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 : )