The longest escalator I’ve ever seen! | My first cheeseburger in over 5 months!! | Meat stands during a festival
Sightseeing in Kiev, Ukraine
Ukraine is a beautiful country of rolling green hills, with little villages tucked in the valleys. After spending a week of debrief near the capital city of Kiev, we traveled by train to Luhans’k, the largest city near the summer camp that we are living at. We are sleeping in a large room full of springy cots that squeak and dip in the middle! With a small, lone heater at one end as our source of heat, we snuggle deep into our sleeping bags or under lots of thick blankets to keep warm throughout the night. But the weather has been warming up and I have nothing to complain about here. We are staying with another team, Remnant, and a group from the July squad, one of which is an excellent chef, so we have been eating really well!
An abundance of hot drinks, hot chocolate, teas, and coffee are available throughout the day. Breakfast consists of oatmeal, cereal, or toast with jam. Lunch has been a variety of sandwiches with fried eggs, cheese, tomatoes, sausage, etc, and soup or baked potatoes with all the fixings. The evening meal brings many reminders of home as we enjoy BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, cheeseburgers, French fries, cheesy potato soup, spaghetti, and many other delicious dishes.
Ministry involves a large variety of activities, yet there is flexibility and freedom in choosing what we feel God is calling us to do or go. There are many opportunities to go prayer walking through different villages. Many times these walks lead t
o conversation with babushkas (grandmas) or others in the village. There is almost always a translator with us because most people do not know any English. Others can choose to hang out at the orphanage, helping kids with English or playing soccer. Also, playing soccer in different villages provides an opening to conversations about faith and God. I have really enjoyed the physical labor ministry here at the camp, mostly helping split wood for the stoves. We are planning to work on a few of the babushkas homes in the village, fixing roofs, etc. I’ve also gotten to help out in the kitchen quite a bit as well.
I am loving it here and couldn’t really ask for more, especially on the days the sun is shining! A couple nights ago, we all gathered around a bonfire praising God in worship and thanksgiving. We’ve also been able to share and learn with several pastors and their wives from Louisiana, who are here for two weeks. Our time here is already flying by and I look forward to enjoying one more week here before we head off to Romania.
Where we are staying
Cooking and hanging out in the kitchen
Fish Market (it really stinks in here!) | Chicks and Ducklings for sale
