I didn’t have any expectations for the World Race. That’s what I thought, at least. I didn’t understand what ministry would look like on a daily basis, I didn’t know what my housing would look like, I had only met my teammates for 10 days and didn’t know them well, I had never been to Ukraine before… the list was endless of what I didn’t know. And I was ok with that! The thing I did know was that in the unknown, God was going to provide, He was going to work, and He was going to draw me towards Himself.
A view as we crossed the Carpathian mountains on our way to our ministry host
As the first week of living with my team in Uzhgorod began, however, I realized that I did have a hidden expectation- not of others or of my situation, but of myself. I thought that being in a new place specifically for the purpose of serving people and loving God would somehow overnight make me a super disciplined, faithful, bold, joyful person, easily able to wake up early to spend set apart time with God, and ready to work tirelessly for the Kingdom. After three days of feeling foggy, distant from God, and being generally undisciplined, I realized the disappointment I felt towards myself was because the hidden expectations I had for myself were unrealistic.
The Brie who walked into the Philadelphia airport is the same Brie who now wakes up each morning in a small apartment with 7 other people. The Brie who drove the coolest RAV4 around (shout out to Miss Betty) is the same Brie stepping onto crowded buses and wiggling under the armpits of strangers. The same forgetful, quirky, desiring Jesus Brie from Sellersville, Pennsylvania is the same Brie waking up ready to hit the snooze button, living every moment with new people, always on the lookout for people to talk to, teaching English to a bunch of energetic kids at a camp in Ukraine. The step of faith I took in leaving for the World Race was just that… a step! Just another step in my journey of knowing, loving, and serving Jesus. And every day during the race, and every day for the rest of my life, I can choose to turn my eyes to the One who created and loves me, and seek to live in His goodness.
Selfie with one of the many tiny statues in Uzhgorod
Ukraine is a lovely country. The city I am in is on the westernmost part of the country (as in, I can walk up a hill and see Slovakia). My team is staying with Clinton, a missionary who lives here serving the community, orphans, and the church. He is so gracious in sharing his knowledge and understanding of the area and culture, and helps us navigate our way through daily life here! During the week, we work at a Christian kids camp called Nehemiah. We just finished our first week, where we taught English and hung out for the rest of the day doing activities with the kids like origami, table tennis, dancing, and card games. My favorite part of the day is when we go to the forest. The older boys carry jugs of water and blankets to sit on, and we go spend two hours sitting together, talking, and playing games under the shade of the towering trees.
Sofia, one of my buddies from camp
We also got to teach the kids some new songs, and it was SO fun to introduce my favorite songs and motions to the group. They now walk around shouting the lines to one of the songs, yelling “everything You say You are!” randomly throughout the day. Kids are kids, no matter where you are!
The first weekend after we arrived, Clinton’s church was hosting a worship night. He invited us to come along, and said we could join in if we wanted to! As the first two groups led, I loved joining in when I could, but mostly loved sitting and remembering God’s love for me and how good He is. Sometimes I forget to remember that for myself, and not just for the people around me. Then Megan and I got to lead the group in a few songs, which was so powerful. It was a sweet time to sing to my Jesus, praising Him for bringing us into the presence of God together with my brothers and sisters that I had never even met! His Kingdom is so big.
Megan and I leading worship at the worship night
It seems like I’ve been here a month with everything that I’ve been able to be a part of already. We also visited an orphanage, where I rocked babies, held the hands of disabled children, and played with silly toddlers. I have met so many friendly and welcoming people, learned to count to 10 in Ukrainian, eaten too much bread, wandered through the city, and enjoyed time getting to know my teammates. My understanding of God’s Kingdom has grown, I’ve been encouraged by His truth through the Word, and am learning to hold every part of my life in open hands, trusting that everything, everything, that my Father does is good and I can trust Him.
