[Written May 23, 2013]
Apparently, Ukrainians have an unspoken rule: you don’t stay at hotels. If you’re traveling to or through Ukraine, you call up someone and you stay at their house. Or their friend’s house. Or their friend’s friend’s house. Or their friend’s friend’s great uncle’s second cousin’s house. That’s just how it’s done here. And my team and I have reaped the benefits of this cultural norm first hand.
This is Maria.
Maria is friends with Kristen, who is friends with my teammate Chelsea. Chelsea contacted Kristen, who told us to contact Maria when we wanted to go to Kiev. So we did. And without ever having met her, Maria invited us to stay at her family’s home—no questions asked. They don’t even fully understand what we are doing here, except that we are serving God; and that’s enough for them to welcome us as family. Sergey and Anna (aka Papa and Mama Tupchyk) seem to have just added us six women to their flock.
Papa Sergey is a pastor, Mama Anna is practically a professional chef/baker who also runs a summer camp every year for disabled adults, and all six of their children are faithfully serving the Lord in their separate professions/giftings. Their entire family displays selfless, humble hospitality like I've never experienced before. As a primary example, every day, Mama Anna has breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and there is always food left on the table, in case we get hungry in the middle of the day) ready for us. If we don’t eat, she gets concerned, and motions for us to get to the kitchen table—she’s the best Ukrainian-to-English charade-r I’ve ever met. Being a part of this family has been a testimony of how little common language matters in terms of love. They are housing us for two weeks, allowing us to use their church office whenever we need to, introducing us to several different people just because we they want us to experience Ukraine,…and when we thank them, the response is always, "It's all God." It's God's house. It's God's office. It's God's car. Nothing is our own, and it's all to be shared, especially to bless our family in Christ.
This family has single-handedly inspired me to make everything I "own" available to anyone in need. I'm excited to practice selfless hospitality when I get home–especially when I have a house/apartment/shack/trailer of my own.
"Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality" (Romans 12:13).
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Wrapping up Unsung Heroes! Patty made this video to summarize our ATL/UHC month–check it out! It's worth it, trust me.
Watch THIS! <
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Quick Update:
TEAM LUMINOUS IS IN PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA!!!!
We arrived this morning! More to come soon…!
