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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