Baseball,Cheetah Print & Stiletto’s
Next to the incredible architecture and landscape, one of the first things I noticed when arriving in the city of Kiev, Ukraine was how beautiful the people were; in particular…the women. Russians, Ukrainians and Romanians have incredibly striking eyes, strong facial features, typically painted with makeup and accompanied by an overly intense frown. Although incredibly beautiful, there was something about these women 
that seemed rigid, sad, and uniform. Every one looked like a cookie cutter image of the next woman….each wearing some form of high heels, short skirt, dark colors with the occasional rebel who would throw metal rivets or press on jewels into the mix to show off her fancy independence.
I quickly began to wonder what motivated and inspired the younger generation of women; what their passions were….what things they gave weight to shape their identities? I feared what I might find…but was hopeful.
Upon our arrival in Eastern Ukraine, we set out to help in the schools in villages outside of Lughansk. It was much more simple looking in this village, as most people were farmers by profession. But, it only took a few minutes of talking to the teenage girls to see what was most important to them. 
They were obsessed with American culture; everything from the hottest, sexiest clothing, to the Rock & Pop music scene. They wanted to know about Hollywood and famous singers. There is not much for the youth to do in these villages, their free time is filled with a couple different options……singing & dancing, working in the fields, playing soccer or drinking Vodka, smoking and promiscuity. Unfortunately, most chose the later options.
So, what to do in such a short amount of time with these kids???…. Baseball!! So, we taught them something American that is fun, healthy, builds confidence, and gave us an opportunity to build relationships and be role models for them. For me, this was particularly fun, because baseball is a sport I have been playing since I was 4 yrs old and absolutely love! Teaching them the game was so much fun, as both boys and girls were on the same skill level- since they don’t play
baseball in Ukraine. This helped them not be tempted to make fun of each other or feel embarrassed.
It was incredibly precious to see the girls participating and giving it a try…as they are never invited to participate in soccer with the boys. And woman don’t really play sports at all here in Ukraine.
When looking across the field I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of cheetah print pants, belly shirts, pencil skirts and high heels running the bases! It was incredible to watch them find fun and value in such a positive way. We pray that we planted some seeds that will blossom fruit as they find their identities in Christ.
