I was invited by a missionary friend to come and work with him in Ukraine next year; I was originally researching traveling to Russia, but when he invited me, I just couldn't turn it down. so I've been researching visas for Ukraine now, etc.

Here are the sites I've been reading on:
Travel.State.Gov
Travel to Ukraine

I have never been to another country, much less even seen the ocean. So this is a totally new venture for me...
Am I looking in the right places for the right info? Does anyone have any advice/pointers? It would be greatly appreciated! I've been told that it can take from two weeks to six months to process visas, etc. What kind of a visa would I need for missionary work? I've read that for up to 90 days one does not need a visa if they are on a business trip...but I don't think I'd fall into the business or even tourist category, either.

He also requested that I bring my violin with me, and I'd really like to, but how safe is it to bring something of value like that? If I brought it along, I'd certainly want to keep it with me for the flight over but I've been told that would be difficult.