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 : )