Well this was one amazing journey from the USA to Ukraine! I
had never used my passport before nor flown overseas, so there were many first
for me! J
We, the squad of 53, flew from JFK to Paris & then Paris
to Kiev, Ukraine! The first flight was LONG. I don’t even know how to convert
it with the time changes…but it felt like about 8 hours long! Once in Paris, we
waited (as in slept on the airport floor) about 6 hours before flying 3 hours
to Ukraine! Oooooooh but its not over! Ha!
You would think, “You made it to Ukraine, what else could
there be?� Oh but don’t let me withhold the pleasure of our last leg of travel.
Upon arriving in Ukraine, we split up into our teams and dispersed without the
country. My team of 7 women, plus our Squad Leader Jenny, got on a bus to the
train station. Then on the train. Oh the train. Mind you, NONE of us speak Ukraine & few people know
English. That always makes for a great adventure! Annnnnd I’ve never been on a
sleep train…but it was fun. J
After going to the wrong car, we finally found our beds & make space for
our massive backpacks and purses! At this point, everyone is BE-YOND tired and
still…..no English speakers!
(Brittany and I walking in Lutsk!!!)
But then we met this guy, Adam, on the train who has been
here for 2 years with the peacecorp! He was such a blessing from God. Without
him, we probably would have made many Ukrainians upset. Adam really helped us
figure out the norms of train riding, especially since we (Teammate,Lily, and
I) were sharing a 4 person cabin with a Ukrainian couple! We slept on the
train…I was the only one of the 8, who managed to fall off the top bunk in the
middle of the night. Haha! (Please laugh….it was hilarious, for real.) Plop!
There I was on the floor…confused as to how I actually got there. But I wasn’t
hurt! (Thank You, Jesus!) We
unloaded the train, got in cars and went to our apartment with our contact from
Ukraine.
For the past 2 days, we have spent time meeting some of the
local Believers & some of the towns people. We are in Lutsk…for those who
want details. We are working with the YWAM base here. In the coming days we
will be assisting with a kids camp and more.
Lots more to come….didn’t want to overwhelm you with 15
pages (Kevin). I hope to tell you about my wonderful team and the details from
our ministry here. And of course, show you our lovely dwelling place!
