I am such a dork.

[orangecounty.craigslist.org]
SPACE MOUNTAIN LINE - w4m (DISNEYLAND)

7:30pm. You were the tall, blonde guy in the gray sweatshirt, there with 4 other friends, oh-so-sneakily chaining them to the line posts. I was the girl behind you in line. You asked how many loops there were on the coaster; I said 5. I lied. If you see this, let's be friends.

PHASE 2: Complete!

Jr. High camp officially ended today, all 150ish kids back snug in their own beds tonight. What a week it was. Kinda tough for me; being a lead in Thailand this year has been sweet, but definitely makes it harder to connect with kids when you're not sleeping in a cabin with them. And these kids were just different from the jr. highers I'm used to. More independent, less I-want-to-hang-out-with-you-always. Most (but not all) of the times I tried to strike up conversations about anything other than boys or the latest gossip went something like this: "So what have you thought about Chris' teaching this week?" "I love it! He's great!" "Awesome! What's stood out to you, anything you've learned?" "Yeah, totally." "Sweet! Like what?" "Ummm....." Oh jr. highers. Kinda tough for a lot of us, but God was working in some cool ways through the staff as a whole, and it was awesome to hear some of the stories and interactions that came out of the time at camp. This week I prayed for God to use me wherevever, however would be the most needed. It seemed it wasn't always with campers, and it was cool to be able to encourage some of the staff girls and counselors from some of the different schools here. Had some sweet conversations with them about what God's doing in their lives and around them, passions and dreams and desires for the future, how best to love on these kids. So although my time looked a little different than I expected it to at times, it was still sweet.

And then tonight!!! What an amazing opportunity our team had to go to the Yee-Peng Sansai Ceremony (and I have the "Foreigner Guest" sticker to prove it!), which corresponds with some phase of the moon which just so happened to fall on TONIGHT. So we drove out to a temple in Chiang Mai, where thousands of people (mostly Thais, but a few othe foreigners like ourselves) had gathered for the buddhist tradition of lighting and releasing THOUSANDS of giant paper lanterns into the night sky, based on the belief that their sins are being sent away/atoned for in doing so. Sad, to be sitting in the middle of all those people during their chanting and meditation, not knowing of the grace that could so easily be theirs. Spectacular, to be able to light a lantern with my friends alongside them and watch these countless lights ascend into the night sky, saying a prayer for these amazing Thai people. It hit me from a ne perspective: the whole reason we come out to Thailand is for these people! The camps we run for these missionary kids, they're going to be a big part of impacting this and many other parts of the world for Christ, of being a light in the darkness here in Thailand and all over the world. So as I watched my lantern disappear into the cloud of lights in the night sky, I couldn't help but be in awe and hopeful of the future for the people of Thailand. God is at work out here in some amazing ways, and he's not giving up on them yet--not by a longshot.

[to catch a glimpse of what we saw tonight, go search it on YouTube!] :)

Phase 1: complete!

Well, the HS phase of Thailand '09 is officially done! This morning after chapel the 350+ campers loaded up on a multitude of songtaews and waved their last goodbyes to us tired and sweaty Hume Lakers on the steps. It all happened so fast. I wish we had at LEAST a full week to keep getting to know these kids, hearing their stories, their hopes and dreams, what God is doing in their lives. Wish I could have talked with some kids more. Oh-so-thankful for the wonderful things that are Facebook and Skype for keeping in touch despite the distance that will soon once again separate us. But let me tell you, being here with these kids again was FANTASTIC.

These kids are ones who will change the world. They've lived everywhere, experienced so much, seen God work in some amazing ways. So many of them have a wisdom that is beyond their 17 years. How amazing to be even a small part of God shaping them and preparing them for lives of service that are so outside of my comfortable little box. Amazing to get little notes saying that my brief e-mails and chats both here and there in the last two years have been big encouragements to them, that I'm like an older sister. Blows me away that God would use insecure and shy me for that. To God be the glory!

So thrilled to be here again, to see God at work this time around. Today is our day of rest, and Thai massages and the night bazaar are going to be AMAZING. But then tomorrow, it starts again. Give or take 150 jr. highers will roll in, and Rich and Chris and the band and all the rest of us will do it all over again. And I can't wait.

Sawadee ka!

Hello from Thailand! Computer time has been scarce and apparently iPod Touches don't like blogger. But I've got a few minutes of uninterrupted time as campers are snuggling into bed, so here we go! :)

Can I just say that my return to Thailand has pretty much been everything I hoped it'd be--and more!!! Since arriving on Wednesday, I've...

>Seen 10 of my 15 girls from last year, + lots of other returning kids!

>Enjoyed a DELICIOUS meal with all of my favorite Thai foods: khao soy, Thai tea, and mango sticky rice. Mmmmm...!!!

>Hiked through a tropical forest in a tropical rainstorm to splash around with a few kids in a tropical waterfall. All in my wonderful Rainbow sandals. Wow.

>Seen my first fireflies!!! And they were as magical as I hoped.

>Had some amazing conversations with campers, counselors, and fellow Hume staff members.

>Showered outside on a balcony that looks like it's part of the jungle, overlooking rice fields and lush green mountains.

>Worshipped alongside a small room full of 350+ campers that worship like few I've seen worship before.

>Watched an amazing sunset with my girls.

>Searched for Narnia behind a "secret" door under a house with some fun girls.

And that's just the beginning. Chris Simning's talks on the story of Jonah have been prompting some cool conversations about God saying GO. Kids are being challenged and having a blast. And God is at work. So amazing.

Pictures are a little hard for me, but Rich has this cool little camera on his iPhone (Apple is amazing, what can I say?) and has been updating the Hume blog multiple times a day, with LOADS of pictures! So click your way over to www.humeinternational.org and click on the THAILAND link if you want to catch just a glimpse of God at work.

And off we go!!!

In less than 12 hours, our team of totally awesome people from Hume Lake Christian Camps will be on our way to Chiang Mai, Thailand! In the next 2 1/2 weeks or so, we will have the opportunity to run camps for JH and HS missionary/international kids living in and around Chiang Mai. We're bringing out a band


and a speaker

[Chris Simning]
and these little beauties


and a whole team of amazing people to put on camp with! I've been dying to get back to Thailand ever since my first trip with Hume in 2007, and let me just say that I am SO EXCITED to get back and see what God's got in store for this trip!!! I feel like he's already been doing so much and teaching me so many things leading up to the trip...when we get there, he's got to have some pretty exciting things in store! And I can't wait to find out what they are.

October 12-28. Pray for us!

Pray for our team, that we will gel. That God will give us the words to say (and not to say!) as we're loving on these kids. That we'll be able to do just that--love on the kids!!! That we will be open to God's leading and teaching of us even as we're striving to lead and teach these kids. That God will be glorifies through us.

Pray for the kids, that God will be preparing their hearts even now for what's ahead at camp. That they will be challenged to pursue God in their lives. That they will connect with the staff and be able to open up to us. That God will be raising them up as the next generation of missionaries and leaders in Thailand and all over the world.

Thanks, friend! When I have a chance, I will try to post updates on here, but no promises. But the bossman, Rich, is hoping to be able to update Hume's blog on a daily basis with pictures and stories! So click on over to www.humeinternational.org and click on the THAILAND link! :)

The Ark

So I was talking about Noah with my middle school small group this week. All my girls knew his story: how because of their utter wickedness, God was bummed out that he'd created mankind. How the only man who found favor in his eyes was Noah. How he commanded Noah to build an ark and take his family and 2 of each animal on board with them to survive the coming flood. How at the end God displayed a rainbow in the sky as the sign of his covenant to never completely flood the earth again. Like I said, we all knew the story.

Then one of my girls asked: did God command Noah to build the ark as a test for him, to see if he'd obey God in this huge thing? Some crazy test that would be! Especially if it was the first time Noah had ever heard from God! Can you imagine? But then I read...

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord..."

"Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time..."

"Noah did everything just as God commanded him..."

And more. Several more times in those couple of chapter in Genesis did Noah get commended for obeying God, fully. And I realized: this wasn't the first time God had spoken to Noah. Sure, maybe he'd never asked him to do something as crazy as build an ark before, but at this point in his life he'd been around for more than 500 years and "he walked with God." In all that he did, day in and day out, Noah was a man who lived to listen to his Creator and strove to follow him in all things. Little things. Big things. And now this. And when that call came for the ark to be built, Noah had seen God at work in his life before and knew--he can be trusted. Even though the task was huge, even though it would require some major life change, even though people might think he was insane. Noah knew he served a God who was bigger than all of that, a God who loved him and wanted the best for him and who could be trusted in the big things just as well as the little things. And you know what happened.

So now the challenge comes to me: am I walking with God in all things--the little as well as the big? Because if I am, I'm going to come to know him more, know his call and his trustworthiness and his love for me. And when those "ark" situations come around, things that seem impossible and terrible by my--and maybe the rest of the world's--estimation, I'll know: in this too can he be trusted. And what comes after that, we've yet to find out...

Trust issues.

I have trust issues. And over the last few months, I've been on a rollercoaster of a lesson on trust in God. It seemed he was leading me to do something that didn't make sense financially, something that I couldn't handle right now. Yet, trust me, I heard him say. Put yourself out there, in a place where it doesn't make sense, and see what I will do. So that's what I did. And for a while, it seemed like things were going great! Between my own hard work--and a bit of God's help, of course--it looked like things would be smooth sailing. Then I encountered some bumps in the road that unseated me a bit. I mean, where did this come from anyway? I was doing everything right, doing my part in seeing things come about, didn't God know that? What did he expect from me? Maybe I heard him wrong. Maybe I should back out now. Trust me, he said again. I'm still here, still taking care of you if you'll just stop and see. But it took some time, what can I say? I'm a doer; sometimes I'm not so good at the whole stopping thing. How thankful I am for his faithfulness, even when I'm unfaithful. For his patience with me, when I make the same mistakes again and again. Because he never left me, he's not playing some cruel trick on me. He's actually blowing me away with his provision and loving kindness! I stand in amazement at what he can do, in spite of me. And now I can't help but wondering: in what other areas in my life is he saying, Trust me? And what other ways is he waiting to blow my socks off, if only I'll give him the chance.

"Some people say, 'God will never ask me to do something I can't do.' I have come to the place in my life that, if the assignment I sense God is giving me is something that I know I can handle, I know it is probably not from God. The kind of assignments God gives in the Bible are always God-sized. They are always beyond what people can do, because he wants to demonstrate his nature, his strength, his provision, and his kindness to his people and to a watching world. This is the only way the world will come to know him." [John Ortberg]

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." [Eph. 3 :20]

Scandalous!

This is what happens when you're housesitting--you make a music video! I think the timing's a bit off after the upload, but enjoy...

Meet Leeana.

That first day when I saw Leeana in the crush of kids crowding our porch, I thought she was a boy. Along with the baggy secondhand clothes, her deep voice, close-cropped hair and rough exterior made her appear anything but feminine. When I discovered she was in my group and asked Melissa to remind me what the name of that boy was, I’ll never forget her response: “That’s actually a girl, her name is Leeana, and you’re not the first person to make that mistake.”

I don’t know her story of where she came from or how she got to the Pravda orphanage, but I’m sure it must be a crazy one. All week long I watched as Leeana sauntered around the orphanage, mostly on her own. When I did see her with other kids, she was often verbally bossing or physically pushing them around. Most times I think we wrote her off as “that crazy girl,” and she never did much to change our opinions.

Then came picnic day! Each of the camp’s 6 teams headed down to the river with bags of juice and soda, cookies and chips, for some bonding and fun. In the midst of the feeding frenzy, some slight confusion left Leeana out of our party. Angrily she stalked off to the river on her own, the lone outsider among the celebrants.

Towards the end of the picnic, I finally learned what had happened. Most of the kids had returned to the river and most of the food was gone, but I rushed around to gather what leftovers I could. I brought my scavenged 2 cups of juice and box of chip-like things to a quiet spot on the edge of the river and called for Leeana to come join me for a private picnic, not knowing if she would continue to sulk or accept my invitation.

What happened next caught me completely by surprise. Leeana came and sat, but not for long. On her way out of the water and up the bank, she’d spotted a boy from our group who looked like he was having a bad day. Before I knew it, my tough little tomboy had her cup of juice in hand and was off at a brisk pace to offer her drink; he turned her down. So she returned for our picnic–and took off a second time to offer him our last box of chips. Again, he refused (the little punk), so she offered them to other kids and teachers instead. I sat in amazement at this simple act. Coming from someone else, maybe it wasn’t such a big deal. But from Leeana, that simple act was so out of character and spoke volumes. We sat, enjoying the rest of our picnic in the summer sun, and I shot up a quick prayer of thanks and asked God to continue softening these kids’ hearts towards each other and him.

Alive in America!

Yep, after 2 days of little-to-no-sleep, a 3-hour delayed flight from Moscow and an hour of trying to find my dad in LAX, I FINALLY made it home in once piece! Slept for 10 1/2 hours that first night and woke up NOT feeling like an emotional wreck anymore...ha. Life is returning to normal, I'm in the process of unpacking and putting away the random odds and ends strewn about my bedroom floor and catching up on things at home. Like In-N-Out. And pizza. And Thai food. And good food in general. And Disneyland. So if any of you would like to assist in bringing me back up to speed in any of these areas, feel free to give me a call! :)

The last few days in Ukraine, I was asked by the kids several times: What do you like better, Ukraine or America? Not an easy question; I definitely didn't love Ukraine itself. But those kids...oh, those kids. Misha. Bogdan. Sasha. Alec. Natasha. Ira. Ira. Alla. Christina. Elina. Slavik. Vitalik. Slavik. Denise. Ilia. I don't even know how to say or spell half of their names right, I don't even know half of their stories. But in those 10 short days of running camp, I came to love them so, so much!

In those 10 short days of camp, I swam with (and almost drowned...kinda) Bogdan and a million other kids as I tossed them around in the river. I went on an "excursion" with cool kid Misha throughout the orphanage grounds. I was taught how to count by my little buddy, Slavik. I led and debriefed (with the help of a translator, of course) teambuilding activities. I sang and danced like crazy with Katia. I played a crazy game of indoor futbol with Sasha and Yura, which I was sure we'd get busted for. I taught kids about s'mores. I took countless kids to ice cream at the magazine. Took (or had taken on my camera) around 1500 pictures. And so much more.

And even thought I couldn't really speak the language or share my faith verbally with these kids, God was still at work through other people and all around me. 5 kids became Christians on the last day, and all heard the good news about Jesus several times. Now they say they're going to get together and study the Bible on a regular basis. Doors were opened for the girls and Ukrainian leaders to keep up conversations about God with kids after camp, and I'm excited to hear what comes of it all. I found myself constantly being driven to prayer just out of the utter madness of it all at times. Yet even in the madness and unknown, God showed himself faithful to provide just what we needed, just when we needed it. And that was freaking awesome.

I'll work on getting up some stories, pictures, and videos over the next week or so. But in the meantime, I'm uploading a bunch to Facebook...feel free to have a look around! Thanks, friends, for all your thoughts and prayers over the past few weeks! If you'd like to hear more, I'd love to share more...over that In-N-Out, seriously...

Dasvaydanya for now.

The last few days have been a blur of continual movement and hectic activity. We've ridden mashootkas to the Center countless times, downed at least 20+ 6-liter bottles of water, eaten dinner in a "castle," watched the boys flip and flop on a trampoline, shopped til we dropped for rec gear, food, and birthday gifts...oh yeah, and not hardly slept a wink. Seriously. Last night I got less than 2 hours before Anika and I hopped on yet another mashootka, this time 4.5 hours into Kiev to pick up Tony, our last American team member to arrive. And now our entire U.S. team has met, and now it is the early morning of the first day of camp. Bags are [mostly] packed and lining the hallway, and tomorrow morning at noon it all starts.

Things have been a bit tough for me, though. It's felt like those times when you know you've only got a few hours to sleep but, try as you might, can't close your eyes--and knowing you're running out of time just stresses you out and makes sleep even more impossible. That's how I've felt when it comes to adjusting and being comfortable with the new places and new people around here. Not fun, but God has definitely been working in my heart, drawing me to him in ways I don't normally experience in the day-to-day at home.

And now it's camp time. Since my first whirlwind visit to Pravda my first day here, I've been counting down the days until we get to head back. Seeing the kids who I met oh-so-briefly again and being able to get to know them and love on them more will be amazing. I can't wait to go and really begin to do one of my main purposes in coming to Ukraine; these last few days have been kind of tough as I've felt slightly purposeless and in the way. But the kids...Talia, Elona, Sasha, Ivan, Leela, Anya...I can't wait!

But us going to Pravda means I'm going to be internet-less, probably for the rest of the trip. Any stories and God-moments that come along I will faithfully make note of and fill you all in on later, but in the meantime if you could be praying...

>>That the American and Ukrainian team members will learn how to communicate and work well together as we lead the 6 camp groups in crafts, Bible lessons, and various other activities.

>>That the team will live out our love for these kids in ways that words could never express.

>>That God would continue preparing the kids' hearts for what they will hear this week about who God is.

>>And for me personally, that I will remember that God has me here for a purpose, that he has uniquely gifted me to love and serve, that I will trust in what he thinks of me and not others, that I will intentionally search out and do things that will show God's love to everyone I meet.


(Oh yeah, a follow-up to the last beat-boxing extravaganza...so apparently Annie told me that the next day, Losha brought up my mad crazy skills again, asking her where I learned how to do that, if I did it with other people... I had to demonstrate again last night for a couple more of the boys. Then tonight, Vitalik, Misha, Vova, Roman, and Losha asked me to do it again, and FINALLY attempted a couple beats with me. Even Losha, one of the kids who Anika and everyone else has told me just doesn't open up to or pay much attention to new people! We watched some videos on Youtube of pro beat boxers and break dancers--I attempted some moves, and Vitalik and Vova some beats. Fun times, a great night!)

I'm huge in Ukraine.

So all last summer at Wildwood, I got mocked for my habit of sorta-kinda-not-really beat boxing whenever my mouth got bored. Was yelled at by Bailey to stop, I was driving her up the [tent] wall. Got compared to a beat boxing chicken by Livvy. Got pitying looks and laughs from everyone else.

Tonight I was sitting at the apartment with Annie and Vitalik, and my mouth got bored. Not severely, but enough for a few random "beats" to squeak out. Suddenly Vitalik spun around and looked at me with wide eyes and fired something off at me in Ukrainian. When I looked questioningly at Annie for a translation, she said he'd asked if I knew how to beat box, was any good at it. I laughed, but showed him my mad crazy skills (which really aren't mad crazy skills at all). When I tried to get him to give it a shot, he shook his head but jumped up and left the room, saying something to Annie. Apparently he'd gone to get Losha so he could check me out too! Oh snap.

I'm not quite sure what Losha thought of me, but I got a smile out of him at least. So Bailey, Livvy, everyone else who's ever made fun of me: eat your heart out. I'm huge in Ukraine.

Simple things

This afternoon we went to the park to watch a handful of Pravda kids dance at some thing. Didn't really know what was going on, didn't really know the kids all that well. Felt a little awkward and out of the loop walking along with everyone else, arm in arm. Ivan turned and took pity on poor American me, walked over and put his arm around me for the rest of the stroll. Pretty amazing.

Went to McDonald's with everyone after the park. Sat with Sashko and one of the Pravda girls, Anya. Wished I could talk with her, instead of just smiling across the table. Attempted a few comments. When we left, she came back to walk with me, her and the yellow balloon. Even saved me from getting run down by a machina [car]. She has such a beautiful smile!

Back at the apartment, I was sitting watching Ani and Melissa play Tetris. Losha and Roman came home, the game got paused, and everyone jumped up to give hugs. I sat, not completely sure what to do and not wanting to make either boy awkward (like I apparently did when I tried to break the ice a couple days ago by asking some questions and joining a game). Losha saw me sitting and came over for a hug, followed close after by Roman. Made my heart happy.

"It's the simple things that make us feel at home." [Amy Kuney]

I made it!

After 24 hours of travel--filled with 3 babushka friends at LAX, feeling alone and so out of place in Moscow, my Russian friend Alexander on the flight to Kiev, and a 4+ hour slightly scary careening-around-corners-way-faster-than-it-felt-like-we should mashootka ride to Anika's apartment in Sumy--I arrived in one piece! Enjoyed about 3 hours of sleep, then was up and training/taxiing/walking to the Pravda orphange for graduation day! (needless to say, last night's 10 hours of sleep felt AMAZING) Finally got to meet so many of these kids I've heard so much about over the past few years...and let me tell you, it was amazing.

I was a little nervous and unsure of how it would be, since I don't speak the same language and am a total outsider and newcomer to the kids. But apparently having Anushka as "muya seestra" grants me much credibility, because from the first time I said "Menya zavut Kari," I had kids who wouldn't leave my side! First the quiet-but-faithful Elana, not saying much but continually smiling my direction glued to my hip. Then the spunky and slightly in-your-face Talia, the author of the "Ya rada, ya rada!" dance with me (apparently in Ukrainian they don't have a word for "excited", so Anika told me "ya rada"--I'm happy--got the idea across. Since it was about all I knew to say, I kept saying it to these two girls over and over again. And now it's mine and Talia's favorite song and dance!). Right before graduation I met (for the third time, I think; so many new faces and names, it was hard to keep them straight!) Leela, who pulled me into the ceremony with her minutes after we became friends (I wish people were so welcoming in America!). Amazing, to be so welcomed into their world, even if only for an afternoon! Humbling, to be a complete stranger in a completely strange place, and to have to rely so heavily on others to communicate the simplest things. Exciting, that I get to spend 10 days of camp getting to know these kids more!!!

I'm definitely still adjusting to things, though--jet lag, new people, new places, the unknown in general. I'm definitely one of those people who likes to know my part to play and what's coming next, and that's not so much how they roll here. So if you think of it, friends, pray for me...

>>That I'll be able to be a blessing to all I come in contact with--the kids at the orphanage, the kids at the apartment, Anika, Annie, and Melissa, the rest of the camp team--even when (and ESPECIALLY when) I'm feeling a little unsure of myself.

>>That I'll learn how to communicate without words, since that's not such an option, but with what I do (hey, does that remind anyone else of 1 John 3:18).

And to sign off, I'd like to leave you all with an amazing quote from a great book I read half of on the way here, "Everything is Illuminated." This line comes at a part where Alexander (a Ukranian) is consoling his friend Jonathan (an American) about an unfortunate thieving Jonathan had occur while riding a train in Ukraine...

"Please do not let your experience in Ukraine injure the way you perceive Ukraine, which must be as a totally awesome former Soviet republic." :)

Today's the day!

It's official, as of 45 minutes ago: I'm heading to Ukraine today! My bags are half packed on my bedroom floor, with the other half strewn about just waiting to find its place. At 6:30 tonight I will embark on an 18-hour journey from LAX to Moscow to Kiev, all by my lonesome.

Why, you might ask?

Well, I've got this crazy sister over there--Anika's her name. She and some friends moved there just a little over a year ago. Seems there were some kids at an orphanage there who'd captured their hearts, and they wanted to love on them full-time. They started their own nonprofit organization, Open Arms Ukraine (www.openarmsukraine.org), and went to work showing these tough, cast off kids how much God loved them by helping care for their everyday needs. Along the way, they've established some pretty sweet relationships and done some pretty awesome things with that originial orphanage, a prison or two, some different churches, and plenty of individual kids. It hasn't been a walk in the park, but through it all they've been giving and growing and learning and loving, and seen some pretty cool results.

And now it's that time of year once again: summer camp!

That's where I come in. Me and a team of 4 other Americans, and 6+ Ukrainian churchgoers are heading out to that orphanage--the Pravda orphanage--in the next few days, ready to help Anika, Annie, and Melissa put on one wild and crazy camp for the 100+ kids sticking around over the summer. They've planned a SUPERHEROES theme this year, and are going to be teaching through some of the ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (click here for an idea of what these are!). As Anika put it, these kids have heard again and again ABOUT God, but they don't really understand WHO God is and WHAT he's like. So through this camp, they (I mean, WE) hope to show these kids a little more clearly who God is, how much he loves them and wants them--just as they are! And to do that, we're going to show them how much WE love them by putting on 10 days of teaching, rec, crafts, and all manner of Super-craziness!

So how can you be praying? I'm glad you asked! :)

>Pray for our team: that we'll gel and work well together as we're running the day-to-day stuff of camp. That we'll have a common love for these kids and unity of purpose--to show these kids who God is and how much he loves them!

>Pray for the camp: that all rec, crafts, teaching times, and any other logistics will get figured out and things will go smoothly! That everyone will be injury and sickness-free, and that anything that could go wrong, WON'T.

>Pray for the kids: that they'll be open and receptive to all of us crazy people coming to their home--and more important, that they'll be open to the good news about Jesus that we're bringing! That kids will decide to follow Jesus, and truly LIVE it, even in the midst of so much crap in Ukraine.

And now, all you happy people you, it's WAY past my bedtime! I'll do my best to post updates (and maybe some pictures!) while I'm gone, but for now...good night!