July 5, 2001
Dear Family and Friends:
We are back home again in Indiana, at least for the first week of our return from Kenya. Our travel in London and back home was mostly uneventful. The week at home has been a battle with jet lag, weeds, unpacking, and taking care of business. Preparation for the trip to Ukraine this weekend has been nearly overlooked. I guess I should put a few things in the suitcase.
Why Ukraine?
Some of you are familiar with the story of how I got involved in ministry in Ukraine a few years ago. You probably have slept since then so I’ll repaint the background. As far as I can tell we have no family roots in that part of the world. In fact, the Jarrett family probably has been in Indiana since it became a state. Great-great-grandfather John Jarrett was born in Wells County north of Muncie in 1825.
We began attending Castleview Baptist Church in 1978 shortly after I became a Christian. This church has always had a strong mission emphasis, but we were never personally involved with the programs other than by financial contributions. Most of my ministry was in the pro-life arena, particularly with the Indianapolis Crisis Pregnancy Centers.
In 1992 when the Soviet Union began to disintegrate, we hosted a Russian doctor for 6 weeks in our home. Galena has since emigrated to the US and is practicing here in Indianapolis. I also had a professional acquaintance with a non-Christian woman, Victoria, who had emigrated