For the past 9 months, I’ve played countless videos in my head of what my first week on the World Race would be like. Who would be our host? What would we be doing? Would I go from a hot shower every day to a cold bucket shower once a week?
My team, Shalom Sisters, got to Kremenets, Ukraine on Thursday August 9th and were welcomed by a large ministry team that worked at a Baptist church. Our host Lodik (side note: I probably won’t spell anyone’s name correctly over the next 11 months) showed us our hotel, a small house built next to the church for missionaries or anyone needing assistance. Much to our enjoyment, we had a real shower with hot water and a washing machine. We were also greeted with a 4 course meal that we assumed was just for our arrival, but no, we’ve been eating like this 3-4 times a day since we’ve been here. Let’s just say that I’m really glad that I brought multiple pairs of drawstring pants with me.
We jumped in to ministry on Saturday by going to a neighboring town and helping them with family day. The Baptist church in the town set up a fun day for families with blow up slides, music, and free food as a way to connect with the people and share the gospel. We were asked to set up an English class, sing songs with hand motions, and do crafts. 3 girls on my team and I sang songs, but we had no luck getting any kids to participate. One of my teammates said that she asked God why no one seemed to want to participate and He said “blind eyes and deaf ears”. A few of us decided to go off and pray, and our squad leader, Hope, prayed for young people to come and talk to us so that we could get to know them and plant seeds of the gospel. When we got back to our table, there was a 12 year old boy sitting there waiting to talk to us. It was amazing to see how God answered our prayers and I’m excited to see how He uses this boy to spread the gospel in his town. After family day, we went to the pastor’s house and ate and fellowshipped with him.
On Sunday, our team attended church service in Kremenets and sang “Every Move I Make” and “How Great is Our God” and one of our members shared her testimony. Apparently it is not customary to clap after a performance or after someone speaks, which made it feel a little awkward if I’m being honest. We were told by a teenage girl after the service that churches in Ukraine do not usually have upbeat music, so it was very different for them to hear us perform. After service, we did the family day and ate at the pastor’s house again. It was extremely nice to be welcomed by so many people and get to talk to so many people about their lives in Ukraine.
Tuesday through Saturday was spent at a kid’s camp, similar to Vacation Bible School in the states, but way less structured. I helped with the 12 year old group and they were the sweetest! There were 2 girls and 4 boys and thankfully they’re still at the age where they love hugs. Our team taught a few songs with motions, did games with the entire group, taught different lessons from the Bible, and really just got to hang out with the kids. I even learned to play floorball, similar to field hockey, and by some miracle kept up with teenage boys during the game.
The past week in Ukraine has taught me the true meaning of community. I’ve always heard that the people in Ukraine were cold and unfriendly, but that has been far from true with the people we’ve met. I come from a small family where I’m the only child, so it has been an adjustment living with 7 other girls and always having people around, but it’s something I didn’t realize I needed. I’m so excited to see what else God will have for us the remainder of our time in Ukraine. Talk to you all soon!
