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

Ready to leave?

Am I ready to leave? That's the number one question I have been asked over the last week. How do I answer such a complicated question? Am I ready to leave behind my family, my friends, my comfort zone, my sense of security, everything I know, my new friends, the food I`m use too? By no means am I ready for that, no one will ever be ready for that. But is that the question or is it, am I ready for a new adventure, ready to see God work in new ways and places, to make new friends, strengthen bonds with old friends, try new foods, see new places, learn to live a new way, and to discover new things about myself? How can I not be ready for that? How can I not be excited for this new journey.

As I wrote this the other day I was just a few hours from finding out that I will be leaving sooner than I had expected. Tomorrow evening (Thursday) I will leave, as opposed to leaving on Saturday morning. This has made me rush a lot of packing, planning, and meeting with friends. But it has also pushed me to focus and really get stuff done and stop procrastinating. It has also made me realize that I could be talking with everyone online like normal soon after I land or it could be a few days. Either way I know I have some great friends who are going to be there with me through this time of transition and I know that God will provide for me what ever I need, even if it gets rough.

Over the last few days home I have had a great time spending time with all my friends and keeping in touch with those from training. I have been in contact with most of my friends here at home and all of my family. Leaving and going to a time zone 7 hours a head of everyone I know will put a strain on communication but it will also show which relationship are strongest and will continues to grow. I am so thankful for this wonderful opportunity to go to Ukraine and expand my comfort zone and meet new and amazing people and have great experiences to tell everyone about...STAY TUNED FOR MORE ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE!!!

It's Closing Time

After 3 weeks of training we are coming up on our date of commissioning. It will be very bittersweet for many of us as we are going our separate ways into the world, some of us leaving very soon for our placement sites others having a few weeks home. Many of us will not see one another for at least eighteen months and for the US-2 and Mission Interns this could possibly be the last time we spend together as a completely whole group. It has been a great 3 weeks, we have had many trials, laughs, tears and smiles and hands down the best time I could have asked for from any group of people


As for me I will be departing Charlotte airport with a fellow Mission Intern Katie Steele on August 27th to begin my trek to Ukraine. It is a very exciting time that is filled with much nervousness as I look at what I should pack and who I need to visit before I depart. I know however that God is going to be with all of us through this journey into new cultures and new ideas about what Gods love really means.

Final food for thought: You can only begin to grasp Christianity when the most important people to you are the people you don’t know and my never know!

http://new.gbgm-umc.org/advanc​e/missionaries/biographies/ind​ex.cfm?action=details&code=302​1336

Training time!

Wow, here it comes. Less than twenty days until I am in the Ukraine. Training has been such a different experience. We have all learned so much and at times it is extremely overwhelming. It is such a different situation because we are all working on trying to make a balance of professional situation and intentional friendships and relationships to build up our support between one another.

We have such a great group and all of us have been able contribute to the growing dimensions of the group. As each day goes by we are challenging each other with different definitions of what it means to be a community, how are we representing ourselves and our programs, and what we can do to better who we are and live up to the community standards that we have set in place.

As the time comes closer I have began to feel a bit more nervous about my future. I have been working on trying to just figure out all the logistical things that are involved and learning the new terminologies that go along with a new place. During this time of focusing on this new information I have been forgetting to focus on what will be going on in a few weeks in Ukraine, or vis-versa, I try and focus on what is going to happen in the up coming weeks and forget to be present in the learning of what we are doing here.
Even through this small struggle I know things will be great and I am so excited to continue on this journey with all the support of my fellow missionaries and a family and friends.

Just for everyone who is interested I will keep posting my bio and how to support me and the others I will be working with.

http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/missionaries/biographies/index.cfm?action=details&id=1372