Our second country in Eastern Europe was Ukraine. This month was manistry month for iSquad so Ben and Ben got to get some quality man time while the women of Yebo had feministry month.
Country: Ukraine
City: Gaspra right outside of Yalta
Ministry: The women of Yebo worked with a local church this month. We taught 3 different English classes in the afternoons. In the mornings, we did odd jobs around the church’s property. We helped with church services on Sundays by singing songs and sharing testimonies. The church also runs a hostel during the summer season, which was opening the next month so we helped them prepare for guests.
Contact: Denys Shkribliak was our contact this month. He has such a heart for the youth of the Yalta area.
Living Arrangements: We lived in dorm style rooms under the church while in Ukraine. We got to use the industrial size kitchen to cook for ourselves and had bunk beds. We had wifi but only in certain spots and the most beautiful view of the black sea.
Teams We Served With: We served with the women of Team Thriven.
Money and Exchange Rate: Hryvnia pronounced Grivna (8 Hryvnia=1 US dollar)
Language: Russian
Off Day Fun: We had a lot of fun visiting Yalta this month. We ate lots of sushi, went to see the Swallow’s Nest, went rollerblading on the boardwalk, and went to see Anastasia’s summer home. Our students loved to show us around Yalta.
Great Things From The Month:
-It was so cool to see the women of our team work together and bond without the men. Not to say we didn’t still miss them.
-Yalta is absolutely beautiful. I loved spending time with God overlooking the Black Sea and just taking in his creation.
-The lady squad leaders came to see us at the beginning of the month. It was so nice to have them with us.
-My English students were so eager to learn. We had a wide range of English abilities and a smaller class but it was a good fit for Teresa and I.
Hard Things From The Month:
–Legalism in Europe continued to be thick and hard for me.
-The pastor we worked with definitely had the way he wanted things done. This was difficult at times when he felt we hadn’t done things the way he wanted them done.
Memories:
-I loved cooking day in our English class. We made no bake cookies and chips and salsa.
-I had so much fun with our English class when they took us to their favorite place, a beautiful park by the sea.
-On our last day of English class, our class surprised us with a tea party. It was so sweet of them.
-From countless chairs breaking to Meredith’s impersonations, we laughed so much!
-I loved the talks Teresa and I had on our bus ride to our English class. It was so fun spending that little bit of one on one time with her.
-At the end of the month, I got to see my parents during our layover in Atlanta on our flight to Central America. It was so good to see them even though it was for 12 short hours and an overnight layover.
Lessons Learned:
-Go to God before Others.
-God really pushed me to stand up against gossip. This wasn’t something I thought I’d face on the race but it’s been prevalent and something I’m not ok with. I really had to learn when to stand up against it and when to simply pray about it.
-God taught some of the girls and myself that our body is a temple.
-God taught me about living my life as a living sacrifice and not conforming but trusting God.
-I learned more about comparing myself to others.
-I continued to work through the lie of feeling left out. This one got hit a lot more in Honduras.
-God helped me to work through a lot of insecurities while in Ukraine. He showed me how I need to renew my mind.
Ukraine was a great month. After Eastern Europe, we made the long trip to Central America with a small stop in the States. I Squad seriously took over the Atlanta area that night. Only 3 more days of processing through my race then I’ll fill you in on what’s next! Check back tomorrow!
