It's all Ukrainian to me.

Thursday was the mark of being out of the country longer than I have ever been before. I have now been here 2 weeks and 3 days. It is a completely knew yet familiar feeling. In the last few years I have been very nomadic, moving between summer camp, school, and home. I have not been completely settled in one place for more than a few months. Now I am settled into a city, in another country, in an apartment that I share with two new people. And I love it.

In the last week I have started making plans for leading a small group Bible study on the book of Acts. Together Katie and I have lead English club and started planning for future English clubs (Every Tuesday Night). Also I have started to plan a sermon for one Thursday night, and planing out how to give my testimony for another Thursday night.

There is so much here that I just can't put into words. The friendliness and kindness, the fun, the joy. It is all so great. One of the greatest times I keep experiencing here over and over is with my roommates. One speaks very limited English and it is often hard for us to communicate, but some how we manage to get our ideas across and to have fun, between grocery shopping, cooking and just kidding around it has been an amazing experience, even though what he is saying is all Ukrainian to me.

The weather here has been amazing, we have had a little rain but mostly warm sunny days, though the temperature is starting to drop. It has been a great ally in this change. I have also fallen into what to me feels more like and adult pattern of life than I am use to. No more classes, I cook, I clean, I actually do work (even though work is something I greatly enjoy). Doing laundry is different, everything hang dries, and the washer is smaller so it takes smaller loads. Cooking is becoming fun, everything is cooked from scratch mostly, and over a gas stove. To even have coffee we light the stove to heat up the water in a kettle, it is awesome.

Thank you again everyone who is praying for me during this amazing experience and journey God has sent me on. God Bless.

September 11, 2011. It is the ten year anniversary of that day that will always be remembered.

I have been in Ukraine for a little over a week now. I just moved into my apartment last night and it is amazing. My roommates are really awesome, and the place is great. I only have a 10 minute walk to the student center. Right now we don't have internet, but that will get ironed out in the next week or so.

I really love it here. The students are great and David and Shannon have been amazing at helping us to adjust. I still struggle with the time difference a little. I have free time in the mornings, which of course is the middle of the night for everyone back in the states, so it makes talking with them a little difficult. Another challenge is getting use to the idea that this is not the USA, holidays and days of rememberance are not the same. I have now been here through labor day, everyone here was working, and now one at home was, and now today is September 11 and it is the 10th anniversary of that day in 2001 when the towers fell. I can imagine sermons preached on this topic, flags being flown at half mass and people having a cook out or family gatherings, I can see the news coverage all day long replaying the footage of that day and memorial services. But here, it is Sunday, just like any other Sunday. It is slightly disheartening but life does go on.

I have really started to be able to get around the city using reference points to know where I am and where I need to go. I have also started seriously studying Ukrainian. I spent 3 hours in a cafe yesterday immersed in the alphabet...but I still have some work to do with it before I feel 100% on it, but reading has gotten better. I have also started finishing up all my paper work from the last few weeks that need to be turned in. When all of it is done and has been approved that will be a huge burden off my chest. This week is our first week of actually being involved and not observing. Tuesday we will help with English club, and as the rest of the week goes on we will start being more intentional about building relationships and doing research for social justices projects.

A huge highlight in my week last week was that I was able to connect with a fellow Tekoan (a fellow who worked at Camp Tekoa, but on the year that I was not there). Me and Woody have exchanged emails a few times and discussed a few things that way, but on Friday we had a phone conversation about different projects, history, and a little about ourselves. It was great to know there is not only fellow Americans here in Ukraine but a fellow North Carolinian, and it was also good to hear a voice that was some how unfamiliar because we have never spoke before and yet familiar  at the same time.

God is doing great things here in Ukraine. It is such a joy to be a part of his plan here and work along side others who are passionate about his plan.

God bless.

Safe and sound

Yesterday I finally arrived in Lviv safe and sound. It was a very exciting trip. I was originally scheduled to fly out of Charlotte on Saturday the 27th. Due to hurricane Irene we changed that to leave on Thursday the 24th so that we could be in NY and be ahead of the hurricane. All did not go as planned. New York decided to shut down on Saturday, which meant our flight was canceled. This was a let down but at the same time exciting, for the first time I would have a few free days in NYC and I would have a great story to tell about surviving the hurricane. Unfortunately the hurricane turned out to be not much more than a thunderstorm no bigger than what I was use to at home. On Saturday the city that never sleeps took a nap so there was not much to do but on Monday we were able to get out and walk up to central park. Our flight was rescheduled to Wednesday.

So Wednesday finally arrived and after a small debate with the shuttle driver that I was actually scheduled to be on the shuttle as well we headed to the airport. We got through check in, the flight had a 45min delay, then we  boarded the plane and we were off to Istanbul Turkey. It was about an 8.5 hour flight and I only got an hours worth of sleep. After we arrived it was a little confusing but we made our way to our next flight. Two hours later we were landing in Lviv. Going through customs was a breeze, although they searched on piece of luggage to see a binder I had.

Since we arrived it has been great. We arrived and showered and then headed off to worship at the student center. It was great. Everyone is extremely friendly and many speak very good English. I met one of my roommates and am excited to get to know the other. Culture shock has not been to terrible yet. The hardest part so far was bringing up this page to type my blog, it is in Ukrainian.
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/advanc​e/missionaries/biographies/ind​ex.cfm?action=details&code=302​1336