Yesterday morning I arrived at a hotel in Manchester. I had originally planned to stay with my friends for the whole time I was here. However, my friend had to make a trip to the USA. I decided to take advantage of my need to get some RandR and check into a hotel. This isn't the kind of trip to England I'd hope to repeat. Being sick in Europe isn't my first choice. It is what it is. However, it has been nice that I've been able to take some down time to rest as I need it. Yesterday I watched TV, read and slept. I watched Britian's Got Talent, Eurovision and then a special on Susan Boyle. I find it interesting that the big shows of the week are on Saturday. What if American Idol were on Saturday night? Would anyone watch it in the US? Maybe so.
I was planning on going out on the town today but darn it I'm feeling worse today that I was yesterday. Go away cold, go away! Ok, so another day in a hotel sleeping, reading, drinking fluids, and watching British TV. I can handle this quite well. I am really looking forward to being home...in Nampa!! But until then I'll drink in the rest and hope my system will finally decide it is done with whatever it is fighting and be better for the return flight home!
I'm reading Brian Mc Laren's new book, A New Kind of Christianity. If I'm hauled up in a hotel room at least I've got some good reading material. Good stuff Brian!! In one of the opening chapters on scripture he talks about a time when he lined up people on the cuff to help us consider how Greco-Roman our view of scripture has been vs the view of scripture using the voices of scripture (Adam, Abraham...Jesus). As I read I thought to myself, "I think I was there when he did that and our group had that conversation!"
I'm enjoying his telling of how to think about the Biblical narrative. He writes: "God's unfolding drama is not a narrative shaped by the six lines in the Greco-Roman scheme of perfection, fall, condemnation, salvation, and heavenly perfection or eternal perdition. It has a different story line entirely. It's a story about the downside of "progress" -- a story of human foolishness and God's faithfulness, the human turn toward rebellion and God's turn toward reconciliation, the human intention toward evil and God's intention to overcome evil with good." (54) And in light of just finishing Tutu's book on Goodness Brian writes, "Good has the first word, and good has the last." The good is God's good.
5.30.2010
5.28.2010
Manachester Friday
What a great day! My cold lingers on but today it feels like it is turning a corner. I had a great time today with Sarah and Josh Derck. Sarah and I went to her school and work--Nazarene Theological College. We met up with Deidra Brower Latz and headed out to the village center for coffee. I enjoyed the company and conversation. It was definitely the highlight of my week to be sitting at a coffee shop with 2 awesome ladies. We talked church, theology, and PhD studies. We talked about the need for rest. It seems to be a common theme not just in my own life but for so many in academia and ministry! Yet here in the UK they at least have a culture that supports rest more than in the US. Tea time...more holidays...longer vacations....shorter work days....less emphasis on efficiency.... very interesting!
I love the little village Sarah lives in! Everything is within walking distance. It reminds me so much of Korea except her village has so much beauty. The gardens here are wonderful. We picked up her son after school and I was pretty amazed by all the parents there waiting for school to let out. It was fun to see the people of the village meeting and talking as they waited for their kids.
Sarah volunteered to watch her friends new born baby girl this evening. While she was packing for her trip to the USA I was put in charge of the little 3 week old girl. Ok, so it was fun! I'm not going to lie. In one hand I'm holding the little girl because earlier she had started crying and with the other hand I'm searching for an e-mail for Gene. : ) She was just fine!
I had Fish and Chips for dinner and then Ben and Jerry's for dessert. It was the quintessential English dinner with the quintessential American dessert. Great!
I love the little village Sarah lives in! Everything is within walking distance. It reminds me so much of Korea except her village has so much beauty. The gardens here are wonderful. We picked up her son after school and I was pretty amazed by all the parents there waiting for school to let out. It was fun to see the people of the village meeting and talking as they waited for their kids.
Sarah volunteered to watch her friends new born baby girl this evening. While she was packing for her trip to the USA I was put in charge of the little 3 week old girl. Ok, so it was fun! I'm not going to lie. In one hand I'm holding the little girl because earlier she had started crying and with the other hand I'm searching for an e-mail for Gene. : ) She was just fine!
I had Fish and Chips for dinner and then Ben and Jerry's for dessert. It was the quintessential English dinner with the quintessential American dessert. Great!
5.27.2010
Manchester w/ Friends
I called this one right!I'm so glad to be with friends after the mission trip rather than gallevanting around Europe. I've been sick and the need for sleep has been even grater than I imagined. Something in me knew I was going to need some R and R after the mission trip. I had no idea how true this would prove to be. Thank God I listened to the voice in me saying--be in one place, visit friends, get rest. I'm still very much under the weather so it has been so nice to be with friends with no expectation to have to do anything. In between sleeps I've really enjoyed the company!!
Today my friend Sarah and I ventured out to the city center of Manchester. We decided to stay close so that I could return home if I felt like I needed to. I've enjoyed hearing how she and Josh are experiencing the culture here. Sounds like there is so much for the U.S. to learn from the U.K.! Like private bus companies! We went inside the Manchester Cathedral and visited a pub where John Wesley supposededly visited. It was good to see the city. I was surprised by the number of people out and about in the middle of the day and I was surprised by the beer consumption out in the open during mid-day. We ate a late lunch in a pub. Something in me loves the fact that we ate in a "bar" while knowing that the English pub is so much more than a bar. A couple of guys asked us if we go clubbing...um...no, we don't! That shut down the conversation pretty fast. I think we were both grateful. When we returned home I took a long nap! Nice! This is my speed!
Today my friend Sarah and I ventured out to the city center of Manchester. We decided to stay close so that I could return home if I felt like I needed to. I've enjoyed hearing how she and Josh are experiencing the culture here. Sounds like there is so much for the U.S. to learn from the U.K.! Like private bus companies! We went inside the Manchester Cathedral and visited a pub where John Wesley supposededly visited. It was good to see the city. I was surprised by the number of people out and about in the middle of the day and I was surprised by the beer consumption out in the open during mid-day. We ate a late lunch in a pub. Something in me loves the fact that we ate in a "bar" while knowing that the English pub is so much more than a bar. A couple of guys asked us if we go clubbing...um...no, we don't! That shut down the conversation pretty fast. I think we were both grateful. When we returned home I took a long nap! Nice! This is my speed!
5.26.2010
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.
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.
Kyiv: Un-ending Day
May 24 -- Monday
We got into Kyiv early this morning after an all night train ride. Oh, the night train! I was able to catch a few hours of sleep. Thank goodness we had “beds” to sleep on. The train was by no means the provider of a comfortable night sleep but it was much better than nothing. I had the train bathroom experience and was thoroughly grossed out by the urine all over the floor. There isn’t a smooth ride and at one point as I was standing up I almost fell. I didn’t want to touch anything. Now I know why there is urine all over….no one can stand well in the bathroom! I’d much prefer an outhouse!! Colleen Skinner told us that this was the “good bathroom”. We had flushing toilet. Gross, gross, gross….
We were back to city life!! We rode the bus and metro ! My how I miss good public transportation. I sure enjoyed riding public in Kyiv today. And because yesterday was Pentecost today was a holiday in the city. This meant less traffic on the streets!
We visited the Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv. This was a special experience for me. Over the last few years I have such an interest in the story of human tragedy and redemption and so getting to enter into the story of Chernobyl today was an experience I feel so grateful for. Entering in the Museum was entering into the story of the crisis. When you walk into the building there were signs hanging from the top of the building representing the many villages emptied because of the crisis. There is an area with a radius of 30kilometers that is “dead land”. Imagine that! I’ve been to Hiroshima but I didn’t realize how different the problem of Chernobyl is from the U-bomb. The problems of Chernobyl are much longer in scope!
Also I had never connected the 1986 Chernobyl explosion with the beginning of the end of the USSR. Bob Skinner, a Nazarene missionary, joined us for the whole day today and he explained much of the history and happenings around the Chernobyl events. I was 7 when this happened and all of our students were not even born. We watched this video of a parade happening in Kyiv just a few days after the explosion. The film itself revealed the high level of radiation present in the air of Kyiv. (There were flashes of light in the film which Dan explained as film exposure due to the radiation in the air) There is no way people should have been out and about let alone celebrating in a parade. No one from the communist government was telling the people about the deathly amounts of radiation in the air. Criminal!! There even wasn’t even mentioned in their papers until 3 days after the fact and the mention got a little paragraph on page 3 of the news paper. The rest of the world knew…but the people that would be affected by it…killed by its effects were not told. The horrible handlings of the Chernobyl event and the widespread suffering as a result opened the common people’s eyes to the lies of the government.
As we talked to the Ukrainian people this past week I sensed mixed emotion related to the fall of communism. Some see the benefits they had back then hat are now missing such as healthcare, paid for education, food, etc. Others told of how Communism created an extreme hunger for spiritual things. So when it fell and people were free to search beyond communism some have returned to their Christian roots. Christianity is 900 plus years strong in Ukraine! Communism was only 80 years strong.
After the Chernobyl Museum and a quick bite to eat we journeyed by metro to the Labra Russian Orthodox church. I had to hear a head covering and a “very cute” skirt. They have 4 different mummified saints in the recesses of the structure. Because today was a Christian holiday there were a mass of people visiting the church.
We had a very special dinner experience tonight. We went to a Soviet era restaurant. We must have been there for 3 hours. There were 5-6 courses and live music. Most of us were so tired it was hard to really appreciate the experience. But we asked for coffee and even me, who hardly ever drinks caffeine, had an espresso. I’m not sure it had much of an effect but the students didn’t have that glazed over look! The musicians were awesome. On of them played the accordion but it was a different kind of accordion than I’ve seen in The States. The food was awesome too. Before this trip I was turned off to beets. You couldn’t pay me to eat them. But we’ve had a couple of excellent dishes with beets while here in Ukraine. We had authentic Borsch tonight and it was possibly the best thing I ate in our 8 days here. Since I’m fighting a cold the spice and citrus of the dish was very pleasing!
After we finished dinner we headed to Bob and Coleen Skinners. They prepared dessert for us. Their youngest son turned 13 today so we had a little birthday party for him. It was nice to be with them one last time. And we needed something to do to keep us going! One of our students was in need of making a flight change and while at the Skinners we were able to make those arrangements. Technology is a wonderful thing!!
We left the Skinners around 10pm. We had 4 plus hours until we needed to head to the airport. We returned to the church to pack, shower and catch a bit of a nap. We managed to get in one last debrief. I was dead!! After being up so many hours and because I’m fighting a nasty cold all I wanted to do was lie down. We managed to get in one last debrief with the students. All of us had to work hard to “be there”. We managed. Dan and I did the final video diary and then I finally was able to lie down. I think I slept for an hour before I got up to be ready to leave. Airport bound! We said our sad goodbye to Dena, our Ukrainian friend and trip translator and to Dougie, our Scottish friend and team member.. Both Dena and Dougie have been full fledged members of our team in the Ukraine. They meshed so well with the group. They will be missed hugely!
We got into Kyiv early this morning after an all night train ride. Oh, the night train! I was able to catch a few hours of sleep. Thank goodness we had “beds” to sleep on. The train was by no means the provider of a comfortable night sleep but it was much better than nothing. I had the train bathroom experience and was thoroughly grossed out by the urine all over the floor. There isn’t a smooth ride and at one point as I was standing up I almost fell. I didn’t want to touch anything. Now I know why there is urine all over….no one can stand well in the bathroom! I’d much prefer an outhouse!! Colleen Skinner told us that this was the “good bathroom”. We had flushing toilet. Gross, gross, gross….
We were back to city life!! We rode the bus and metro ! My how I miss good public transportation. I sure enjoyed riding public in Kyiv today. And because yesterday was Pentecost today was a holiday in the city. This meant less traffic on the streets!
We visited the Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv. This was a special experience for me. Over the last few years I have such an interest in the story of human tragedy and redemption and so getting to enter into the story of Chernobyl today was an experience I feel so grateful for. Entering in the Museum was entering into the story of the crisis. When you walk into the building there were signs hanging from the top of the building representing the many villages emptied because of the crisis. There is an area with a radius of 30kilometers that is “dead land”. Imagine that! I’ve been to Hiroshima but I didn’t realize how different the problem of Chernobyl is from the U-bomb. The problems of Chernobyl are much longer in scope!
Also I had never connected the 1986 Chernobyl explosion with the beginning of the end of the USSR. Bob Skinner, a Nazarene missionary, joined us for the whole day today and he explained much of the history and happenings around the Chernobyl events. I was 7 when this happened and all of our students were not even born. We watched this video of a parade happening in Kyiv just a few days after the explosion. The film itself revealed the high level of radiation present in the air of Kyiv. (There were flashes of light in the film which Dan explained as film exposure due to the radiation in the air) There is no way people should have been out and about let alone celebrating in a parade. No one from the communist government was telling the people about the deathly amounts of radiation in the air. Criminal!! There even wasn’t even mentioned in their papers until 3 days after the fact and the mention got a little paragraph on page 3 of the news paper. The rest of the world knew…but the people that would be affected by it…killed by its effects were not told. The horrible handlings of the Chernobyl event and the widespread suffering as a result opened the common people’s eyes to the lies of the government.
As we talked to the Ukrainian people this past week I sensed mixed emotion related to the fall of communism. Some see the benefits they had back then hat are now missing such as healthcare, paid for education, food, etc. Others told of how Communism created an extreme hunger for spiritual things. So when it fell and people were free to search beyond communism some have returned to their Christian roots. Christianity is 900 plus years strong in Ukraine! Communism was only 80 years strong.
After the Chernobyl Museum and a quick bite to eat we journeyed by metro to the Labra Russian Orthodox church. I had to hear a head covering and a “very cute” skirt. They have 4 different mummified saints in the recesses of the structure. Because today was a Christian holiday there were a mass of people visiting the church.
We had a very special dinner experience tonight. We went to a Soviet era restaurant. We must have been there for 3 hours. There were 5-6 courses and live music. Most of us were so tired it was hard to really appreciate the experience. But we asked for coffee and even me, who hardly ever drinks caffeine, had an espresso. I’m not sure it had much of an effect but the students didn’t have that glazed over look! The musicians were awesome. On of them played the accordion but it was a different kind of accordion than I’ve seen in The States. The food was awesome too. Before this trip I was turned off to beets. You couldn’t pay me to eat them. But we’ve had a couple of excellent dishes with beets while here in Ukraine. We had authentic Borsch tonight and it was possibly the best thing I ate in our 8 days here. Since I’m fighting a cold the spice and citrus of the dish was very pleasing!
After we finished dinner we headed to Bob and Coleen Skinners. They prepared dessert for us. Their youngest son turned 13 today so we had a little birthday party for him. It was nice to be with them one last time. And we needed something to do to keep us going! One of our students was in need of making a flight change and while at the Skinners we were able to make those arrangements. Technology is a wonderful thing!!
We left the Skinners around 10pm. We had 4 plus hours until we needed to head to the airport. We returned to the church to pack, shower and catch a bit of a nap. We managed to get in one last debrief. I was dead!! After being up so many hours and because I’m fighting a nasty cold all I wanted to do was lie down. We managed to get in one last debrief with the students. All of us had to work hard to “be there”. We managed. Dan and I did the final video diary and then I finally was able to lie down. I think I slept for an hour before I got up to be ready to leave. Airport bound! We said our sad goodbye to Dena, our Ukrainian friend and trip translator and to Dougie, our Scottish friend and team member.. Both Dena and Dougie have been full fledged members of our team in the Ukraine. They meshed so well with the group. They will be missed hugely!
Vypnarka Day 9: Last Day Celebration and Goodbyes
May 23 -- Sunday
Today was our last day in Vypnarka. We had a wonderful day of celebration with the church. There is a sense of sadness, however, in that we are leaving. There is also a sense of relief too. We’ve worked very hard and many of us are ready for the niceities of “normal life”. I look forward to a bed for instance.
Church went for 3 hours today. Last week’s service didn’t even go for 2 hours. We heard testimonies from people in the church. I enjoyed hearing how God has been at work in some of their lives. One of them men from the recovery center shared how God has been working in his life and how thankful he has been for the people at the recovery center. One of our students accidently hit Ira with a Frisbee yesterday. She came to church today with a black eye. She testified to her gratefulness that it didn’t hit her eye straight on. (I think we were grateful with her!!) Scott and I gave our testimonies too. I enjoyed this! Our group sang 2 songs for the church--Be Thou My Vision and Lord I Lift Your Name on High. Song has played a significant role in this mission trip. The kids love to sing, the Ukrainian people love to sing, and our gift of songs has been received with such thankfulness. I’ve never known song to be so loved and appreciated as I’ve experienced to be here.
Today was Pentecost. I love that I was in a Ukrainian Nazarene Church with a mission team from NNU on Pentecost. As the passage from Acts was being read I reviewed it in English. I was struck by how unified our group had become this week with the Ukrainian church. We haven’t understood each others language like what happened on the day of Pentecost, however we have understood something of each others hearts much like they did on that first day of Pentecost.
After lunch almost all of us took a walk to visit Babushka Marushka. She is the grandma of the former pastor of Vynarka Nazarene Church. Dan and a few students had visited her on Friday when all of us experience our home visit. She has been homebound for 6 months due to a broken leg and asked if the whole group would come to visit. Of course! She was hilarious! She danced with Dan at the end. We sang for her and she loved it. As we were leaving she wanted to point us in the direction of a nearby pond. (she called it a lake) Instead of pointing to it she ended up walking the whole way with us. It was the first time in a year that she had walked to the lake. We were a bit concerned that this was going to be too much…but how do you tell a Babushka no? She was determined to go with us an be with us. Some of the students got to hear her talk about her life during the Nazi occupation. Her families house was used as a safe house for Russian soldiers who were fighting the Nazi’s. She remembers her whole village being taking over by the Nazi’s.
For dinner we had a special celebration with the whole church. There was much food, great sharing of hearts, exchanging of gifts and a lot of dancing! Yes, Nazarenes from Ukraine, Scotland and the USA danced together. Maybe this ought to become a Pentecost practice! ; ) We had a blast together. I missed out of the Scottish dancing that happened a little later. The pastor gave me a wall hanging of the Lord’s Prayer written in Ukrainian. What a cool gift! He said that after we visited the family on Thursday and after we had shared our hears with them (I had talked about the Lords Prayer) that he had stayed with them for several hours. And yesterday one of the ladies called him to talk.
All week there has been a special “someone” in my life. : ) The Vypnarka church has this cat named Sasha and for some reason this cat took an incredible special liking to me. She was for me this week a means of grace. She is pregnant and all week we were hoping we’d get to see her kittens. It didn’t happen--which is probably ok since if she would have had them I think she very well cold have made a mess on my stuff! This cat would follow me during the day and in the evenings come find me. Several times she’d come in at night and sleep next to my head. I’d wake up to a cat purring right beside me. When I’d rest in the room she come and jump on my lap. It was pretty incredible. I joked with the group at our last debrief in Vypnarka that I was considering committing my first criminal act---stealing the cat! So on Sunday night I sadly said my last goodbyes to Sasha too. And not to my surprise she came and found me. She snuggled up in my lap as we all gathered to share what had happened in our day and as we shared what God had been calling us to. Maybe God’s calling me to get a cat. Ha. If I knew it would be like Sasha, I’d do it…
We boarded the train bound for Kyiv at 12:30am. The core group from the church accompanied us. This was a goodbye full of great emotion. As we waved goodbye to the pastor, the men from the recovery center, and the ladies from the church there were tears. We all have experienced the grace of God at work in our lives this week. A lot of work was accomplished but a lot of connection happened too. We are going to be missed, no doubt. And they will be missed too! Thanks be to God for the connections that were made with the people in Vypnarka.
Today was our last day in Vypnarka. We had a wonderful day of celebration with the church. There is a sense of sadness, however, in that we are leaving. There is also a sense of relief too. We’ve worked very hard and many of us are ready for the niceities of “normal life”. I look forward to a bed for instance.
Church went for 3 hours today. Last week’s service didn’t even go for 2 hours. We heard testimonies from people in the church. I enjoyed hearing how God has been at work in some of their lives. One of them men from the recovery center shared how God has been working in his life and how thankful he has been for the people at the recovery center. One of our students accidently hit Ira with a Frisbee yesterday. She came to church today with a black eye. She testified to her gratefulness that it didn’t hit her eye straight on. (I think we were grateful with her!!) Scott and I gave our testimonies too. I enjoyed this! Our group sang 2 songs for the church--Be Thou My Vision and Lord I Lift Your Name on High. Song has played a significant role in this mission trip. The kids love to sing, the Ukrainian people love to sing, and our gift of songs has been received with such thankfulness. I’ve never known song to be so loved and appreciated as I’ve experienced to be here.
Today was Pentecost. I love that I was in a Ukrainian Nazarene Church with a mission team from NNU on Pentecost. As the passage from Acts was being read I reviewed it in English. I was struck by how unified our group had become this week with the Ukrainian church. We haven’t understood each others language like what happened on the day of Pentecost, however we have understood something of each others hearts much like they did on that first day of Pentecost.
After lunch almost all of us took a walk to visit Babushka Marushka. She is the grandma of the former pastor of Vynarka Nazarene Church. Dan and a few students had visited her on Friday when all of us experience our home visit. She has been homebound for 6 months due to a broken leg and asked if the whole group would come to visit. Of course! She was hilarious! She danced with Dan at the end. We sang for her and she loved it. As we were leaving she wanted to point us in the direction of a nearby pond. (she called it a lake) Instead of pointing to it she ended up walking the whole way with us. It was the first time in a year that she had walked to the lake. We were a bit concerned that this was going to be too much…but how do you tell a Babushka no? She was determined to go with us an be with us. Some of the students got to hear her talk about her life during the Nazi occupation. Her families house was used as a safe house for Russian soldiers who were fighting the Nazi’s. She remembers her whole village being taking over by the Nazi’s.
For dinner we had a special celebration with the whole church. There was much food, great sharing of hearts, exchanging of gifts and a lot of dancing! Yes, Nazarenes from Ukraine, Scotland and the USA danced together. Maybe this ought to become a Pentecost practice! ; ) We had a blast together. I missed out of the Scottish dancing that happened a little later. The pastor gave me a wall hanging of the Lord’s Prayer written in Ukrainian. What a cool gift! He said that after we visited the family on Thursday and after we had shared our hears with them (I had talked about the Lords Prayer) that he had stayed with them for several hours. And yesterday one of the ladies called him to talk.
All week there has been a special “someone” in my life. : ) The Vypnarka church has this cat named Sasha and for some reason this cat took an incredible special liking to me. She was for me this week a means of grace. She is pregnant and all week we were hoping we’d get to see her kittens. It didn’t happen--which is probably ok since if she would have had them I think she very well cold have made a mess on my stuff! This cat would follow me during the day and in the evenings come find me. Several times she’d come in at night and sleep next to my head. I’d wake up to a cat purring right beside me. When I’d rest in the room she come and jump on my lap. It was pretty incredible. I joked with the group at our last debrief in Vypnarka that I was considering committing my first criminal act---stealing the cat! So on Sunday night I sadly said my last goodbyes to Sasha too. And not to my surprise she came and found me. She snuggled up in my lap as we all gathered to share what had happened in our day and as we shared what God had been calling us to. Maybe God’s calling me to get a cat. Ha. If I knew it would be like Sasha, I’d do it…
We boarded the train bound for Kyiv at 12:30am. The core group from the church accompanied us. This was a goodbye full of great emotion. As we waved goodbye to the pastor, the men from the recovery center, and the ladies from the church there were tears. We all have experienced the grace of God at work in our lives this week. A lot of work was accomplished but a lot of connection happened too. We are going to be missed, no doubt. And they will be missed too! Thanks be to God for the connections that were made with the people in Vypnarka.
5.22.2010
Vypnarka: Day 7 and 8
May 21-22
Yesterday was our last day of labor. It was a slower day for all of us. No complaining here! We worked on finishing a room we had spackled and painted. The students began cleaning the floor (since we didn’t cover the tile floor when we spackled and painted). We worked on sorting and organizing the clothes and supply room. We got to see where Nazarene Compassionate Ministry banana boxes go to. This church has a ton of them. And as we sorted through some of the stuff we realized that much of what we’ve been using this week was donated through NCM of the COTN. We did wonder together why there are so many banana boxes full of stuff just sitting in a room waiting. What are they waiting for? Are the clothes wanted in this area? Are they saving if for something in particular? It is easy to ask such question as an “outsider”. We learned that this room full of stuff used to be the first sanctuary of the church. It has no windows. It was also designed as the bomb shelter. And this was the room where drugs were made. The first pastor of the church used to make and sell drugs in the very room that he’d preach in after he was saved and called to pastor!
Food, food, and more food. Yesterday’s theme (and today’s) has been food and more food. Yesterday we ate lunch at 1pm and then we all split up and went to different homes. We had thought we’d be going to different homes for dinner but it seems this was too much for the people. They were so nervous that we wouldn’t like their food. So instead of putting the pressure on them to make a meal for us we just went over for tea and sweets. Except my house got a full meal! My group went to Ira’s. She is a woman we’ve spent the whole week with. She has worked so hard alongside of us. When we arrived she asked us if we were hungry. One of the students said, “Yes”. (I’m thinking…well no because we literally just ate lunch). So Ira made us really tasty homemade pizza. We had a blast at her home with her two daughters. We saw kittens in their apartment complex and we visited the community well. It sure was a gift to get to go into Ira’s home. She has been like a mom to our team all week.
Today….Saturday….I can hardly believe it. We got up to rain….again! I’ve managed to catch a cold so this morning was slow going for me. At about 9am all of us loaded a bus with Pastor Igor, the cooks, and several people from the church. This was out Sashlik Day. Dan has been raving about the Ukrainian BBQ since February. As we drove to our destination the Ukrainian’s sang and I was told they were praying for the weather to change for us. When we got to the park we had sun and blue sky! We had an incredible day of good food and great rest all in a beautiful environment. I was grateful to get the chance to lie down and listen to the sounds of nature…eventually it became listening to the sounds of Chip snoring…but it was still restful! The park where we spent the day used to be a Soviet Training camp. Students spent summers there getting indoctrinated on communist philosophy.
Yesterday was our last day of labor. It was a slower day for all of us. No complaining here! We worked on finishing a room we had spackled and painted. The students began cleaning the floor (since we didn’t cover the tile floor when we spackled and painted). We worked on sorting and organizing the clothes and supply room. We got to see where Nazarene Compassionate Ministry banana boxes go to. This church has a ton of them. And as we sorted through some of the stuff we realized that much of what we’ve been using this week was donated through NCM of the COTN. We did wonder together why there are so many banana boxes full of stuff just sitting in a room waiting. What are they waiting for? Are the clothes wanted in this area? Are they saving if for something in particular? It is easy to ask such question as an “outsider”. We learned that this room full of stuff used to be the first sanctuary of the church. It has no windows. It was also designed as the bomb shelter. And this was the room where drugs were made. The first pastor of the church used to make and sell drugs in the very room that he’d preach in after he was saved and called to pastor!
Food, food, and more food. Yesterday’s theme (and today’s) has been food and more food. Yesterday we ate lunch at 1pm and then we all split up and went to different homes. We had thought we’d be going to different homes for dinner but it seems this was too much for the people. They were so nervous that we wouldn’t like their food. So instead of putting the pressure on them to make a meal for us we just went over for tea and sweets. Except my house got a full meal! My group went to Ira’s. She is a woman we’ve spent the whole week with. She has worked so hard alongside of us. When we arrived she asked us if we were hungry. One of the students said, “Yes”. (I’m thinking…well no because we literally just ate lunch). So Ira made us really tasty homemade pizza. We had a blast at her home with her two daughters. We saw kittens in their apartment complex and we visited the community well. It sure was a gift to get to go into Ira’s home. She has been like a mom to our team all week.
Today….Saturday….I can hardly believe it. We got up to rain….again! I’ve managed to catch a cold so this morning was slow going for me. At about 9am all of us loaded a bus with Pastor Igor, the cooks, and several people from the church. This was out Sashlik Day. Dan has been raving about the Ukrainian BBQ since February. As we drove to our destination the Ukrainian’s sang and I was told they were praying for the weather to change for us. When we got to the park we had sun and blue sky! We had an incredible day of good food and great rest all in a beautiful environment. I was grateful to get the chance to lie down and listen to the sounds of nature…eventually it became listening to the sounds of Chip snoring…but it was still restful! The park where we spent the day used to be a Soviet Training camp. Students spent summers there getting indoctrinated on communist philosophy.
5.21.2010
Vypnarka Day 6: Best Experience!
May 20
Brick tiles…I think we are going to be dreaming in brick tiles for weeks to come. Today began with more work on the outside of the church. We continued in our attempts to rid the church of these brick tiles. Pastor Igor ordered us to stop. I’m not sure why. I am sure that we were all relieved. It was taking us so much time and energy for little result. I think we are all appreciating the access to the “right” tools we most often have while at home. Chip and Mark had some success with a sledge hammer and ax. The tile and mortar was coming of fine. It helps that Chip had the sledge hammer and his 6’5” frame!
When the pastor freed us from our brick work we were sent to finish dismantling the brick fence behind the church. We’ve been working on this project little by little each day. Today we finished it. It is so much more satisfying when you can see the results of your labor. At least this was how I felt. It has felt odd all week dismantling what to me looked like a perfectly fine stone brick fence. The fence is near a walking path parallel to the train tracks. People have been stealing bricks one by one. I think the plan will be to eventually build a new fence. We do what they tell us to do…how they tell us to do it. It has been a discipline of humility! Although we’ve been asked to take a rest several times this week but we tell them “we’ve come to work”. The pastor and parishioners sure have cared for us well this week!
I haven’t mentioned much about the food here. WOW! I’ve loved it. I’m going to need to work out hard when I get home. We’ve joked that this isn’t the mission trip to lose weight on. : ) The soups for lunch have been wonderful and by far my favorite part of the cuisine here. We are being fed way more than we need or more than most of us can eat. The dishes this week have had a lot of potatoes. We’ve had a lot of milk products too--sour cream, cheese, milk, etc. They’ve fried fish and chicken. We’ve had dishes made from oatmeal and barley. The other day they made a beet salad. I’ve never liked beet anything before this trip. The way they cook the beets here must be different than they way we process our beets. So far I’ve tried everything here but one thing--raw pork. I think I’ll stay away from that. They’ve spoiled us with sweets of a large variety after lunch and dinner.
Lunch today we fun for my table. Losha, one of the Ukrainian guys, was a whole lot more open. He was full of questions and so were we. Earlier in the day he had asked me if I thought Obama was a Muslim. At lunch we learned more about the economic hardship happening in Ukraine. Losha was surprised that the US has also been experiencing hard economic times.
After lunch we finished our work on the dismantling fence project. It feels great to have finished one project. We had hoped that the playground equipment was going to arrive after lunch. However, that equipment didn’t make it. It is coming from Kyiv and the truck broke down on the way here. So we are hoping it will arrive tomorrow morning. It is hope….but we are not sure it will. We sure would like to see that project to the end. It would be disappointing to not get to help finish this project. However, I’m sure that with the church folks and the men we’ve been working with from the recovery center could more than handle the job. It might be something we have to release to them. How exciting this will be for the church!
Our students taught about Jonah today for Kids Club. Dan worked some this afternoon to teach a few of us how to make a Jonah in the whale balloon animal. The kids loved the balloons. We taught the kids how to say body parts today. Liz lead the group in the “head, shoulders knees and toes song”. I think it was our most fun English lesson to date. Once the kids got a handle on the English they taught us the Ukrainian words. (and the kids did a whole lot better with English than we did with Ukrainian)
While the students went out to the evening sports outing I stayed in to take advantage of time to get clean (and warm)! Dan spent some mission money today to help the church buy a water pump. What a difference a pump makes. It is going to be a nice addition for the church and future teams will enjoy it too. Our guys have been taking “drip” showers. (The girls have had water pressure enough to wash hair with patience) But now the water pressure is strong… hurray, hurray, hurray! And you can imagine what showering with drips (on the guys side) smells like after all the hard work they’ve been doing! So we’ll be smelling so much better from here on out….I hope.
A few of us went with Pastor Igor this evening to another village to pray with a family. We walked down a cobble stone road as the sun was setting to get there. Although we’ve been working alongside Ukrainian’s all week it was tonight that I was reminded that I am in a different country--a place I’ve never been before. It was nice to see another part of this small town. The home we visited seemed like a farm house. In fact cheese was hanging in cloth in the entry way. Geese poop littered the concrete walk way. We took our shoes off and were escorted into a room (with a bed) that was awaiting our arrival. We were so excited to see someone we knew. Natasha, one of the girls from Kid’s club was there. We were in Natasha’s home! This is Nathasha’s family. After feeling very much like a tourist at Disneyland because of the way Pastor Igor encouraged us to get pictures with Grandma we introduced ourselves to the family.
We each shared something about how we came to know Jesus. Then they told us some about themselves too. Some of them were shy. Could you blame them? If you allowed 5 American strangers who didn’t speak your language into your home and didn‘t feel shy, I‘d be surprised! A neighbor lady shared that she works as a teacher and a painter. Grandma shared that 24 days ago she lost her husband. She is only 60 years old. Then since the other 3 ladies were so shy Tasha who seemed to be the head of the house started giving the background for everyone else. We learned that Natasha only lives in this home because her parents are alchoholics and not able to care for her. Tasha said that Natasha is her “helper”. We’ve seen Natasha all week having a great time, laughing and playing with the other girls. None of us could have guessed her story and it makes me wonder what the other stories are. Pastor Igor thanked us for being together. He prayed for the family and then before we left I asked if we could pray the Lord’s Prayer together. We prayed the Lord’s Prayer in 3 languages--Russian, Ukrainian and English. It was a very cool experience. I shared that the “Our” in “Our Father” just got bigger. When I pray “Our Father” from now on they will be apart of that prayer. So far the moments we spent in Natasha’s home hold the most power for me. We connected deeply and I was so grateful that we had a translator to help make the connection possible. I was grateful for Pastor Igor’s invitation and for the people’s willingness to let us into their private space.
We can’t believe tomorrow is Friday! Happy sad…. Most of us are ready for the work days to end… I’ve not done as much manual labor in a 5 day period of time maybe ever! I’ll be honest, the students and Dan (especially) are working circles around me! I must say I’m enjoying the relationship aspects of this trip way more than the labor. Yet I see how the work is the “vehicle” for the relationships forming between myself and the students as well as the group and the Ukrainians. It is a great thing!
Brick tiles…I think we are going to be dreaming in brick tiles for weeks to come. Today began with more work on the outside of the church. We continued in our attempts to rid the church of these brick tiles. Pastor Igor ordered us to stop. I’m not sure why. I am sure that we were all relieved. It was taking us so much time and energy for little result. I think we are all appreciating the access to the “right” tools we most often have while at home. Chip and Mark had some success with a sledge hammer and ax. The tile and mortar was coming of fine. It helps that Chip had the sledge hammer and his 6’5” frame!
When the pastor freed us from our brick work we were sent to finish dismantling the brick fence behind the church. We’ve been working on this project little by little each day. Today we finished it. It is so much more satisfying when you can see the results of your labor. At least this was how I felt. It has felt odd all week dismantling what to me looked like a perfectly fine stone brick fence. The fence is near a walking path parallel to the train tracks. People have been stealing bricks one by one. I think the plan will be to eventually build a new fence. We do what they tell us to do…how they tell us to do it. It has been a discipline of humility! Although we’ve been asked to take a rest several times this week but we tell them “we’ve come to work”. The pastor and parishioners sure have cared for us well this week!
I haven’t mentioned much about the food here. WOW! I’ve loved it. I’m going to need to work out hard when I get home. We’ve joked that this isn’t the mission trip to lose weight on. : ) The soups for lunch have been wonderful and by far my favorite part of the cuisine here. We are being fed way more than we need or more than most of us can eat. The dishes this week have had a lot of potatoes. We’ve had a lot of milk products too--sour cream, cheese, milk, etc. They’ve fried fish and chicken. We’ve had dishes made from oatmeal and barley. The other day they made a beet salad. I’ve never liked beet anything before this trip. The way they cook the beets here must be different than they way we process our beets. So far I’ve tried everything here but one thing--raw pork. I think I’ll stay away from that. They’ve spoiled us with sweets of a large variety after lunch and dinner.
Lunch today we fun for my table. Losha, one of the Ukrainian guys, was a whole lot more open. He was full of questions and so were we. Earlier in the day he had asked me if I thought Obama was a Muslim. At lunch we learned more about the economic hardship happening in Ukraine. Losha was surprised that the US has also been experiencing hard economic times.
After lunch we finished our work on the dismantling fence project. It feels great to have finished one project. We had hoped that the playground equipment was going to arrive after lunch. However, that equipment didn’t make it. It is coming from Kyiv and the truck broke down on the way here. So we are hoping it will arrive tomorrow morning. It is hope….but we are not sure it will. We sure would like to see that project to the end. It would be disappointing to not get to help finish this project. However, I’m sure that with the church folks and the men we’ve been working with from the recovery center could more than handle the job. It might be something we have to release to them. How exciting this will be for the church!
Our students taught about Jonah today for Kids Club. Dan worked some this afternoon to teach a few of us how to make a Jonah in the whale balloon animal. The kids loved the balloons. We taught the kids how to say body parts today. Liz lead the group in the “head, shoulders knees and toes song”. I think it was our most fun English lesson to date. Once the kids got a handle on the English they taught us the Ukrainian words. (and the kids did a whole lot better with English than we did with Ukrainian)
While the students went out to the evening sports outing I stayed in to take advantage of time to get clean (and warm)! Dan spent some mission money today to help the church buy a water pump. What a difference a pump makes. It is going to be a nice addition for the church and future teams will enjoy it too. Our guys have been taking “drip” showers. (The girls have had water pressure enough to wash hair with patience) But now the water pressure is strong… hurray, hurray, hurray! And you can imagine what showering with drips (on the guys side) smells like after all the hard work they’ve been doing! So we’ll be smelling so much better from here on out….I hope.
A few of us went with Pastor Igor this evening to another village to pray with a family. We walked down a cobble stone road as the sun was setting to get there. Although we’ve been working alongside Ukrainian’s all week it was tonight that I was reminded that I am in a different country--a place I’ve never been before. It was nice to see another part of this small town. The home we visited seemed like a farm house. In fact cheese was hanging in cloth in the entry way. Geese poop littered the concrete walk way. We took our shoes off and were escorted into a room (with a bed) that was awaiting our arrival. We were so excited to see someone we knew. Natasha, one of the girls from Kid’s club was there. We were in Natasha’s home! This is Nathasha’s family. After feeling very much like a tourist at Disneyland because of the way Pastor Igor encouraged us to get pictures with Grandma we introduced ourselves to the family.
We each shared something about how we came to know Jesus. Then they told us some about themselves too. Some of them were shy. Could you blame them? If you allowed 5 American strangers who didn’t speak your language into your home and didn‘t feel shy, I‘d be surprised! A neighbor lady shared that she works as a teacher and a painter. Grandma shared that 24 days ago she lost her husband. She is only 60 years old. Then since the other 3 ladies were so shy Tasha who seemed to be the head of the house started giving the background for everyone else. We learned that Natasha only lives in this home because her parents are alchoholics and not able to care for her. Tasha said that Natasha is her “helper”. We’ve seen Natasha all week having a great time, laughing and playing with the other girls. None of us could have guessed her story and it makes me wonder what the other stories are. Pastor Igor thanked us for being together. He prayed for the family and then before we left I asked if we could pray the Lord’s Prayer together. We prayed the Lord’s Prayer in 3 languages--Russian, Ukrainian and English. It was a very cool experience. I shared that the “Our” in “Our Father” just got bigger. When I pray “Our Father” from now on they will be apart of that prayer. So far the moments we spent in Natasha’s home hold the most power for me. We connected deeply and I was so grateful that we had a translator to help make the connection possible. I was grateful for Pastor Igor’s invitation and for the people’s willingness to let us into their private space.
We can’t believe tomorrow is Friday! Happy sad…. Most of us are ready for the work days to end… I’ve not done as much manual labor in a 5 day period of time maybe ever! I’ll be honest, the students and Dan (especially) are working circles around me! I must say I’m enjoying the relationship aspects of this trip way more than the labor. Yet I see how the work is the “vehicle” for the relationships forming between myself and the students as well as the group and the Ukrainians. It is a great thing!
5.19.2010
Vypnarka Day 5: Sun!!!
May 19
“In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens and its circuit to the end of them and nothing is hidden from its heat.”
We saw the sun today!!! I was beside myself with joy. Last night I begged God for sunshine. I’m confident he heard my prayer and I while I’m not sure he gave us the sun today because I asked--I was grateful! (As an understatement) So this morning when I read Psalm 19 speaking of nothing being hidden from the heat I was hopeful.
We worked more today on taking down brick tiles from the church building. It is beginning to feel like we are making progress. There were some anxious moments for me as I watched some of our students climb a wooden ladder on to the church roof today. There have been several moments this trip where I’ve felt uncomfortable with the tools we have. But then again we are in Ukraine and standards are different. And I’ll just be grateful that the sketchy looking ladder worked for us.
We have crossed over “hump day” today. We have 2 out of our 5 work days down. There were points of little motivation occurring for all of us. Even so, however, there still wasn’t any complaining. I’m just really impressed with our students. They are still giving all they have even thought today all we had to give was less than yesterday. I really enjoyed conversations with students today. The moments of hammering tiles together…feeling like we were getting nowhere but talking about life rank right up there with the best of the trip for me. It is cool how on the day when everyone is exhausted I felt the connection especially strong.
Students had a chance in the morning to visit the village market. We saw butchered meet in slabs on metal counters and like one would expect there was a “wonderful” aroma. It was fun to see what kinds of things people buy here. Lot of grains, candies, beans, and soaps. It was like an outdoor Wallmart and the community gathering point of the week. Today we were reminded that we are in a village…not a city! As we are getting to know the village better I’ve come to realize how significant the location of the church is. The Nazarene church is central to everything! And now I understand how important this kids play area is going to be. It could make a huge impact on the village for this church to have a communal play center. What a cool way of being hospitable to the community.
We again did Kids club. We had to speed it up today in order to be ready for a visit to an orphanage associated with the Nazarene Church here. Once we finished Kids Club we took a walk into town and found the orphanage. We made balloon animals and then shared songs. The kids sang for us and then we sang for them. We asked the questions and they reciprocated. They asked, “What kind of car do you drive?” “How old are you?”
It has been another good day here. I found out about fun plans for Saturday….we were asked to pray for a bus so that we can travel together for a special experience.
“In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens and its circuit to the end of them and nothing is hidden from its heat.”
We saw the sun today!!! I was beside myself with joy. Last night I begged God for sunshine. I’m confident he heard my prayer and I while I’m not sure he gave us the sun today because I asked--I was grateful! (As an understatement) So this morning when I read Psalm 19 speaking of nothing being hidden from the heat I was hopeful.
We worked more today on taking down brick tiles from the church building. It is beginning to feel like we are making progress. There were some anxious moments for me as I watched some of our students climb a wooden ladder on to the church roof today. There have been several moments this trip where I’ve felt uncomfortable with the tools we have. But then again we are in Ukraine and standards are different. And I’ll just be grateful that the sketchy looking ladder worked for us.
We have crossed over “hump day” today. We have 2 out of our 5 work days down. There were points of little motivation occurring for all of us. Even so, however, there still wasn’t any complaining. I’m just really impressed with our students. They are still giving all they have even thought today all we had to give was less than yesterday. I really enjoyed conversations with students today. The moments of hammering tiles together…feeling like we were getting nowhere but talking about life rank right up there with the best of the trip for me. It is cool how on the day when everyone is exhausted I felt the connection especially strong.
Students had a chance in the morning to visit the village market. We saw butchered meet in slabs on metal counters and like one would expect there was a “wonderful” aroma. It was fun to see what kinds of things people buy here. Lot of grains, candies, beans, and soaps. It was like an outdoor Wallmart and the community gathering point of the week. Today we were reminded that we are in a village…not a city! As we are getting to know the village better I’ve come to realize how significant the location of the church is. The Nazarene church is central to everything! And now I understand how important this kids play area is going to be. It could make a huge impact on the village for this church to have a communal play center. What a cool way of being hospitable to the community.
We again did Kids club. We had to speed it up today in order to be ready for a visit to an orphanage associated with the Nazarene Church here. Once we finished Kids Club we took a walk into town and found the orphanage. We made balloon animals and then shared songs. The kids sang for us and then we sang for them. We asked the questions and they reciprocated. They asked, “What kind of car do you drive?” “How old are you?”
It has been another good day here. I found out about fun plans for Saturday….we were asked to pray for a bus so that we can travel together for a special experience.
Vypnarka Day 4: Sun Please
May 18
I am ready for summer and ready for the sun to peak out from behind the clouds. This California girl is tired of being cold!! : ) Our first day in Vypnarka was wonderful and warm. But every day since has been gloomy and cold. We’ve been fortunate so far to not have much rain. This at least is allowing us the opportunity to work outside.
We are learning how to say, “That is different, and that is OK.” One of our work projects has me saying this. The students enjoyed it. We are taking off the tiles from the outside of the church building. It is a brick building to begin with and has tiles on the outside. Our task today was to remove as many of the brick tiles as we can. Hammers, crow bars and drills were going strong for most of the day. It feels to me like we are just making a mess. I much prefer creating something to destroying something. But in this instance it will be future teams, future groups or church members that will see the fruit of our labor. How often does someone invite you to take a hammer to a building?
There is a cold beginning to go through our team. A couple of us today were out of commission with it. We are all dealing differently with colds, culture shock and fatigue. I got a nap today and was very content. I’ve been dragging some today. But I was on time for Breakfast today! I was a little late to breakfast yesterday and got a hard time from Dan. Quite the jokester, that one! One of they guys took cold medicine PM and was out the entire afternoon. I’m pretty impressed with the group energy.
Some fun connections are happening. There were some more significant connections between our students and the men from the recovery center. I can tell the men from the center are enjoying themselves. They joined us for the whole day today including lunch and dinner. We are getting to hear more of their stories and they are beginning to inquire about us. I‘m grateful for those helping us with translation. Also during our kids club I noticed the kids warming up to us. They didn’t want the club to end and stayed around to try and talk to us. My favorite part of this week so far has been the interaction with the kids. They have such pure fun with such simple games. I’ve enjoyed laughing and watching our students laugh with the kids. I think they’d be around all day with us if they could be. I could see future trips having a larger kids club-- English lesson, Bible and games emphasis. We were not prepared…not as much as we could have been…but we are having a blast despite that.
We celebrated a Birthday today. Nathan turned 21 and one of the men from the recovery center gave him a wood carving. It was a special moment for Nathan. They sang to him in Russian and then prayed for him. It was very cool.
Well, I’m praying for sun! : ) I might have to wait until Nampa! Maybe I’ll get lucky and get some before.
We do not have much access to internet. When I get to Kiev I’ll see if I can upload some pictures.
I am ready for summer and ready for the sun to peak out from behind the clouds. This California girl is tired of being cold!! : ) Our first day in Vypnarka was wonderful and warm. But every day since has been gloomy and cold. We’ve been fortunate so far to not have much rain. This at least is allowing us the opportunity to work outside.
We are learning how to say, “That is different, and that is OK.” One of our work projects has me saying this. The students enjoyed it. We are taking off the tiles from the outside of the church building. It is a brick building to begin with and has tiles on the outside. Our task today was to remove as many of the brick tiles as we can. Hammers, crow bars and drills were going strong for most of the day. It feels to me like we are just making a mess. I much prefer creating something to destroying something. But in this instance it will be future teams, future groups or church members that will see the fruit of our labor. How often does someone invite you to take a hammer to a building?
There is a cold beginning to go through our team. A couple of us today were out of commission with it. We are all dealing differently with colds, culture shock and fatigue. I got a nap today and was very content. I’ve been dragging some today. But I was on time for Breakfast today! I was a little late to breakfast yesterday and got a hard time from Dan. Quite the jokester, that one! One of they guys took cold medicine PM and was out the entire afternoon. I’m pretty impressed with the group energy.
Some fun connections are happening. There were some more significant connections between our students and the men from the recovery center. I can tell the men from the center are enjoying themselves. They joined us for the whole day today including lunch and dinner. We are getting to hear more of their stories and they are beginning to inquire about us. I‘m grateful for those helping us with translation. Also during our kids club I noticed the kids warming up to us. They didn’t want the club to end and stayed around to try and talk to us. My favorite part of this week so far has been the interaction with the kids. They have such pure fun with such simple games. I’ve enjoyed laughing and watching our students laugh with the kids. I think they’d be around all day with us if they could be. I could see future trips having a larger kids club-- English lesson, Bible and games emphasis. We were not prepared…not as much as we could have been…but we are having a blast despite that.
We celebrated a Birthday today. Nathan turned 21 and one of the men from the recovery center gave him a wood carving. It was a special moment for Nathan. They sang to him in Russian and then prayed for him. It was very cool.
Well, I’m praying for sun! : ) I might have to wait until Nampa! Maybe I’ll get lucky and get some before.
We do not have much access to internet. When I get to Kiev I’ll see if I can upload some pictures.
5.18.2010
Vypnarka: Day 3
May 17
We worked long and hard today. We accomplished a ton! We started on the kids play area. This is behind the church. It is going to be surrounded by tires. The cool thing about today’s work was that in almost all of it we had Ukrainian partners. The men from the recovery center showed us all up. They are incredible workers. However, so are our students!
As the digging and sod clearing was happening outside on the inside of the church we were sanding down walls in preparation for mud and paint. We lost “our ping pong room” but hey….. One of the Ukrainian men taught some of our guys how to spackle.
Later on in the day we had 15 kids show up to our kids club. The student taught a lesson on David and Goliath. Chip was Goliath and a little boy was David. Our students invited the little boy to through an orange ping pong ball at Chip. He aimed perfectly and Chip-Goliath fell to the ground. : )
We underestimated the kids English ability. The students planned a lesson on colors. But the kids already know the colors. We had fun anyways and even learned some Russian in the process.
The games for the kids went over really well. We had 2 games planned but the kids asked for more and more.
In the evening our guys returned to the soccer field and played against some Ukrainian youth. They lost but had fun. It sounds like there is a standing match from here on out once dinner is finished.
Our students (and our leaders) are showing signs of fatigue but we are having a fun time. There is a lot of snoring going on in the guys room which is keeping some of the guys from getting quality sleep. Oh the joys of communal living.
Tomorrow I’m not sure what we are going to do but I impinge more of the same.
We worked long and hard today. We accomplished a ton! We started on the kids play area. This is behind the church. It is going to be surrounded by tires. The cool thing about today’s work was that in almost all of it we had Ukrainian partners. The men from the recovery center showed us all up. They are incredible workers. However, so are our students!
As the digging and sod clearing was happening outside on the inside of the church we were sanding down walls in preparation for mud and paint. We lost “our ping pong room” but hey….. One of the Ukrainian men taught some of our guys how to spackle.
Later on in the day we had 15 kids show up to our kids club. The student taught a lesson on David and Goliath. Chip was Goliath and a little boy was David. Our students invited the little boy to through an orange ping pong ball at Chip. He aimed perfectly and Chip-Goliath fell to the ground. : )
We underestimated the kids English ability. The students planned a lesson on colors. But the kids already know the colors. We had fun anyways and even learned some Russian in the process.
The games for the kids went over really well. We had 2 games planned but the kids asked for more and more.
In the evening our guys returned to the soccer field and played against some Ukrainian youth. They lost but had fun. It sounds like there is a standing match from here on out once dinner is finished.
Our students (and our leaders) are showing signs of fatigue but we are having a fun time. There is a lot of snoring going on in the guys room which is keeping some of the guys from getting quality sleep. Oh the joys of communal living.
Tomorrow I’m not sure what we are going to do but I impinge more of the same.
Vypnarka: Day 2
May 16
We started the morning with breakfast and a time of devotions. It was my turn to lead devotions today. We did some Lectio Divina with Ephesians 1: 15-23. And then I read some from a book I’ve been reading this trip. Right before I left got Desmond Tutu’s new book, “Made for Goodness”. He writes on his chapter on perfection and wholeness this:
“But God’s call to be perfect is not just a command--it is an invitation. It is an invitation to something possible. It is an invitation to something life-giving, to something joy-creating, God invites us to a Godly perfection. Godly perfection is not flawlessness. Godly perfection is wholeness. …. We can learn some of the contours of wholeness from people who fully inhabit their own lives regardless of he circumstances of their lives.” (pg 43)
I’m captivated by this idea of “inhabiting our own life”. What other life is there to inhabit?
We joined the worship service. Two of our students gave their testimonies and we all sang in front to the church. That was loved by the people. It really is great how simple things mean so much to people.
After church we shook people’s hands and received hugs and more hugs from the women of the church. We are being welcomed with open arms….literally. We haven’t “done much” yet but it is clear that our presence here is making an impact on people.
This afternoon our team visited the recovery center for men. The center is a small house behind the Nazarene church. It has been operating for 6 years. About 200 men have gone through the 6 month recovery program. 40 of them are now in some kind of ministry or service to God. Currently there are 6 men who are living at the center. I was so impressed by their willingness to share their stories with us. Four of the men shared their journey to freedom and new life. Most of them lost their families and friends because of their addictions. Talk about people who are journeying to inhabit their own lives. They are getting their lives back. The men who have been at the center for along time looked younger and healthier. It is amazing to me how alcohol and drug addictions damage a person physically.
Earlier in the day one of the students and I were talking about what Tutu wrote in “Made for Goodness”. Tutu wrote, “A life of wholeness can meet failure as the wisest teacher. A life of wholeness can accept flaws and vulnerabilities as doors to relationship. If we can do all things flawlessly, we have no need of anybody else.” (49) The student and I reflected on how interesting it is that our vulnerabilities in life and even our flaws invite us to consider changing and that change, when it is change to the good, often invites us to wholeness. So it was so fitting that the guys at the recovery center gave witness to how their own failures became their “wisest teacher“. As the guys spoke I heard them talk about the doors of relationships that have opened up in their lives because they’ve decided to inhabit their lives. They’ve decided to stare their flaws and vulnerabilities in the face (and allow others to stare at them too).
It has been a full day of being immersed with the church and the ministry of the church. I even got to get out and run with one of our students. I celebrate anytime I can get exercise.
Tomorrow we begin our playground and painting projects. We’ll have our first kids camp too. The journey continues.
We started the morning with breakfast and a time of devotions. It was my turn to lead devotions today. We did some Lectio Divina with Ephesians 1: 15-23. And then I read some from a book I’ve been reading this trip. Right before I left got Desmond Tutu’s new book, “Made for Goodness”. He writes on his chapter on perfection and wholeness this:
“But God’s call to be perfect is not just a command--it is an invitation. It is an invitation to something possible. It is an invitation to something life-giving, to something joy-creating, God invites us to a Godly perfection. Godly perfection is not flawlessness. Godly perfection is wholeness. …. We can learn some of the contours of wholeness from people who fully inhabit their own lives regardless of he circumstances of their lives.” (pg 43)
I’m captivated by this idea of “inhabiting our own life”. What other life is there to inhabit?
We joined the worship service. Two of our students gave their testimonies and we all sang in front to the church. That was loved by the people. It really is great how simple things mean so much to people.
After church we shook people’s hands and received hugs and more hugs from the women of the church. We are being welcomed with open arms….literally. We haven’t “done much” yet but it is clear that our presence here is making an impact on people.
This afternoon our team visited the recovery center for men. The center is a small house behind the Nazarene church. It has been operating for 6 years. About 200 men have gone through the 6 month recovery program. 40 of them are now in some kind of ministry or service to God. Currently there are 6 men who are living at the center. I was so impressed by their willingness to share their stories with us. Four of the men shared their journey to freedom and new life. Most of them lost their families and friends because of their addictions. Talk about people who are journeying to inhabit their own lives. They are getting their lives back. The men who have been at the center for along time looked younger and healthier. It is amazing to me how alcohol and drug addictions damage a person physically.
Earlier in the day one of the students and I were talking about what Tutu wrote in “Made for Goodness”. Tutu wrote, “A life of wholeness can meet failure as the wisest teacher. A life of wholeness can accept flaws and vulnerabilities as doors to relationship. If we can do all things flawlessly, we have no need of anybody else.” (49) The student and I reflected on how interesting it is that our vulnerabilities in life and even our flaws invite us to consider changing and that change, when it is change to the good, often invites us to wholeness. So it was so fitting that the guys at the recovery center gave witness to how their own failures became their “wisest teacher“. As the guys spoke I heard them talk about the doors of relationships that have opened up in their lives because they’ve decided to inhabit their lives. They’ve decided to stare their flaws and vulnerabilities in the face (and allow others to stare at them too).
It has been a full day of being immersed with the church and the ministry of the church. I even got to get out and run with one of our students. I celebrate anytime I can get exercise.
Tomorrow we begin our playground and painting projects. We’ll have our first kids camp too. The journey continues.
Vypnarka Day 1
Saturday May 15
Our first day without travel! We didn’t take a train, bus, or plane today. No complaining here. We are staying at the Varpnyarka Church of the Nazarene. It is a building that was given to the church by the city. The structure used to be the Communist community center. Slowly the church is upgrading the building. It was in shambles when they inherited it but it currently has a sanctuary, kitchen, meeting room, bathrooms and several classrooms. The pastor let us see the large auditorium that used to be used for rallies, plays and musical productions. There are still communist symbols on the walls. The room needs a ton of work. Maybe someday it will be remodeled and full of Christians worshipping God. One day..
Our students today interacted with the children of the church. The students played games with the kids and hung out. We also made plans to do a Children’s “camp” beginning on Monday. We’ll be hosting the kids from the church and from the neighborhood for a Bible lesson, English lesson and games. The students have been hugely flexible in considering their options for getting involved. I’m impressed and proud. Each of them have signed up for ways they want to participate into next week.
This evening students went out to a near by soccer field to play soccer. They ended up meeting some neighborhood kinds. They decided to return for soccer on Monday evening. So there is another opportunity for connection coming. I’m appreciating the opening up of unplanned opportunity happening. It is good for all of us to sense God’s leading of this trip and our lives. The un-planned serendipity happens in life way more than we often name. So often we want to plan everything out but just think what we’d be mission already this week if we had only gone by the plan! God is opening up so much more as we take one step at a time together. We can not even guess what will happen next week…but I’m so excited to look back on what developed once something “develops”.
The food here has been wonderful!!! I’m so impressed with Ukrainian food. We had crepes for breakfast, homemade noodle soup for lunch and …ok…dinner was a bit different but it was ok too. For dinner we had a savory version of oatmeal. I liked it but I’m not sure it was a hit. All the other Ukrainian dishes have been hits.
Dan returned to our group today after staying back last night to deal with the computer. The computer arrived safely into the Kiev Airport. Dan and the missionary, Bob Skinner, went to the airport to fetch it last night. However, they customs agent wanted 44 percent tax custom tax to be paid. Dan and Bob were not willing so they left the airport. The missionary is going to return to the airport with extra help this week to see if they can get the computer without the ridiculous tax. If customs will not budge, Dan will take the computer back to the USA. We’ll see what transpires. We hope and pray something will break way to allow the computer out of customs without the very large fees. It was great to know, however, that it hadn’t been stolen or lost. Yeah!
Our first day without travel! We didn’t take a train, bus, or plane today. No complaining here. We are staying at the Varpnyarka Church of the Nazarene. It is a building that was given to the church by the city. The structure used to be the Communist community center. Slowly the church is upgrading the building. It was in shambles when they inherited it but it currently has a sanctuary, kitchen, meeting room, bathrooms and several classrooms. The pastor let us see the large auditorium that used to be used for rallies, plays and musical productions. There are still communist symbols on the walls. The room needs a ton of work. Maybe someday it will be remodeled and full of Christians worshipping God. One day..
Our students today interacted with the children of the church. The students played games with the kids and hung out. We also made plans to do a Children’s “camp” beginning on Monday. We’ll be hosting the kids from the church and from the neighborhood for a Bible lesson, English lesson and games. The students have been hugely flexible in considering their options for getting involved. I’m impressed and proud. Each of them have signed up for ways they want to participate into next week.
This evening students went out to a near by soccer field to play soccer. They ended up meeting some neighborhood kinds. They decided to return for soccer on Monday evening. So there is another opportunity for connection coming. I’m appreciating the opening up of unplanned opportunity happening. It is good for all of us to sense God’s leading of this trip and our lives. The un-planned serendipity happens in life way more than we often name. So often we want to plan everything out but just think what we’d be mission already this week if we had only gone by the plan! God is opening up so much more as we take one step at a time together. We can not even guess what will happen next week…but I’m so excited to look back on what developed once something “develops”.
The food here has been wonderful!!! I’m so impressed with Ukrainian food. We had crepes for breakfast, homemade noodle soup for lunch and …ok…dinner was a bit different but it was ok too. For dinner we had a savory version of oatmeal. I liked it but I’m not sure it was a hit. All the other Ukrainian dishes have been hits.
Dan returned to our group today after staying back last night to deal with the computer. The computer arrived safely into the Kiev Airport. Dan and the missionary, Bob Skinner, went to the airport to fetch it last night. However, they customs agent wanted 44 percent tax custom tax to be paid. Dan and Bob were not willing so they left the airport. The missionary is going to return to the airport with extra help this week to see if they can get the computer without the ridiculous tax. If customs will not budge, Dan will take the computer back to the USA. We’ll see what transpires. We hope and pray something will break way to allow the computer out of customs without the very large fees. It was great to know, however, that it hadn’t been stolen or lost. Yeah!
Kyiv!!! Finally!
Friday May 14
We had a great day of touring and experiencing the city today. We traveled to visit 2 Eastern Orthodox churches and then the WW2 Museum. It was a good day of encountering the story of the Ukrainian people. It was good for all of us to put our coming work with the Nazarenes in Vapnyarka into the context as it relates to Christianity and to WW2. Christianity is so old here! We talked some today of the cultural nature of the Orthodox church today. Even so, going into one of the beautiful sanctuaries was for me a very spiritual experience. There is so much beauty in their churches. I love how many paintings told the stories of the gospels and remember the lives of the saints. I wonder how many people are drawn into a deeper relationship with Christ through the ministry of the Orthodox church here?
The magnitude of struggle this people come through today as we walked through the WW2 museum. We were reminded that millions of people were killed in the USSR during WW2 compared to the hundreds of thousands killed in the US. As Americans we have little understanding of what it is like to have a world war fought on our soil. Yet everyone in the Ukraine knows this all too well….still. I had no idea that Ukraine was 100 percent occupied by the Germans in WW2. Not too far from where we are staying Hitler had his bunker. A large numbers of Jews and Russian/Ukrainians were killed not all that far from the Nazarene Church in Kiev. Being here in the Ukraine has helped me see even more how expansive WW2 was in Europe.
We took a 5 hour train ride in the evening from Kiev to Varpnyarka. We had 3rd class tickets which meant we got to be in sleeper cars. I slept most of the time. The students had a great time together. I’m so glad we’ve experienced the train. It is the real Ukrainian experience!
Dan didn’t come with us on the train. He stayed back with the Skinners in order to deal with the computer. It arrived in Kiev today. He hopes to take care of this once and for all and will plan to met up with us tomorrow.
We had a great day of touring and experiencing the city today. We traveled to visit 2 Eastern Orthodox churches and then the WW2 Museum. It was a good day of encountering the story of the Ukrainian people. It was good for all of us to put our coming work with the Nazarenes in Vapnyarka into the context as it relates to Christianity and to WW2. Christianity is so old here! We talked some today of the cultural nature of the Orthodox church today. Even so, going into one of the beautiful sanctuaries was for me a very spiritual experience. There is so much beauty in their churches. I love how many paintings told the stories of the gospels and remember the lives of the saints. I wonder how many people are drawn into a deeper relationship with Christ through the ministry of the Orthodox church here?
The magnitude of struggle this people come through today as we walked through the WW2 museum. We were reminded that millions of people were killed in the USSR during WW2 compared to the hundreds of thousands killed in the US. As Americans we have little understanding of what it is like to have a world war fought on our soil. Yet everyone in the Ukraine knows this all too well….still. I had no idea that Ukraine was 100 percent occupied by the Germans in WW2. Not too far from where we are staying Hitler had his bunker. A large numbers of Jews and Russian/Ukrainians were killed not all that far from the Nazarene Church in Kiev. Being here in the Ukraine has helped me see even more how expansive WW2 was in Europe.
We took a 5 hour train ride in the evening from Kiev to Varpnyarka. We had 3rd class tickets which meant we got to be in sleeper cars. I slept most of the time. The students had a great time together. I’m so glad we’ve experienced the train. It is the real Ukrainian experience!
Dan didn’t come with us on the train. He stayed back with the Skinners in order to deal with the computer. It arrived in Kiev today. He hopes to take care of this once and for all and will plan to met up with us tomorrow.
5.13.2010
56 hours later....
56 hours later we are in Kiev. Yeah!!! It feels so great to finally make our destination. We enjoyed the Sheraton Hotel, the delicious buffet dinner and breakfast and then our first flight of the journey that was on time. Imagine that!
We arrived to Kiev minus one bag. It happens to be the computer we brought for the missionaries that is missing. Dan Lawrence spent nearly 3 hours dealing with the missing computer before we were able to leave the airport. More waiting.... We hope and pray that it will arrive tomorrow. May it not be a total loss. We shall see.
Joshua and Robin met us at the airport with big smiles. They picked us up in a huge van and as we traveled to the church we got an initial introduction to the city. THe high rises remind me of Korea. We will have a tourist day tomorrow and then board a train to head to our final destination city.
It is wonderful to finally be here. Students are content and there is excitement in the air. There is great laughter and relief.
We arrived to Kiev minus one bag. It happens to be the computer we brought for the missionaries that is missing. Dan Lawrence spent nearly 3 hours dealing with the missing computer before we were able to leave the airport. More waiting.... We hope and pray that it will arrive tomorrow. May it not be a total loss. We shall see.
Joshua and Robin met us at the airport with big smiles. They picked us up in a huge van and as we traveled to the church we got an initial introduction to the city. THe high rises remind me of Korea. We will have a tourist day tomorrow and then board a train to head to our final destination city.
It is wonderful to finally be here. Students are content and there is excitement in the air. There is great laughter and relief.
5.12.2010
Missed Connection Blessing
We missed our connection in Munich but this ended up being a blessing! The challenge…getting 15 people to Kiev on another flight. When we arrived at the Munich airport we had missed our connection by more than an hour. The Lufthansa service center tried to find another route for us via Austria, Milan, Paris, etc. Nothing. At one point we were “hopeful” we’d get on a flight to Kiev via Austria that would land at 11pm in Kiev. This would have us traveling some 30 plus hours. There was no room. So the agent suggested we fly out tomorrow at 1pm. She said if we were ok with that she’d put us up in a hotel and provide us with dinner and breakfast. Dan Lawrence (the trip leader) and I looked at each other with disbelief and relief. They’d pay for a hotel and meals for 15 of us? Amazing. We could get some rest before heading to Kiev? Awesome. So what was a marathon turning ultra-marathon day ended abruptly at a Sheraton hotel. We are so grateful! Students were wiped out last night but we managed to eat dinner together and debrief the day. I imagine we will be a new group in the morning.
Today we intend to finish our journey to Kiev and then onto our final destination of Vapnyarka, Ukraine. The adventure continues.
Today we intend to finish our journey to Kiev and then onto our final destination of Vapnyarka, Ukraine. The adventure continues.
5.11.2010
Delayed ...Wait
15 hours of "travel" and 4.5 hours of actual flying....and we are only in Washington D.C. I knew when we set out this morning at 5am that today would be an adventure. This day is surely living up to my expectations. We are on a roll...delay...wait...hope. That is the tenor of this frist day of Ukraine Mission Trip 2010. We are 2 of 4 flights in. The big one is next. We thought ash might keep us on the ground. It is plausible that ash was the original reason for our delay out of Dulles. But our plane was struck by lighening on its way into Dulles. So we wait while it is being checked over for any needed repairs. The flight attendants said over the loud speaker they hope to have us on our way by mid-night. But at the desk they say that they really have no idea when we'll be ready to go. So we are waiting. We are waiting with hope. We hope to leave sometime before this day turns into tomorrow. We hope to get to our destination...eventually. Even if we don't I get the feeling that this group is going to make the most of it. The students are having a good time...movies, cards, reading and laughing is what we are up to. I'll be ready for a nap on the plane. And lucky for us it is will likely be bed time when we eventually board the plane...that would be nice. We are now certain that we'll miss our connection in Munich which means that tomorrow is going to be filled with delay, wait and hope too.
And just as I'm finishing this post we got word that we are boarding in 15 minutes. Celebrate...2 hours before they expected! Fly, fly, fly....
And just as I'm finishing this post we got word that we are boarding in 15 minutes. Celebrate...2 hours before they expected! Fly, fly, fly....
5.08.2010
Ukraine Bound....
Tuesday is coming. I'm paying attention to the news related to Iceland's volcano ash. A group of 15 of us from NNU are Ukraine bound on Tuesday morning. We are going to be in the Ukraine for 2 weeks working in a small city. We think we'll be helping to build a play area for kids. As we have internet there I'll be posting related to our adventure.
Thursday we gathered to pack clothes and learn how to make balloon animals. The students had just finished finals and they had a ton of celebratory energy. Their excitement helped me connect with the idea that we are really going. It has been almost 2 years since I crossed the ocean! Here is hoping there are no dis-ruptions...
5.02.2010
Krista Tippett's Interview with Desmond Tutu
On my way home today I heard this gem of an interview. Click on the title above to access it. Desmond Tutu's perspective of the potential of human goodness is refreshing. And this perspective comes from one who has stared the capacity of human evil in the face. He said, "Original sin doesn't know much about racial discrimination." And neither does the image of God! He reflected on hope the center of what it means to be human and said, "If you are devoid of hope then roll over and disappear quietly." "At the center of this existence is a heart beating with love that you and I and all of us are incredible...we really are remarkable. We are made for goodness." "All of us even when we have degenerated know the wrong isn't what we should be doing." Can't wait to read his new book, "Made for Goodness".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)