Conference time

Kyiv Theological Seminary's biennial conference for women in ministry starts tomorrow. It seems like just yesterday that we started planning, yet here it is, almost reality. Yay!

I'm really excited about this year's speaker (SEND missionary and all-around-lovely-woman Sherri Divozzo) and theme (Renovating Your Relationships). Sherri and her husband, Bob, teach conflict-resolution seminars throughout Ukraine, but this is the first time Sherri's stepped out on her own to teach the course. We expect about 60 ladies to come, which means that they'll take these valuable relationship-building tools back to about that many Ukrainian churches.

The theme of renovation coincides perfectly with current Ukrainian culture. "Remont" (renovation in Russian) is everywhere. It seems every apartment is a construction zone -- new windows, wallpaper, wood floors, pipes, etc. We have two huge Home Depot-style stores in our region (and they're packed, even midweek), plus several nearby outdoor markets that specialize in construction materials.

My main focus was on "the look" of the event -- decorations, name tags, notebooks and such. We spent most of today out at the conference center setting up, so here's a sneak peek. I'll try to post photos of the actual conference after it ends.


The decorations combine construction materials with fall colors. The conference center is brand new (I think we're the third conference to be held there), and it's very nicely designed with huge windows that let in great natural light.


These toolboxes are the centerpieces on the tables, along with some candles and fall foliage. Each day, the ladies will open the boxes to find a gift waiting inside.


At the front of the dining hall and the meeting room, our teammate John built a wall. Half of the wall is papered with old, ripped wallpaper. The other half has lovely new wallpaper on it. Our speaker plans to use wallpapering as an analogy in her lessons.


Dietrich spent the day exploring the conference center.

Thanks, grandmas

Dear Grandma Cindy,

Thanks for my new jacket. I wore it to the zoo this weekend. I saw lots of animals, but I only really care for the birds and the buffalo. Also, at the zoo, I took my first outdoor steps. It's hard walking in real shoes!

love,
Dietrich O.


Dear Baba Jane,

Thanks for my fuzzy sheep. I really think it's nice to rest my head on while I sleep. I'm glad you got to go to New Zealand to buy it for me.

love,
Dietrich O.

Warp-speeding into toddlerhood

This week, Dietrich learned to walk, to click his tongue, to kiss and to drink from a cup. Momma can barely keep up!

Suddenly, Kyiv feels rather empty

I logged on to our e-mail this morning only to find a message announcing that, due to medical difficulties, a family on our field plans to return to the States for treatment. Will they be back? They hope so, but they don't know.

Such announcements have become far too common in the past seven months. Six SEND Ukraine families have returned to the States for various medical reasons. Two of those families have decided to leave the field; the other four are being treated and are waiting to see whether they'll be able to return.

Would you pray that God would graciously allow these dear co-workers to continue to serve with us? And please ask the Lord to protect and guide the rest of our team, and the work that we're doing here.

A month ago ...

Yesterday, the baby turned 13 months old. There was no cake. But there was occasion to look back at last month's celebration, at which there was ice cream cake. Yummy! Messy!



We also took the birthday baby to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach last month. It was perfect! At the aquarium, the fish are 1) trapped in a small space and 2) always moving. We've also taken D to two zoos, and it's fun, but the animals often just sit and stare, so we aren't really sure that Dietrich realizes they are alive.

Some things

Happy thing: The Christian Education brochure I've been working on for the past two weeks has been delivered to the printer, just in time for a big conference for folks who work with children. I hope it attracts many new students to the seminary.

Sad thing: The Angels' loss on Sunday brought baseball season to an end in the Oldenburg household. I miss America's pastime already.

Exciting thing: The Saucy family is visiting, and staying with us, this week. They'll be here in just a few hours.

Home again, home again

To all of you who check this page frequently, I apologize for the extended silence. We moved, we unpacked, the semester started, and then we were off to America for family vacation. (This trip brought to you by Dietrich's generous grandparents.)

Now we're back, I've started working at the seminary a bit, and I just got up after the third straight night of baby jetlag. I have a mere two minutes before I must get going, so hopefully this photo will whet your appetite for more tales from Trip to America 2007.


Dietrich picks a baby elephant's nose at the San Francisco Zoo. We love zoos, and try never to go on a vacation without taking one in. The SF Zoo is a great size for strolling on a weekday morning, plus you get to drive along the ocean to get there and exotic birds roam freely around the grounds.