I’m pretty sure that this month jumped to the coveted, “favorite country” slot. Our ministry was making friends with college students and spending time with them. And since these college students were AWESOME, it felt like real life rather than ministry.
1. CCX- (Pronounced Es Es Ha!) This ministry hosts English Clubs at the University, plans fun events for the students, and has a Bible Study twice a week. The staff are amazing God-loving folks. 1 Canadian 3 Americans and so many RAD Ukrainians! Gosh we had so much fun with these folks and seeing how GIANT their hearts are for their community.
2. English Club- Watching Nooma Videos, talking about life, sharing our around the world stories, playing games, teaching then English slang, coffee with the students after club all of it, so fun. Seeing Patricia and Pete’s hearts for the students was incredible and inspiring.
3. Lariska! From the moment we met her, all of us were totally in love with her, she’s that cool! She is also studying Spanish so we
would speak in 2 langauges 🙂 Funny story: on our first day in the center of town I wanted to go to St. Sophia’s Cathedral so bad since it is almost 1,000 years old. She was there with her classmates laughing at the goofy Americans dressed in Indian clothing with a red bearded fella and a dark bearded fella. Then a week later we walk into her English club. Then another week later in a city of 4 million people we run into her at a bus stop (I spotted her high top red converse). So it was fate that we become friends: fate or JESUS! The last day in Kyiv, her and I spent all day walking around the city. When i said goodbye I felt like i was leaving a sister; super hard.
4. Our apartment- Our little apartment housed 9 people the last week we were there. It was loud and chaotic, and a total blast. It was the first time in 7 months that we had our very own home. A place to cook whatever we wanted, come and go when we want, a place to unwind at the end of the day, to shower with hot water, to invite friends over…What we all took for granted back home was pure gold to us this month.
ask, soooo bean game?? 🙂 The tactics from the game spilled into our everyday life and we would say things like, Ill give you a token for the metro, for a McDonald’s ice cream cone. We were wheeling and dealing fools!
7. Community Living- This month it started to get “real.” People got annoyed and frustrated but this race has taught us how to handle conflict honestly and correctly. I think this is one of the things this year will forever leave me with, how to be angry gracefully. lol! Usually with those you love you explode or do the fun little silent treatment (whatever youre in the mood for on said occasion) but with these people you can’t do that. You are eating sleeping working with them 24/7. If petty conflict arises and you dont deal with it…hell! Soooo anyway i love seeing us, seeing me learn how to do this well.
We are headed into Romania now where internet might be scarce…Love Y’ALL!!
