Team Zion has safely arrived in beautiful Odessa,
Ukraine!
It was a long few days of travel: 12 hour
train from Arad, Romania to Bucharest, Romania, a 14 hour train from Bucharest
to Chisinau, Moldova, a 22 hour layover in Moldova where we stayed at a hotel at
the train station, and a 5 hour train ride from Moldova to Odessa, Ukraine.
Our original plans for housing and ministry
fell through. Our friend Andrew and his Mom kindly took us into their home this
week and have been some of the most welcoming, kind, and giving hosts we have
encountered on this trip. Now, after
several days of prayer and seeking God’s will for our team this month, we have
a plan!
After some divine appointments, we are
partnering with a short-term missions team from the United States as they put
on their annual English Bible Camp just outside of Odessa. I’ve never been to
“church camp” before and am super excited for the experience. Theresa and
Jeannie will be heading up sports, Joni and Jordan are helping with crafts, and
I will be co-teaching with one of the English teachers (and here I thought I
had “retired” from teaching).
We leave tomorrow (Saturday) morning, will
be tenting near the camp for the week, and will arrive back next Saturday. We
do not have any set plans for the last two weeks here before our big “final
debrief,” but have heard the God speaking some pretty exciting things about
doing some “Ask-the-Lord” ministry in town once we arrive back in Odessa (stay
tuned for more information about this upon our return!).
It’s hard to believe that I will be on U.S.
soil in 29 days and in Michigan in 30. As of today I can finally say, “I’ll be
home this month!”
This last month on the race I am trying to
find a healthy balance between being fully present here/pouring myself out
completely and preparing myself for home. I am still trying to concretize plans
for the fall as new opportunities have presented themselves over the past month
and am waiting on confirmation from God as to which direction I am supposed to
take in this next season. As a pretty “type-A” personality and planner, it’s
challenging for me to be this close to home and not have plans set yet. Without
going into too much detail, I would greatly appreciate your prayers during this
time of discernment and transition. Transitions aren’t my favorite and any
encouragement provided during this time will be wonderfully appreciated.
I’m so excited to see many of you in just
over a month. Thank you for all your support during this past 10 months!
