Going into Ukraine, I had an open mind and open heart. I didn’t really know what to expect, and I think that helped me out a lot. Of course, I expected to miss my friends and my family but I had no idea what this month would look like for us as a team or for me personally.
We learned A LOT of lessons the hard way (for example, dealing with foreign police, forgetting our keys, not having enough money for groceries, missing the last bus of the night and having to walk 30 min at midnight in a sketchy area in order to get home), but I think it has positioned us well for the months ahead.
The first week was difficult but it was mostly just a matter of getting used to the culture- everyone written and spoken in Russian, not knowing where anything was, etc. We didn’t feel like we were putting enough into our ministry work, but at the same time, there really wasn’t much we could do about it since we came during the slow season. This was about the time we started taking more initiative and looking for opportunities to serve on our own and however we could. We also had to push ourselves out of our comfort zone in order to adapt to our new home.
(my reading spot 🙂
I now feel confident getting around on a speed-demon of a bus, not only going full-on grocery shopping on my own when
nothing is written in English but also buying enough for a family of six. I’ve also started to actually enjoy eating sliced tomatoes, carrots and vegetables in general.
(my team riding the marshrootka- aka the bus)
We were able to serve our contacts and the long-term missionaries at Living Hope Church more with our fellowship and cleaning skills than anything this month. As we spent more and more time together, we were able to develop really close relationships which made it hard to leave. Of course I would always choose to be sad to leave then to never get close enough to anyone we meet that we can leave with no problem.
Ukraine definitely grew on me as the month went on, but I was also very ready to head on to our next adventure in Romania.
While in Ukraine, I feel like
I was taken out of my comfort zone, and I’m really looking forward to more of that this month and in the coming months.
God has answered our prayers by keeping us safe and healthy when there were more than enough opportunities for the opposite to happen.
I am so thankful for the people we got to know, the ways we were able to serve and for our time as a whole in Ukraine.
(standing along the Black Sea)
Thank you so much for you support, comments and prayers this past month. It has been extremely encouraging and I appreciate it so so much. Lately I’ve been feeling like God has something big planned up ahead -I’ve even gotten this confirmation from some fellow world racers the past couple of weeks – so I’ll be keeping you up on that as well.
As far as financial support goes, I’m at $12,955 out of a goal of $14,300. I am not exaggerating when I say that everytime I see how far I’ve come (with the Lord’s help of course), I am amazed. I have a few more months to reach my full goal, so if you feel led to give, I would truly, truly appreciate it. Thank you again for all of your prayers.
I love and miss you all so much. Talk to you soon!
