“YES I am from America and NO I don’t know Justin
Bieber”
We are finishing up our third week of
softball camp here in the Ukraine
and I continue to be entertained. The kids here are hilarious. Most of them
have never seen an American before. What they know about the states comes from
the influences of their American idols. For the girls it’s Justin Bieber and
for the guys it’s Eminem and 50 Cent. These wouldn’t be my first choices, but
hey they can’t influence them too much since no one here understands English. And
they all assume we are friends with these people. Although that may be
partially my fault since I did convince one kid that my teammate Garrett was
T.I. I admit that might have been a questionable decision, but we got it
straightened out.
It continues to weird me out how much they
exalt us for being Americans. I have autographed more pictures, magazines, baseballs,
tennis balls, arms, and faces than I am comfortable with. Most of the time I
just have to laugh at the situation because that’s the only way I know how to
deal with it. However, when I am asked to sign a little boy’s arm that has cut
marks all on the inside, the laughing suddenly stops. I am reminded of the
brokenness that floods Ukraine.
I am reminded of the lack of satisfaction that these children must have with
life. And I am reminded of why God has brought me to Ukraine.
Yesterday after autographing a few empty cigarette
cartons, I asked a group of kids what they wanted to do when they grow up. I
asked to hear their dreams. The response I got was incredibly depressing. They
told me they had no dreams; no aspirations in life. The only plan I heard from
them was to drink vodka the rest of their lives. This also came from a kid with
the most self-inflicted cuts I have ever seen on someone’s arm. Their response
to my question absolutely broke my heart, but it was not shocking. That is all
they know. Society in Ukraine
revolves heavily around drinking. It is entirely common to see people passed
out in the grass on the side of the road until they sober up enough to walk
again. Along with alcohol, apparently cutting is a prevalent response amongst
teenagers for the pain they feel in their lives as well. This is life here and
for these kids it is the cycle they are familiar with. Thankfully God was able
to speak through me to these kids and tell them they were made for more than
what they are currently living for. It is only through hearing the gospel that
they will be changed. This is how the cycle can be broken.
Like I said earlier, signing autographs for
kids is awkward every time and never fails. However, I have learned to be
thankful. These children come before me longing to hear me speak and I hold the
truth of life that they are all searching in the wrong places for. It is an
opportunity to redirect the spotlight off of myself, the American, and speak
truth over their lives. As I signed one boy’s hand, I told him how his very own
name is not only signed, but engraved in the palm of the Lord. That is how
special he thinks this boy is. That is how special he thinks all of these kids
are. And I am so thankful that God has called me here to bring this message to
ears who have never heard.
