Hello from Petrodolina

John reading the Bible to the kids before bed. I guess this is what we would look like with 5 kids. :)

Andy made his homemade pizza for us! It was delicious!

Sarah taking some time to read to the kids.

Hello from Petrodolina!

We are now in the village where the English Bible Camp will take place. We were able to spend a few days with Andy, Monica and their children. It was great to spend time and talk with them about so many things. We know that if we are led to move to Ukraine we will have a great friendship with them!

We have had a bit of a hiccup with some people getting to Ukraine team due to airplane mechanical issues. The team from Washington (6 of them) will arrive Saturday evening at 11:30 pm and the team from New Mexico (3 of them) will arrive on Sunday at 1:40 in a city that is 5 hours away. This means that they will need to be picked up and driven back on Sunday. The team from New Mexico have all of the student curriculum and camp starts on Monday. This means that we will have a jet lagged team! I think it will be hard for them but with God all things are possible! 3 of the team members did arrive at the scheduled time thought! Three of them came in yesterday afternoon at 1:45 pm! However, it would be no fun if they were able to leave the airport without any incidents. One team member had packed some clariton-D with him for his allergies and apparently you are not allowed to bring that type of clariton into Ukraine. Needless to say it was an extra hour of explaining and filling out paperwork.

Today the three team members, Andy & Monica, John & Will, and Johns parents (Bill & Sally) all went in to Odessa to hang out and walk around. Elisabeth and I stayed back. I have not been sleeping much at night due to time change and both kids waking up over and over. I’m feeling pretty exhausted and sick. I’m trying to get a little rest before the “madness” starts tomorrow with team training and then we will be off and very busy until the next weekend.

We have been SO blessed to have brought along our helper, Sarah. She is GREAT! She has been so flexible and Will really likes her. She is a great addition to our family and our team! This morning Will asked to see her before we even left the room J

We look forward to the team training tomorrow and camp on Monday! We are praying for a year of camp that has been different from the rest. We are praying for an awakening in the hearts of the children we come into contact with. For our team members, that this would not just be a “random” mission trip but that it would be a defining moment in their life and that God would truly speak to their hearts about who He really is. And also for our family, what is His will in our desire for long term missions. We ask that you would also join with us in prayer for these specific things.

By His grace,

Nichole