Ending of a Ultra Marathon!

May 25--Tuesday

This Ukraine Mission Trip was an ultra marathon! Especially the last part! I have had maybe 8 hours of sleep in the last 72 hours….maybe 7. The descent into Frankfort was incredibly painful on my plugged up head! I‘ve never experienced that kind of ear ache! I probably had a fever this morning. I don‘t have much of a voice! Good thing I don‘t have to talk much today! Thank you Dan for sharing so much this trip---even your cold! : )

The students, Dan and I all went our separate ways this morning. Dan is currently heading back to Boise with 2 students. I’m on my way to Manchester, England to get some R and R and to visit seminary friends. All the other students are off into the city today and dispersing across Europe tonight and tomorrow. They are hugely excited but there was a sense of sadness in them today as I watched them say goodbye to each other. We have been through so much together. God has been so real in us and through us. We’ve created strong bonds between one another…and now we are no longer together. It has been 3 days of goodbyes. I’m so so grateful for what has transpired in the last few weeks. Even though I’m wiped and under the weather my heart is so full. A group of 7 of us will meet up on June 1 to fly back to Boise. I’m looking forward to that time with great anticipation. They are sure to have stories of great adventures to tell.

We’ve pretty much been going 3 days non stop with much activity and very, very little sleep. I can‘t say I‘ve ever had such little sleep in a 3 day period. We had a wonderful farewell day with the church in Vypnarka on Sunday. We then boarded a train at 12:30am and arrived into Kyiv at 6:30am. I got a few hours of sleep on the train, I think. We toured Kyiv all day Monday. Most of us got an hour of sleep Monday night before we boarded vans to head for the airport at 2:30am! Frankly, it has been brutal! Dan and I were wiped at the airport this morning. It sure was nice that our flight went as expected. I slept almost the entire flight from Kyiv to Frankfort and hope to sleep the entire flight to Manchester!

I’m looking forward to catching up with myself this week!

May 26 --Wednesday

The plane ride from Frankfort to Manchester was full of sleep. As we descended into Manchester I experienced the worst earache I've ever had...it was worse than the Frankfort flight. I think the guy next to me thought I was odd as I was squirming in my seat. I could barely hear once we landed. This made customs and passport control very interesting. I had to listen very carefully. It was like I had noise canceling headphones on.

My friends Sarah and Josh picked me up at the airport and took me to their home. They had to return to work. I proceeded to sleep from about 3pm to about 8am in the morning. They told me dinner would be around 6pm and I figured I'd join them or foresure see them in the evening. I was dead to the world! When I woke up I could hear so much better!

I'm very much looking forward to a great week with my friends and then some more RandR this weekend. I hope to have this cold gone before I get on another plane! I feel so blessed to be able to spend a few days with Josh and Sarah. Good conversations are on their way and good rest has already begun. Tonight I get to take part in their small group. I'm excited.