overall

well, I made it back to the United States. after my stay in Austria, I flew 9 hours to Washington, DC. I breezed through customs. the Powells walked with me to my gate and then we parted ways. they were headed to Atlanta, and I was heading to Indianapolis. I got my first starbucks since leaving the country and it was fabulous. I sat down to call my parents and talked to each of them, then I unexpectedly found my fellow interns who had been in Burkina Faso (west Africa) for the summer. we were all on the same flight to Indy. I even got to sit next to one of the girls. so my stress of flying home alone & staying overnight in Vienna & struggling through flying & customs. it ended up working out that I wasn't by myself.

so I arrived in Indianapolis on Wednesday evening around 6:30pm. we met up with the guys that came in from Spain, then headed back to the Benedict Inn to start "Debrief." a couple of the groups were already back, and a few more trickled in that night. the rest came on Thursday. we spent Thursday and Friday spending time together, learning how to adjust to life, how to share our summer, looking at pictures, sharing funny stories, sharing treasures. it was wonderful to hear everyone else's summer experiences.

this summer was wonderful for me. I got to experience missions firsthand. I grew closer to my God. my quiet time became a consistent thing. I built some great relationships with some awesome people. I saw the power of Jesus break down the language barrier. the beauty of Jesus was prevalent in Ukraine. I saw the passion of believers. prayer is vital in your walk with Christ.

and I just want to say thank you to all of my loyal supporters! by reading my blog, and keeping up with me this summer, I really appreciate you taking the time to share in my experiences.  thank you for your prayers especially. God is faithful to answer prayers. I ask that you would continue to pray for the church in Ukraine and the people who are there. and be praying for me, that I wouldn't forget all the things that I learned.

I'll leave you with a few pictures from my last few weeks abroad :)

my kids in Dmitrivka

last night in Ukraine

last Saturday camp

jazz forum downtown

last Sunday in Shivchanka

camping

worship while camping

me and Paulina at my going away party

my silly friends at my going away party

playing bingo at the 2-day camp

greetings from Austria

well, I landed safely in Vienna, Austria a few hours ago. I had McDonalds in the airport with the Powells, who are also on their way to America. then I took a shuttle to my hotel, about 3 miles from the airport. the Powells were staying at the hotel across the street from the airport, but I'll see them in the morning. we have the same flight to Washington, D.C.
this morning I got up bright and early to see my host mom before she left for work and I left. it was a sad goodbye, but I'm so thankful for her. she was like my mom this summer. then my host dad came home from work, and I had to say goodbye to him. the pastor from the Berdyansk church and his daughter, Sveta, drove the Powells and I to the airport, about a 4 hour drive. it was bumpy and I was sad to be leaving Ukraine. I was super thankful that the Powells happened to be flying out with me. it made things a lot easier.
the past couple of nights have been all about me, ha ha. Sunday night after the evening service, most of the youth went over to Ena & Pasha's apartment to hang out. there was lots of cake and lots of Coca-Cola. it was a lot of fun just hanging out with them. they all said such kind things about me. I'm so glad I fit with them. they made this summer so wonderful. then last night, we went to the Sea one last time. I gave away American things, I felt like Santa Clause. they were all so excited to get things from America. as we walked home, I had to start saying goodbye to people. it was really hard. I didn't cry in front of them, but I wanted to so bad. a few of them sat with me outside my apartment and talked and looked at pictures and exchanged addresses & email addresses & skype names. I want to stay in contact with them as best as possible.