Last week

Last week in Kyiv, that is! I leave for Georgia on Monday morning. Since it's only Friday evening I have a ton of time to pack all my stuff up, right? Right.

Since next week begins almost a month of holidays for Georgia (25th of December Christmas, New Years, Orthodox Christmas on January 6th, then Old New Years on the 14th) we're starting our outreach with a bunch of parties! There are better ways to be introduced to a new country and culture, but I can't think of them at the moment. The first week or so my team (our leader Kate, Sevinch from Azerbaijan, Elya and Ruslan from Ukraine) will be staying with a family that works with YWAM in Georgia. That's only until we find our own place to stay, hopefully near the center of the city, but a lot of that depends on money.

I've really enjoyed my time in Kyiv. It's a beautiful, unique city with some of the kindest people you'll ever meet. I've gotten to see some awesome sights (feel free to check out my pictures on facebook), gotten to meet some amazing people, learned some valuable lessons, and have had a great 3 months. It's hard to believe that my DTS is half-way over. When I started 6 months seemed like forever, and now I look back and have a very hard time believing that I still don't have 6 months to go- it seems like I'm still just getting started.

Thank you all for coming this far with me, now we're starting a new leg of the journey! Please pray for safe travels and an easy adjustment in Georgia. Love you all, hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in Georgia!

Oh man, I'm sorry I'm so bad at blogging. I just can't keep up.

Next week is my last in Kyiv until I get back from Georgia in March. I'm sad to leave this city that I was just really getting to know. I am getting excited for the outreach to Georgia, though! We leave December 20th, me and my 4 other teammates. We will originally be staying outside of the capitol city of Tblisi until we find an apartment. By January we should be in our own place. I've googled and wiki-ed Tblisi and it looks like a really cool city as well. Poor, though, from my understanding. There are a lot of street children and the YWAM base there works with them very often. There is also another ministry that works with university students that we;ll probably hook up with at some point. We are required to do 50 hours of ministry every week, which means 6 days 'on', 1 day 'off'. It's going to be a long 3 months.

And I never thought I'd say this, but I prefer snow to rain! It was cold and snowy the last week or 2 but suddenly a few days ago the weather warmed up (which I don't mind at all) and now it's pouring buckets (which I mind quite a bit). Turns out that my rain boots aren't rain-proof after all, and that does NOT make me happy. I hate wet feet.

We're finishing up our lecture phase. This week is Bible overview being taught by a couple from the School of Biblical Studies. They are young with 2 toddlers that they bring to class so we can keep an eye on them...or be distracted...I'm not sure. Either way, they are an awesome teaching team and are doing a very creative job of giving us an overview of the Bible.

Speaking of learning, in preparation for our outreach, my team leader Kate has asked us all to learn the Georgian alphabet. Have you ever seen the Georgian alphabet, let alone tried to pronounce it!??! Draw a few scribbles on the page in front of you, make a French phlegm sound combined with a Russian chka sound and you've got it about right. This language is unlike anything any of us have seen. Hoo boy. I just want to be able to tell the bus driver to stop and let me off, that's all. Really. I've got 3 months, right?

Well, dinner is about to start. Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season! One of the YWAM staff was once asked what Christmas is like here. His response? "Like Tuesday," and he got it right! There's not much hype over the holidays here. We have to make our own...which I will be doing Saturday by attempting to bake cookies in our Soviet oven. Wish me luck!

I want to talk about my friend Oksana today. Oksana is 17 years old and has lived in the Kyiv region her whole life. Before DTS she finished trade school learning to sew and wants to learn to be a hairdresser when we finish. She is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. She makes friends with everyone around her and almost literally lights up a room when she walks in to it.

Oksana is a social orphan, which means that she has at least one living parent but that they were unable to take care of her. Both of her parents are alcoholics and her mother used to beat her. When her father tried to tell her to stop, Oksana’s older brother would begin to hit her father to stop him from yelling. Oksana told me that she would often end up in a corner crying while everyone around her yelled and beat each other. There were several times Oksana ran away from home because she couldn’t take the violence anymore. Policemen would find her on the streets and accuse her of prostitution and harass her.

Her mother was put into a mental hospital when she was eight or nine and it was during that time that Oksana’s father decided he couldn’t take care of her and her brother alone and sent them to an orphanage. Even here Oksana was still unhappy. She ran away with a friend and they lived on the streets together, sleeping in train stations or in cellars. Oksana said that her first thought when she woke up in the morning was how she was going to get something to eat for the day.

Her friend died on the streets and it was then Oksana realized the choice she had. She went back to the orphanage and stayed there. About three or four years ago she was ‘adopted’ by a wonderful couple that she calls her aunt and uncle (it was not a legal adoption since the process here takes so long Oksana would have been 18 by the time all the paperwork would have been finished).

I had the privilege of going to their house with Oksana last weekend and you could immediately feel the peace of God when you walked in the door. Her aunt and uncle are on the worship team in their church, and have a beautiful home in the country by a large lake. You can see the love that this family has for one another.

Looking at Oksana today you would think she was raised her whole life in a loving and healthy family. Her passion for God and her love of life is evident as soon as you meet her. When I asked her why she was so happy, why she had this joy, she simply answered me with, “It’s God.”

Today Oksana shared a little more of her story in prayer with our class. She encouraged us to pray for the orphans of Ukraine, and also to not forget to thank God for our parents. She told us about sleeping on the streets, and at the end said, “I don’t blame my parents for what happened. I thank God for them. They are the angels who gave me life and that God sent to me.”

Needless to say, we were all in tears. I am so amazed by this young woman. She is so genuine, so transparent, such a delight and treasure to be around. She has been through complete hell in her life and continues to deal with the pain and anxiety her family gives her (she is in touch with her mother, brother, and other relatives). Yet she does not lay the blame at anyone’s door even when some might say she is right in doing so. Instead she chooses to forgive on a daily basis, and to not hold on to bitterness.

I genuinely love this girl; she has been a joy to get to know the last two months. I was so blessed to go home with her last weekend, I’m so grateful to share an apartment with her, and I love watching her learn and grow in our classes. I wish all of you could get to know Oksana personally, but since you can’t be here with us I wanted to give you a small snapshot of her life. I hope she inspires you as much as she has inspired me.

I'm going to Georgia!

The country that is, not the state. For our 3-month outreach (which starts mid December) I and 4 other people will travel to the country of Georgia. I'm excited to experience a new culture, though I'm sad that I won't be with the whole DTS team. I don't have a lot of details right now, but when I do I'll let you all know!

Classes have been going really well. Last week Kelly, the director of YWAM Eastern Europe spoke about Biblical worldview. I was ready for a "stay in the church, think more about Jesus" talk and would have shut him out, but instead he talked about what the Gospel really means, about what Christianity is, not religion. Religion is separating the world into 2 parts- the spiritual and the physical and saying the spiritual is good and the physical is bad. However, God created it all (government, environment, arts, family, etc.) and we are called to live in every sphere and live well. To me, that is what it means to be a Christian- to live life well as God has shown us. It's not about who prays the most or who spends the most time in church (though obviously those are good things and we should pray and fellowship) but it's about living life as God called us to live it.

This week's teaching is cross-cultural communication. Tomorrow we have to give a presentation to the class about something (holiday, song, book, art) that represents our culture. I'm going to do 4th of July since it's my favorite holiday and come on, what's more American than fireworks and barbeque? I'll dress in red white and blue and act as obnoxiously American as I possibly can. All. Day. Long. Yessss....

Speaking of cultural differences, I really miss American food. Yeah, we have McDonald's here, but what I love about the States is the variety of food available. Right now the only green vegetable I can find at a reasonable price is cabbage. And to me, cabbage just doesn't count. I want peppers, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, hummus and pita chips, guacamole, salsa.... the list goes on but my mouth is starting to water. I generally try not to think about what I'm missing too much since there's not much I can do. So let's hear it for meat and potatoes!

And speaking of meat and potatoes, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It doesn't feel like it since it's not celebrated here. However, I saw a few Christmas decorations in the store the other day, and the base here is planning on celebrating Thanksgiving together- complete with turkey, pumpkin pie, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on the screen! I'm kinda excited.

This post turned out to be mostly about food. Can you tell I'm hungry? I should go find a snack. Hope that fall is treating you all well...snow's coming soon! (OR it's already there for you New Yorkers, hahhahahahahaha!)

2 run-ins with the Eastern European Police force is enough for a lifetime

So, some of you may or may not have heard about my apartment's debacle last weekend.

First off, I apologize for not writing as much- I've been letting 2 other students use my computer since they don't have one of their own and so it's hard to find that time to write posts.

Anyways.

Last weekend I was doing ministry with some local orphans. We did a cooking seminar for them to teach them cooking (duh), nutrition, shopping, budgeting, etc. Fun, yummy, and exhausting! Saturday night I slept over at the other girls' apartment since it's a lot closer to the base than mine. After teaching and cooking all day I couldn't wait to sleep. Just as I was about to lay down in bed I got a phone call from our DTS leader that I needed to come over to my apartment because there had been a gas leak and the police and firemen had broken in to stop it. Since the other girls were still out I got over there as fast as I could to find the street swarming with the Ukrainian police.

Now, Ukrainian police are nothing like American ones. They don't eat donuts; they pull you over for no reason to see if they can get a bribe from you. These men were trained in the Soviet Union and look like they know torturing abilities we only see in horror films.

Needless to say, I was a little nervous. I let them in to the apartment and in went about 12 inspectors, police men, gas men, fire men, captains, lieutenants, and investigators. (They're very reactionary here.)

Then they wanted to question me, as I was the one girl from the apartment who was there. However, I didn't know a thing, I hadn't been home since 8:30 in the morning when the other girls were still sleeping! And once they realized I was an American who didn't understand Ukrainian they really didn't want to talk to me.

Marta, one of my flatmates, came home and she was thoroughly questioned, then promptly taken to the police station and fingerprinted. Apparently that's procedure around here. Still, a little overkill don't you think?

By the time Marta came back home it was about 2:00 am. And I still had to be out the door by 8:30 for the cooking seminar. So much for a good night's sleep.

We're still waiting for our gas to be turned back on. We need to pay the fine for all the trouble we caused (you should have seen how angry our neighbors were since their gas was shut off that night too!) and hopefully after that they'll take the seal off our gas line. If not, I guess I'm not eating much this weekend!

Yeah, that's life here for ya! Eventful even if not always enjoyable...

I'll try and get back on soon to write about how the school is going. Classes have been great, I'm enjoying them a ton. We're heading very quickly in to winter here, so I'll be writing about snow soon. Hope you all are enjoying the fall!

The misadventures of a foreigner

So here's some humor. Being the independent girl I am, I have no problem walking around on my own. If I need something from the store, why do I need to wait for someone who actually speaks Russian to go with me??

So the other day I was walking home by myself and decided I wanted some cheese so I could make a type of sandwich for lunch. I walked in to the market and up to the cheese counter. I wasn't sure I remembered the Russian word for cheese, but that's what your finger is for right? So you can point at the object you can't name!

So I'm at the cheese counter and I see a cheese I bought the other day that looks (and tastes!) just like American cheddar cheese. Yuummm. So I pointed at it and mumbled some word that may or may not have been "cheese" in Russian. The woman behind the counter says, "Ti hochesh maclo?" Which means, "You want maclo?"

I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I thought maclo was the Russian word for butter, and sir (or something like that) was cheese, but I want cheese, not butter. However, she's the lady, she must know what she's talking about and I'm just confused!"

So I nod my head and gesture with my hands how much of the cheese I want. She shakes her head at this crazy foreigner and wraps up my cheese. I proudly pay for my purchases and walk home. Who says you need to be fluent to make your way around? Look who's all independent!

I get home, head held high and begin to make my little sandwiches. I pull out the cheese to cut and very quickly realize that in fact, yes, I HAD bought butter. I was right in thinking that sir was the word for cheese and that the lady behind the counter thought some crazy girl was buying a half pound of butter. Some party I was having!

So, needless to say, I will never again forget the words for cheese or butter. And, also needless to say, we have enough butter in our fridge to last us a long, long, long time.

Fires, bugs, and SUN!

Ugh! I have bites all over my legs and I have yet to figure out what they actually are. We think bed bugs? But why just me and not my room mates?!!? I am more than miserable. Hopefully we can find something to flush those stupid bugs out and I am going to the pharmacy today to buy some cream that should stop the itch. I hope. Ugh.

Today the boat next to ours was on fire. Despite what you would think, these boats are like matchboxes waiting to go up in flames. So the authorities came to our boat as well and were walking all over, turned off our water (nobody could figure out why they thought that nessecary, and have put us on the list of boats that need to be shut down. It's not an immediate threat (think about it, we're talking post-Soviet government here) but it's still something to watch out for.

Surprisingly, the sun has been out for 3 days straight this week! This NEVER happens in the fall, so this post is going to be short so I can get out and enjoy! I've had to get up early this week to make breakfast for our team and it's been nice to watch the sunrise and hit the tops of the churches. Eastern Europe can be a pretty drab place with all the apartment buildings and thedirty streets, but when you look up that's when you see the beauty. The trees, the sky, even the majestic churches and statues. The trick is to find the hidden beauty.

Our speaker this week is Sergei Shetlovski and he's been speaking to us about relationship with God. Awesome speaker, awesome topic. This is the first week our DTS has really been just us (last week we were joined by another team and the week before that was the conference) and it's nice to see us all gelling together. Personalities are an interesting thing, and yup, they're coming out. Hmmm.

Ok, that sun is calling me and I have GOT to find some cream for these bites! See ya!

Pictures!

Here are some pictures of my first few days in Kiev!

This is where we have classes every morning. We also eat breakfast and lunch here. And have Monday morning base prayer. Let's just say we move the chairs and tables around a lot.

The main square in downtown Kiev. The stature is the Spirit of Ukraine.

Me and Kseniya (who is 28, finally someone my age!!) on the escalator in the metro. It takes at least 2 minutes on the escalator to get to the train platform that's how deep underground they are.

Here are my roomates (left to right): Oksana, Arielle, Masha, Marta. Please note the deliciously huuuge pile of crepes in front of Oksana that we are about to devour.

If you didn't notice from the picture in the metro, we're already wearing winter clothes here. I've got my boots, scarf, long johns (yes, already!), two pairs of socks, and gloves on. Ok, not right now, but whenever I'm outside I have to bundle up. Boooooooooo. Since we're not completely sure where we're going on outreach yet we're supposed to be praying about it as individuals and as a DTS. I can already tell you that God has spoken to ME that He wants us to go to the warm coast of Turkey. Just sayin'. The Lord has spoken.

We cooked spaghetti for the school last night, and since we had another DTS that's joining us for the week we had to cook for over 40 people. I made the Texas toast and my hands still smell like garlic. It was a big hit, though.

You know my favorite part of the day? After lunch most days we have a break of an hour or so. I go find a quiet spot, put my headphones on, go online and catch up with things. Ahhhh, it's nice to be 'alone'. Haha, that's a funny thought. You're never ever ever alone in DTS, unless you're in the bathroom. I'm learning to find my own time, though. For example, I let my flat mates leave the apartment ahead of me in the morning and then I leave a few minutes later. Then I have the 20 minute walk to the base all to myself. Woohoo!!! Of course, I have to share that alone time with all of the morning traffic in Kiev, but it's so worth it. We ignore each other.

I really like Kiev and I can't wait to get to know the city better. There's a sushi place across the street that I'm wanting to try out soon. Maybe this weekend or next. The trick is to find another student who isn't as poor as the rest and can actually afford sushi. I think my friend Kseniya will go with me. Mmmmmm. I'm holding off on going to McDonald's until I'm desperate. I'm sure that time will come soon, haha.

Love you all, hope things are going well in the States!

Hey here's a post I wrote last week, but now that I finally have my own internet I can actually post it from my computer! (Sorry if the picture doesn't upload, I'll figure it out soon.)

September 27, 2010

Day 2: Can that really be it?! I feel like I’ve been here forever. In a good way. J

Here’s a few firsts:

First meal in Ukraine: Pizza! (Second meal was also pizza, by the way)

First washing of clothes: By hand. Makes me envy my missionary friends in Africa- even they have a washer!!!

First time getting lost: Tonight with my flat mates trying to get home from dinner. We asked for directions about 10 times and probably walked at least 3 miles.

First time growling at my room mates when they tried to wake me up: Sunday morning. Their mistake.

First time buying milk in a bag (see picture below): Tonight at the Flora market.

So all my flat mates have arrived. We have 5 girls in the apartment altogether. OY!!!! It’s unique, to put it lightly. So far so good (but we’re only looking at 24 hours at this point).

To continue the lists here’s a list of my flat mates:

Arielle (18): American, SPEAKS NO RUSSIAN! Poor girl. We are trying to teach her, but the only words she knew when she came were ‘Hi’ and ‘Thank you’. I think she’ll be OK, but in the meantime she doesn’t understand a thing going on around her.

Marta (17): Ukrainian. I think her dad’s a pastor in Western Ukraine. Her best friend is also at DTS and the two of them egg each other on and laugh so loud and talk so fast that no one, not even the Russian speakers, can understand them.

Masha (20 but looks about 10): Ukrainian. At first I thought she didn’t even speak Russian (it turns out Russian and Ukrainian are very different languages) let alone English, but we’re starting to communicate. She knows more than she lets on.

Oksana (17): Ukrainian. She speaks a little English so we’ve been able to communicate, but sometimes we all get so frustrated trying to say the simplest thing that we give up before we even get anywhere.

Jet lag is getting a little better. I’m hoping to get to go visit the city in the next week or so, but true to YWAM form, things are going to be pretty hectic the next few weeks. We leave Wednesday for a retreat center outside Kiev to celebrate YWAM’s 50^th anniversary. When we come back Saturday we are joined by the DTS from Ternopil (a city in western Ukraine where Marta and several others are from). They will be with us for classes the whole next week so I don’t know when any sight seeing is going to happen. Booo. Ok, I know, I’m here for 3 months, it will happen! Then I get to go spend another 3 months in a completely different place and see the sights there. Tough life, huh?

Prayer please, if you will:

That the girls and I would adjust to living together with our different cultures and backgrounds.

Moments of alone time for me so that I can ‘recharge’ and not kill anyone while I’m in Ukraine. It’d be a pity to have to return early because of murder.

That’s it so far. As they said in lecture this morning: this is an adventure! An adventure is always welcome.

OK, so a few more prayer requests, just cuz I CAN.

I'm sick with some sort of sinus congestion gook. I'd like to get better please!

No Hulu!!! I can't watch my TV shows! I might die...just saying....

Sooo that's it. We're touring the city today (and I had my own personal tour yesterday) so I'll have pictures up soon. Love ya all!

Hey all! I'm still awaiting my own wifi account on the base so you'll have to wait a little bit longer till I can start putting up pictures (and there are plenty already).
We just got back from a 3 day conference outside of Kyiv to celebrate the 50th anniversary of YWAM. All of the bases from Eastern Europe (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Belarus) and the founders (we're talking Loren and Darlene Cunningham here) came together all in one place. Now, I'm still new, but I've been told by a lot of the staff that something like this rarely happens in YWAM (maybe just once every 50 years, haha), so I felt pretty privileged to be able to hear the leaders and founders speak their hearts. And speak they did!! Honestly, they probably could've talked a little less...but no one asked me. ;)
The only downside to the conference was the weather and the food. The weather took a sudden turn for the Arctic and I only had my sweatshirt for the 3 days. Big bummer. Some of our staff went back to Kyiv and brought back coffee to sell to support our outreach. Trust me, they made a killing (and they made great coffee too!) Also, the food was terrible! It's actually called Soviet food. Think cold potatoes (or rice, or noodles), cold meat (sometimes with cold onions mashed in), and cold tea to drink. One morning I thought we got lucky because they gave us cereal. At least when that was cold it would be the right! But, nope, the milk in the cereal was actual room tempurature! I wanted to gag. However, we're back now and some of the girls are making crepes for dinner. Yummy and warm.
Monday lectures start. We're gonig to be taught by Al Alikoff who pretty much founded the Eastern Europe YWAM. Pretty cool. I have no idea what he's going to say, but all these people have a million and two stories to tell. As long as you've had your coffee it's great.
I think, just maybe, I'm learning Russian! Maybe. At least, I'm able to communicate most of the time, though our conversations often consist of half English, half Russian, and a lot of grunts and pointing. I'll be really, really good at charades when I come back.
I want to make sure I let you know what's going on over here, so are there any questions people have? To me the answers are obvious, but then, I'm the one living this. What do you want to know?

Sheeeesh! It’s only been 24 hours and I’m already feeling stretched. Some of that has to do with a terrible case of jet lag, so I’m doing my best to keep all judgments on hold. Speaking of jet lag, I want to sleep for three days straight, but that is not a possibility. For those of you who know me, I am NOT a morning person. This morning my roommates attempted to wake me up and it was a huuuge mistake on their part. I told them in no uncertain terms that I did not need to wake up just then and that I would get out of bed when I was ready. Poor girls.

Kiev is great! I am still grasping the fact that I’m in Europe and that this is something most people would find fascinating and exhilarating. It’s not that I’m not excited to be here, but it’s familiar. The smells, the sights, the food, the sounds are all what I’ve been around before. So it’s not brand new, but it’s like returning to an old home. I’m happy to be here, and I’m sure there will be some surprises here and there, but so far nothing has shocked me. The hallways of the apartment buildings are still sketchily dark and still smell like cooked cabbage and old garbage. The people still smell like BO. There are still stray dogs running around everywhere. And you know what? I love it! I’m in Eastern Europe and I know that this is where I belong for this time in my life.

Registration for the DTS starts tonight at 6:00 so I haven’t met everyone yet. There are 15 people all together, 9 girls and 6 guys. I am in an apartment with 4 (yes, f-o-u-r) other girls. Oy. Right now it’s just me and 2 of the girls, the other 2 arrive some time today. And so far, I’m the oldest girl, the other 2 are 17 and 18, so I have instantly become the ‘responsible’ one. Also since I speak English and a choppy Russian I have already acted as the occasional translator between Marta (the 17 year old Ukrainian who speaks broken English) and Arielle (the 18 year old American from Ohio who doesn’t speak a word of Russian). This could be interesting.

And you all were right, my Russian is coming back VERY quickly. Marta especially appreciates it. I hope I keep remembering more words; I would really like to be able to communicate especially since there are students who don’t speak any English. I can see our conversations being a jumbled mix of the languages we know in order to get to know each other. Oh, good times are ahead!

Prayer requests:

1) They have yet to find apartments for the boys. They are looking for 2 places but have only had possibly found one so far. Pray that find places for them to live soon!

2) For good sleep for me to help me get over jet lag.

3) Grace!!! Again, part of it the jet lag, but I want to love my roommates and have grace for our cramped living quarters. Pray that they have grace for me as well, I know that I can be pretty difficult. ;)

Thanks, love and miss you all!!!

I'm sitting at JFK, "enjoying" 15 minutes of complimentary Wifi. 15 minutes?!?!!? Ok, I'll type fast.

Everything worked out, I have my meds, I have my tickets, bags are packed! (Don't know how that happened, but it did). My flight leaves in about an hour, and the reality of the fact that I am leaving for 6 months has not quite set in. Maybe when I step off the plane in Kiev?

Please pray for safe travels. Once I get settled I'll be able to post more regularly and put up some pictures!

I love you all, thank you for everything. You will be missed.

Here we goooo!!!

Those poor people

I'm starting to feel bad for the DTS staff in Kyiv. I've sent them about 1 million emails asking all sorts of questions (and sometimes repeating myself if I don't get an answer fast enough or if I didn't get the answer I wanted). Today I got an email from Kate (one of the staff) kindly saying to be patient and to stop bugging them! Ok, she didn't put it that way but it came across. Those poor people. I'm not even there and they're already having to put up with me.

On a happier (?) note, I've got my visa, ticket, and international insurance! All the major things. I had about a day of panic after I bought my plane ticket. It's so final. No turning back once you click that 'book this flight' button! Up until that moment I had the idea that I was leaving in my head, but right then it became reality and reality was a little overwhelming to me.

If you're of the praying persuasion, please pray for 2 major things:

1) Peace. There's a ton of little things that still need to get taken care of before I leave (less than 2 weeks now!) and I constantly feel like my brain is running away on me. Peace would be appreciated.

2) That I would be able to work it out so that I can get a full 6-month supply of my medicine. Right now my insurance will only give me 3 months and that just won't work! I have the Kyiv staff asking if I can get my medicine there (again, those poor people) and I'm still bugging CDPHP about it, but this is a major thing that needs to be worked out soon! Pray that it would all work out, please.

3) OK, come on, who ever really has the amount of prayer requests they originally said? Pray for my travels. I'm going JFK-Moscow-Kyiv. Pray that the flights are on time (I don't want to be stuck in Moscow!) and just for general safety. Also that they'd serve edible food on the plane- last time I flew Aeroflot they gave us raw swordfish for breakfast. Yummmm.

Big huge amazing thanks to everyone who has sent support in! You prayers and your checks are greatly appreciated!!! I'm thinking I'll have enough money for this trip, which is great, needless to say. I'm getting excited about this, can't wait to get over there and start posting pictures on this blog. Thanks to you!

I'm currently overwhelmed by the amount of things I need to do so that my life here in the States doesn't fall apart while I'm gone. Who can check my mail? Who will take care of any bank things? My car?? Where will my stuff go???

Here's a small list of things I need to do before I leave:

Go to the dentist's, make sure my teeth are ready ;)

Call my insurance and figure out what to do

Get international insurance

Cancel my Geico?

Find someone to check my mail and take care of any bills that might come in

Get a power adaptor

Stock up on any medicine, toiletries, etc., that I won't be able to get in Kiev

Sort through clothes, figure out what to take

There's more, but just writing out this list is overwhelming me again. Hopefully I won't forget anything. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

Well, OK, here I am starting this blog. I wanted a place where people could follow my journey to Ukraine, keep in touch, ask questions, etc.

I'll be leaving for Kiev at the end of Spetember. I'm going for a six month DTS (Discipleship Training School) with YWAM- Youth with a Mission. The school starts on September 27th and goes until the middle of March. During that time I will be living in an apartment in Kiev, going to classes for three months, and then they put you on the road for the last half of the DTS.

I don't know where we'll be going for our outreach (that's what the second half is called), usually the leaders and/or students decide that together through prayer and by what's available at the time. Generally they stay in Europe or Asia.

Going to this DTS has been something of a dream of mine for a while now. Ever since I was in high school, Eastern Europe has had a grip on my heart. The opportunity to go now just seemed the most natural choice in the world. I know I have responsibilities here, but when I took a good look, they were't anything that couldn't be put down for a time. God has opened wide this door, and I am walkin' on in to whatever is next!

There's an unbelievable amount of things to do to get your life in order so that you can then leave it for six months. My car, my job, my stuff (goodbye sweet cell phone) all has to be left behind. Luckily, my lap top (let's hear it for Macs) gets to go along with me. I'll be glad to stay in touch with people through this blog, Skype, email, and of course, Facebook.

Please feel free to ask questions, and please, please, please leave comments so I know you're there! This will be fun. :)