Yeah, I’ve heard of Odessa. That’s in Texas right? Lots of oil there…and cows?
Well, not exactly.
We are heading to Odessa, Ukraine. Ukraine was formerly part of the Soviet Union and gained its independence in 1991. In fact, this is why you will often hear people refer to “The Ukraine” because it was a designated region in the USSR.
A funny story on this … when we were getting married in Texas, we had to file where Natalka was from for the marriage license. Even though it was 2011, twenty years after gaining independence, the computer system still reflected the old map. So, Natalka comes to us from the country of Russia and the region of The Ukraine.
Known as the “Pearl of the Black Sea,” Odessa is the third largest city in Ukraine with over 1 million people. This is a great landing spot while Kevin and the kids grapple with learning Russian.
This port city is home to people of countless ethnic groups from eastern Europe, the Caucuses, Greece, and Turkey. The thriving “melting pot” nature of the city is a perfect way for us to get integrated in on-going ministry while learning Russian and building key contacts for future ministry opportunities.
Before moving to the States, Natalka was well-integrated in the ministries of Odessa through her work as an interpreter and through church contacts. We plan to immediately reconnect with many of these friends and partner with them where possible so we can maximize ministry during the learning phase.
For a quick overview of Ukrainian demographics and history, check out this link… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Ukraine