Ukraine

We really haven’t had much time to sit down and write anything for the blog so today there is a little bit of time. Our week has been a tad bit crazy, I guess you could say. Between will being sick (and cranky) and being the team leaders here for the Ukraine team it seems like we haven’t taken much of a break to just sit.

We have really enjoyed working with this team. Everyone is so flexible and positive. This makes such a difference on a mission team! Also, everyone has been so gracious with us having Will along and with him being sick it has been a great encouragement to feel so supported by everyone.

This week we were at a new school. We found out a day before camp started that we would have about 30 kids age 6 and 7. Originally we were not supposed to have any kids this young because we typically do not allow children under 8 years old to participate in an English camp. I could explain more about this but it would take too long. However, each student was assigned to an American teacher. The little kids presented some chaos at the beginning of this week and I felt a bit frustrated because we weren’t supposed to even have this age of students. By Wednesday we had come up with some ways to help keep them from running in the halls, running out of classrooms and punching one another.

By Wednesday I felt like the Lord was really showing me that even in the chaos of these little kids that it was His will for them to be there, even if we had never intended to host them in the classroom. I felt like the Lord was showing me that they were just excited to be there and they needed love. One student in particular who I broke up a few quarrels with ran up to me on Thursday and gave me a HUGE hug. His name is Sasha and he is six years old. I hugged him back and said hello to him. He then proceeded to let go of me and hug me again and then again one more time. This warmed my heart because only a few days ago he was trying to push me away from him while I broke up the fight with his little buddy.

Many of these students, especially the boys do not have any Christians to look up to or teach them what it means to be a Christian. Perhaps these students saw a part of who Jesus is for the very first time this week.

Who are we that Jesus would CHOOSE to use us? This is a very humbling question for me. I am a sinner and yet He CHOOSES to use me to represent Jesus Christ.

We have had a great week here in Ukraine and already there is talk about having 2 weeks of camp next year. Only time will tell what the Lord has in store for this little village of Petrodolina next summer.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers back home! See everyone next week!

-Nichole