I thought I’d take some blog time to
give all of you a little glimpse into today’s Ukrainian culture. To
be completely honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect coming to Ukraine;
it was one of the countries I knew least about in coming on the Race.
Ukraine was formerly part of the Soviet Union, its inhabitants living
under a communist regime, and while that is no longer the case, there
are still some remnants of that around. That I anticipated, but not
most of the other things that I have experienced or witnessed. The
people typically come across as very strong, almost intimidating at
first, but beneath that front, they are very warm and welcoming. You
can’t just say “hiâ€� to someone in passing �” if you do, they
expect you to stop and have a conversation with them. Furthermore,
they are very generous with their time. Friends come over whenever,
and people will gladly take time out of their schedule for friends
(case in point, our new friend, Masha). Hope and life are gradually
growing in this country. In regards to unique customs, married women
wear head coverings, usually scarves, when in church, and weddings
bands are worn on the right hand, not the left. Smoking is very
common, and it’s usual to see men with mullets. Also, stray cats and
dogs are EVERYWHERE! There is a really cute little puppy that’s
always outside the store we pass by almost daily when leaving our
apartment, but none of us have touched it (or plan on doing so) so
that we don’t get any foreign diseases.
As to the latest update on our time
here, we went to the baptist service last night, but it ended up
being another (even more so) traditional service. Masha did take us
to hang out with some Ukrainian youth (ages 13-24) afterwards,
though, where we had tea, some karaoke, and lots of foosball playing!
My arms were quite sore after four or five rounds…but it was worth
it, because I was able to be part of the winning pair all but once in
the time I played! We were quite competitive to say the least. One of
my teammates and I cooked dinner last night for our team (we’re
rotating chores among team members daily, and one chore is cooking).
We made eggs with peppers and sausage patties…soooo delicious! It’s
amazing how well you can eat on a low budget; we’ve actually talked
about how it seems as if God is stretching our “two loaves and five
fish� to feed us much longer than we anticipated! Later on this
week we are apparently going to have mashed potatoes with
spinach…I’m going to have to remember some of these new food
combinations when I return home, because they’re actually pretty
good! We had our first day of ministry today �” helped unpack a
shed, clean off the contents, and then transport them to the new
office of the Loutz YWAM staff. Now we are just having a chill
afternoon…life in Ukraine is good. 🙂
(P.S. To all my wonderful supporters
who have sent me comments on my posts, I want you to know that I have
gotten and read each one, greatly appreciate and am encouraged by all
of them, but due to limited access, have not had the time to be able
to reply to all of them. So know that your words are not going
overlooked or ignored and are making a difference as well! Thank you
so much!!!)
