Hey everyone!!!
If you didn’t get it from the title, I absolutely love Ukraine. Not only is the country itself beautiful, but it has some of the most loving and accepting people I have ever met. I enjoyed forming friendships with Ukrainians of all ages, and we had to leave them last Wednesday… I think I’ve said this before, but goodbyes are the worst.
There were three full weeks of ministry at the church in Ternopol, Ukraine. Here’s a breakdown:
- Week 1: This week was spent visiting local schools in groups of two… my partner was John Mark Weaver!! What a guy. We visited at least two schools every day to talk to different classes about anything from the Protestant Reformation (500 year anniversary happened while we were there) to answering questions about ourselves. In a handful of classes, I did not have John Mark with me… and I am positive that my hands and voice were shaking as I spoke to a class full of 11th graders. But as we talked to more classes, I began to really enjoy it! Ukrainian high-schoolers are not so different than American teens… if anything, they’re more open to what we have to say. One of the best days was when we were asked if we believed in God… next thing I knew, John Mark was sharing a piece of his testimony with these teenagers. The bell rang while he was talking, but not one person took their eyes off him. Even the teachers were wrapped up in what he had to say. Week 1 was positive and affirming.
- Week 2: First week of English classes!!! Sara Mac, my leader, and I were teaching the first level (A), so we usually had one of the church’s translators with us. The ages of these classes were 16 and up. Every day we had two 1 and a half hour long classes, and afterwards we would talk with all of the students over tea and coffee. Our second class had so many students who didn’t know their ABC’s that we had to split up… Sara Mac took them (A), while I took on the more advanced students (A1). Occasionally, she was unable to come teach due to leadership phone calls… one of those days, I taught the her “A” class, which brought me a LOT of joy… most of the students were older, and worked very hard on their prunciation. Words/letters we worked on the most: purple, orange, R, and L. Every day we were given a different lesson plan to teach, and on the last day the lesson consisted of us sharing our testimonies with our classes. I was skeptical at first since I have never shared mine before, let alone to a group of people I did not know very well… but this last day proved to be the best of the entire week. Both of our classes listened with gentle expressions that encouraged me and calmed my nerves. Sara Mac and I both received several questions when we finished, some about random fun things and some about deep difficult things. I loved both my classes and the students from the other classes I got to know over tea and coffee. Week 2 was encouraging and fulfilling.
- Week 3: Second week of English classes!!! This week was very similar to week 2, but was for ages 14-16 instead of 16 and up. These classes were initially a struggle for me, since both were extremely shy. I was feeling frustrated at having to teach alone again, but it definitely pushed me where I was afraid to be pushed and gave me a lot of confidence. The kids also gained confidence after a day or two, and the classes became loud, fun, and a place for them to learn in more comfortable environment than their own every-day school. We had the exact same lesson plan as the first week teaching English, which also meant giving my testimony again. The first class did not receive it as well as I would have hoped (they were more quiet), but the second class had several questions, some of which held a lot of weight. It was so good to share with kids who may have never heard of a Father who is Love and who’s heart is for all of them. Week 3 was filled with laughter and amazing conversations.
Although we don’t always see the fruit that comes from sharing His love, we definitely did these two weeks. It was an incredible blessing to hear the students express how much they loved Hope English School. During the certification ceremonies, many of them presented gifts to us. These included drawn portraits (so crazy), fruit baskets, and quite a few notes expressing how much the we would be missed and how much they loved our time spent together. I can say with so much joy that several kids came to know Him and His love over the two weeks of class. He does INCREDIBLE things and I am so thankful to have witnessed it firsthand!
The last few days in Ukraine were spent visiting more schools to share about future English classes and to talk to the students. On the night before we left, our ministry host (one of the church’s pastors) and the translators hosted a final dinner at the church. There were many tearful goodbyes and hugs… I already miss the beautiful, gentle, loving Ukrainians so much.
This month in Ukraine did some incredible things for my heart… I read The Shack while we were there, which rocked my perception and understanding of God. If you have never heard of or read this book, I highly recommend you do so immediately! I spent many of my quiet times reading its words over and over, trying to grasp just how good our God is. The book reflects His heart and His word so beautifully, and in a way that simplifies many things I had questions about. I learned about how we are given freedom and independence… which gives us a choice to follow Him, or go a separate way… because we are made to be loved by Him, we can never fully live how we are meant to without following Him. I want to share with His children the truth of a Father who wants nothing more than to love us and will not bound us by rules or hold on to our mistakes, but will move forward with us as we grow in relationship with Him. In conclusion, I am so thankful for this month in Ukraine!
I am currently in Los Andes, Chile. My team and another team will be in this city for two months working with two churches! My living situation looks like living with our pastor and his family, which is actually part of the church… and everyone is ABSOLUTELY loving it! For the first time, I am wishing I had taken my high school Spanish classes seriously… thankfully many words are slowly coming back to me. We are taking this month off of wifi, unless we seek it out at cafes or need to post blogs… So please do not be alarmed if I am not in contact for a while!
Thank you for reading, and PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!!! I apologize for not keeping consistency in posting blogs, but am now holding myself accountable and promise that weekly blogs will be delivered.
