We've been here in Saki, Ukraine for two amazing weeks so far. I've just got to tell you a little about the awesomeness of this month.
We are located very close to the coast of the Black Sea, a 12 hour train ride away from both Kiev and Odessa, and it is beautiful here. It's a pretty small town but definitely unique. Walking down the street here is very different than walking down the street in any other town I've been in due to the sheer number of people struggling with different types of disabilities who move here for healing. There are sanitoriums everywhere where some live and some come for extended periods of time. The reason this are is such a draw for people in need of healing is the existence of Lake Saki which is full of mineral enhanced mud with apparent healing powers. (We briefly went to the lake and even the water makes your skin feel oily and smooth). There is a somewhat strange juxtoposition of newness and joy and hope alongside despair and helplessness and hopelessness. The family and church community we are involved in here are soooo full of the light of Christ in a place that is full of people in such despair and as we do ministry with them we constantly observe this light reaching out in the darkness surrounding it.
Which brings me to perhaps the biggest blessing of this month which is our stinking phenomenal host family. There are a total of 10 children (7 of which I think are living in the house we are) and two amazing parents. There are 8 boys and 2 girls, the youngest child is 16, and they are all ridiculously talented and full of the light and joy of Christ. Just the way they live their daily lives blows me away. They totally get the fact that the gospel is supposed to truly and radically change how you live. I'm blown away by not only how they so selflessly and graciously serve us but also how they just pour themselves out in this community. Furthermore, the family doesn't stop with those we are living with, but includes the larger family of aunts and uncles and cousins which make up the majority of the swell church family with a truly amazing history. I would tell you all about it myself, but my teammate has already done such an awesome job at it, so if you want to hear an amazing story of legacy you should check this out: http://jolenecampbell.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-story-of-legacy.
Our ministry this month consists of mainly just joining in with the work of this awesome church and family. We are doing hospice visits full of singing, testimonies, encouragement, and prayer, VBS for children, and visiting other members of the community dealing with different medical issues and in need of some extra help or encouragement. But more on all this later.
Lastly, in case you were wondering about the blog title, it is in reference to this awesome family. Wherever we go to visit, part of the encouragement they bring is music and they are FANTASTIC at it. They are like the Von Trapps from The Sound of Music and we may or may not sometimes lovingly refer to them as such. Check out a video they made below. Yep, sometimes it feels like we are in a movie. Welcome to the World Race.
