Thanksgiving Thoughts

Today was a great day with both sides of my family...

My brother and I started out our day at our dad's house -- my aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandfather came over for a little while before they left for their dinner. It was good to see them and visit with them a little while, and I was able to show them most of my Ukraine pictures. Okay, "most" is an exaggeration, it was actually "most of the overview pictures", since it was only 10% of my total photos. I showed a lot of history/culture ones at the beginning, and then made my way into the ones that had more of the people. (Seriously, I'm forgetting some of the awesome stories...I need a refresher.)

When I was showing my pictures, I talked about how it was neat to see that God had brought a lot of the pastors out of the drug/alcohol culture, and that they went from that enslavement to now preaching and teaching in the church. After a while, I noticed that my aunt had gone into the living room and was otherwise NOT where I was showing the pictures....I suspected it was because my trip was church-related....Adam said later, "I think you talked about God too much for our aunt, because she left after a while" (and was sitting in their car by the time the rest of us came outside).

He's probably right. But how can you "invalidate" someone's story? We've talked in theology class about how the narrative you are in will influence what kinds of experiences you have. For instance, I will not have experiences in my Christian story like those in a Buddhist life-narrative will have. These were the experiences I had -- I am telling what I have seen and heard (Luke 7:22).

My dad and stepmom have told us before not to say "Merry Christmas" to her (and maybe my uncle too), because she won't like it. However, I cannot (sometimes I simply forget). On December 25, I am celebrating Christ's birth -- that is the holiday. I know the name of Jesus Christ is offensive to some, but today, I just talked about GOD. (Yes, Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are all the same Being, I know.) I think she may be of Jewish heritage, but I don't think she's a practicing Jew.

I want to know what her "beef" is with God, or the church, or Christians, or whatever it may be. Even though I tended to do it in high school, I don't want to preach AT people about my views, or about Jesus. I want to be able to have a conversation with her, to understand where she's coming from, and what her ideas are.

At the same time, I don't want to "chicken out" about sharing explicitly about God, when I think I can predict their responses. I'm going to give credit to God when it's God's.

After my picture show, we drove to my mom's cousin's house. On the way there, my brother was playing with my radio, and found a radio station..."Is this Chinese?" I listened very careful, and recognized the words "katori" and "delit", and said, "Nope, it's Russian!!!!" On our way home, we listened again, and this time it was in FRENCH! I was seriously excited about a Russian radio station -- I'm going to try it again later.

On my grandfather's side of the family, the average age has fallen....rather than the under-40 bunch being the minority, it is now the over-60 bunch that is in the minority. So many of my cousins had babies there, and a few were really cute. Zack is about 11 months old, and Cydney is 4 mos (she smiled A LOT at me!!!).

My cousins told my uncle Eddie that they stopped at a Target where they were the only white people there, and he didn't like that one bit (he's still holding a 67-year old grudge against Japan and Japanese automobiles). What is wrong with white people being in the minority??? I was/am in the minority in El Paso, and I don't mind it at all!

Most of my cousins from NC were up visiting, and after dinner, Shari, Christina, and I tried to put together a couple of these "Scramble Squares" puzzles. I mostly shot down the ones that wouldn't work...I really wasn't offering anything constructive at all. They got 2 done, no problem, but then we sat and worked on this one for quite a while....Abby joined Christina and I when Shari left, and we were STILL working on it. Troy kept "advising" us, but it really didn't help. You'd think a 9-piece puzzle really wouldn't be that difficult! We never did figure it out.

I hope the rest of you had a wonderful day as well!

The enemy's been defeated....

The enemy has been defeated
And death couldn't hold You down
We're gonna lift our voice in victory
We're gonna make Your praises loud

Shout unto God with a voice of triumph
Shout unto God with a voice of praise
Shout unto God with a voice of triumph
We lift Your name up
We lift Your name up

Despite my questions, despite my struggles, despite suffering, despite discouragement, despite death, Christ has already defeated all. Just as I learned this summer, and continue to learn each and every day, Christ is my only certainty in life, as well as for after death. Christ is King over all creation, and should be first in my life also.

I was watching an episode of Fringe tonight, and then decided that it was far too serious for my mood right now. So then I found a Paul Wright song to listen to, but that dealt with suicide. Perhaps this seems more jarring to me because I had been having a "calm" time, a wonderful time, things were looking up, in a sense.

Tomorrow is Mrs Quimby's funeral. For many of us that knew her, we thought that she was going to make it through her injuries and fight her way out. We offered so many prayers on her behalf and thought of her so much during her last week on earth. Yet she did not make it. I have not thought so much about the question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" as much as...well, I'm not sure how to word this. It seems ridiculously unfair to say that an amazing teacher and woman would not go to heaven to be with God. (I disagree with the statement that she is now one of God's angels -- I don't believe we are made into angels when we die. Following that logic, it would appear that Hitler would have become a demon, I suppose.) Yet if we truly got what we deserve for the times we do not do what is Christ-like, then we'd all be up a creek without a paddle (is that how the saying goes?) -- who knows in what shape we'd be.

I don't know if Mrs Quimby was a Christian, a follower of Christ, in a relationship with Jesus. I don't claim to know the answer to that question -- but the bottom line is that I just don't know.

What can be done? I want my friends to be with God once their time on earth is done. Being with God, experiencing His love and sharing that with others is one of the best things ever....at the same time though, it is very demanding, GOD is demanding in that I have to put God before all else in my life, and seek God's glory above my own, and learn to see others through Christ's eyes.

Recently we've been talking about how God is love, yes, but yet God demands ALL of us. It's not just a "feel-good" gospel about how much God loves and sent His Son Jesus Christ, but that once we accept the gift of forever living with God, we must live like Christ. A high calling, indeed, but God gives us everything we need -- in the form of the Holy Spirit to shape us in Christ's image.

"He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." (Luke 8: 25)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back, I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

On Wealth and Unnecessary Things

I've been thinking lately about how some things are unnecessary.

For a family of a father, mother, and two little girls, do you really need a house with 4 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, a computer room/den, a playroom, another parlor-type room, living room, dining area, kitchen, laundry room, and a 2-car garage? I babysat for a family once with a house like this. It seemed like a lot of house for not a lot of people.

My grandfather wants to build a garage at our house in order to store a lawnmower and one or two of our family cars. Do we need a standard-size garage to store a riding mower? The way I see it, we can build another small shed big enough for the mower and other tools. Our driveway/yard is going to be a mess while this garage is built. We have managed my entire life -- with the exception of a year or so, when we only used the garage for storage -- without a "home" for our vehicles. In our family of 3, we have 3 cars. THAT is ridiculous, but we live in the country with NO public transportation unless you are in a K-12 school or are a senior citizen.

Midnight Madness, our pep rally for the basketball teams, was held last night. One of the things that bugged me, and I said to someone, "Is that really necessary? What is the point?", was that the basketball guys were slapping each other on the butt. Why? That's so obnoxious and stupid. I don't want to see that.

When I pack up to move home after graduation, I want to see if I can fit all my possessions into my car. Should I count furniture (shelving) in that aspect as well? The only thing is that I still have a lot of things stored at my mom's house: toys from when I was a kid, books I haven't read, books I'd like to keep, and a few clothes. In thinking about Christmas, I'm trying to whittle down my list to things that I think I "need", but at the same time, some of those are unnecessary in the long run. I know that I can live out of a suitcase and backpack for 2 months, but I am a packrat and will need to do some cleaning and sorting over Christmas break, since I'll be consolidating 2 rooms into one in May.

I've been doing a lot of self-evaluation lately, and seeing areas in which I totally need God's help to improve and become more like Christ. In thinking about an experience I had this week, I struggle with pride and stereotypes about people that are not in my social circles, for one example.

What is unnecessary in my own life, but that I still do anyway? Spending time on Facebook every day -- I know that I will survive if I am only on it once a week, but yet, I am online nearly anytime I am in my room. Buying things that I don't really need, but could use the money for more important things. Taking the day off when I could very well work.

Hmmm....

Ukrainian History....WWII (6/27/08)

Ukraine site-seeing
Bob’s History Lesson after Caves Monastery (6/27)
-religion at its basic level is a way to make sense of the world
-orthodox worldview- only one person at the top – pyramid-like and top-down
-priests and aristocracy were literate…paintings so people can understand
-hence decorations…also national history
-philosophy of top-down comes from the church – get permission first and then be creative
-in Protestantism, reward creativity
-think outside the box—requires permission first
-influences public education
-faith through hearing the Word of God—requires literacy—Reformation and Sunday SCHOOL—otherwise work during the week
-public education here came in the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, then a high literacy rate
-1895 Spanish-American War- soldiers became teachers and built schools
-masses repeat what they heard from the top (so like apostolic succession?)
-influences the way society functions
-if you have relationships/connections, call the top person up
-take the time to understand the system before doing anything
-Icon curtain—Protestants have direct access to King

War Memorial… “Their actions will live forever, and the words are eternal”
Museum—you gotta FEEL it…hence music playing
-No women in first relief sculpture – everything is significant
-Water – to get across river – symbolic – Dnieper – Kiev – one of the hero cities
-Great Patriotic War against the Fascists = WWII (what it doesn’t say and does say, says a lot)
-broken Nazi eagle on the ground
-developing war machine in Germany
-onslaught came in June 1941 – destroyed homes, everything everywhere
-The Motherland is Calling!
-3 weeks to capture 11 countries (Germany said this)
-Operation Babarosa – German for Eastern front –Germans had positive outlook
-3 months just for getting Kiev – threw off plans -Germans told them they’d lose soccer game, but they won, so they eliminated the whole team
-May Day parade in Kiev 1941 – peaceful time, wonderful time
-test of what would happen to the people
-parents and grandparents would know these people – nostalgia (photos of famous people of the times)
-destruction, “We’ll be marching in Red Square by Christmas”
-Germans weren’t prepared for one of the coldest winters
-Leningrad portion = bread, sawdust, paper, whatever found
-3 years blockaded the city – never surrendered! Toughed it out
-Navy battles – perfect ship, never lost, never lost a person
-Hitler wanted to get to Caspian Sea – it had oil!
-Concentration camp sign – To each his own
-soap made from human fat, gloves made from human skin
-didn’t really bother with camps, just had a mass grave
-occupation of Kiev – renamed streets
-Hitler wanted a world order – army of murderers – doing whatever to make them submit (took everything, just destroyed)
-couldn’t make them submit and be slaves
-“Eastern workers” – sent back to work in fields – young folks
-there wasn’t safety in the back lines in occupied areas
-towns totally destroyed by fire
-French left their cannons back in the 1800s
-every hit of the hammer = a hit against the enemy
-Soviet flags upstairs now – something (Stalingrad/Volvograd) happened – 100% destroyed
-D-Day happened after that – Volga river dumps into Caspian Sea
-running Germans back, running them out – For Stalin! For Soviet! (look at faces)
-war not fair – this lady lost all 9 sons (village signed up as a group)
-this lady had all 5 sons come back
-captured German banners – battle at Reichstag, Berlin – Red army came, triumph!
-60 million died because of WWII – country breakdown
-China 8.2 million (#2 country for casualties)
-#1 country: Soviet Union lost 30 million people
-US lost 500,000 people, about 5,000 a day over the course of the war
-US and Soviet Union had about the same population (give or take a million) at the time
-everybody lost somebody, and you’d better not forget it
-one of the classes is how to shoot automatic weapon, take apart, shoot again
-better understanding of why they built an iron curtain
-keep out after losing so many – another perspective to Cold War
-wouldn’t let another become greater than them, because last time that it happened…
-they wanted to keep their land theirs, though they hate it (???)

Dreaming of Ukraine....two months later

This morning when my alarm went off, I had just been dreaming that I was in Ukraine. I was so sad that it was just a dream, and that I wasn't there.

Yesterday I had been putting my photos from this summer into an album, and I also saw some photos online of odd buildings/places in Ukraine and Russia. So Ukraine was on the brain.

Here's the story from my dream last night.

For whatever reason, my cousin Jen and I were in downtown Kiev and had 10 minutes until we had to be somewhere else. At the very beginning of my dream, I threw my arms in the air, so excited that I was in Ukraine.

I wanted to take her to the Caves Monastery, to which I insisted I knew the way. She reminded me of a time when we were traveling and I claimed the area looked "vaguely familiar," until we arrived. [However, I wasn't even traveling with her that time!] We proceeded to walk down the street until we got to the next intersection.

I wanted to ask how long of a walk it was till we got to the Caves Monastery, so I proceeded to ask a person passing by. First, I asked, "English?" and she said no, and explained a little bit. I'm not sure how I understood that, if I don't really understand Russian! I knew that I needed to use the word for how much (сколько), but beyond that, I think I was going to make it up as I went along. She told us it was about a 15-20 minute walk, and it was either her or one of our religion professors (not even sure how she got in my dream!!!) that said, "It's a nice walk, so it doesn't seem like that far."

Then we went a little ways farther, and came across a group of Americans, I suppose, including the aforementioned religion professor and my friend Bryan (again, not sure how he was in my dream). At this point, it was time for my cousin and I to turn around and leave, so they all shouted "BYE!" in unison. [Later I thought about how that would not be appropriate in Ukraine and would immediately mark you as a tourist/outsider.] We turned around to leave, and then...

My alarm went off. I wanted to cry! I miss Ukraine!

Ukraine 2008: A Brief Summary of Children's Ministry, Compassion, and Reconciliation

Dear family and friends,
I have recently returned from a Youth in Mission trip to Ukraine, and it was a wonderful time of playing with children, leading and helping with Vacation Bible Schools, and otherwise seeing God’s hand at work in the lives of Ukrainians. Thank you for your financial and/or prayer support that enabled my team and I to participate in this; you have played a part in ministry to others around the world! This letter will give you an overview of the two months I spent in Ukraine and will introduce you to some of the people we met, though it is impossible to fit all the stories from that time into these few pages.

INTRODUCTION TO UKRAINE
Ukrainians have been influenced by three major events/societal structures: World War II, Communism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. Everyone in the Soviet Union lost somebody in the war, and nearly every village/town/city has a war memorial and an Orthodox church. Whenever we were in downtown Kyiv (the capital city) on weekends, we would usually see wedding parties walking or driving around to the various war memorials and churches for photos in honor of their family members who served in the war. Ukraine only recently became independent, and it is mind-boggling that people I met or passed in the streets have lived what I learned about in history classes.

During our first week in Kyiv, we met a Canadian girl about our age, Charly, who had been teaching churches how to use puppets in children’s ministry. It was wonderful getting to know her! Later that week, we joined her for a Puppetry Seminar at Kyiv First Church, which gave us skills and puppets to use throughout the rest of our time in Ukraine. We also met Irina (the children’s director) and Deena, who later joined us in Zaporozhe.

CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE IN UKRAINE
The work of the Church of the Nazarene began just after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, when a missionary couple returned to the country and began hosting home Bible studies. Their translator was Vova (Vladimir), who is now the pastor of Kyiv First Church.

I found that the passage of 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 about Christians being given the ministry of reconciliation really relates to how the church is working and growing in Ukraine. Currently there are a number of churches and drug/alcohol rehab centers throughout the country (mostly in the western part) and 2-3 children’s homes. We were also able to visit 2 men’s rehab centers, one women’s rehab center, 2 children’s homes, and a halfway house for men who have been released from prison.

We also helped transfer banana boxes of humanitarian aid from the Kyiv Ministry Center to a truck that would then transfer it to Vira in Chernovtsy. As you will soon read, we had worked with her and met some of the children who would receive that aid, so it was really neat to see the banana boxes travel full-circle and have a personal connection. Also, at our last location, there was a boy who wore t-shirts with names of small towns that are on my district. That gives me reason to think that I have truly seen the final destination of banana boxes from my district.

CHERNOVTSY
On our way to Chernovtsy, we met Vica (our translator/interpreter) and Tiffany (a volunteer in Ukraine), who traveled with us for the rest of our time in Ukraine. It was wonderful having them with us -- to learn from their experiences, have some companions , and have fun with them!

In Chernovtsy, we worked with Vira Kushnir, who is passionate about helping children with special needs and their families. She says, “Compassion is my lifestyle,” and challenged us by saying that compassion is more than simply feeling sorry for a cause or a person – it means DOING something about it!

We met Sveta, who is 30 years old and has Down’s Syndrome. We helped teach her how to tie her shoes, practicing by using toy shoes. We also organized boxes of toys, occupational therapy supplies, personal care items, and school supplies for Vira to distribute.

One of the highlights (for me) of our time in Ukraine was getting to know Katya and her mom and to encourage them. Katya is 18 and has cerebral palsy, and we went to her apartment twice to sing songs, talk to her, play with her (bubbles and “soccer”), and chat with her mom. Life is difficult for her mother, because in Ukraine, very little assistance is given to those with disabilities. Her husband left her a number of years ago, she is a single mom raising 2 children, and she devotes much of her time to caring for Katya. She says that it has been wonderful knowing Vira and joining her children’s clubs, so that she can meet others in a similar situation.

TULCHIN
In the town of Tulchin, we worked with Pastor Victor to host a backyard Vacation Bible School (VBS). For about 4 mornings, we would meet with around 4 children to play games, share a Bible story and lesson, sing some songs, and share a snack. In the evenings, we would simply play with Victor and Olga’s own twin boys after they returned from daycare.

Pastor Victor is one of many Nazarene pastors in Ukraine that has come out of the drug/alcohol culture. He is now sharing that same hope, love, and new life found in Christ with others in Tulchin. He and his wife also shared with us the story of the biggest miracle they’d witnessed: he and Olga were told they would never be able to have children, and now God has given them three young boys!

ZAPOROZHE
Our time in Zaporozhe was a time of really getting to know the kids in the community surrounding the church, and then helping to host a cowboy-themed VBS during our second week. The first week included simply being at the church in the mornings for any children that might stop by to play, and so Nadine and I played basketball, ran around, and played games with them, along with letting them show us tricks they could do. Since we also needed to prepare for the VBS, a number of the kids wanted to help us decorate and advertise, so we welcomed their help in creating a cardboard street front, wall decorations, and flyers.

I got to know 7 year old Vladik throughout the course of the week, as we played basketball. He, of course, would talk to me and I would have next to no idea what he was saying; likewise, I’m sure he had no idea what I was saying either. Once he figured out that my camera could record short videos, he would ask if I could record him jumping off of a small awning, or if he could record someone else saying or doing something. His younger sister Ivana also came to play at the church, and during the VBS I helped her make an origami flower.

For VBS, we were joined by youth teams from Kyiv and Vinnytsa, as well as another American girl named Ree. The Ukraine teams primarily lead the VBS, whether it was with songs, games, crafts, origami, or Bible studies with each age group. Our role at this time became one of support, filling in wherever someone was needed. As we walked to and from lunch and the games area, we were able to talk to some of the children who also enjoyed practicing their English.

The theme for this summer’s VBS was “God’s Love Changes Everything,” and it is my hope and prayer that what the children learned and saw that week will have an eternal impact on their hearts. I hope that Anya and Marina, two teenage girls who became Christians during that week, will continue to walk with Christ. I hope that Vladik and Ivana will continue attending church, and will find that the love shown there is actually Christ’s love for them.

GORODKIVKA
Our final destination was the small village of Gorodkivka, where we would help Pastor Oleg with a 3 day VBS. This was the first one that we had completely planned ourselves, so we used ideas that we had learned from the other teams at Zaporozhe. “A vot morye” (There’s a Sea, roughly translated) was a big hit with these kids, and we had spent a few hours learning the song ourselves. Roughly translated, the song is “There’s an eye, on the fish, on the pole, in the hand, of the fisherman, on the boat, on the sea of Galilee,” and its repetition helped us to sing most of the words instead of mumbling them like we had in Zaporozhe!

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
During our time in Ukraine, we experienced new foods, traveled on trains, and saw God’s hand of protection at work. God kept us safe as we traveled with a “maniac” driver—I call him that because he was driving far too fast in a thunderstorm for my comfort—to an overnight camp in Chernovtsy. God protected us from any more trouble as we returned from a wedding in Vapnyarka; we had run over some debris in the road that damaged our fuel and oil lines, and we had to sit on the side of the road in the middle of the night for two hours. We also saw God’s provision, as we worked with some wonderful people like Charly, the Kiev/Vinnytsa teams, and Pastor Andriy at Zaporozhe.

CLOSING
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and thank you once again for providing support this summer. It was a time of learning to trust God as well as seeing God’s hand at work within the country of Ukraine.

In Christ,
Jessica

Summer 2008 Adventures

I was just thinking about this summer and the wide array of experiences I've had...

~running over the universal joint of a bus while traveling home from school
~substitute teaching
~traveling to Ukraine
~trying to learn Russian
~playing with kids and leading/helping with VBS's
~navigating Kiev's public transport system and the streets
~learning about trusting God: "It's okay, you can trust Me"
~hanging out in El Paso for a few extra days
~speaking Russian to 2 ladies at the Outlets! YES! (I didn't understand everything they said, though.
~babysitting Sarah, Hannah, and Dia
~spending 4 days in Chicago/Bourbonnais with my teammates from last summer
~taking a taxi at 11pm because we missed the last bus to the hotel by 5 hours
~seeing the Red Sox play at Camden Yards
~getting baptized
~having a yard sale (I made only $41.75, but hey, that's something)
~trying to speak Spanish to people that came to our yard sale, and trying to understand my neighbor's mother's Hungarian....when all the while my Russian was trying to fight its way out of me....I found myself speaking Spanish slower, and trying to use Russian to speak to the Hungarian lady. I did, however, recognize the word for school! YES!
~observing at my old high school

8 reasons why I am a failure at making Ukrainian dumplings

1. I am currently on the wrong side of the Prime Meridian, as my brother says.
2. I tried making vareneky for the first time, and I used too much dough.
3. I am not Ukrainian.
4. When I made said vareneky, I didn't have any sour cream to help with the taste.
5. When I made plemeny, the meat became embedded in the dough.
6. The dough is really sticky.
7. I need more practice.
8. Actually, I need to watch a Ukrainian do it first.

Let's hope that when I try to make borsch (soup), it turns out well. I don't think there's much I can do to botch the soup called borsch. :)

final update from Ukraine!

Hello everyone,

In two days Nadine and I will be returning to the States after over six weeks of ministry and travel here in Ukraine. I am ready to see my friends and family, but at the same time, I don't quite want to say goodbye to this place that has been "home" this month and a half.

I celebrated my 21st birthday in the small town of Vapnyarka. The day consisted of getting off the overnight train and spending most of our time in town before leaving for the village of Gorodkivka. We rested for a while, catching up on sleep, since our train ride was from about 1am to 7 am. Vica took us to see the new children's center--when it is ready, about 100 children and staff will be able to live there. It was great to see that even more children can be helped, and that they will experience Christ's love! We also went to the bazaar to buy a few groceries, and stopped by the meat market for a minute or two. The meat market wasn't as gross as I thought it would be (maybe because we weren't there for long), but seeing pigs' feet and pigs' snouts outside was definitely gross!

To get to Gorodkivka, we traveled about 45 minutes in a van with all our stuff (on the way back, it took close to 2 hours, since we were bumping around on back roads--picture driving through fields). It is a tiny village, in the middle of nowhere, but the views of the surrounding landscape were amazing.

For the 3 days we were there, we hosted an afternoon VBS for about 12-14 kids. Having just done VBS in Zaporozhe, we pulled a number of our activity ideas from those we had done last week: origami patterns, a puppet skit, games, and songs. The kids loved the "A vot morye" song--it is like "There's a hole in the bottom of the sea", but the verses are "There's an eye, on the fish, on the pole, in the hand, of the fisherman, in the boat, on the sea of Galilee." It is very repetitive, with lots of motions, and a few of the kids wanted to sing it by themselves in front of everyone! We told the stories of creation, the fall and Christ's redemption, and Paul's conversion over the course of the 3 days. On the second day, Pastor Oleg prayed with 3 kids who had not yet prayed to become Christians, and it is my hope and prayer that they would remain connected to the church and continue growing in Christ.

A few updates ago, I wrote about helping with banana boxes, and how cool it was to know of the final destination of those boxes. When we were in Gorodkivka, I think I finally found the destination of some of our boxes from my district. One of the boys, Sasha, had shirts with names of Pennsylvania towns on them--towns that are on my district. I am pretty sure that those shirts came from the Mid-Atlantic district!

Yesterday was our last Sunday at the Kiev church, and we said goodbye to Ira (children's worker), the Skinners, Ree (from NNU), and a few of the youth from Kiev, as they left last night for the children's camp. These last few days will consist of finishing up anything we need or want to do in Kiev, like last minute sight-seeing. We will return to El Paso for re-entry camp, and then I will return to MD on the 29th!

Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement over these last few weeks. It has been a great summer of getting to know the kids here, and sharing the love of Christ with them. We have been able to partner with the churches here and their work in the communities, so that they can connect with the children. Not to mention, it is encouraging to see all that the Ukraine church is doing for children and adults here.

update #6

Hi everyone,

Nadine and I are in Kiev right now, and will be leaving soon for Gorodkivka in the wee hours of the morning.

Last week was a wonderful week of VBS/camp in Zaporozhe, with the youth from Kiev and Vinnytsia and the local kids. The theme was Tumbleweed Gulch, so we used the Nazarene curriculum from last summer. Each day from 9am to 3pm, we had songs, games, crafts, origami, lunch, and of course Bible stories with about 30-40 kids. I am glad that we were not the only ones there to work with the kids, because the youth here actually know the language. We helped in various ways, whether it was to help supervise the kids as we walked to the schoolyard for games or to the restaurant for lunch. Each morning, all the staff did a sort of dance to one of the songs, and so we were a part of that. We sang the song "God's Love Changes Everything" in Russian, and I think I know most of it....It helped that I knew the tune, but some parts of the song I would just mumble along something that sounded like the Russian. We also learned a few more kids' songs, but I don't have the words written down to be able to practice saying them. We also were asked to do games on Wednesday, so between the 5 of us, we brainstormed games that could be done. We then explained them to Vica, our translator, who then explained them to the Ukrainians.

The kids really liked to practice their English, which was great, sad, and odd to me. Some of the kids would ask me, "What is your name?" or respond to my basic questions in English. A few, like Dasha and Diana, could ask more questions (with help from some of the older girls), like if I had pets. Some of the boys, like Nikita, would ask what my name was, and respond for me, saying it was "Flower"; he was simply practicing the words he had memorized, I think. However, some of the younger boys knew a few swear words in English--I tried to tell them not to say that, but I have limited language skills.

What was really neat throughout the week was that we were able to walk with the kids, and talk to them (or at least try to). A lot of the time, I didn't know what the kids were saying, so I just smiled at them, and tried to understand what they were saying. At lunch one day, a couple of the boys were mimicking me praying (since I hoped that by looking like I was praying, since we were, they would catch on), so I told them--"I talk (to) God; I love God." I hope that God will use the seeds that were planted this week to show them His love and to know that God wants to have a relationship with them.

Two girls, Anya and Marina, were prayed for one morning. As we found out later, those two wanted to pray and become Christians. Praise God! :) Keep them in your prayers, as they begin this new life in Christ, and that they will stay connected to the local church.

On Tuesday we celebrated Nadine's 20th birthday with pizza and ice cream. Tiffany and I went on a quest for a pizza place with Andriy, finally finding one, and then bought the fixings for ice cream sundaes. We had the Ukrainian leaders in on the surprise as well--Vica even talked about the plan in front of Nadine, without her knowing what was being said (of course, it was in Russian!).

Last week we went sightseeing to the Oak Grove park with Max, one of the local guys that knows English. He came to one or two of the days of camp, and I was able to try and answer some of his questions about Jesus, like why doesn't Jesus come back now, and show himself to more people... I let him know I didn't have all the answers, and so I hope that he will find out that crawling into the lap of Jesus won't take away the questions, but it will provide peace and security.

On the evening of the last day of camp, the parents and other family members were invited to come to the church to see the kids sing their songs and recite their verses. There were about 15-20 mothers and other family members there, and as the kids watched the slideshow and shared what they had learned, there was so much energy and excitement in the room. It was great to see some of the kids at church on Sunday morning, and I hope that they continue to come as the weeks continue.

Tomorrow we are traveling to Gorodkivka, which is just outside of Vapnyarka. There we will be working with Pastor Oleg, and I think we will be doing a sort of VBS with local kids. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel and work with kids. Also be in prayer for the kids of the community and for their families. This is our last assignment before we leave for the States, as well.