Wow, I can’t believe month one of the race is officially over! I still sometimes have to pinch myself that I am actually on the World Race right now. I have dreamed and planned for this trip for so long that it is still hard to believe I am actually doing this thing right now. This past month has been nothing short of incredible…I have learned and grown in many ways so far. I am currently in Brasov, Romania at our “debrief” from the last month. This is a time (5 days) to process the past month and come back together as a whole squad before moving on to our next ministry. Although I am still processing everything that has happened this past month, I want to share with you all a little wrap-up of Ukraine.
MINISTRY:
We partnered with a local church and taught English classes to middle school students, preschoolers, and members of the community. Read my blog: https://kaylakincaid.theworldrace.org/post/getting-kicked-off-a-bus-in-ukraine-photos for more information about that!
PEOPLE:
The people of Ukraine are some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. They make you feel at home and are so caring. Our host, even though she only spoke but a few words in English, served and cared for us so well. For example, she woke up at 6:30 am one morning and took out our laundry to hang up on the line to dry! I have met so many wonderful people in Ukraine, but a few of the people I was able to connect with this last month are pictured below.
Our English class.
We bought the best calzones from Ana.
A few of our friends that translated for our English classes.
A few members of the church invited us over for dinner.
Our friends Tolik and his wife invited us over for dinner.
FUNNY:
Wow, we have so many funny stories and jokes from this past month. I feel like I should have a 6-pack from the amount of laughing we did (but sadly, I still don’t have that 6-pack ;)). It was really hard to choose, but the funniest moment was when we were walking back from dinner. In this walk we went through a “wooded” area where my teammate, Josh, accidently tripped on a rock. Being the good Squad Leader he is, Danny made fun of Josh for tripping; however, not 30 seconds later (while still making fun of Josh) Danny trips on that same rock! He ended up cutting his toe open and bled all over his flip-flop! I don’t think I have laughed that hard in a long time!
HIGH:
My high for this month sounds a little strange, but it was saying good-bye to our English students the last week of ministry. As mentioned in other blogs, our goal was not to simply teach English, it was to show the community God’s radical love. And I believe we gave them a slice of it. As we said good-bye to all of the students they gave us hugs, small gifts, encouraging letters, and took lots of selfies with us. It was evident that we had loved them well, whether or not we actually taught them any English. I also was able to share the Gospel with one of our students after she asked me if all Americans were as happy as we were. I got to tell her that not all Americans are always happy and neither are we, but we do have this joy that comes from Christ. Please pray that the local church would continue to pour into her and that she would come to know Christ and His overwhelming love for her.
LOW:
Our team played a game called “What are the Odds” all month long. In this game someone makes a bet and then that person plus the person being challenged think of a number from 1-10 in their heads. After the count of three each person says their number. If the number is the same, the person being challenged has to do the bet. For some reason our Squad Leader Danny always was able to guess my number…I mean I lost twice in one day for crying out loud!! I had to do some crazy things from jumping around in a yoga mat saying, “I’m a blue burrito” to picking my nose and eating it (I am not proud to admit I lost that bet!).
BUFFALO:
What the heck is a buffalo you ask? In my church Lifegroup at home we start off each meeting by going around the room telling our high and low from the week, as well as something weird that happened (the buffalo). Following suit with this, a buffalo from this past month was when I was brushing my teeth one morning. We only had one bathroom at our host’s house that 8 to 10 people shared. One morning I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom like normal and in comes our host’s grandson (who was probably about 7 years old), who starts to go to the bathroom without saying a word! So I just casually walked out of the bathroom still brushing my teeth. Once he was done he nonchalantly walked back out without saying anything. I was a little perplexed by the whole situation because I had only met him once the night before!
WHAT GOD HAS TAUGHT ME:
Wow. Lots is all I have to say. For example, I learned how beautiful community and fellowship with believers can be. I have learned (and am still learning) more about being in awe of God. I am amazed that God has called me to the World Race and am so amazed at the incredible ways He works. It astonishes me how God can tear down language barriers, cultural norms, and my own perceptions to bring unity to the body of Christ.
WHAT I AM WORKING ON:
I have been asking God more of who He says I am as a daughter and how He views me. My identity is rooted in Him, thus, it’s more important to ask Him what He thinks of me rather than letting man’s opinions of me influence my perceptions. (I plan to write a blog with more about this later…so stay tuned!)
I am also learning more about the word ‘steadfast’. My teammate, Megan, and I have seen this pop up throughout Scripture and it has been prayed over me. I am excited to learn more about God’s steadfast love for us.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
– Pray for our squad as we travel to our ministry site in Romania and serve alongside a man named Raul.
– Pray for unity, as our whole squad will be living and serving together this month.
– Pray for continued growth in intimacy with our Father through quiet time, prayer, and simply abiding in Him.
