lengthy way to Chop (near the border to Hungary) to pick us up.

On the way to our destination we made a stop and a box of ripe cherries was purchased – it was a much appreciated treat for the many passengers. Unlike Western Europe it is perfectly normal to buy and sell food by the roadside. (Throughout the stay the local farmer’s produce seemed to hold very high quality.)

We resumed our journey to Vinogradov. There were of course some language difficulties but I was surprised how quickly we struck up simple conversation. From where I sat in the back (without translator) we could introduce ourselves with name and age.

Among my first impressions of the landscape was to see the mountains, the Carpathians embedded in the green rural landscape. They’re vast and widespread mountains covered by trees that dominate this part of Ukraine (the rest of the country is flat).   MORE 

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