You know when you travel to different areas, there’s always something that you notice that’s different about the culture or scenery, right? Well, we walked down the street in Lugansk, Ukraine the first day and we asked why nobody was smiling????….apparently, we were a little creepy when we met eyes with someone on the sidewalk and smiled at them…Haha, now we know. We also found out that Ukrainians are some of the most hospitable people! There’s ALWAYS tea or coffee and they love to have people over to their houses. And we also realized that they love to SMILE J
This month with the Lord was SOOOO good for me. I don’t know if it was just the change in scenery or actually having a little comfort of modern conveniences like a SHOWER haha, but I felt so blessed this month. Our ministry was a relational ministry and we made friends fast! I think this was one of the hardest countries for me to leave because I felt like I was at HOME in Lugansk! We worked at an orphanage, helped lead worship, and we helped every night to teach English at the local English Schools called “New Tone.” Our teachers took us in and we were able to talk a lot about ourselves and American culture…it was just so much FUN! I haven’t found a ministry that I fit so well with in a long time. Also, I truly cared about the people!
I have to say one the things that made this ministry for us, besides provision from my wonderful Jesus, was our contacts! Forrest, Darcy, Tasha, and Nick Ferdon are amazing! They live and work as full time missionaries in Lugansk. They were a perfect mix of care and comfort and they gave us room to make the ministry our own! Thank you Ferdon’s for being AMAZING WR contacts!!! And Lori, Wonderful Lori, is one of the full time American missionaries there and she is a trooper! She teaches English, holds Bible Studies/worship in her apartment, and is always ready to serve the Lord! Being only in here 20’s she’s an inspiration to me!
After telling about our travels this year, a lot of the students (ranging in age between 15 and 60) wondered what we could give to Ukraine. It’s understandable when we talk about ministering to orphans and widows, but when they think they have it all together (like we all often do), it’s hard to know what to say. I truly believe, and trust the Lord that we were able to SHOW the love of Christ to these people. My goal was not to win a few converts to Jesus….my goal was to let people, my new friends, know that I’m a Christian and I pray they saw something different in me. I pray that whoever reads this knows how much I love the people I met in Ukraine, and because of that love, I want you to know that our GOD loves you…He is NOT a condemning, judging, figure in the sky…He IS a loving, relational, Father who just wants to get to know you! Thank you guys for making this month one of the best this year! I love and miss you all already! I only have wonderful things to say about Ukraine and the beautiful souls I met during this blessed month on the World Race. Thank you Father for orchestrating all of this!
I also turned 26 this month and my teammates were the sweetest J Love you guys and am so proud to call you my family.
MONTH 11…Let’s do this!
