The World Race Fusion Squad has now been serving overseas for over half of a calendar year- and though our roster is under 25 people, the count of powerful stories and encounters with the LORD surely exceeds an ability to be measured!
My sixth month was vibrantly colorful with charming painted iron fences, lots of spring blossoms bursting from the village gardens, and a new team [team girl.] and new avenue of service.
We spent our month instructing English classes at a local church in Zdolbuniv, Ukraine, where students of all ages and skill-levels were eager to learn and enthusiastic about sharing their culture with us. :0)
We navigated opportunities to design our own classroom curriculum, explore significant historical and stunning natural sites in Ukraine and Poland, and learn a LOT about lice elimination. ;0)
As always, I want to make sure to thank all of you for your continued investment, prayers, and support. It is so meaningful to share these adventures with all of you and recognize that you place such a significant role in each of these episodes.
*Upcoming updates: Debrief in Budapest, Hungary!
TWR 6.1: travel day – latvia to ukraine
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our travels from ukraine to romania offered a luxury bus with a coffee-maker, birthday celebrations for EmilyAnn, a bonus day in poland when our connecting bus was over-booked, and a whole lot of sleep-depravation! it took several days, but we made it to our little village site in zdolbuniv, ukraine.
TWR 6.2: surprise day in warsaw
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the bus we were scheduled to ride to connect us from latvia to ukraine was overbooked, which stranded us in warsaw, poland. we had an adventure finding ourselves a hostel in the middle of the night and then had a bonus day to explore warsaw before we caught our re-scheduled bus!
* my first ever RA staff who i supervised was comprised of six incredible students- one being tanner smale. the joy and energy of tanner is unlike any other and he has a strong heart for the LORD. and so much of who has shaped tanner to be such an incredible man of GOD is his parents. mr. and mrs. smale follow CHRiST unwaveringly, have beautiful family values, and provide an outpour of love to everyone who surrounds them. they have been an encouragement and support to me and have shared sparkling warmth and joy with me throughout the time i worked with their son, and in the years beyond into my friendship with him.
mama d and papa t smale, i am so, so grateful to have your support and partnership in what the LORD is doing across the world by sharing HiS love. it is a tremendous blessing to recognize that GOD has brought so many wonderful people into my life through so many different avenues. and i so cherish your entire family.
[PS. unbeknownst to me, there was lipstick on my teeth in this dedication clip. i apologize- mirrors are tough to find in the world race life! ;0) ]
TWR 6.3: introducing team girl. and their talents
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meet team girl. [“girl dot”] and check out all of the outrageous and unique talents and gifts we each bring to our circle! ;0)
TWR 6.4: we all have lice [part 1]
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the world race has exposed me to a lot of new experiences. like having lice. at least it was a strong bonding experience for the entire team. ;0)
TWR 6.5: we all have lice [part 2]
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the road to being lice-free is long and requires patience and perseverance. it took awhile… and i was the last to be declared without lice. but the victory was certainly sweet and belongs to my entire team. ;0)
TWR 6.6: teaching english in ukraine
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i can’t say i have a lot of experience teaching the tinies… and certainly not any experience instructing english. so, diving in without any materials or context was a bit intimidating. but these tinies are eager to learn and bring great joy and enthusiasm to the classroom! and team girl. had a blast running a summer english camp hosted by a countryside church in ukraine for all language-skill levels.
*this episode is dedicated to my dear soul city sister, christine gerling, and her husband, ben, and recently-welcomed-to-the-world son, noah [and two pups, roscoe and wrigley]. i first met christine when we shared a classroom together for soul city church’s kids camp. she served as a comfort and encouragement from the moment i met her and expressed hesitation in working with tinies. and we had a blast together throughout the summer session!
both christine and ben are leaders with a servant’s heart, investing in the church and local chicago community through various roles, always with so much joy and care for others. they beautifully carry out the LORD’s call to love others and set an incredibly high example in doing so. gerling family, thank you so much for investing in GOD’s work through the world race; for your care, prayers, and support.
TWR 6.7: paying tribute at auschwitz
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while our service work was in ukraine, we were within a 17-hour bus ride journey to visit auschwitz-birkenau former german nazi concentration and extermination camp, located in poland.
it was heart-heavy to walk on the same ground where so, so many took their last steps during the holocaust, but also important to be there and pay tribute. it is extremely important to take advantage of opportunities to explore history and consider how to honor our future by memorial of the past.
*some images are graphic to view
TWR 6.8: the tunnel of love [t????? k??????]
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located near klevan, ukraine, the “tunnel of love” is an attraction with a reputation for romance. ;0) it is an industrial train track with an overstretched arch of trees that encompass a several kilometer stretch. We had a lot of fun playing inside of such an enchanting pathway!
*this episode is dedicated to josiah swanson and his parents – tim and beth – and his little brother and sister, thad and elle. i connected with the #swan5on family when josiah was placed in my group of tinies at last summer’s soul city kids’ camp. josiah’s vibrant and colorful energy and desire for adventure served as a beautiful reminder to me to serve and experience GOD with a playful sense of joy. from my time singing, coloring, and playing outside with josiah during kids’ camp, i got to know the rest of his family and fell in love with all of them. tim and beth seek the LORD in all they do and so vivaciously live out HiS call to love. they have a deep affection for their church and the city of chicago and play an integral role in fusion them together so that the windy city can encounter the grace of JESUS.
swan5on family, i cherish my friendship with you and thank you for the way you have invited me into your family. i am marvelously blessed to know you and to have soaked in the love of the LORD you so richly spread through each and every interaction and experience. my heart is soaring to have had the LORD give you to me as such a sweet, special gift. lots and lots of love to you!
TWR 6.9: building relationship with a ukrainian village
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it has been a sweet experience to connect with the community members in a charming ukrainian village, where we were invited into their lives with so much warmth and love in our sixth month of serving with the world race.
*this episode is dedicated to the sweet friends of my dear friends, brooksie and kevin mccarty. brooksie’s longtime friend, kristin, and her husband chris schroeder are two wonderfully committed followers of JESUS and share the joy and light of HiM through the way they interact with others. i have only met kristin in person a couple of times through visiting brooksie in kansas, but have certainly received so much kindness and gentleness from her spirit. kristin and chris are raising two precious girls and have founded their family on the love and values of the LORD.
to have their family generously give with a joyful and obedient heart to promote the love of GOD across the world sets a beautiful example of being a mobilizer to invest in the global impact of CHRiST. thank you, schroeder family, for your encouragement, prayers, and support!
