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. :)