Last days in Ukraine

We are heading home from Poland today and everyone is very much looking forward to seeing their families and sleeping in their own beds.
Here's a little update from the end of our time in Ukraine.
Our last day with the kids was Thursday and we were able to spend a lot of time with the kids. It was too cold for the Black Sea and the park, so the kids just stayed at camp. Because of this, we just went ahead and had our Bible School program in the morning. That was really cool because then we had our normal afternoon time with them as well. In the morning we talked about the Sword of the Spirit and did a summary of all the parts of armor that we had learned about all week. The kids used fabric markers to design their "Helmet of Salvation" hats (cute baseball caps). In the afternoon, we handed out New Testiment Bibles and the kids used the same markers to decorate their Bible covers. We also gave them all the booklet that we made which teaches all about the Armor of God. Thank you again, Tatiana, for translating that for us! It's full of Scripture and reminds of what the armor is all about. I think the kids will cherish these for years. Our hope is that they will read and re-read them and understand more and more about this gift that Jesus offers.

Due to the rain and very cold weather, we were not able to have our baptism. We were very disappointed, but again, knew that God was in control of all things.

While the kids ate their dinner, our team went to a restaurant that we had reserved a room in. We planned a special dinner and a special night to honor our translators and show them how much we loved and appreciated them. They are awesome. We love them dearly and could not do a thing without them. They are so great in filling in the gaps when we don't have the right words. When we are in a group or one on one, they are great at jumping in and letting us know who is saying what. They love these kids too and want them to know how much God loves them so they are great at helping us get the message across. When we can't explain something right, the kids never know it because our Ukrainian friends fix it all when they translate.
When we passed around small gifts to them that night at the restaurant, they surprised us with a very special gift of their own. One was a poster size calendar with a group picture of our team. An other was a DVD that Tolik made for us. It was complete with music and lots and lots of precious pictures from our time in the village. Of course I'll be posting it on here soon. For now, you can see it on my facebook page.
We left Friday morning for Poland and our translators met us at our hotel to say goodbye. That is always a sad time.....it's hard to leave the kids and it's hard to leave our friends. Igor came to the airport with us and Tolik ended up coming later because SOMEone forgot a certain important paper that was needed to get home (no....it wasn't me OR Carol). We were pretty early at the airport which gives us time to weigh luggage and make sure everything is ready. My sweet friend, Vova, was with us at the aiport too. He stayed with us (helped with luggage again) until we left to go through to the other sided of the airport. I hate saying goodbye to Vova but at least we can still stay in touch.
I will update about Poland later. I know noone wants to sit and read anything this long on the computer (expect maybe you parents who are dying to know how your kids are doing). But, will just say, Poland was AWESOME! It's beautiful and we were so relaxed and enjoyed our time so very much. Some friends of mine, Steve and Jen Lefever, spent the evening and the whole day with us Saturday and showed us all around. It was a wonderful time and a much needed rest. Thanks again guys!!!! We loved it!!!!!!
Heading to the airport in 2 hours!!!!!!

God is AWESOME!

Yesterday at Camp Viktoria and at the park in the morning, we had some great one on one time with the kids and also were able to do our Bible story and singing/craft time with them. God has just opened that door so wide open for us. Fontanka door was closed but we know that because of that, we were able to spend twice as much time with the kids at camp. Spending time with them, playing with them, walking, talking, making necklaces, face painting, and everything else, helps us to bond closer together and helps the kids to really listen when we talk about having a personal relationship with God. There were so many individual stories shared last night of how God gave different people opportunities to share the Gospel and how the kids accepted Jesus in their little small groups or in their one on one times. So many kids and teenagers came to know Christ. Some of the teenagers are kids that SACS has had relationships with for 6 or 7 years so it is incredible to see the seeds that were planted years ago bloom and grow.
Today we are hoping that it is warm enough for the kids to be at the Black Sea. We are having a Baptism time. Some of our team members want to be Baptised (which was our sermon Sunday). We will open up this time to any of the orphans who have committed their lives to Jesus and also wish to be Baptised.
Also...Carol, Igor, and I are going to go to Fontanka today to give some gifts to the director. These are things that we had already planned on giving them and we are also giving them the crafts that they would have done if we were there.
Please pray for this time. I think it will go well and our prayer is that everything will be fine for next year when we come back. We pray that the door isn't closed to us forever.
Today is our last day with the kids. We want to continue to share the Good News and we want to be able to do our last lesson with them so that is another prayer request for today.
It will be a sad day of goodbyes and we will all be full of emotions. We will stay late at the camp so that we can spend as much time as possible. Saying goodbye to the kids is one of the hardest things we do on this trip. Our heart stays behind with them. We always let them know that God is still with them and that our love is with them. We remind them that they can pray to God anytime, anywhere, and He is there. He is their joy and reason for living and we want to leave them with that.
I never have time to re-read my blogs to check for spelling and grammar, so please excuse any mistakes. Everyone is downstairs at breakfast waiting for me and this is always done in a hurry but we want you to know how things are going so it is important to do even if it's in a hurry.
LOVE YOU ALL!

Wednesday...only 2 more days left

There is so much to tell that I could never catch up in one short sitting but we have had some great times with the orphans.
We have spent a lot of time playing with them and also sharing the Gospel.

We went to see the kids at Camp Viktoria on Saturday and stayed late into the evening with them. We invited several kids to come to church with us for the next morning. One of our translators (19 year old Ksusha) goes to a church that speaks Russian and English and it is very close to the camp. The director gave us permission to take some kids with us. The next morning we had 17 very excited orphans with us and took them to church. We almost didn't even get to pull away from the camp though because there are strict laws about transporting kids on the bus and we were breaking all of them. Igor convinced our driver that we would pay the bribe that needed to be paid if we were stopped by police so he drove us to church. We were running a little late so they actually waited for us before they started their services. The church met in an apartment building inside one of the bigger rooms. It was packed. We had an awesome time of praise and worship and listened as they taught about baptism and the Lord's supper.
After church, we took the kids to McDonalds where they very happily chowed down on their hamburger, fries, and icecream. I can't wait to post those pictures!
Monday came and Satan attacked. We went to Fontanka (the boys detention orphanage) and had a great time teaching the boys and doing crafts. They were so excited to see us and even remembered the songs we taught them last year. Those of us who had been before were so excited to be reunited with some of the kids we have built a relationship with. I was extremely happy to see Viktor and he was just as happy to see me. He never left my side. The boy that Brian prayed with last year was with Brian every second as well.
After Fontanka we spent the afternoon at Camp Viktoria. We went to their program and then decided that since their program was over and they were free to do what ever they wanted, let's do OUR program! So....we did! It went great and the kids LOVED it...especially the crafts. Even the older teenagers and the summer teachers came and did the crafts.
On our way home Igor got a call from Fontanka. There was a huge misunderstanding that happened that morning that caused the director to have to tell us that we couldn't come back. They had several conversations through out the evening and we all prayed more that night than on the whole trip. Our hearts were sad and heavy and there was nothing else we could do to change the situation. That night, we decided we would have a praise and worship time because we know we are in a spiritual battle. We know satan doesn't want this message taught. We know he will continue to attack. BUT we know Who is in control. We know we are called. We know we are equipt through Him and we will praise Him because He is worthy.
Kim, one of the college students on the trip, lead us in song. Before she played the guitar she read Scripture and reminded us that Paul, who would have much rather have been preaching the Good News, was in jail. He didn't sit there wondering why God let this happen. He didn't sit there thinking "if only I did this different"...no, he sang praises to his God. So, we too will sing praises to our God just like Paul did.
Paul is the main character in all our stories with the Armor of God theme so it was a perfect reminder for us to praise Him.
Tuesday we went to see the kids at Camp Viktoria since we couldn't go to Fontanka. They were at the Memorial Park due to the cooler weather. While we were there, our teenagers did one of the skits that is set to music. It is a powerful skit that is very moving. That got in the middle of the park and turned on the music and we all sat there with the kids and watched them. This was a bit of a risk because they don't have the same freedom as we do. There is no freedom of speach or anything like that when you are out in a public place. You are not allowed to assemble and do a program in a public place. We took a risk and everything went great.
Later, at camp, we taught our story again and did our crafts. We never know from day to day if we will be able to teach so every time is so important. Today it is pouring down rain and we don't know if the kids will even be outside. As Bill and some of the others have been sharing Jesus with small groups around camp, they said they have never felt the spiritual battle so strongly. Satan doesn't like this but that only confirms to us that we are doing what God wants us to do. We are stepping out on faith, taking some big risks, and picking up our armor and going into battle.
Keep on praying! We know that without your prayers, there would even be more attacks.

Time in the Village

Today is Thursday and our time in the village has been really fun.
Our kids have done a great job jumping in and spending time with the orphans. They have been playing soccer, volleyball, frisbee, drawing with sidewalk chalk, and making bracelets. After the first day, Carol and some of the translators and kids went around the village to invite the kids to come to the orphanage to have Bible school with us. Every day more and more kids have come. Last year we had about 100 kids all together. This year we have about half that but we are ok with that. We are being allowed to share God's love with the kids who come and we are having great small group times with them.
Without permission to have a program in a public place, we cannot have our "Bible school" atthe park in the center, so we are having in the orpanage. The orphanage director will allow us to have it there where she will be responsible for us. We were not able to get permission this year but since we made friends with the village kids last year, they heard we were back again and wanted to come to be with us even though we were at the orphanage.

The teenagers are sharing the story every day (with the help of the translators, or course). We are teaching about the Armor of God. Every day is a different story about how Paul put on a different piece of the armor. Today is the story about the Helmet of Salvation so we shared the message of salvation with the kids. There was a smaller group due to some rain we had this morning, but I think we'll have all the kids back this afternoon and we will repeat the message in our small group time.

One thing that has been really cool to see this year is that the village kids have been playing with the orphan kids. They have even helped them with their crafts or with the games we have played. They have seen the uncondional loved poured out from the team and they are follwing the example.

Those of you who have kids on this team would be proud to know how well your kids are doing. They are working non-stop. If they aren't playing with a child, they are preparing for a lesson or working on a skit or cleaning or just doing what ever needs to be done.
Tomorrow, we leave the village around 3:30 to head back to Odessa. Next week we will go to Fontanka (I CAN'T WAIT) and will teach our lessons every morning. We will spend time at Camp Viktoria in the afternoons.

I wish I could post pictures for you today but this will be a fast post. I am sitting at a little internet "cafe" in the middle of the center inbetween our sessions. I'll post pictures as soon as I can. Just know that everyone is doing great; no one is sick or too tired or homesick and all is well. Thank you for your prayers and please keep praying.

Safetly in Ukraine!

We are in Ukraine safe and sound. Igor was waiting for us at the airport with two buses; one for us and one for our luggage. Well.....the luggage that made it. That's right...not all the luggage fit on our plane. Our plane was very comfortable and roomy but it was not big enough for all of our suitcases. Please pray that we will have all of our things by the time we leave for the village on Sunday. Most of the missing suitcases have our supplies for crafts and clothes for the orphans but some are also personal suitcases with our own clothes and medicines that are needed daily.

I had an awesome surprise at the airport. My sweet friend, who I met at the orphanage on my first trip, was the airport to meet us. Vova was there to greet us all with his smiling face. He helped us carry our things and helped load everything on the bus. Mike (who isn't going to be here until next week) met Vova on SACS very first trip to Ukraine 6 years ago. I think Vova was about 12 or 13 then. He is now 20 or 21 and works on a ship. We keep in touch on Facebook through out the year and we get to see each other every summer when we come back.

The rest of our evening will be spent back at the place we are staying. We will leave here in a few minutes (by here I mean McDonalds) and walk back to the "Kindergarden". We will eat dinner and then meet with the translators. It will be a wonderful reunion as always for those who have been before and we will also meet new members of the team (both American and Ukrainian). Oh, and how could I forget...Tolik also met us at the airport. He kept us very entertained while we waited for all the paperwork to be done for the delayed luggage.

We will keep you updated as often as we can. Thank you for your prayers.
OH...also forgot... We had to pay for 5 of the extra pieces of luggage in Chicago. They were none too happy about our extra luggage let me tell you. But, with Carol's sad eyes, explaining all about the orphans, and after they talked for over an HOUR about what to do about the extra luggage, they decided to charge us for 5 out of the 11. OK...we can handle that.
Thanks again for your prayers!!!
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

We're off!!!!!!

Our excited team is sitting at the airport right now "as we speak"!
This is, by far, our most stress free, problem free, airport morning ever. We met at the school, weighed our bags, loaded them on the bus, prayed, and headed off to the airport.
Carol talked to the people at the desk about our extra 50 pound bags and asked if they could wave the $50 charge since they were for orphans in Ukraine. Well....we should really never be surprised when God answers our prayers with a miracle, but WOW....They did NOT charge us extra!!!! NOW....they may charge us when we get there, but God has proven Himself over and over and we have faith that we will not be charged extra when we arrive in Odessa.
Thanks to Ben, Dan, and Mer for coming to help us this morning. We will miss you greatly!!!! Of course, we get to see Mer next week, along with Mike and Bill.
Thank you parents and grandparents too. We appreciate your prayers and encouraging words. Know that we will be taking very good care of your kids. We will care for them just as we care for our own; they are in good hands.

Last few days of planning

Our team is leaving Thursday for Ukraine. We have been meeting together the last few days so that we can go over the lessons, skits, crafts, schedules, and all the details of the trips. We love our times of prayer and worship when we get together.

We have been packing our crafts and supplies and are almost completely ready to go. The international flights to Europe have changed their rules and now we have to pay for our 2nd 50 pound bags. This is an added cost, which is a real bummer, but God has provided the funds through His faithful servants, and we are able to take the extra luggage that we need to take all the things we need. We are also taking clothes that have been donated so we can leave them with the kids.

We have had another day of Russian lessons, animal balloon making, and packing. We have done all that we can do except what we need to do in our own homes (LAUNDRY AND PACK!!!).

Our hearts are ready and we pray their hearts are ready too.

Thursday morning, we will meet at the school and load everything into the school bus and head out to the airport. We will be in Ukraine on Friday. I already heard from my 20 year old friend Artyr that he will meet us at the airport just because he is excited to see us. He grew up in the orphanage and I have known him for 5 years. That seems impossible! I can't wait to see him!

We would like to thank those of you who have been keeping us in your prayers and thank those of you who supported our team financially. Without your support, this trip would not be possible.
May God pour His blessings on you in a special way for being faithful to His call.