“Mzungu! Mzungu! How are you? How are you?” This is the kind of reaction I received while in Africa. Every person I came in contact with was full of joy and a welcoming spirit. Anytime I would walk outside, people would stop to shake my hand and to welcome me into their hearts. One thing is for sure: Africans LOVE to LOVE. I stared to grow accustomed to living this kind of lifestyle and I fell in love with their Jesus love. When we left Africa to come to the Ukraine, I did not think anything of it; I am used to picking up and leaving at the end of every month. However, it hit me HARD when I walked the streets of the Ukraine- there was no joy, only harshness. Africa and the Ukraine are complete opposite sides of the spectrum…COMPLETE OPPOSITES. The first time I walked the streets of Odessa, Ukraine (where my team stayed for the month) I smiled and even waved a few times; only to find that my smile was returned with a dirty look or just a lack of emotion. I literally can say that I was shocked, angry, and hurt all at the same time. “Who do they think they are?” was the ever-so-popular question that ran through my mind numerous times. However, as I started to REALLY exam the people of Odessa, I saw the bigger picture. 
Walking the streets of Odessa is like walking through a spread in Vogue magazine-the people are beyond beautiful and the city is vibrant. There is sadness behind the facade, however. The spirit of harshness, lust, fear, and people pleasing was situated in every crevice and step you would take in this city. Odessa was spiritually heavy, to say the least. I began to search for truth and I discovered that, although the people seemed to have everything you could ever want in appearances, they were without. I came to the realization that these people NEEDED Jesus and that I was not sent there without a purpose. I knew God had some work to do and I did not mind being HIS hands, feet, and voice. This question lingered in my mind, “Will I ever find happiness among the mounds of sorrow and harshness?” The answer to the question was YES; however, I found it in a way I least expected. To be continued…
