Sunday, June 29, 2008

update #4 -- Kyiv!

Hi everyone,

Today we arrived in Zaporozhe, where we will be for the next two weeks. Last week we spent "relaxing" in Kiev, doing some more sightseeing and resting, and we also had the opportunity to attend a wedding and visit with a Work and Witness team.

Ukrainian Wedding....
We traveled 5 hours to Vapnyarka with some folks from Kiev church for Pasha and Olga's wedding. Pastor Roma spoke, and there was the traditional exchange of rings and vows (following the pattern of western church weddings). Following the ceremony was a reception, where we were able to visit with various pastors we've already met and/or worked with, and we enjoyed good food as well.
On the way back we stopped at a halfway house for men who have just been released from prison, and they gave us a tour of the building. After that, once it got dark, was when the adventures began. Somewhere about 11pm (2 hours from Kiev), we ran over a wedge used to keep semi trucks from rolling. It punctured the fuel line, and the oil, and a few other things (I honestly couldn't tell you details) as it tumbled beneath the van. So we were stuck there for a good 2 hours, waiting for a ride back to Kiev. We finally arrived back at our apartment at 4am, safely. Looking back now, we can see that God had his hand of protection upon us, as the situation could have been much worse.

More siteseeing...
Nadine and I navigated through downtown Kyiv on our own, discovering the Kyiv Dynamo football/soccer stadium, as well as underground malls. One really neat thing was the distance marker, where we saw how many kilometers away various world cities are. On Friday, we also revisited the Caves Monastery and the War Memorial with the Susanville team, which provide a window into understanding the Ukrainian people and their way of life.

Susanville Work and Witness team...
It was great to join the Susanville team on their last day here, and we also met a couple that had graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University--they ended up joining us for most of the day of siteseeing.
In the evening, we all joined in to load a truck with banana boxes to send to Chernivtsi. I was able to see the banana box ministry nearly all the way through to the end. At home, churches on my district pack banana boxes of clothes to ship overseas where there is need. The other night, I saw banana boxes prepared to ship within the country, to an area where I have been. These boxes were going to go to Vera and her ministry with special needs children, so I had a connection and a relationship with the boxes' final destination.

Zaporozhe...
This week we will be preparing for next week's children's day camp. Tomorrow we are preparing flyers and inventorying craft supplies. Next week the children will come to the church from about 9am-3pm, and we will be joined by other leaders. Please keep these two weeks in your prayers, as well as us, the other workers, and the children and families that I hope will be touched by Christ's love. Pray also for any traveling we will be doing.

I must get going now, but thank you again for all your prayers!

Monday, June 23, 2008

update #3 -- Tulchin!

Hi friends and family,

Nadine and I have just returned from a week in Tulchin, where we spent the week with Victor and Olga N. and their 3 boys. Three of the mornings we were there we held Kids' Club type activities with some neighborhood children, and also spent a lot of time playing with Victor and Olga's 2 and a half year old sons Elijah and Benjamin.

Spending time with the neighborhood children...
Each morning Victor invited them over, and we had about 3-4 different children come. With the help of Vica, our translator, we sang songs, played games, told a Bible story, and had a snack with these kids who were about 10-12 years old. It was also great to have Victor involved, and on the first day two people came from church to help with music--definitely a blessing as we don't know any songs in Russian! Keep these kids in your prayers: Mira, Ina, Tanya, Dennis, and Valya.

Spending time with Victor and Olga and the kids, and their neighbors....
Nadine and I spent a lot of time with Elijah and Benjamin, playing with them, trying to keep them out of trouble. :) One afternoon, I went to where Benja seemed like he was going to climb over the fence, and tried to make sure he didn't. He ended up jabbering away to me in Russian, and I of course had NO idea what he was saying--I just matched my facial expressions to his, and added "Da" (yes) and "Opa" (wow) where it seemed appropriate. Later they told me he was telling me something about the flower that was going to eat me!
We also met their neighbor Mary and her two little children, who we visited with a few times. On Saturday, we went with Victor and the two boys to a river where people go whitewater rafting, for an afternoon of swimming and enjoying the beauty of God's creation. Today (Monday) Victor and Olga's newborn is about 3 weeks old, and we got to hold him every so often! :D

Spending time with the Tulchin church family....
On Saturday evening, Victor invited us to go to a small home group meeting just outside of town, where we met an extended family from the church. I enjoyed being able to talk with the people and see that we encouraged them through our presence and willingness to come and serve. Sunday morning we went to the church service, and though there were few gathered there, one of the congregants reminded us of Jesus saying, "Where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them." There may not always be great statistics in terms of a head count, but what counts is that Christ is here with us.

This week and next...
We are taking a few days of rest in Kyiv before we head out to Zaporozhe (southeastern Ukraine) for a children's day camp. There we will spend about a week building relationships with children and then inviting them to the week of camp. We will be joined by Ira, a children's worker at the Kyiv church, and Tiffany, a volunteer at the Vapnyarka Children's Center, and most likely other children's workers. Before that, however, we will be attending Pasha and Olga's wedding in Vapnyarka on Wednesday!

Prayer requests...
Victor, Olga, and their family
the kids we met in Tulchin and the people of the Tulchin church
Pastor Andrei and Marina of Zaporozhe and the ministry that we will be part of next week
traveling safety

Thanks again for your prayers and messages--I always enjoy hearing from you!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

update #2 from Chernivtsi, Ukraine!

Hello from Chernivtsi/Chernovtsy/however you want to transliterate it, about 8 hours from Kyiv, Ukraine! We have been here for most of this week, having arrived by train on Wednesday morning.

Our week began with a visit to Vinnitsya (sp?), where we toured the House of James (children’s home) and men’s and women’s rehab centers. At House of James, you could see that the children were loved and cared for, and at the rehab centers, the leaders were helping others to escape a lifestyle of addiction and enter into a new life with Christ. It reminded me of the following verses from 2 Corinthians: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” God is at work here, through the love and guidance of people. (PS The men’s rehab center we visited was featured in the NMI reading book, “Eight Steps from the Edge of Hell”.)

When we arrived in Chernivtsi, we met with Vera, who has been leading children’s clubs for folks with disabilities. She actually recently spent some time in the hospital, due to something stress-related, so keep her in your prayers as she tries to do a lot for these kids. “Compassion is my lifestyle,” and is not just about feeling sorry for someone—it involves taking action—she said as she told us her story, and she is passionate about helping children and families of children with special needs. She would love to be able to visit with each family, but she can only do so much.
We visited Katya, an 18 year old with cerebral palsy, and her mom on Thursday and Friday. We went outside for a little while and played catch and blew bubbles together, and also were able to have tea together. Nadine and I also “sang” a song with our puppets, to a song for kids from Hillsong. Katya’s mom said that life has been difficult, because society is unfamiliar with those with special needs and does not always provide support. She really enjoyed just being able to talk to someone—she is thankful for Vera’s presence in her life as well. I pray that they were encouraged by our presence, and that God will continue to work in their lives. When we visited Sveta (who has Down syndrome), we taught her how to tie shoes, and practiced with her. We also played catch, and gave her a pink hairbrush of her very own, so that she would begin to do some more things on her own. Please keep these families in your prayers, as well as the Ukraine society as a whole, so that these individuals will one day become integrated into society.

Last night we went to a local children’s camp, and watched their final evening service, with skits and songs performed by various groups. It was good to meet some of the kids (despite the language barrier) and youth, and we also did our puppet song again.

Our traveling companions have been Victoria and Tiffany, and it has been great having them along. Victoria, 15, is our translator, and Tiffany is a volunteer at the Vapnyarka Children’s Center. We have done a lot of walking during our time here, and also visited the Chernovtsy university.

Next week (Sunday evening) we will be traveling by train and then bus to Tulchin, and we will be working with Victor and Olga (we’re likely to be working with children). Pray for our safety while traveling, and for the families and church in Tulchin. I’ve appreciated your prayers and emails so far—keep them coming! :)

In Christ,
Jessica

Saturday, June 07, 2008

update #1 from Kiev, Ukraine

Hello from Kiev, Ukraine!

This week Nadine and I have been settling in and getting acclimated to life in the capital city of Ukraine. We have visited many "touristy" places and have tried the Ukrainian dishes of vareneeky (dumplings) and borsch (soup). Also, we have spent a good bit of time with Cliff and Heike, our site coordinator and his wife, and enjoyed their company. Charly, our friend from Canada, has taken us on public transportation and has been a great friend this first week here. One aspect of life here that is definitely not seen in the States is the use of sidewalks for parking and even driving--whatever it takes to find a space or get where they need to go! We have been doing a lot of walking and so it has become important to watch out for cars even on the sidewalks. :)

Charly is a children's ministries director from Canada, and she was here this week leading a seminar in basic puppetry skills for the folks at the church. This was great because we learned how to make simple puppets and how to use puppets, a skill that may come in handy later this summer. We have also been able to meet people from this church and a couple other local Nazarene churches. Tomorrow (Sunday) we will be presenting a short skit and song ("Big House") with our puppets for the kids here at the Kiev church during Sunday school.

Please be praying for us as next week (Monday) we leave for ten days to Chernovtsy. While there, we will be working with disabled children. Also, be praying for us as we work to learn the language. We have a few basic phrases down, but still have a long way to go!

Anyway, I hope you have a great day, and thanks for your prayers and support!

In Christ,
Jessica