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!