TOURIST DAY

Today I was a tourist. I did the tourist thing. I toured! Well, let me say I was “toured.”

My hosts and some friends, a paleontologist and a geologist - husband and wife, from the Church, Evangelistic Faith too me to, as they translated it, “The well on the slope of the mountain.” On the top of the mountain called “Tent” they showed me a large hole in the ground. The wife explained that she along with her husband in 1975 descended into the hold with some others. There they discovered a the beginnings of what became a large cave. The cave was opened to visitors in 1997.

The hole had been the beginnings of an underground river. In the bottom of the hold they discovered ancient skeletons of animals, about seven different types of animals. Some of the skeletons are laid out in the first area just about 50 feet from where the hole enters the cavern about 100 feet below the surface at this point.

I wondered why neither one went on the guided tour with us, but they explained after the tour that they wanted to remember it as they first explored it. It was a fascinating experience only because I had meet some of the first people who went into the depths of the mountain to explore.

Then we ventured from the Simferopol area southeast to Yalta and the palace where President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Stalin signed the Yalta Pact. It was also very interesting although I remembered as we approached the palace that I had been there about seven years ago. However this tour was more intensive and with much more information and explanation. Now, I would tell you all about it but I may mix of the facts and so I will wait until I get all the dates and names straight, or you can go on the web and search it out for yourself.

In other-words, this was a day off and I was able to take advantage of it because of my hosts and some of the people from their Church and the help of Olga by my side as an interpreter. She is also from the Church and is an English teacher in her first year. Olga is substituting for Oksana Zelevinska, my secretary and interpreter who will arrive via train from Kiev by train at 11:58 – about the time I finish my sermon – which is a fifteen hour ride while rumbling and grinding.

It was an eight hour tourist extravaganza.

I DID! I have been in contact, four times, with the Ladies of Life Missions’ Team today. Everything was a great success with great appreciation from Pastor Andre and Ira Ivanov of Abundant Life in Kiev. They will have to tell you all about it themselves.

So until I return with the next blog ........ remember to keep praying for Inna Uruymagov.

God bless,

Dr D