Pray for our friend Katrina

Katrina Randolph, our friend and fellow missionary here in Nova Odesa, broke her leg in Crimea. She and a friend, Faith, were hiking a hill near Simferopol and on the descent, she fell. Faith, who does not know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle, had to drive Katrina back to the hotel where we were staying. Katrina shifted while Faith pushed in the clutch. Our friend Nina Sinitsa and her nephew Dima drove Katrina to the hospital. X-rays were taken and they showed Katrina's leg (fibula) was broken diagonally, just above her ankle. The doctor (yes, only one doctor in the whole hospital), said she needed surgery immediately. They only put a partial cast on the back of her leg and under her foot. Because of the severity of the break, it was decided that she return to the US for proper care. The hospitals here in Ukraine are quite inadequate, and the processes are not the smoothest (or the cleanest).

We spent that night at our hotel because she needed crutches and could only get them the next day. Katrina was able to use the crutches to get around in her room and to the vehicle. The owners of the hotel helped take care of Katrina and were a huge blessing. The owners are Christians and live in the hotel. They recently moved back to Ukraine from Oregon where they lived for 11 years. So it was nice to be able to communicate in English during this time.

It was decided that I drive back to Nova Odesa. I am not legal to drive here, but only because of Katrina's medical condition I was. It was a 7 hour trip. Katrina was a good sport. We got back to Nova Odesa around 9:30pm Friday and met Jason, Jeff Appling, and Josh. They spent the night after arriving by bus from Osikovo, and would take Katrina to Osikovo and then Sunday to the Kiev airport.

Pray for Katrina and for the doctors/nurses in the US. Also pray for the needs here in Nova Odesa. With Katrina gone, there is a vacancy in the ministry. She may not return for 2 months. Faith will be returning to the US Aug. 17th.

Be Disciples.