overall

well, I made it back to the United States. after my stay in Austria, I flew 9 hours to Washington, DC. I breezed through customs. the Powells walked with me to my gate and then we parted ways. they were headed to Atlanta, and I was heading to Indianapolis. I got my first starbucks since leaving the country and it was fabulous. I sat down to call my parents and talked to each of them, then I unexpectedly found my fellow interns who had been in Burkina Faso (west Africa) for the summer. we were all on the same flight to Indy. I even got to sit next to one of the girls. so my stress of flying home alone & staying overnight in Vienna & struggling through flying & customs. it ended up working out that I wasn't by myself.

so I arrived in Indianapolis on Wednesday evening around 6:30pm. we met up with the guys that came in from Spain, then headed back to the Benedict Inn to start "Debrief." a couple of the groups were already back, and a few more trickled in that night. the rest came on Thursday. we spent Thursday and Friday spending time together, learning how to adjust to life, how to share our summer, looking at pictures, sharing funny stories, sharing treasures. it was wonderful to hear everyone else's summer experiences.

this summer was wonderful for me. I got to experience missions firsthand. I grew closer to my God. my quiet time became a consistent thing. I built some great relationships with some awesome people. I saw the power of Jesus break down the language barrier. the beauty of Jesus was prevalent in Ukraine. I saw the passion of believers. prayer is vital in your walk with Christ.

and I just want to say thank you to all of my loyal supporters! by reading my blog, and keeping up with me this summer, I really appreciate you taking the time to share in my experiences.  thank you for your prayers especially. God is faithful to answer prayers. I ask that you would continue to pray for the church in Ukraine and the people who are there. and be praying for me, that I wouldn't forget all the things that I learned.

I'll leave you with a few pictures from my last few weeks abroad :)

my kids in Dmitrivka

last night in Ukraine

last Saturday camp

jazz forum downtown

last Sunday in Shivchanka

camping

worship while camping

me and Paulina at my going away party

my silly friends at my going away party

playing bingo at the 2-day camp

greetings from Austria

well, I landed safely in Vienna, Austria a few hours ago. I had McDonalds in the airport with the Powells, who are also on their way to America. then I took a shuttle to my hotel, about 3 miles from the airport. the Powells were staying at the hotel across the street from the airport, but I'll see them in the morning. we have the same flight to Washington, D.C.
this morning I got up bright and early to see my host mom before she left for work and I left. it was a sad goodbye, but I'm so thankful for her. she was like my mom this summer. then my host dad came home from work, and I had to say goodbye to him. the pastor from the Berdyansk church and his daughter, Sveta, drove the Powells and I to the airport, about a 4 hour drive. it was bumpy and I was sad to be leaving Ukraine. I was super thankful that the Powells happened to be flying out with me. it made things a lot easier.
the past couple of nights have been all about me, ha ha. Sunday night after the evening service, most of the youth went over to Ena & Pasha's apartment to hang out. there was lots of cake and lots of Coca-Cola. it was a lot of fun just hanging out with them. they all said such kind things about me. I'm so glad I fit with them. they made this summer so wonderful. then last night, we went to the Sea one last time. I gave away American things, I felt like Santa Clause. they were all so excited to get things from America. as we walked home, I had to start saying goodbye to people. it was really hard. I didn't cry in front of them, but I wanted to so bad. a few of them sat with me outside my apartment and talked and looked at pictures and exchanged addresses & email addresses & skype names. I want to stay in contact with them as best as possible.

last update from Ukraine

this will probably be my last update from Ukraine. I fly to Austria on Tuesday and I land in Indianapolis on Wednesday evening.

last night, I got back from camping with the youth. it was such a wonderful time. basically like being at Camp Oxford, except everything was outside, no air conditioning, and I slept in a tent. but there was worship twice a day, small groups, lots of eating, swimming, games, we were in teams. I got to spend a lot of time with my youth. there ended up being 19 of us all together, and every one of them knew at least a few words in English. and my Russian is getting better. I really enjoyed being with them. I had at least 2 translators, Artyom & Dasha, and sometimes Ena. where we stayed was a little grove of trees next to a lake about 30-45 minutes outside of Berdyansk. the lake was nice, but super deep. we had 3 rings, like giant tires to swim with. there would be 7 or 8 people with an arm around the ring. we also had a twin size air mattress that we used a flotation device, ha ha. I played a lot of volleyball, a lot of soccer. we sat around a lot and just talked. we sat by a fire at night and played silly games. we drank tea at least 3 times a day. I got a sunburn on my shoulders.

I don't have any pictures right now, I'll post some when I get back to America.

thank you all for your support throughout this journey! your prayers, thoughts, and love have truly been appreciated. :)

so long since my last update

I know, it’s been so long since I’ve posted. My internet hasn’t been working at my apartment and the Powells were out of town last week. I am still alive in Ukraine, I promise.

I’m coming up on the 6-week mark. Crazy, right? I can’t believe I’ve been here so long. But that means I only have about 2 weeks left. I’m trying to make the most of every moment that I have left.

Since my last post, I’ve been doing basically the same things. Going to the sea with the youth. Spending time with my host family. Working with children in nearby villages. Going to church. Hanging out with the youth. Learning Russian. Drinking lots of tea and coffee. All things I’m thoroughly enjoying.

This past Saturday we had our last day camp at the Dmitrivka church. We actually had children from Dmitrivka, Shivchanka, and a few from Berdyansk. All together, there were over 20 kids! Praise Jesus! We actually ran out of chairs and had to get some from the storage room. We sang lots of songs, and had a Bible lesson, which was about choosing the narrow way rather than the wide path. We had snack time, and I think the amount of cookies multiplied because I don’t remember bringing that many into the church. We reviewed all that I had taught them thus far in English, “What is your name?” “My name is ______.” “How old are you?” “I’m ____.” “Where do you live?” “I live in _______.” And counting from 1 to 10. Just like I have trouble with pronouncing some Russian words, they struggle with pronunciation of English words. But they are super adorable, and they try really hard.

This Friday and Saturday we are doing a 2-day camp at another village farther away, so we won’t be at Dmitrivka. I’m excited. We’ll be doing the same types of things: games, Bible lesson, crafts, English club, snacks, and singing. We’ll probably start around 8 or 9 each morning and it’ll probably end around 2pm, because it just gets too hot.

My Russian vocabulary is expanding rapidly. Luda is very impressed by how well I retain information. And my youth are always trying to teach me new things. Most recent, a few have been focusing on my pronunciation of words. I’m working on it, ha ha. I’m getting better at reading Russian and singing along during church. Though sometimes, I just make up words as I go.

Next week, I’ll be going camping with the youth. Literally camping. Like in a tent. From Monday until Saturday. You are allowed to laugh now. I’m really excited, because the youth are really excited for me to be there. But the extent of my camping experience is staying with my grandparents in an air-conditioned camper. And the extent of sleeping in a tent is attempting to sleep in Erin & Cacy Ellis’ yard and always ending up in the house. So it will definitely be an experience. I will take plenty of pictures.

A few pictures from a night of soccer on the beach.

This is Artyom’s father. He loves taking my picture, I’m not really sure why.

july 4th

happy 4^th of July!!

as of Saturday, I have one month left here in Ukraine, which makes me a little sad. but I’ve decided to not focus on leaving, but rather all the awesome times still to be had.

recently, I’ve been pretty busy. last Tuesday, I went with the Powell’s to the center of Berdyansk. they basically have a carnival set up along the sea. it stays up for the summer for all the tourists that come. Monday was Ukraine’s constitution day, so they were still celebrating on Tuesday. I got to see traditional Ukrainian dancing, which was pretty interesting. 

I rode the ferris wheel with Maya, Sasha, and Heather, and it was actually really cold once we got to the top. but I enjoyed it.

view from the top :)

then on Wednesday night, I went back to the center with some of the youth. Pasha drove Artyom, Alec, and I, and we met Bogdan and a girl there. then Pasha went to get his wife, Ena, and finally, Artem met up with us. (I’m not sure that I’m spelling any of their names right, haha.) they are funny. we just walked around and they had pizza. we had ice cream. and we walked around a lot. we played some silly games. we talked. I said all I know in Russian and they tried to speak English. it’s all good fun.

building relationships with these people has been such a wonderful experience. I can see God doing awesome things within them. Pasha & Ena are basically the ‘leaders’ of the group. even though they are married, they can totally relate to the kids. Artem is in college for physical therapy, and he hopes to use it for God’s glory. Artyom is starting college this year and wants to do whatever God has planned for him. Julia just graduated from the university in Berdyansk and got a job teaching in Zapirosa. it makes my heart happy to see them all doing God’s work.

Friday night at youth service, I got to meet Regina, a friend of Artem. she had recently broken her leg, something with her knee. so she was in full cast from hip to toes. it was interesting because I could totally relate to being in a similar condition. and she actually spoke some English, so we were able to communicate. I really liked talking with her. she played the piano and sang for me afterwards, it was beautiful. hopefully she’s back this Friday night.

as of Saturday, I have now successfully been to the Sea of Azov every Saturday. this time, however, I finally swam in the Sea. of course, I had to pick the day when the water was the coldest. but it was great. everyone was clapping & cheering for me when I finally made it into the water. I think they thought I was scared of the water. after being in the water for a while, it wasn’t too cold anymore. after I got out of the sea, I talked with Artem & Artor, rather I just listened while they talked and occasionally, they would say something in English that I understood. I gave them dinosaur tattoos, because that’s my specialty, haha. Artem gave me a picture tattoo, a scene with a tree, a boy & a girl, a black sun, mountains (where their dinosaurs were hiding), the Sea with a fish, and some flowers. remnants of it are still on my arm.

Sunday, I went with Luda & Artor to Dmentrifca (sp?). Luda & I had Sunday school with the kids. there were 11 kids this week! We discussed some of Acts. and I helped with crafts. I had my first experience with communion in Ukraine. different, but the same idea. Christ’s sacrifice transcends cultural differences. after the service, we headed to another village. due to the rain last week, we only had 2 kids who had come with us from the first village. this week we had 5 different kids!  praise Jesus! we used the same lesson from Acts and did the same craft. I was the fixer of the stapler. I really like working with kids. they really want to talk to me and usually aren’t shy to do so. they correct my Russian, but in a kind way. working with the kids here makes me miss Little Chapel kids.

Russian training is going well. I can now say a full paragraph about myself and I know a lot of random words. while it can still be difficult, I feel as though I’m learning a lot. Luda is a great teacher. I’m so thankful for her. I’m also thankful for all the people within the Berdyansk church who are always willing to talk to me and bear through my broken Russian. I’ve even learned how to spell my name in Russian sign language and say hello.

so yes, God is doing some awesome stuff in Ukraine. I’m so glad I get to be a small part of it.

here’s a little something to make you laugh. I took it the other day & now every time I look at it, I laugh so hard I cry. so enjoy : )

up to date

Almost 3 weeks in Ukraine. I can’t believe how quickly it has gone by. I’m really enjoying it.

I’ve been spending a lot of time with the youth. Friday night meetings, going to the beach in the evenings, just hanging out. I really like spending time with them. It feels like I’ve known them forever. They all just want to know more about me. And I love finding out about their culture & their lives. I didn’t realize how different our lives really are.

On Saturday, I got to go to a wedding at the church. Definitely a different experience. The service started like any other Ukrainian church service, with singing and the pastor talked about the parable of the 10 virgins. Then while he was talking, the couple walked in together with one attendant each. The pastor can’t officially marry the couple, so they get married at the courthouse earlier in the day. So the wedding service is more of a church service. Basically, the pastor preached to the couple, then preached to us, then preached to the couple’s families. Then he prayed for them & you could go up and congratulate them. Afterwards there was a reception upstairs for close friends and family, I didn’t attend. Her dress looked straight from the 80s, with poofy sleeves & everything. Apparently styles from the 1980s never went out of style here. I’ve seen lots of mullets.

After the wedding, I headed to a village with Luda, my language teacher, and her husband, Artor. Heather, Maya & Sasha met us there. We had like Bible school for a couple of hours. There were 8 kids, counting Maya & Sasha. We had a Bible lesson, a memory verse, lots of singing, English club, playing, and of course, tea. I got to introduce myself in Russian, a lot of fun and still a struggle sometimes. I helped them with “What is your name?” and “My name is _____” in English. They are so cute. While learning Russian is hard for me, they have a hard time pronouncing English words correctly. So I can totally relate to them. Heather & the girls took me home. On the way home, we picked up a lady in need of a ride to Berdyansk. I think she was a little drunk, but Heather tried to talk to her about Jesus. She didn’t really want to hear it. But I’ve always wanted to give someone a ride who really needs it & now I finally have.

Sunday was a super long day. I went with Luda & Artor back to the village for Sunday service. Luda & I had Sunday school with the kids, there were 8 kids this time, no Maya & Sasha. We joined the adults for singing, but had our own time of Bible lesson, craft time, and you guessed it, teatime. The kids are just as curious about me as the youth are. Asking me all kinds of questions, except they don’t know English as well. After church was over, we took one of the grandmas & 4 of the kids home. Imagine a Geo Metro. Now picture is with 2 adults and 4 kids in the backseat. That’s right, 6 people in the backseat of this car. Very cramped and very interesting. We then went to another village for church and took 2 of the kids with us. It had started raining on the way there and Luda said parents won’t let their children come when it rains. And she was right. The 5 of us and one other lady were the only ones at church. We sang with the adults, and then had another Bible lesson, more crafts, more games, but no tea. I’ve learned all kinds of games for children that I will probably bring back to America. 

After church, Luda & Artor brought me home around 1:00pm. I then headed to church. Sunday was a special service of prayer and fasting, so the service was from 9:00am-3:00pm. So I caught the tail end of the service. Someone would talk for a few minutes about a topic concerning prayer, then the congregation would get in pairs and pray together. Then they would propose another thing to pray for and we would. Then there was singing too. Apparently this had been going on all day, with the occasional break. I love seeing the passion in the people when they pray. They know God answers prayers and are passionate about their God. After the service was over, the couple, which got married the day before, had leftover cake for the youth to have. So I got to have cake and Coca-Cola.

The beach. I love it at the beach. I love the Sea of Azov. I was there Saturday night and Sunday night and we’re supposed to be going tonight as well. I have yet to actually swim in the sea. I was going to on Sunday night, but it was too cold to swim. Instead, I played volleyball & soccer. They actually cooked out on the beach. I love it.

Overall, I think it’s going well. There are times when I’m lonely, but my new friends here quickly make those times disappear. There are times when I feel inadequate in my ministry, but then I remember that building relationships and loving on people is also my ministry. Being positive and upbeat throughout every situation is definitely helping.

Prayer requests:

-       Healing for Luda & Artor’s daughter, Dasha, who has been sick

-       I continue to pour into the lives of the youth

-       God would overcome my feelings of loneliness & inadequacy

-       Strength and power within the Ukrainian church

-       The children in the villages know Jesus personally

stacking cups to see who can make the tallest tower at a youth service

some soccer on the beach

the sea of azov

since I've been here, I've been to the Sea of Azov 3 times already.
it's a very popular thing for the youth to do.
they go to swim and play volleyball and just hang out.
I went last Monday night with them & last night.
the water is beautiful & it feels so nice by the sea.
I haven't actually swam yet, but last night, I did wade up to my knees. 
and still got soaking wet by a silly boy.
but it was all good fun.

I totally love hanging out with these people.

I think I fit in just right.

the beautiful Sea of Azov

tonight, the youth are leading the service.
and they've asked me to be a part of it.
so I'm going to give my testimony & one of the ladies will translate for me.

language learning is going swell.
I know colors & numbers & parts of the body and face & "my name is Evan" & "how are you?" & "what is your name?" & a lot of random words.
the youth keep trying to teach me new things.
and I keep trying to teach them English things.
I've said a lot of idioms that they don't understand and I don't know how to explain them.
so it can be difficult at times.
and some words in Russian are very hard for me to say.
but thanks to Spanish, I can roll my Rs, haha.


otherwise, I'm loving it here.
I have my moments when I'm lonely and I feel inadequate, but I know God has a purpose for me being here.
to build relationships with awesome people.
to grow closer to Him.
to become dependent on Him & not myself.
so if you could just keep praying for me.
pray for a cool breeze, cause it can be super hott & miserable at times.

holidays & my apartment

well, we can't seem to get the internet to work on my computer at my apartment so I have to come over to the Powell's apartment.

there have been lots of church services. lots a tradition involved in church. I have to wear a a skirt or a dress and no jewelry. if a woman is married, she must wear a head scarf. there aren't many traditions involving men.

the youth meet on Friday nights at 6pm for a youth service. you start going when you are 15 and you can stay until you have kids. so the ages are quite varied. at the end of the service, I got to be in the "hot seat," where I tell about myself and they get to ask me whatever they want. they wanted to know about me, my family, me being a believer, my home church, what was different from America, etc. I even got asked what size shoes I wear, I'm not sure why, but I enjoyed it regardless.

Saturday, I spent the day with my host family. their son has a house on the Sea of Azov. his wife, Dasha, speaks some English, so it was nice to have her around to translate when needed. their other son lives in Moscow, but he and his wife are in town for a little while. I got to sit by the sea & it was beautiful. even though it was 90 degrees, there was a breeze and it felt magnificent.

yesterday was a holiday, the day the church was born, the day the Holy Spirit came. so the sermons were all about the Holy Spirit and Acts 1 & 2. a typical service lasts about 2 hours and there are 3 sermons by 3 different people. there are lots of songs and singing and poetry. a little different than a normal American service. I enjoy it, but its hard to pay attention when I don't understand any of it. after the morning service, I went with Jonathan to a nearby village to have church. they only had 2 sermons and I got to give my testimony, while Jonathan translated for me. there was another service last night. 3 more sermons, more singing, more poetry.  after service, everyone shakes hands and talks, like at home. I'm kinda a commodity. everyone wants to talk to me & say what English they know. I love it! technically, today is part of the holiday too. there was a service this morning. and tonight there will be a fellowship time with desserts.

food. lets just say there is no shortage of food. I feel like every time I turn around they are feeding me. after every meal there is hot coffee or tea and cookies. they want me to gain weight so people know I was fed well. my host family expresses worry to Heather and Jonathan because they are worried I'm not eating enough. I think I'm eating more than normal, but there is still food. oh well, maybe I'll get used to it and eat more, who knows.

a few pictures from my host family's apartment:

 the kitchen, complete with washer

view from one of the balcony's

my bed, actually a futon in the living room, which is my room for the summer

view from the kitchen window: if you look close, you can see the Sea of Azov in the background.

yes, that is a disco ball, and yes, it is hanging in my room.

just a few pictures. surprisingly I haven't taken a whole lot since I've been here. still, I'm loving it. I start officially learning Russian tomorrow. everyone tries to teach me a few words and phrases. it's going to be hard, but I know I can do it. that's all for now. we have church/fellowship/dessert time here soon.

ukraine!

I have safely arrived in Ukraine, as of 2pm yesterday afternoon.
all my flights went very well, with very short layovers.
Jonathan picked me up from the airport and we drove the 4 hours to Berdyansk.
I started crashing after 3 hours, and I could hardly keep my eyes open for the last hour.
but he took me straight to my host family's apartment, Yura & Valentina, such a sweet couple.
they made me dinner and I got to shower the travel grit off.
only, they don't speak English & I don't speak Russian.
so there are a lot of hand gestures & pictures drawn on napkins & me trying to catch onto words that sound similar to English words.
so far it hasn't been too terribly awful.
even though there have been a few times when Valentina will say something to me & I stare blankly at her because I don't understand.
oh well, I start learning Russian on Monday, so hopefully we'll start to understand each other better.
we're headed to church/prayer service here soon.
it's been wonderful thus far & I'm really excited for the things God will do.

pre-trip update #5

my last night in the united states for the summer.
tomorrow, I fly out at 2:30pm.
these past few days have been amazing.
I am so excited for all the things God has in store for this summer.
everyone of the groups are extremely special and will do awesome.
God is going to do some great things.
and I can't wait to hear about it.
and see it first hand.


I'm still working on packing and doing laundry.
making sure my bag doesn't weigh over 50lbs.



countdown: 14 hours until I fly out

pre-trip update #4

coming to you from PDO, pre-departure orientation, in Indianapolis.
I've been here since Thursday evening. my parents dropped me off, I admit, I cried a little.
it's only because I have the best parents ever. I loved getting to spend a few days just the three of us here in Indy.
since Thursday, it's been awesome. we're learning more about each other. bonding as a team (well I don't really have a team, but more about that later). eating. playing ridiculous games. sleeping. you know the drill.
today we actually went to a ropes course for team bonding.
there are about 36 of us all together. about 17 going to Nairobi, Kenya. 4 going to Mexico City. 3 going to Burkina Faso. 2 going to Turkana. 2 going to Spain. 2 going to Indonesia. Then there are 5 us that are lone rangers. I'm going to Ukraine, one to Pachuca, Mexico, one to Ethipoia, one to England, and one to Thailand. so the lone rangers and the 4 going to Mexico City were all in a group today. it was a lot of fun and it really made me think a lot about my internship. cause even though I am now going by myself, I have 35 other people all over the globe that I know will be thinking about me and praying for me all summer long. it hasn't been that long, but I'm already attached to these people and I wish they were all going with me to Ukraine. thankfully, I have a few more days with them. and I'll get to see them again at the end of the summer.
I appreciate all the prayers and support coming from all over, especially those back home. I know a storm of prayers is constantly being lifted up before the Lord, and that means so much to me. I ask that you would continue to pray for me and the rest of the summer interns.

blessings :)


countdown: 3 days until I fly away

pre-trip update #3

today is my last day at home for the rest of the summer.
my parents and I are heading to Indianapolis today.
we'll be there for a few days before I start training.

countdown: 7 days until I fly away

pre-trip update #2

this week I received my flight itinerary.
I fly from Indianapolis to Washington DC, from DC to Vienna Austria, and onto Ukraine.
same path on the way home, but I have an overnight layover in Vienna.
if you can imagine, I am getting a little nervous about flying around the world by myself.
I know God's hand of protection will be over me, but I ask that you all keep me in your prayers as I fly out on June 7th.
I've slowly been gathering things to pack.
clothes, books, gifts, etc.
memorial day is reserved for last minute shopping.
my parents and I are heading up to Indy early, hoping to get there sometime in the evening on May 31st.
they want to spend some time with me before I have to be at training on June 2nd.
we'll probably go to the art museum & maybe the zoo & just spend some time together before I'm going for the entire summer.

prayers for:
- safe travels to Indy
- safe travels to DC, Vienna & Ukraine
- peace of mind
- God's will be done this summer
- I become less and He becomes more


countdown: 12 days until I fly away

pre-trip update

yesterday afternoon, I found out that Ethan, the other intern to Ukraine, will not be able to go. he tore his ACL and meniscus playing soccer. so I am now the only intern headed to Ukraine for the summer. this means I will be flying internationally, alone. I will be living with a Ukrainian family, alone. I’ll be working with the Powells, alone.

yes, I am a little more nervous now. but I know that God will be with me. He has big plans for this summer, and I know that nothing will stop me from sharing Jesus’ name to the people of Ukraine. so I’m just asking for lots of prayer, lots and lots of it.

prayer for:

-       peace

-       safety

-       surrender of my emotions

-       Ukrainian people I will encounter, that God prepare their hearts right now

-       Ethan and his surgery, which was this morning, as well as his recovery

countdown: 20 days until I fly away

why am I doing this?

As most of you know, I will be spending the summer in Ukraine doing a missions internship. I will be in the southern portion of the country in a city called Berdyansk. I will be living with a Ukrainian family and working with a missionary family. You’re probably wondering why I am doing this and how I got to this place in my life. Lucky for you, that’s what this first post is all about.

I am a small town girl from southern Illinois. I grew up in a Christian home with loving parents and an older brother. I accepted Christ as my savior when I was eight years old, and I was also baptized. I think I was too young to really understand what it meant. All I knew was that I did not want to go to hell. I didn’t really get what it meant.

Up until I was in 8^th grade, I still didn’t really get it. Between my 7^th and 8^th grade years, I lost 4 people very special to me. The last one really took its toll on me. I became very angry with God. I didn’t understand how God could do something like that to me. How He could take away something that was so precious to me. It took me a few months to realize that God does everything for a reason, even if it’s not what we want. I had no right to be angry with Him. It turned out that the thing that turned me away from God was also the thing that brought me closer to Him.

Skip ahead to high school. My time spent at Harrisburg High School was filled with a wonderful close group of friends. With their help, I was able to grow closer to God. We were able to pursue God through church camps and retreats and just being friends.

No fast-forward to college. Coming into college, I was bound and determined to find Christian friends. I decided upon the University of Evansville in southern Indiana, a mere hour away from home. This was far enough away from home, while still being close. Other than my best friend going to the University of Southern Indiana, which was also in Evansville, I didn’t know anyone else in Evansville. If you don’t know, I used to be pretty shy when I first met people. So making friends in college was a little difficult. I pretty much just made friends with the girls that lived around me, who weren’t Christians. I didn’t find that core group of people I was looking for. It wasn’t until closer to the end of my freshman year that I started going to Student Christian Fellowship, aka SCF. I had found some Christian people that seemed like people I would like to hang out with.

Now move on to my sophomore year. I was more than determined to make friends. There was no way I was going to spend another year without Christian friends. I started attending SCF’s weekly meetings on Friday nights. I really enjoyed being with these people. I met some of the greatest people. They were so edifying and so encouraging. It was nice to find friends that I could enjoy being with. I basically spent every day with them.

Coming on up to spring break that year. I went on a mission trip to Panama City Beach, Florida with SCF. Through the program, BeachReach, we went there to give away free pancakes and free van rides to students who were there for a ‘real spring break experience.’ I think this was where God put missions on my heart. As previously mentioned, I could be quite shy. But through the experience, God pushed me out of my comfort zone. At the beginning of the week, I was struggling a little bit, but by the end of the week, it got a lot better. It was an honor to be a part of God’s work in PCB.

Now move to last fall. I was still hanging out with all my SCF friends and it was awesome. In November 2010, I went to the National Missionary Convention in Lexington, KY. Prior to attending, I became aware of the company Christian Missionary Fellowship, aka CMF. At the conference, there were so many booths set up for so many different missions all over the world. I knew God was calling me to do mission work, but I wasn’t sure if it was to be something within the US or something more global. I had recently heard about CMF’s Globalscope program, which sends campus ministers to colleges all over the world. I had been looking into doing that possibly after I graduate. While researching this option, I learned about CMF’s REACH internship. They send students all over the world for a whole summer to learn what its like to be a missionary. While at the convention, I got to talk with Shannon, who is in charge of the REACH program. I knew this was something I wanted to do. So I looked through a list of all the places I could go, including Thailand, Kenya, Ukraine, Mexico, etc. Every time I read the list, Ukraine just stuck out. So I filled out the application in early December, with my preference as Ukraine.

I got the call on January 17, 2011, a Monday morning. I had been accepted! After I got off the phone with Shannon I just started crying. I was so excited & anxious & nervous & scared. I have never done anything quite like this. I’ve never been this far away from home. So you can understand how I’m a little anxious. Since then, I’ve been reading books about ministering in different cultures. I’ve gotten a few shots. I got my passport. I even got to attend a Russian/Ukrainian church service in Evansville a couple weeks ago. Man, that was an experience. The whole service was completely foreign to me. I learned that I would have to be intentional about learning Russian and put a lot of effort into it.

So the plan is to update this blog weekly. My Internet might be a little sketchy, so I will try to update as frequently as possible.

The countdown has begun: 24 days until I fly away.