Where we are staying this month reminds me very much of
home. We are working and staying at a camp that is for at risk and
underprivileged children and youth of Ukraine. The property where we are
working reminds me so much of the northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan.
There are sand dunes and beautiful trees, not to mention it is camp. The only
thing missing is a lake with “The Blob”. It is super nice out here; the village
where we live is quiet and just super out in the middle of nowhere. The
ministry we are working with is called Jeremiah’s Hope. We have been helping
get this place ready for everything that they do in the summer and that
includes digging trenches, helping build new cabins, building bunkbeds, going
on prayer walks, painting, and making lots and lots of beds.
For the past week and a half, not only has our team been
here but we have had the privilege of working alongside a team of 31 awesome
people from Abilene
Christian University
and Hillcrest Church of Christ getting the camp ready for this summer. It was
so good to get to hang out with Americans our age. I didn’t realize how much I
missed new people and new friends. At first it was a little overwhelming… There
were so many people were speaking English. They did a weekend retreat for some
of this kids that Jeremiah’s Hope works with and it was precious to see. The
rest of our time spent with them involved building a new cabin, an outdoor
shower and outdoor dining area for one of our contacts and his wife, painting,
cooking, and an array of other things that made the camp ready for summer. We
got to worship, pray, laugh, and love with this team. It was a great blessing
for us to have such passionate and awesome people to hang out with in month five.
The blessing that they were to our team is not something that
can be summed up in words. On the race we meet a lot of people. Some people are
impactful on your life, some people aren’t. This group had many of the
impactful kind and I personally was so ridiculously blessed by them. I was sad
to see them go this morning, but I am also super excited about what God is
doing in their lives.
To those ACU/ Hillcrest people who might be reading this
blog, you guys rock so much and we love you! It was an honor to serve with you
guys and I am so glad that we are all family! You are missed already!
This month has had its ups and downs. There have definitely
been days that have not been my favorite. But, just the landscape around me is
enough to remind me of home and where I came from. It is enough to remind me
why I am here. I also didn’t realize how much I missed flat land until we got
here. I started taking the mountains for granted. This month is shorter than
others because of our debrief at the end of Romania. I have 3 more days until I
go to Africa!
Much love,
-A
