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However, the three-day visit came to a quick completion and final farewells were exchanged at the Kyiv’s train station. As the children boarded the train, and wheel chairs were stored into luggage compartment, the tears and hugs were given… Tears of joy, hope and love… Hugs of brotherly and sisterly care; the most memorable of them was from Tanya: “give a hug to everyone on America…”

So, we, the Members of 2017 Mission Team of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA: Archbishop Daniel, Pani Olga Coffey (St. Andrew UOC Cathedral, Silver Spring, MD), Subdeacons Volodymyr Yavorskyi and Mykola Zomchak (St. Sophia Seminary, South Bound Brook, NJ), Andrew Powers (Protection of the Birth-Giver of God Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, Southfield, MI), Ginny Ulbright (Sts. Peter and Paul UOC parish, Youngstown, OH), Juliana Leis (Sts Peter and Paul UOC parish, Carnegie, PA), Vitaliya Dokhvat (Holy Archangel Michael UOC parish, Baltimore, MD) and Very Rev. Taras Naumenko (St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, Philadelphia, PA), Deacon Paul and Mary Ann Cherkas, Janice Meschishen, Eleanor Kogut (Holy Archangel Michael UOC parish, Woonsocket, RI),embrace each and everyone of you with the profound sense of gratitude for your love and donations that make this ministry a truly living expression of our Christian journey.