ukrainian summer: 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