We arrived in Lugansk Oblast, Ukraine and were immediately shuttled to a place very similar to heaven (in our minds). Here we were given a delicious Ukrainian soup called borscht, and showed where we could sleep and shower over the next month. Coming out of Africa and a week of living in our tents in Ireland, I honestly thought some of my teammates might cry (okay, maybe that is taking it a little far, but I was close).
But besides the nice amenities, we also noticed the home we were invited into for the month. And when I say home, I mean home. Our contacts are from America and have been living here in Ukraine for 5 years. They have 12 children, 7 in the States and 5 here in Ukraine. And we noticed the children the minute we walked in the door. They welcomed us in more ways than one, and have provided us with a sense of joy and family that we haven’t seen in a long time.
For most of us, New Zealand popped back into our minds. In our first country we were privileged to live with a family and be a part of that family. We cooked with them, ate with them, did ministry with them and had fun with them. And it has been a similar experience here in the Ukraine. These kids are incredible. They keep us laughing and entertained. We get to hold them, tickle them, read stories to them and work with them. In a sense, the 7 of us have filled the home again. They’re used to this many people running around, and I think it’s comfortable for all of these kids to have this many older brothers and sisters in the home.
I love family. I was blessed to grow up in a great family and have many friends that feel like family. My team feels more and more like family every month and after the trials of Africa over the past three months, living with a huge family of 14 right now is refreshing. It’s fun, it’s something I’m cherishing this month, especially when the little blond 3 year old girl sits on my lap or calls my name.
