Report #1—Tuesday, April 5, 2011

I have now arrived in Donetsk, Ukraine! The trip was somewhat uneventful except for delays and seating in the airlines. I left Little Rock on time and arrived in Chicago. Upon reaching the departure gate in Chicago I saw that we were on schedule. Just as we were to begin boarding, an announcement was made, “Passengers on flight to Munich, we wish to apologize for a delay. The aircraft has left the terminal to come to this gate for loading but we cannot locate it. It left about five minutes ago and is somewhere. We do apologize for this delay and are doing all we can to correct the problem.” The flight crew and cabin crew arrived and stood around. Again the announcement, “Passengers on the Munich flight we once again apologize for the delay. We continue to wait for the plane to arrive. After it arrives, the flight and cabin crews will need to make their inspections and preparations and then we can begin boarding.” The screen over the checkout counter now posted this message: “Munich flight has been delayed until 6:30 due to operations problems.” The Boeing 777 had been lost! Such does not instill assured confidence in the capability of the airline into which you have entrusted your life and $1,500.00! Finally they found the aircraft or one similar and we began boarding.

All through the airport I had seen signs saying “Fly economy PLUS.” I had no idea what this meant and to my recollection had never seen it previously. Upon boarding I realized what the “PLUS” was. If you do not purchase an upgrade to “PLUS”, then you are crammed into the last 20 rows of seating. I boarded the plane and walked through the middle cabin and it was practically empty. I asked a flight attendant if the plane was full and she said it was not. When I saw the packed mass in the last cabin I asked her if it would be possible after the boarding if I could move to another seat and was told that those were reserved for the PLUS reservations and if I wanted to sit there it would be $90.00 more. So I shoe-spooned myself into seat 38G.

Arrival in Munich went well and boarding was quick. We pulled away from the dock and then waited for 30 minutes for takeoff.

This was the first time I was to enter Ukraine through Donetsk Customs and I was somewhat concerned about how things would go. I had sent a message for Tanya to tell General Nicholi Ivanovich that I was coming into Donetsk on April 4 and was concerned about getting through Customs. This is the Major General whom I met on the previous trip and he is a commanding figure. He is anxious to work with us in assisting a number of vulnerable groups. Within his command are officers in Customs, Taxation, Militia and other organizations that you probably do not want to think about. Nicholi was the commander of Special Forces in Afghanistan and has an earned doctorate in economics and law from Moscow University. He is indeed an impressive character. When Tanya told him of my concerns, the reply was simple, “Tell John he has nothing about which to worry.” I arrived at the Passport control booth and presented my passport. I had not filled out any entry forms or declaration papers. The officer in the booth took my passport and scanned it and asked if I was there for business and then passed me through. I have never had such a smooth entry! In the first trips many of you will recall where we had to pull out all of the money we brought and count it, open each piece of luggage and stand for a long time waiting for Airport Customs to pass us through. We have had items confiscated and bribes requested. I am unsure if it was because of Nicholi’s help, but yesterday’s entrance was as easy as my return entry into America!

The trip over always “loses” Tuesday…it just disappears. All went well and Tanya has meetings scheduled that begin early Wednesday morning. I’ll begin them and keep running until my departure on April 30.

A special THANK YOU to so many of you that are a part of this incredible effort in Ukraine and many other nations. We list those that are financial supporters of this work on the website. To be sure, there are many others that are involved in their prayers, well wishes, and encouragement. I can assure you that without your encouragement I could not do this work. In the coming days you will read and see pictures of what you help accomplish 5,000 miles away. You will read of opportunities and relationships that are setting the foundation for incredibly unbelievable progress for the Lord’s Church in Ukraine in years (decades) to come. I will be sending pictures that will be posted on the web site.

John L. Kachelman, Jr.
Donetsk, Ukraine