Sarah's Ukrainian Adventures

The Countdown

2007-06-20T05:01:00.000-07:00

16 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!

My time in Ukraine is quickly coming to an end, and therefore things have been winding down for the most part. The English classes that I have been teaching have now come to an end. I will truly miss this group of students, as they are wonderful people who are truly committed to learning.

Because things have been winding down, I have had more time to dive deeper into the relationships that I've made, particularly just spending time with the youth at the center. I know that I will miss the people here very much, especially those youth whom I have had the priviledge of building friendships with, and those that work with them. But at the same time it will be wonderful to be back at home, to see friends and family and to begin a new chapter in my life.

Two American work teams have come and gone. It was nice to see different faces fresh from the States, which gave me a reminder of how things will be when I return home. The next American work team coming is from my home church in Duvall, which I am VERY excited about, particularly because my parents are two of the team members!!! Once they arrive, I'll have two weeks with them and then I'll be returning home. For those of you that are interesed in my travel plans I am flying out of Kyiv on July 7th to Frankfurt, Germany where I will have a 20-hour layover. From Frankfurt I fly on to Washington DC, and then on to Seattle, where I will arrive at approximately 7:30PM on Sunday July 8th.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!! I very much look forward to seeing you all once again and sharing the adventures of my trip with you first hand!!

Things to be praying about in the next two weeks:

* The events of the Duvall Church work team.
* All of the travel arrangements.
* A peaceful farewell to all of my Ukrainian friends.

The Latest in Photos

2007-06-20T02:52:00.000-07:00

Me with a girl from the youth center. (Note: The new hairdo!)

A friendly game of twister...

...or not.

A cute picture of one of the orphanage kids.

Another cute orphanage kid.

My latest group of ESL students. I'm going to miss these guys!!

A "Praise the Lord" Experience!

2007-04-29T23:45:00.001-07:00

This Friday night I definitely had a “Praise the Lord” kind of experience. Usually when it is late, and I am coming home from somewhere I call a taxi. Well on Friday night I had quite the taxi experience. Usually taxi drivers aren’t normally super conversant, but this night the driver was. He, detecting my “exotic” accent, asked where I was from. I replied that I was from America, at first he didn’t believe me, for I was only the second American that he had met in his entire life. Of course he asked me what I was doing here, and my answer is always “I am teaching English at a church.” This night that response opened the door wide open for a spiritual conversation. He then proceeded to ask me if I were a Believer, which I replied that I was. Because he was unusually pleasant I asked him if he was also a Believer, to which he replied yes, in the sense that he believed that there is a God and a devil, but to one specific school of thought he was not allied with. Come to find out later in our conversation that earlier in the week he had driven another young woman who was also a Christian and with whom he had also had a spiritual conversation. He recognized the significance of this immediately and vowed he would never forget that day. Our conversation continued long after we arrived at my house, and included the topic of sin, and whether he believed in Jesus. I could not believe it! The entire experience was a complete miracle! How God had set up our meeting, and how He has loosened my tongue and allowed me to communicate freely with this man on this subject. Following the experience I was needless to say wired and completely OVERJOYED! PRAISE THE LORD!

Amusing Cultural Happenings

2007-04-29T23:44:00.001-07:00

During our time in Kyiv, I did become the cheap source of entertainment for the boys. At first they taught me a useful greeting «Здaров брoдяги! Как житуха?», which is translated is essentially “Hey dudes, what’s up?” Next they thought they would teach me “Ukrainian.”
“Sarafan,” which I have now been dubbed, “we are in Kyiv now, you need to learn Ukrainian.” And of course they proceeded to introduce to me new “Ukrainian” words. Needless to say, I was hesitant to believe their legitimacy, and as it turns out they were in fact bad words. I felt like that poor fiancé on “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”!

The second quite hilarious cultural happening also occurred while we were in Kyiv. Often times people joke about saying things wrong in a different language and accidentally offending someone. Well before a couple of weeks ago I thought that was more of a joke than reality. One night while walking with our group in Kyiv I was talking with some of the boys about sports, and eventually started talking about ping-pong. To further enhance the conversation and to illustrate a point I began to act out playing ping-pong, which also included sound effects. Anyway, I guess one of the “sound effects” that I used was actually a profanity, and quite a bad one at that! I didn’t know! I was just trying to talk about ping-pong!

Political Turmoil

2007-04-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not be aware, this has also been the month for political crisis in Ukraine. Earlier this month, President Viktor Yushenko, the hero of the 2004 Orange Revolution, disbanded parliament in an attempt to hold on to power. His rival Viktor Yanukovich had been alledgedly illegally recruiting members of Yushenko’s party to switch to his own party, which had shifted the balance of parliament and essentially robbed the President of any political power. In order to make a move at asserting his Presidential power, Yushenko disbanded Rada, the parliamentary body, and called for new elections. The case of course was appealed by Yanukovich and taken to the country’s highest court. Recently the courts came to their decision that the disbandment was constitutional and that elections could take place on June 27th. Given my major in international relations and minor in international politics, this is a very interesting time for me to be in Ukraine!

Пасха (Easter)

2007-04-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

It was quite refreshing to see how Easter is celebrated amongst the people of Ukraine. Both Believers and non-Believers alike celebrate, and like the other major holidays, it is a day to spend with family and, of course, eat. What made this Easter special was the time following church. I was invited to my friend’s home to have lunch with them after church, and together we all went to the center of town where the evangelical community in Berdyansk had put together a parade and concert for the afternoon. The venue of the concert was the main square in the city by the sea, which is also home to the city’s statue of Lenin.
It was amazing to contrast this crowd of Believers gathered in a time of worship with the statue of Lenin in the background, a wonderful indication of how times have changed in Ukraine.

* Sign reads "Jesus is the Savior of Ukraine"

Youth Conference

2007-04-29T23:28:00.000-07:00

At the end of March I also had the opportunity to accompany the youth group to a conference in Donetsk, one of the larger cities in Ukraine about a three-hour bus ride from Berdyansk. Every year the church takes a group, this year the group consisted of thirty-two teens and adult leaders. The theme of the conference this year was missions, and it was quite surprising as well as refreshing to hear the youth of Ukraine being challenged with the call of world missions!

Весной Отпуск

2007-04-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

The spring holiday to Kyiv was a much needed break. It gave me the chance to get better acquainted with some of my friends at the church as well as an opportunity to live completely with Ukrainians and experience village life first hand. Several boys from the youth center also decided to accompany us on this adventure. They were surprisingly well behaved and the trip also gave me an opportunity to get better acquainted with them, as they took to teaching me Russian slang.

The sights in the city are breathtaking and filled with such amazing history. I am always amazed when I see such beautiful architecture and culture, because nothing that we have in the United States really comes close to the splendor of the old world. One of the sights we went to was the Pecherska Lavra, home to one of Kyiv’s ornate churches as well as a monastery that is still operational today. While there, looking upon the ornate architecture, I was reminded of the description of the throne room of Heaven in Revelations chapter 4:

“Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow all around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightenings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back…and they did not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’”

Київ!!!

2007-04-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

This past week I had the opportunity to travel to Kyiv with some good friends from the youth center, and boy was it a blast!!!

Kyiv is such a beautiful city. This is St. Andrew's, and it actually looks like the postcards! It was so breathtaking!

My girls in Independence Square at the heart of Kyiv.

This is the Pecherska Lavra, a famous monastery in Kyiv which still operates today, also amazing and breathtaking. Here you can go down into catacombs and see the tombs of early monks. It was amazing to me to see these priests, men and women of God who were completely committed to His service, to the death.

And of course we had to stop at McDonalds.

Hot Dogs & Holiday

2007-03-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Зробив діло, гуляй сміло.
Ukrainian Proverb: When the work is done, have some fun.

This past week I'm pleased to announce that I ate my first Ukrainian hot dog! Though somewhat different than their American counterparts, it was a rather pleasant culinary experience. Rather than the traditional ketchup, mustard and relish condiments that we expect, the Ukrainian hot dog was topped with ketchup, mayonnaise, and a pickled beet and carrot mix, which was quite tasty. The hot dogs are sold by vendors in the market place and are what you would expect to see at the fair or at minor league baseball games. This hot dog vendor boasts that they have the "most delicious" hot dogs.

On March 8th nations all over the world (including Ukraine) celebrate International Women's Day. According to internationalwomensday.com, March 8th is a "global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential" and it "celebrates the collective power of women past, present and future." In Ukraine the holiday is celebrated by a four day weekend. As one Ukrainian described it to me, it is because you need to celebrate before the holiday, celebrate the day of the holiday, as well as the day after, and then you need the rest of the time in order to recover and be able to go back to work on Monday. This reminded me a lot of the average student's life at the University of Idaho.

For this holiday, husbands are supposed to give their wives a break from domestic chores, and all young boys are supposed to be good to the girls and say nice things to them. In my opinion, Women's Day is a wonderful holiday and surpasses both Valentine's and Mother's Day. Why? Valentine's and Mother's Day are fairly exclusive holidays. For instance, you have to either be in a romantic relationship or be a mother. Women's Day however is far less exclusive. The only requirement is that you happen to have been born with two X chromosomes and it does not discriminate on age or relationships status.

March 8th was celebrated by going to the orphanage after a long time away due to the flu quarantine. We presented the female staff with flowers, while we made sure each child got their share of candies and cookies. My beginning English class was cancelled due to the holiday, and it was nice to have an evening at home. The climax of the holiday however did not come until this past Tuesday. At the beginning of class, our students surprised Inna and me with chocolates and tea, and of course every gift that is given is accompanied by a speech of health, happiness, and love! Apparently the class had gotten together and arranged this special surprise! What a treat! We were obviously quite stunned. This display of appreciation most certainly made my day, week, month, maybe even year! It is always a struggle when you are working to serve other people, and you aren't sure if you are appreciated or even making a difference in their lives. So needless to say my students gave me the most wonderful gift, better than tea or even chocolates...affirmation.

Як трибого, то до Бога.

2007-02-27T00:28:00.000-08:00

Ukrainian Proverb: When in trouble, then you'll turn to God.

Within the past several months, a group of teenage boys have been calling the youth center home. They seem to be really connecting with everyone there, which is amazing to me, as these boys are typical un-churched teenagers, who smoke and drink regularly, and the youth center is a clean, Christian environment. Recently these boys have developed great relationships with the staff as well as with the church youth who spend their free time there.

However, one Friday night, all of these boys came into the center completely drunk. The frequency and commonality of this in society is what makes the situation even more unfortunate. Apparently, the local youth had not had school for several days, due to a flue quarantine, and th eboys took this opportunity to drink.

They were back on Saturday completely sober, and seemingly unaffected by the events that had transpired the day before. One February 15th, the youth center held a party in celebration of Valentine's Day. The boys were there. During the party was a time of worship to God and everyone was told about God's unfailing and true love for them. All were attentive and not a word was uttered in objection or mockery. It seemed like God was moving in their lives.

Every Sunday night the church holds youth group in the same venue as used by the youth center throughout the week. At these meetings the Bible is studied, there is prayer as well as a time of fun and fellowship. This past Sunday, only two weeks after they all came into the center drunk, all of them were at youth group, where they read the Bible and prayed.

Each and every one of these boys is seeking after something. God is using this opportunity in order to reveal Himself to them, to meet them in their point of need. I am taken back with awe in terms of how God is moving within the lives of this generation, and this experience helps to remind me that I am in face serving a real and living God who is still very much at work in the world today.

Слово не горобець, вилетить не спіймаєш.

2007-02-27T00:22:00.000-08:00

Ukrainian Proverb: A word is not a sparrow, if it flies away, you won't catch it.

Due to weeks of holidays, final exams, and work conflicts, our college fellowship was not able to meet successfully for quite some time, a fact that was to say the least, very frustrating for me. But on Sunday the 11th, God proved His faithfulness, and we had our first extremely successful fellowship group!
Our group!
There were eight of us in all, all of the usual crowd plus one! It was such an answer to prayer! We managed to discuss chapter two in Drury's book, overall it was a good discussion, as far as I could tell. Sometimes it absolutely feels as if I am herding cats while blindfolded (that one was for you, Eli) with the language barrier. I feel as if I am taking shots in the dark as far as discussion questions go sometimes, but I'm sure that it all works out in the end. Don't get me wrong, it is all extremely rewarding!
This is what I look like while herding cats.

At this past meeting, for the first time I was able to feel as if I were back at the university hanging out with my peer group. We had a lengthy discussion about holiness-what it is, certain scriptures that tell us how to make ourselves more holy, as well as holiness movements in our own cultures. Following the discussion we broke into partners and prayed with one another for the upcoming week. It was a perfect end to the study.

To unwind and to fellowship with one another we ended the evening by playing a game, which was extremely fun. It strikes me as interesting how when it comes to games and parties, that even the most reserved of people choose to participate, and suddenly people are no longer quite as reserved and modest as you thought they were.

Praise God and thank you for all of the prayers!

Recent Odd Cultural Experiences:
• Recently while sitting and reading by the sea, I was approached by a pair of Jehovah's witnesses, who wished to attempt a conversation with me. Though by itself this may not seem like such a strange occurrence. What makes it odd is the fact that it has been my third encounter within the five months that I have been here.

• Along the same lines, I was also recently stopped by an obviously inebriated man while on my way to the bus stop. He was apparently in need of relationship advice, either that or he was asking for my hand in marriage, I of course was not able to help him with either.

• While riding the bus downtown one day, a woman stood up and began preaching. This was something that was unexpected though quite refreshing given the country's all to recent religious suppression.

Новость

2007-01-30T10:42:00.000-08:00

Of course only a few weeks have gone by since my last post, but it feels as if it has been an entire month! So many things have been happening, or at least it feels like it.

Winter has finally come to Ukraine! I don’t know why this is exciting. After months of unseasonably warm weather we were met with our first snowfall of the year this past week. Let me tell you, now it is COLD! Although I am no friend of winter weather, it was beginning to feel as if I was missing out on a part of the true Ukrainian experience!

Grammar class has been going strong. For the past three weeks I have had a regular group of ten students, which is far more than I had thought would come. It has been a real blessing for me, as I enjoy spending time with the group twice each week. In a few days we will be getting ready to embark on our trip to Budapest, Hungary and Uzhgorod, Ukraine, which I am very excited for! I’m looking forward to exploring and seeing all that Budapest has to offer, within reason of course. After our holiday in Hungary the schedule will begin to run with full strength. Monday nights will be devoted to my grammar class. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I will be teaching another beginning adult ESL class, and of course Fridays will be our conversation group as always. I will be one busy girl, but it will be extremely worth it, of this I am sure.

For all of my prayer warriors out there—thank you so much for your diligence! I have needed much prayer during my time here, and I have really felt it all working in the different aspects of my life. Keep it up! And if you think of it please keep the adult ESL classes in your prayers, especially as I will be getting a new group of students in February. It is my desire to be able to introduce them to God, to a relationship with Christ and to the church that I am working with.

An interesting yet somewhat unfortunate tale from the orphanage…
Recently, during one of our twice-weekly visits to the orphanage, I was playing UNO with a couple teenage boys and one girl. These are some of the older students whom I have enjoyed building relationships with in the last few weeks. During one of our games, however, I spent the majority of time explaining to this one boy why he should not use certain English profanities, all of this is occurring in Russian by the way (kudos to me!). Looking back on the experience it gave me a chuckle. At the same time I began to think about what an awesome opportunity I have to be with those kids in that place, and to be able to minister to them through relationships, as I know that they most likely have no Godly influence in their lives. Please pray for this one boy in particular, as he has a dynamic charismatic personality who could be an influential leader of others for Christ one day. I am praying that God would do the impossible in his life.

ФОТОГРАФИЯ!

2007-01-29T06:24:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures I took recently while on a walk down to the sea.

Isn't the sunset amazing?

There is something about fishing boats that is so beautiful!

Living Radically in 2007

2007-01-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

Recently, I realized that my time in Ukraine is almost halfway over. During one of my prayer times, God really put within me the desire to live radically in 2007. Radical living this year will allow me to make the most out of my remaining time here in Ukraine as well as the time to follow when I return to the United States and to my university.

Things to Look Forward to in 2007

2007-01-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

Being a new year, I thought it would be a good idea to analyze things, and to make a list of what I am looking forward to this year, so here it is:
• Beginning a new ESL class for adults.
• Taking the college group deeper and expanding it.
• Going to Hungary and Uzhgorod, Ukraine in February!
• Restarting the beginning ESL class for adults and receiving new students!
• Teams arriving in May and being able to serve them and help with their ministries.
• The Duvall Church team coming near the end of June!!!
• Returning to my family and friends.
• Returning to the university.

More Praises & Prayer Requests

2007-01-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

Praises!
• That I have been able to assimilate into the host culture! Hooray!
• That I am becoming more and more conversational in the Russian language.

Desires for 2007 in Ukraine (AKA “Prayer Requests”):
• That the college group would expand to include more outreach to other university students.
• To continue to assimilate into Ukrainian culture.
• To live radically.
• To continue to develop relationships within my adult ESL classes, and that they would be tools for sharing the Gospel.

Я настоящая украйнская женщина!

2007-01-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

I have been immensely enjoying getting to know more and more of Ukrainian culture. I am taking every opportunity that I can to experience Ukrainian life, whether it is riding the bus or walking down the street. Recently, I was told by a new student in our conversation class that her first impression of me was that I was a Ukrainian woman. I was also told by my good friend Inna that my conversational Russian is improving. I am proud to say that after four months of living here I am well on my way to becoming a real Ukrainian woman!

Life After New Year's

2007-01-16T11:14:00.000-08:00

After welcoming the New Year in Ukraine, the holiday break has come to an end, and the routine has started up again. For the month of January I am teaching a class on the basics of English grammar, which is keeping me busy so far. The bible study and fellowship group for university students has also started back up again, and I am looking forward to what this year has in store for it.

Praises & Prayer Requests

2007-01-03T04:27:00.000-08:00

*PRAISE*
*For the affirmation from Don about the college group.
*For all of the relationships I am building, especially with my new friend Inna.
*I have been able to find a place here, through my relationships, playing bass on the worship team, and leading a bible study.
*PRAYER*
*For my relationships to be taken deeper.
*For my language skills to improve so that they can be.
*For my adult English class for relationships to continue to be formed.
*For college group that we would be able to grow together spiritually and relationally.

An Answer to Prayer

2007-01-03T04:26:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I have never seen myself as an answer to prayer. But this last month it has been amazing to see how I have been able to be a part of God’s bigger plans here. This week while Don (long term volunteer and ESL coordinator here) was visiting for the Christmas holiday, we were discussing the college group. He told me how he had been praying for someone to step in to fill his shoes while he was at home on leave, and how he was also praying for someone who the students could better relate to, etc. It was much needed affirmation that I was in fact this person! Praise the Lord! What an immense joy it is to be used by Him in His plans! I truly have enjoyed having Don around these past few days. We have discussed endlessly about the college group and about our vision for the college students here in this city, and how they are not only the future leaders of the church, but the future business and political leaders of Ukraine as well as of the world. I look forward to seeing where God directs this particular ministry here in Berdyansk.

Christmas & New Years

2007-01-03T04:23:00.000-08:00

On Saturday December 23rd, we had our large Christmas gathering, which was wonderful. There were twenty-one of us gathered in the Smith house for Christmas dinner. For the first time it actually felt like Christmas. Being able to help prepare food and to relax with friends really made the holiday special. I began to think less about being so far away from home and from my family and began to appreciate my new place here. Sitting in the back of the house playing Dutch Blitz and Rook with friends Inna, Oksana, Bill, and Don reminded me of the post-dinner festivities of playing new games with my cousins on Christmas day.

Christmas Day
Christmas day started out pretty low key. We woke up to the breakfast bell at 8:30, had breakfast, a time of worship, and then spent the rest of the morning opening gifts. Nearly everyone who came Saturday brought gifts, so needless to say we were there quite awhile. I was given gifts from people that I only know on a first name basis. I will be writing a lot of thank you cards in Russian, which will be good practice. Following presents I was whisked away to the village with Don, my friend Inna and her mom to visit friends that lived out there. It was a wonderful time! I am discovering quite well that a foreign guest will never leave the table hungry, or even comfortably full for that matter. You will leave the table painfully full, but what great food it is, and what a joy it is to be with the people! This evening helped to affirm me in my conversational abilities, as I was able to converse with my hosts. I am truly praising God for his provision and blessings of great friendships with the Ukrainian people!

Conversation Group Christmas Party
This past Friday night our conversation group had a Christmas party in which we watched the Jimmy Stewart Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Prior to the film the poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas was read as well as the Christmas story from Luke. Following the film we partook in the singing of Christmas carols. As usual, our group was thankful and appreciative. Above all, a good time was had by all!

New Year’s Gift Giving at the Orphanage
This week we were able to give gifts to the children at the orphanage. It was quite the rewarding experience. A good deal of time was spent wrapping gifts individually so that each child would have something special to open. All of the gifts came from a shipment from a church in the Washington. After several years of being a part of things such as Operation Christmas Child, it was especially interesting to be on the other side of things, to see the gifts being distributed to the kids.

Session Ending

2007-01-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

We have concluded the first session of English classes at the center here in Berdyansk. My adult class concluded by playing Wheel of Fortune, the all time classic American game show game. I have very much enjoyed my group of students. It is very rewarding to work with adults because they truly have a desire to learn English and are committed to study. I look forward to seeing more of them in January when I am beginning a grammar class. Please pray for this! It is my hope that through these classes God will open doors in peoples’ lives, that by being drawn into the church facility that they will be exposed to what takes place and hopefully (and prayerfully) be brought into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

College Group

2006-12-12T04:12:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday night was the inaugural meeting of our “college” bible study. Though not everyone in the group studies at a college or university, everyone is of the appropriate age, which ranges from 19 to 23 years old. There were six of us, four men and two women, one of which was myself. Where have all of the young women gone? For this group we will be reading Keith Drury’s Holiness for Ordinary People, and learning about what the Bible says about the subject as well as how we can be more holy in our own lives. I am very excited to be a part of this group! Since I have arrived in Ukraine I have been praying that God would provide for me a place where I can fit right in and be myself amongst my peers and I think that this group may be the answer to those prayers! In an e-mail I had received from the previous leader of the group, he had expressed how he had been praying for someone to come along that the group could relate better with (i.e. someone younger). Praise God that He is bringing everything together! Please pray with me for the continued success of this group!

Personal Theology

2006-12-12T04:11:00.000-08:00

Recent conversations I have had with our friend Sasha have caused me to start thinking about matters of theology and what I believe. One evening I decided that writing down my thoughts would be beneficial. This post is the result of those thoughts.

I believe that God exists in three parts, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and that each of these parts have always been in existence. I believe that Jesus Christ, who was fully man and fully God was sent by God the Father as a mere baby to live a perfect, sinless life which ended in a tragic, yet wonderful death which paid the price for the sins, the shortcomings of all mankind. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Christ died for all of mankind so that He would be reunited with us and be able to live with Him eternally. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) This is not to say that all will be made to believe, for scripture says that Christ shall stand at the door and knock and whoever invites Him in He shall be with them and them with Him (Romans 3:20). God has given each of us free will to choose to follow Him or to reject Him. In choosing to follow Him one must reject their past life of disobedience and recognize that Christ died for them and each one of their wrongdoings, past, present and future. In doing this one will be led down a path that leads toward temptations, trails, blessings and rewards, all while following, or attempting to follow in Christ’s footsteps. Once on this path, the ultimate goal is Christ-likeness.

Too Wordy...Need More Pictures!

2006-12-08T12:53:00.001-08:00

Our Thanksgiving table, prior to the dinner. Needless to say all of these places were filled.

American missionary Bill with Ukrainian pastor Sergey. Its good that there are some serious people here!

Dam It! Hehehe. A dam on the Dnieper River in Zaporozhya. The picture was taken from an island on the river where the Cossaks would train their men.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

Having spent Thanksgiving in a foreign country I have been given some insights on our holidays. The first and most obvious insight is that holidays are purely cultural, and once removed from that native culture, the holiday is lost. Thanksgiving was difficult for me this year simply because the world around me was not celebrating. That is not to say that we did not have a Thanksgiving Day feast, because we had a very large one. Second, I have realized that to me, it isn’t about the holiday. A holiday is just a date that our government, or a group of people have decided to celebrate something. What makes a holiday for me is the time spent with family. So according to this any day may be a holiday, as long as there is a large gathering of family and of course a lot of food.

Prayer Requests & Praises

2006-11-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

• It is a praise that the humanitarian aid container arrived here after many days of negotiation and paperwork, and has been successfully unloaded. It now just awaits a customs inspection.
• Continue to pray for our conversation class, as we are building relationships with people, that we might be able to show them Christ through those relationships.
• Pray for the church here in Berdyansk, as they are having struggles with interpersonal politics. Pray that differences would be able to be resolved, that reconciliation would be an ongoing practice and that Christ would be glorified through it all.
• Pray that God would go before us and that He would make a path for further ministry opportunities here.
• For me, I would just ask that you would continue to pray against the distractions of homesickness. That my mind would just be here in Ukraine, and not back home. Also, that I would be able to find my niche here, and that I would be able to make deep and lasting friendships with the people around me.

Observations on Ukrainian Culture

2006-11-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

Now for what you all have been waiting for....(drum roll please)

Here in Ukraine, men always greet one another with a shake of the hand, even if you are mildly acquainted with the person. This leads me to believe that if you were acquainted with many people in a small town, you would have to allow extra time to travel to wherever it was that you are going.

Women should not whistle, as it is a sign of a loose woman, or worse-prostitution. This I did not know until whistling in public and getting strange looks from people. I can only imagine what they were thinking… “With those comfortable fitting jeans and those two sweaters on, she doesn’t look like a prostitute, but then again she is whistling.” They must have had trouble wrapping their brains around it!

I read that chewing gum is considered crass behavior. Apparently this news hasn’t come to the people of Ukraine, because you can purchase numerous varieties of it at every store imaginable. The chewing gum market is most definitely not suffering here.

The most interesting cultural differences are the smallest ones, the things that you would never think of. For instance, one would not usually ask “How does one peel a banana here?” or “With what utensil do you eat your cake?” These aren’t things that you think of asking. We have discovered here that Ukrainians peel a banana from the ‘bottom’ up, towards the stem, so as to use the stem as a handle for eating the banana. Ukrainians also eat cake with a spoon, to them it is the strangest thing that we eat our cake using a fork!

NEVER wish someone “Happy Birthday!” until the day of their birthday, or after the fact. Doing so will cause the person whose birthday it is to have an early death. So if you really wish someone to die, wish them a happy birthday when their birthday isn’t for another two months!

God the Father and the Ukrainian Perspective

2006-11-24T12:44:00.000-08:00

Fathers often aren’t present in families, if they are present, they do not play an active role. Care of children is left up to the mother and to her mother. Reading one young boy’s information on a questionnaire, he listed his family as his mother, grandmother and sister, the father was nonexistent. This causes me to wonder about how Ukrainians accept the concept of God the Father, when with “father” they equate drunkenness, abandonment, adultery, etc. Most women in the church have spouses that are not Christian, and that sometimes may be alcoholic and abusive. Their faith constantly amazes me. Domestic life in Ukraine causes me to realize what a jewel it is when there is an intact family, when all members of the family are present at church, when the children have both parents actively participating in their upbringing. I pray that in time, this would become the social norm, that the society would be restored from its broken state.

Sloppy Joes, Apple Pie, Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan

2006-11-24T12:42:00.000-08:00

While Ernie & Anna, the missionaries that we are living with, were away on vacation, Shushan and I were basking in all of our new found freedom! On Friday October 27th, Shushan and I were able to have our first American movie night with our conversation group. Boy was it entertaining! It began at six o’clock with a traditional American dinner of sloppy joe’s, jo-jo’s (AKA “Potato Wedges” if you are from Indiana), salad, and apple pie for dessert. After dinner we watched the classic Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan flick, Sleepless in Seattle. I know what you are probably thinking… “Were there guys at this event?” To answer this question, yes there were. In our defense, we gave them a choice between Sleepless in Seattle and The Rookie, a baseball movie with Dennis Quaid. At the first mention that The Rookie was about baseball, even the men immediately chose Sleepless in Seattle. Sorry baseball fans, you probably will not find many peers here in Ukraine!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

2006-10-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

Me and my Ukrainian boyfriends. They are definitely the strong and silent type.

Ahhhh!!!! Shushan is driving!!!! This must be why there are three places to hold on in the front seat!

Me, our friend (and translator) Inna, and her friend Masha. We are enjoying a walk along the promenade by the sea.

This is for my friend John. A tractor driving down a main street in Berdyansk. This makes me think of and miss all of my Idahoan friends!

Correction

2006-10-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

All right everybody, one correction. I think I've made it so anyone can post a comment on my blog, you can even do it anonymously, if so preferred. So if that is easier for anyone, super! Just thought I should inform everyone to this adjustment.

E-Mails!

2006-10-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

Someone recently commented on how it would be great if there was a way to anonymously comment on my blog. Because there is no great way of doing this, without signing up for a blog, I've decided to post my email, that way if anyone is interested in sending me a message while I am here on the field, you can! I would love to receive emails from you all! Even with the internet and satellite television, it is still hard to keep in touch with things back home, that is unless people send me e-mails (wink).

So here you have it:
coza1559@uidaho.edu

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Adventures, Classes, Etc.

2006-10-10T23:33:00.000-07:00

Dnipropetrovsk
Several weeks ago, Shushan and I took an opportunity that we had to go and visit some Americans who live in Dnipropetrovsk. Dnipropetrovsk is located between Kiev (Kyiv) and Berdyansk. If you look for it on a map printed during Soviet times, you most likely will not find it. During the reign of communism in the Soviet Union, Dnipropetrovsk was a completely closed city, and not to mention controlled by the KGB. Why go through all this trouble for one city in the middle of the Ukraine? Dnipropetrovsk was home to a rocket factory and proving ground for the KGB elite, several key people made their way up the ranks in the city, i.e. Nikkita Kruschev. Throughout the city are remnants of the Soviet past, KGB watch towers, huge statues of Lenin and other Soviet icons, etc. It is hard to imagine that all of this was occurring within the city until only 15 years ago. I am continually amazed by the progress that this country has seen in such a short amount of time.

Restoration
As I have been here, I have been listening to a recent Jeremy Camp song entitled “Restored.” The lyrics have struck me as completely fitting for Ukraine’s current situation. Since achieving independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the political climate is at bit unstable as the government has been searching for its identity. As is, the government is in an ongoing debate between democracy and communism. The people of this nation have in turn, been affected by this instability. Because the rule of the Soviet Union stripped them of their identity, many people turned to alcohol to fill that void. As a result, many people come from broken homes and face an alcoholic fate themselves. From what I’ve seen through the churches here, I have been feeling God’s will of restoration for this nation, to bring them out of the confusion and self destructive patterns that they’ve fallen into.

English Classes
Our English classes began on October 3rd. Shushan and I are teaching three classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday we are teaching two beginning English classes, one for youth and one for adults. On Fridays we are facilitating a conversation and discussion group for more advanced English speakers.

We are already seeing God’s faithfulness and abundance in this area. At our first lesson on Tuesday we had seven youth in attendance and one adult. On the second day of class we had nine youth and ten adults! It was amazing! It is so unbelievable to me that people here in Ukraine are so interested in learning English. For them being able to speak English means better jobs, and higher salaries. It makes me wish that Americans had the same willingness to learn foreign languages.

So far, the conversation group that we are facilitating seems to be very promising and will be a lot of fun to be involved with. The purpose of this group is to allow Ukrainians a place to come and practice speaking. For this group we intend to lead topical conversations and discussions, watch American films, as well as play interactive speaking games in order to create a fun, confidence-boosting learning environment.

Things to Pray For:
• A church from Northern Ireland has sent a humanitarian aid container to the ministries here in Ukraine. Currently it is sitting in Odessa awaiting clearance from customs. For those of you who, like me, thinking that it was a Rubbermaid container, think bigger as in what is sent on ships and carried by semi-trucks. Please pray that the container is released and that we can begin dispersing the needed items around the area.

• Continue to pray for our English classes, that we would be effective not only as teachers but as ministers of the Gospel, to those who may not have a relationship with Christ.

• For true restoration to come to the nation of Ukraine. That the people of Ukraine would find their identity in Christ rather than through alcohol and promiscuity.

• Also, please pray that we would be able to develop meaningful and lasting relationships with the people here, and that we would be able to minister to them through those friendships.

Lesson from Abroad #3: Potholes
Why fill in potholes when people can just drive around them? Better yet, we can just offer shocks at a discounted price and people can just drive through them!
Lesson from Abroad #4:
Don’t be afraid if the only seat on the bus is next to a drunken old man, sit down! True, he probably will start to talk to you, but just be encouraged that he most likely would not make any more sense if you could understand what he is saying.

Restored

2006-10-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been thinking about this Jeremy Camp song, and how it is applicable to the current situation that Ukraine is in. So I have decided that posting some of the lyrics would prove helpful for future commentary upon the subject.

“Restored” – Jeremy Camp
All this time I’ve wandered ‘round,
Searching for the things I’ll never know.
I’ve been searching for this answer that,
Can only be found in Your love.

And I feel it, my heart is being mended by your love.
And I hear it, your voice has shown my purpose in this world.

You have restored me,
From my feeble and broken soul.
You have restored me!

Laying all these questions down,
You’ve answered what I need.
Given more than I deserve,
Making me complete,
You give me all these open doors,
I’m humbled at your feet.
Show me what you’ve done for me.

You have restored me,
From my feeble and broken soul.
You have restored me!

Pictures, Pictures, More Pictures

2006-10-07T02:46:00.000-07:00

Anna, one of the missionaries here in Ukraine. I am living with her and her husband.
Two young girls at the First Stage orphanage here in Berdyansk.
This is me with a carton of kefir (buttermilk/yogurt like substance) in Dnipropetrovsk.
One of the cutest little boys at the first stage orphanage, Artyon.
Little Alyona, isn't she adorable?
Our orphanage group play UNO. The other lady in the picture is Sveta, she works with the orphanage and youth ministries at the church.
Our helpful friend Sasha playing with the boys.

3 Weeks!!

2006-09-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

After three weeks of settling into life here in Berdyansk, this is my first post from within the country. Things are settling in quite nicely here. Thank you all so much for your prayers in regards to settling in and homesickness, I feel those prayers at work daily.

Things will most surely start to progress more rapidly as soon as we figure out our routine. As of now we are simply working on planning the English classes that we will be teaching. We will be teaching two beginning English classes, one for adults and one for youth. In addition to the classes, we are hoping to facilitate a bible study/fellowship group for college students and/or young professionals. With all of our classes, Russian lessons, and volunteering at the youth center and orphanages, I’m sure we’ll be quite busy.

The ministries that are occurring here are amazing! It is so wonderful to be a part of a missions organization whose goal is to equip nationals for evangelism, and that encourages them to take ownership of their worshipping community. The Home of Hope is the main focus here in Berdyansk. It houses the church that meets every Sunday morning at 10 o’clock as well as a youth center that provides a safe alternative for kids in the area. Even as the building is still under renovation, the ministries that are contained within it continue to flourish. It is in the Home of Hope building where we will hold our English classes starting on Tuesday.

The youth center is open four days a week for five hours a day, providing kids with plenty of opportunities to come in and play ping-pong, table games, and to develop relationships with the adults who are taking time to invest in the lives of young people. So far, Shushan and I have spent our last several afternoons at the youth center engaging with the kids, and attempting to persevere through games of ping-pong, foosball, Connect-Four, Phase 10, Skip-Bo, and Rack-O (Oh what we must do in service of the Lord!).

Along with the youth center, we have also spent some mornings going to one of the orphanages here in Berdyansk. This particular one is known as a First Stage orphanage, meaning that when children are orphaned, abandoned, or parents decide that they can no longer take care of them, or for whatever reason children are removed from their home, they are brought here. Children are only at the First Stage orphanage for 90 days, during which relatives are sought out for children to stay with, or sometimes parents decide to take them back. After the 90 day period the children are placed in a larger, permanent orphanage. Because the children are so transient at the First Stage orphanage, people are unable to adopt from there.

So far we have only spent two mornings there, and already the children are warming up to us. Because of their recent circumstances, each and every child there needs to know and to feel that they are loved. I can hardly bring myself to think about what these kids have been through in their short lives. It really makes me realize how extremely blessed we are in America, the fact that I’ve just had to explain the workings of an orphanage truly shows how fortunate we are.

Things that you can continue to pray about:
*Please pray for continued protection against homesickness for me, I feel how well those prayers are working and it would be wonderful for that to continue!

*Pray that God would grant me a loosened tongue so I might utilize my Russian, and that He would work through the weaknesses that we have in the language barrier.

*Also pray that Shushan and my relationship would continue to grow and flourish as it has been so far.

*Please pray for God’s guidance, strength, and perseverance to cover us the entire time that we are here in Ukraine.

Until next time,
Sarah

Lesson from abroad #1:
Always plan your road trips/days in the city according to where the best restrooms are. If there are none in a particular area, drink less or be sure not to spend too much time there. (For added comfort and hygiene, be sure to always carry tissue and hand sanitizer for those unpredicted pit stops.)

Lesson from Abroad #2: Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd? Never!
When using public transit, there is always room for more! Disregard maximum occupancy signs and squeeze your way onboard! When the bus seems completely full, people standing up, there is room for more. When people are standing on the steps, out the doors and windows, as well as sitting on the driver’s lap, there is room for more. In short, the moral of this story is…when using public transportation, there is always room for one more.

Pictures from Ukraine!!!

2006-09-19T01:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that I have taken so far in Ukraine...Enjoy!!
This is the Home of Hope, the church and youth center while I will be teaching English.
This is my partner in ministry Shushan and myself by the Sea of Azov here in Berdyansk.

Here is the youth center, where kids can come to hang out and play games.
This is the Smith's home (American missionaries in Berdyansk) where I am living.
Here is me at the orphanage, playing Play-Doh with the kids. Aren't they the cutest??

3 Days Until Liftoff

2006-09-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well, its here. I'm really going to Ukraine. I am leaving Thursday morning at 8:30 from Seattle. From Seattle I fly to Chicago, then on to Frankfurt, Germany where I will be meeting another VIA (Volunteer In Action from World Gospel Mission) and from there were will go on to Kiev. In Kiev WGM missionaries Ernie and Anna Smith will be picking us up at the airport, and we will embark on a 10 hour van trip across Ukraine to their home in Berdyansk where we will arrive around midnight. That should make for a very long trip. As of now my prayer requests are for safe and uneventful travel, and for an excited spirit. The fact that I won't see family or friends for 10 months is beginning to sink in.