Our time in Kerch has flown by. It is hard to believe that tomorrow will be our last day at the Hope Center. We've accomplished a lot here...from building steps on the infamous "Hill of Death" to painting murals in some of the sleeping rooms, washing dishes, pulling weeds, and building relationships with the wonderful nationals we've met here... Wow, what a trip!
The next 24 hours will pass quickly and before we know it, we will be entering into the "debriefing" stage of our trip. Please pray that the things we have experienced in Ukraine will translate into meaningful learning for all of us. We have had some great discussions thus far and look forward to many more "a-ha" moments during our looooooong overnight train ride to Odessa, ferry trip to Istanbul, and excursion in Turkey.
We love you, miss you, and can't wait to see you! Plus, we can't wait to eat chipotle and cereal and frozen yogurt and apples and in-n-out with you. :)
Love,
Team Ukraine 2007
SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT AIRPORT PICK-UP!
As of right now, plan on the original itineraries for pick-up. We will try to switch some flights for students who need to return earlier, but are unsure if that will be a possibility. Your student will contact you from the Istanbul airport if he/she has a flight change. Thank you for your patience and flexibility with this issue.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Our cultural immersion...
I know we just posted on the blog two days ago, but we had a free second at a computer and wanted to write a bit about our immersion in the culture of Ukraine.
Today (saturday) was a "free day," which gave us the opportunity to spend some time in downtown Kerch. We visited an ancient tomb that supposedly held the remains of a Ukrainian king and queen (until it was pillaged by grave-robbers). We also went to one of the most unique museums we'd ever been to! The museum was underground, in a limestone quarry that was used as a bunker-type hideout for soviet soldiers during WW2. It is the only one of its kind in existence. We climbed underground via two long staircases and found ourselves shivvering in the caves...the temperature difference between outside and the underground was quite extreme! The entire team huddled together during the tour, partly for warmth and partly because we were only given two flashlights and it was pitch black down there. The entire experience was incredible.
This afternoon, we spent some time shopping in downtown Kerch...most of the team purchased Ukrainian chocolate and our new favorite beverage, Coca Cola Light!!! (It is much better than diet coke...all of the girls are hooked on it!)
We have adapted to the traditional food here...which isn't all that different than food in the states. There is a lot of starch though, so we are all craving fruits and vegetables. As typical american college students, we look forward to our morning cup of coffee (which tastes NOTHING like what we are used to, but is still delicious!). Most of the meals consist of a meat dish, a potato dish, bread, a cole slaw-esque salad, soup, and more mayonaise than we know what to do with!
We spend our evenings taking leisurely strolls around town, challenging the camp workers to games of ping pong, hiking down to the black sea, and just enjoying one another's company...in true Ukrainian fashion! :)
Stay tuned for further updates!
We will head to church tomorrow morning and spend the afternoon relaxing and soaking up the Ukrainian sun as we lay on the coast of the black sea. Monday-thursday will be work days for us. We have two orphanage visits lined up in the mornings and will spend the afternoons doing manual labor at the camp. On friday afternoon, we will hop on a "sleeper train" bound for Odessa, Ukraine and then begin our mission trip debrief by boarding a ferry to Istanbul, Turkey.
We love you, miss you, and can't wait to see you!
Love,
Team Ukraine
P.S. Arthur and I passed out the letters you wrote to your students the other night and they were a big hit!!! Thanks for sending your love from the states...it really encouraged all of us to hear from you!
Today (saturday) was a "free day," which gave us the opportunity to spend some time in downtown Kerch. We visited an ancient tomb that supposedly held the remains of a Ukrainian king and queen (until it was pillaged by grave-robbers). We also went to one of the most unique museums we'd ever been to! The museum was underground, in a limestone quarry that was used as a bunker-type hideout for soviet soldiers during WW2. It is the only one of its kind in existence. We climbed underground via two long staircases and found ourselves shivvering in the caves...the temperature difference between outside and the underground was quite extreme! The entire team huddled together during the tour, partly for warmth and partly because we were only given two flashlights and it was pitch black down there. The entire experience was incredible.
This afternoon, we spent some time shopping in downtown Kerch...most of the team purchased Ukrainian chocolate and our new favorite beverage, Coca Cola Light!!! (It is much better than diet coke...all of the girls are hooked on it!)
We have adapted to the traditional food here...which isn't all that different than food in the states. There is a lot of starch though, so we are all craving fruits and vegetables. As typical american college students, we look forward to our morning cup of coffee (which tastes NOTHING like what we are used to, but is still delicious!). Most of the meals consist of a meat dish, a potato dish, bread, a cole slaw-esque salad, soup, and more mayonaise than we know what to do with!
We spend our evenings taking leisurely strolls around town, challenging the camp workers to games of ping pong, hiking down to the black sea, and just enjoying one another's company...in true Ukrainian fashion! :)
Stay tuned for further updates!
We will head to church tomorrow morning and spend the afternoon relaxing and soaking up the Ukrainian sun as we lay on the coast of the black sea. Monday-thursday will be work days for us. We have two orphanage visits lined up in the mornings and will spend the afternoons doing manual labor at the camp. On friday afternoon, we will hop on a "sleeper train" bound for Odessa, Ukraine and then begin our mission trip debrief by boarding a ferry to Istanbul, Turkey.
We love you, miss you, and can't wait to see you!
Love,
Team Ukraine
P.S. Arthur and I passed out the letters you wrote to your students the other night and they were a big hit!!! Thanks for sending your love from the states...it really encouraged all of us to hear from you!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Dear Friends and Family!
We are currently in the thick of the 2nd leg of our trip! With only one week of actual work remaining, it is hard to believe time has flown by so quickly! Our access to internet is extremely limited, so thank you for you patience in receiving these updates.
We completed our time at God's Hidden Treasures near Kiev last thursday and had some very sweet good-byes with the friends we made there. They were so incredibly hospitable and gracious, and working with them was such a delight. We finished four days of VBS at the Boy's home, and they asked us when we would return. It has been difficult to struggle with the idea that many of them are so incredibly desperate for love and affection and we have so much to give and so little time to do so.
We boarded the world's hottest overnight train in Kiev and headed for Crimea (by the way, Ukraine has been experiencing unusually warm weather for May; we grew close to 100 degrees Farenheit several days with humidity up to our eyeballs). After what seemed like hours of endless sweating, somehow the AC got turned on and we all passed out asleep in our cabins. Please pray for Jessica England as she took a little tumble at the train station with her 40 lb. bag on her shoulders and has sprained her ankle.
Crimea is a penninsula a little smaller than South Carolina that is surrounded by the Black Sea and is in the very south of Ukraine. Although we expected it to be warmer here, it has been quite perfect actually! We are within a 5 minute walk of the some of the most breath-taking views of the Black Sea! We finally arrived here at the Hope Center in Kerch on Friday evening about 5pm. The huge orphan fesitval had arleady begun, and we dove right in and started getting to know and playing with all the kids here! It has also been really difficult being exposed to so many precious children of God of all ages and thinking that most of them have living parents, but are either unwanted or have been taken away from their parents because of the lack of hope in this country. We can only pray that God of restoration reaches the young people of Ukraine and restores their hope.
It has been quite noticeable and bluntly visible to us that the remnants of communisim still lay around. So many identical run down appartments built 50 years ago that have not been kept up lay scattered across this land. It has really been a trip to imagine that just 15 years ago this place was a completely different government.
Our work here has been interesting to say the least as the Hope Center staff has been very busy. We have done some work, but it should be noted that our team of Americans, all eager to work and see the fruits of their labor have not been able to work as hard as the team anticipated. There have been several times we have needed to practice patience and flexibility, and it has been a difficult process for many on the team. Each day comes, and with it, we have no idea what to expect really until just minutes before it's time for a project. Please pray that God continues to reveal God's self to us in real and practical ways and that we trust a master plan we cannot fathom.
When we have worked, we have pulled many weeds, done several dishes, stripped sheets and blankets in the bunk houses (which are like dormitories the orphans stay at when camp is in session), and worked very hard on building steps to the sea. We didn't realize how incredibly huge and steep this hill is that takes you down to the sea. The manual labor has been really good for us and has given us a chance to have a few fleeting moments of feeling accomplished. Please pray that these are not the moments that define the trip, but rather that we are coming to serve with empty hands in whatever ways we can. It is been difficult for many to grasp that sometimes the work we think should be doing is not always the work they would have us to do.
In other news, everyone is very healthy, and having somewhat regular "BM's" ha! we do ask for continued prayer in our safety and our health. It is quite eay to become dehydrated and good clean bottled water is not readily available on site so it is difficult to be drinking enough good water. However, we are getting plenty of other wonderful drinks and juices and delicious dishes of food, so you should be expecting to see "a bit more of us..." when we return =)
We will try to send one more update before we leave Ukraine. In one week from today, we will be packing up and heading out to Odessa before boarding a 36 hour boat ride for Turkey!
Blessings,
Team Ukraine
We are currently in the thick of the 2nd leg of our trip! With only one week of actual work remaining, it is hard to believe time has flown by so quickly! Our access to internet is extremely limited, so thank you for you patience in receiving these updates.
We completed our time at God's Hidden Treasures near Kiev last thursday and had some very sweet good-byes with the friends we made there. They were so incredibly hospitable and gracious, and working with them was such a delight. We finished four days of VBS at the Boy's home, and they asked us when we would return. It has been difficult to struggle with the idea that many of them are so incredibly desperate for love and affection and we have so much to give and so little time to do so.
We boarded the world's hottest overnight train in Kiev and headed for Crimea (by the way, Ukraine has been experiencing unusually warm weather for May; we grew close to 100 degrees Farenheit several days with humidity up to our eyeballs). After what seemed like hours of endless sweating, somehow the AC got turned on and we all passed out asleep in our cabins. Please pray for Jessica England as she took a little tumble at the train station with her 40 lb. bag on her shoulders and has sprained her ankle.
Crimea is a penninsula a little smaller than South Carolina that is surrounded by the Black Sea and is in the very south of Ukraine. Although we expected it to be warmer here, it has been quite perfect actually! We are within a 5 minute walk of the some of the most breath-taking views of the Black Sea! We finally arrived here at the Hope Center in Kerch on Friday evening about 5pm. The huge orphan fesitval had arleady begun, and we dove right in and started getting to know and playing with all the kids here! It has also been really difficult being exposed to so many precious children of God of all ages and thinking that most of them have living parents, but are either unwanted or have been taken away from their parents because of the lack of hope in this country. We can only pray that God of restoration reaches the young people of Ukraine and restores their hope.
It has been quite noticeable and bluntly visible to us that the remnants of communisim still lay around. So many identical run down appartments built 50 years ago that have not been kept up lay scattered across this land. It has really been a trip to imagine that just 15 years ago this place was a completely different government.
Our work here has been interesting to say the least as the Hope Center staff has been very busy. We have done some work, but it should be noted that our team of Americans, all eager to work and see the fruits of their labor have not been able to work as hard as the team anticipated. There have been several times we have needed to practice patience and flexibility, and it has been a difficult process for many on the team. Each day comes, and with it, we have no idea what to expect really until just minutes before it's time for a project. Please pray that God continues to reveal God's self to us in real and practical ways and that we trust a master plan we cannot fathom.
When we have worked, we have pulled many weeds, done several dishes, stripped sheets and blankets in the bunk houses (which are like dormitories the orphans stay at when camp is in session), and worked very hard on building steps to the sea. We didn't realize how incredibly huge and steep this hill is that takes you down to the sea. The manual labor has been really good for us and has given us a chance to have a few fleeting moments of feeling accomplished. Please pray that these are not the moments that define the trip, but rather that we are coming to serve with empty hands in whatever ways we can. It is been difficult for many to grasp that sometimes the work we think should be doing is not always the work they would have us to do.
In other news, everyone is very healthy, and having somewhat regular "BM's" ha! we do ask for continued prayer in our safety and our health. It is quite eay to become dehydrated and good clean bottled water is not readily available on site so it is difficult to be drinking enough good water. However, we are getting plenty of other wonderful drinks and juices and delicious dishes of food, so you should be expecting to see "a bit more of us..." when we return =)
We will try to send one more update before we leave Ukraine. In one week from today, we will be packing up and heading out to Odessa before boarding a 36 hour boat ride for Turkey!
Blessings,
Team Ukraine
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
quarter-way check up!
Dobre-Dyn (Good day!) from Ukraine!
The first piece of good news is that we are all here and we are all safe with all our luggage! (and the team has also avoided illness thus far). After a long, exhausting, and uneventful journey across the Atlantic, we finally arrived in Ukraine at around 11pm on Tuesday night (May 15th).
We spent the remainder of our days last week participating in various home visits with elderly nationals who were home-bound for one reason or another. We accompanied a doctor and nurse as they worked with stroke victims and also helped the organization "God's Hidden Treasures" with their wheelchair-delivery ministry.
On saturday, we traveled to Kiev (the capital city) to embrace our inner-tourists and immerse ourselves in the culture of the bustling Ukrainian city. We went to a Ukrainian World War 2 museum, toured three different orthodox cathedrals, wandered around a street market, and visited the site where the orange revolution began.
Sunday morning we went to a church service with our American host and interacted with the members of the congregation after the service. This week we are running a vacation bible school in the mornings for kids at a "Boy's Home" in Bila Tserkva (where we are staying). All of these boys have been institutionalized because of physical or mental handicaps. Sadly, most of them are shunned by their parents and by society for one reason or another...and it is obvious to our team that a lot of them were misdiagnosed and are actually just regular kids who are trapped in an unfortunate situation within a system that doesn't make much sense to us. The boys are great and we fell in love with them quickly. They are hungry for attention and approval and love and our team has been generous with all of those things. Working at the boy's home has been a transformational experience for all of us...so be sure to ask your son/daughter, brother/sister, or friend about it when we return.
On monday afternoon we visited an orphanage in Ukraine and had our hearts broken by the sweet little children we met there. Most of the children who are living in this particular orphanage are children who were taken away from their parents who were alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes, or were taken to prison. Our time at this facility was limited and it was a struggle for all of us to leave these little ones.
We spent yesterday afternoon at a Cerebral Palsy center playing with the kids and talking to them about Bible stories. Unlike the children at the boy's home and the orphanage, the kids at the CP center actually have parents and just come to the center in the afternoons to connect with other kids who have CP.Our time in Bila Tserkva is rapidly coming to an end. Tomorrow evening we will head back to Kiev to hop on an overnight train bound for the coast to continue our adventure!Thank you for your love and support!
love,
Karen, Arthur, Tommy, Jimmy, Sean, Justin, Jessica, Bonnie, Brittany, Sarah, Mandy, and Abby
*PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ANYONE WHO MAY WANT TO READ IT!!!
The first piece of good news is that we are all here and we are all safe with all our luggage! (and the team has also avoided illness thus far). After a long, exhausting, and uneventful journey across the Atlantic, we finally arrived in Ukraine at around 11pm on Tuesday night (May 15th).
We spent the remainder of our days last week participating in various home visits with elderly nationals who were home-bound for one reason or another. We accompanied a doctor and nurse as they worked with stroke victims and also helped the organization "God's Hidden Treasures" with their wheelchair-delivery ministry.
On saturday, we traveled to Kiev (the capital city) to embrace our inner-tourists and immerse ourselves in the culture of the bustling Ukrainian city. We went to a Ukrainian World War 2 museum, toured three different orthodox cathedrals, wandered around a street market, and visited the site where the orange revolution began.
Sunday morning we went to a church service with our American host and interacted with the members of the congregation after the service. This week we are running a vacation bible school in the mornings for kids at a "Boy's Home" in Bila Tserkva (where we are staying). All of these boys have been institutionalized because of physical or mental handicaps. Sadly, most of them are shunned by their parents and by society for one reason or another...and it is obvious to our team that a lot of them were misdiagnosed and are actually just regular kids who are trapped in an unfortunate situation within a system that doesn't make much sense to us. The boys are great and we fell in love with them quickly. They are hungry for attention and approval and love and our team has been generous with all of those things. Working at the boy's home has been a transformational experience for all of us...so be sure to ask your son/daughter, brother/sister, or friend about it when we return.
On monday afternoon we visited an orphanage in Ukraine and had our hearts broken by the sweet little children we met there. Most of the children who are living in this particular orphanage are children who were taken away from their parents who were alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes, or were taken to prison. Our time at this facility was limited and it was a struggle for all of us to leave these little ones.
We spent yesterday afternoon at a Cerebral Palsy center playing with the kids and talking to them about Bible stories. Unlike the children at the boy's home and the orphanage, the kids at the CP center actually have parents and just come to the center in the afternoons to connect with other kids who have CP.Our time in Bila Tserkva is rapidly coming to an end. Tomorrow evening we will head back to Kiev to hop on an overnight train bound for the coast to continue our adventure!Thank you for your love and support!
love,
Karen, Arthur, Tommy, Jimmy, Sean, Justin, Jessica, Bonnie, Brittany, Sarah, Mandy, and Abby
*PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ANYONE WHO MAY WANT TO READ IT!!!
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