During training camp and launch we heard all the time about God "stretching" you. Now that I'm out here I realize that's probably one the best ways to describe it. It's like I'm being pushed to live just a little bit outside my comfort zone at all times, and I feel like that line keeps moving.
I'm currently in Sevastopol Ukraine, working with a ministry called Hope House International. The organization provides houses to Christian families who adopt three or more children. Ukraine has a lot of "social orphans", kids whose parents couldn't take care of them because of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, etc… The orphanage here is up in the mountains, way back on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. We've been able to visit there twice now for a few hours, and we'll go back a few times next week. Because it's a government run orphanage, we aren't allowed to mention God or the church. Normally they don't allow Americans at all, but because they have a good relationship with Hope House, they make an exception for us. Before this month, I had never even been inside an orphanage, and pulling up to the gate the first time I can't say I wasn't a little anxious. We pulled in and walked to the football (soccer) field and what I saw was not what I expected. Instead of just a bunch of adorable kingergarten aged children, there were many 17-18 year olds. Tattooed and looking like they do nothing but run and weight train, six-packs and everything, some of them looked like they could be part of the friends I left at the climbing gym. We played a game of football, (we got destroyed, to say the least) which was a lot of fun, but it's the time after we're done that gets frustrating to me. I want to have conversations with these guys so bad, but with only one female translator its kind hard to have any "guy talk". I want to know their stories, how they got here and where they want to end up. I want to pour into them, pray for them, and build them up just like people have done for me, but for now I've had to accept that its not my place. For now we just play soccer, hang around without too much talking, and be an example in the way we treat each other. I'm learning that there's something to be said for just doing what you can, and what's asked of you.
(*If you want to know more about what we're doing at the orphanage, send me a private message on facebook, or an email.)
This becomes a little more difficult when doing construction work with no translator. Serge, the man that lives in the apartment above us and fathers 6 kids of his own, is also the minstry's contractor and has been mine and KJ's boss in the mornings this month. We've helped mix concrete, build foundations, frame work, insulation, windows and doors, all by way of charades. I've learned a bunch, and it's definitely sparked the desire in me to build my own house one day. And seeing what can be done with the beat up tools and just 4 men, I realize I have no excuse not to.
All in all I've loved my time here, and I'll be pretty sad when I have to leave Saturday. Six more days and it's on to Moldova!
Things worthy of mention that didn't make it into this blog…
-Helping put out a wild fire.
-Visiting the local rehab center, playing volley ball with the guys there.
-Hiking a mountain by myself and having worship at the top.
-Finding sheep in our front yard.
-Waking up at 5:30 and taking two buses to get the nearest gym and getting instruction from a trainer who only spoke Russian.
-Playing guitar and singing on the streets downtown.
