Gorgeous Greece

What a wonderful past few weeks! After 3 months on the road away from family and friends, some familiar faces were a welcome sight. I flew into Athens, Greece on the 15th of September and was joined by my mom and sister, Autumn, on the 17th. That same day we (barely) made it to a ferry headed to the island of Santorini. Long story short, my sister's plane was delayed and the airline lost her luggage! This led to a lot of messages sent on random wifi networks and a lot of praying that she would make it to the port on time. Praise the Lord she did, with about 3 minutes to spare! 

If you have ever seen those beautiful pictures of Grecian islands with white buildings and blue domes- they were probably taken on Santorini. We stayed in a smaller town on one end of the island but spent several days exploring it all in a rented car. If you ever want to improve your prayer life or test your trust in another person- just rent a car in Greece! We watched the sunset from three spectacular viewpoints, ate endless gyros, and swam in the ocean.

The beautiful town of Oia

Bougainvillea grows abundantly in Greece and adds to the beauty of every landscape.

A beautiful sunset and a door to the world.

On our last full day our mom treated us to a full day tour of the complex of islands that makes up Santorini for our birthdays (mine just happened and Autumn's was about to). We got to take a ship to an island that is made up completely of volcanic rock where we hiked to five different craters, saw incredible views, and felt the thermal gases from an active volcanic crater! The boat then took us to some nearby thermal springs, where we took a quick dip in the rust colored water. Then it was off to lunch where we decided to hike up a giant hill/mountain to a small village for one of the best Grecian meals we ate on the trip. If you are from Colorado you probably wouldn't call what we hiked up a mountain, but in the heat with empty stomachs and no water- it certainly felt like a mountain to us! After lunch we sailed to the village of Oia on the main island. There we swam a little more before walking up another giant hill/mountain. At the top we grabbed a spot and waited hours for the sun to set. It was good we got there so early because by the time the sun was actually going down there were hundreds and hundreds of people vying for spots to sit and watch the view. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves for all the walking with a dinner of four delicious desserts shared between us all. I probably ate a weeks worth of calories just in that meal, but it was completely worth it!

Autumn and I by an awesome church on a nearly uninhabited island near the thermal springs.

Oia from the boat- this was one of the hill/mountains we conquered that day!

One of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever witnessed.

The crowds watching the view

So many people!

After our time on the island we caught another ferry back to Athens. Over the next few days we visited all of the major sites including the Parthenon, Roman and ancient agoras, the archeological museum, and the Temple of Zeus. We also enjoyed tons more Greek food! Unfortunately our last day together was ruined by the theft of my wallet. The bright side was that since I was on my way to the ATM, the thief only got about 80 euro cents. The downside was that the wallet contained my passport, license, and debit card. We spent most of the day checking the metro station where it was taken, going to the tourist police station, and filing a report. Also since it was a Saturday, the embassy was closed. This meant that mom and I had to postpone our departure for Thessaloniki until Monday, so that I could go and get a new passport.

My beautiful companions- so blessed to share this adventure with them!

The Parthenon! Check that off the bucket list. 

Love these ladies!

On Monday morning we were at the embassy bright and early and I walked away before noon with a brand new emergency passport. Hooray! We headed directly to the train station and booked ourselves tickets to Thessaloniki, a place of Paul's ministry and home to a community of believers who received at least two letters that are contained within the New Testament. Mom and I spent a day touring the city, walking on ancient city walls, discovering beautiful churches from antiquity, and touring the famous White Tower. We also took a short cruise on a boat into the harbor of Thessaloniki. It was a great day made even better by the best meal we ate in Greece. The next morning we hopped on another train back to Athens.My mom left the next morning and I leave for my next destination soon.

The city of Thessaloniki

Byzantine church that now sits at eye-level with the street because of how far the town has built up since ancient times.

The White Tower

Time is flying by and I have just a little under a month left here in Europe. I am so grateful for the last few weeks of family time and rest before a final month of travel. What a crazy adventure it has already been! Until next time...

Ukraine Part II

It has been WAY too long since I have blogged! I am already almost done with my most recent section of my journey and I still haven't written about the one before it. So, after a very long interlude, here I go!

After the unexpected change of plans, I headed to Boryslav a day early. About 150 km from Lviv in the other direction, Boryslav has about 50,000 residents. While in Boryslav I stayed with my translator, another Luba. Luba is in her late 20s and speaks English very well. Her and her family opened their home to me for the next week and a half. Luba is a part of a Baptist church in Boryslav that does a lot of work with the elderly in their community. One of their pastors, Pastor Vasyl, has a list of 50 elderly people from their church and community that he visits on a regular basis!

During the first part of my time in Boryslav, I went on some of those visits with him. We would sit, visit, and pray with the elderly- who were often moved to tears in gratitude for our visit. Luba and I also accompanied Vasyl to a small village outside of the town. The woman we visited was 89 years old and the only Baptist in her village. She has been bed-ridden for 3 years. Vasyl goes monthly to the place where she stays to administer the Lord's Supper to her. 

Just a week after I arrived in Boryslav, Luba and I headed to a small village outside of Kiev to the small Bible school she attended there. One of her friends from the school was getting married and agreed to let me tag along. It was a quick trip- we were barely there 24 hours, but it gave me the chance to see Kiev and witness how Ukrainian weddings go. It was a lot of fun and while there I got to spend time with some long term ministry workers who live in Poland. It was a great time to fellowship with them and learn about the organization they work with. 

The night before we left for Kiev, Pastor Vasyl, Luba, and I made the journey to Lviv where we met a short term team of Americans working with the seminary in the city. Sister Luba, Brother Ivan, and Sofiya from Kamyanka were also there and we enjoyed a brief but happy reunion. The purpose of the meeting was to receive some support from the Missouri Baptist Home for their respective eldercare ministries. While there I also had the opportunity to finally meet John Jackson in person! This man had helped make my first stay in Belarus possible so it was nice to finally get to say "thank you" in the flesh. 

A happy reunion and a welcome introduction!

Throughout my time with Luba I helped her teach English. She does special English tutoring lessons for children in the community as a way to help them improve their English and earn money for herself. It was fun to meet her students and get to be a special guest for them to practice with. I also went with her to church and to the youth Bible study group. We made a few special visits of our own to a town close by called Truskavits. There we visited one of her friends who became a believer just 3 years ago. We also visited a young woman there who has a disease that has left her in a wheelchair. She doesn't get very many visitors and rarely gets to go out. It was a joy to visit her and share about why I am traveling all over Europe. 

The Harchinkle Family- members of Luna's church and the kids are her English students.

On one of my last days in Boryslav, Pastor Vasyl, Luba, and I traveled to a village that houses a government facility for the elderly. The facility is broken up into two places and together they hold about 116 residents. We were there to deliver some supplies and support to the facility that we had been given during our meeting with the team in Lviv. We brought them a huge pile of adult diapers, special bed pads, and cleaning products for the facility. We also brought some sweets along and handed them out to the residents as we toured the facility. We visited with almost every single resident. Most of them were amazed that I had come all the way from America to visit them! I pray that they were blessed by our visit and by the products we brought with us.

Handing out some sweet treats to the residents. 

The government facility houses 2-4 residents in a room depending on their needs.

Adult diapers- a huge need filled by funds from The Missouri Baptist Home

I had a great time in Boryslav and in Ukraine. The past month and a half have been eye opening for me. I have learned a great deal about ministry with the elderly, ministry in varying cultures, and been humbled by the hospitality I was shown. I am incredibly thankful to all of those who helped make this time a possibility and to the Lord for teaching me through my experiences. Please join me in praying for these people, places, and ministries.

After my time in Ukraine, I headed to Greece to meet my mom and sister for a few weeks of vacation. My next post about that leg of the journey is coming soon (I promise)!

Night trains, clock towers, and Ukraine

The next leg of my journey began with a night train from Minsk, Belarus to Lviv, Ukraine. Call me childish, silly, or a travel newbie if you want- I was excited. I'd never been on a night train before. You know, the kind with fold out beds and little tables for long journeys. So with last goodbyes to my Belrussian friends, it was just me and Nick, my compartment buddy, in for the 14 hour ride to Lviv. An older Russian man now living in Minsk, Nick was a great travel companion. To my astonishment and pleasure he spoke English. After he shared a traditional fruit juice drink with me, we quickly fell into a conversation about religion, politics, and life in general. A night train pro, Nick helped me figure out the beds, translated for not one but two border patrols, and helped me order coffee in the morning. What a blessing!

Our train compartment!

Right out of the train stood my next hosts, Pastor Ivan Chabon and his wife, Luba. Along with them was my soon-to-be friend and translator, 14 year old, Sofiya. They immediately whisked me away to their home in Kamyanka' kabuska, about an hour outside of Lviv. Over the next few weeks I was blessed immensely by their hospitality and care for me. Though Brother Ivan and Sister Luba didn't speak English, they made sure through pantomiming, writing, and calls to translator friends that I had everything I needed. During the day, Sofiya or my other translator and friend Nastia, sacrificed their last bit of summer to show me their town, their culture, and their lives.

Brother Ivan, Me, and Sister Luba

During my time in Kamyanka I got to visit Lviv, spend time with their church's youth group, and celebrate Ukraine's 25th year of independence. Lviv was a beautiful city filled with charms and not tourists. I had the pleasure of visiting with friends who served as local guides. One morning we climbed hundreds of steps to the top of a clock tower. Luckily, the Camino was great training for all of the steps and walking. From the top of the clock tower we had magnificent views of the city and surrounding hills. Other sites included several churches, a chocolate factory, an outdoor walk-through museum of Ukraine's different regions and village life, and a hilltop called the High Castle. Other days were spent visiting a homebound granny to talk and pray with her, attending church prayer meetings, and spending time with Sofiya's many friends. One day I went with Nastia to help cook for some men of her church who were working to repair their church's pond bank. I got to spend the day cooking and talking with her about life in Ukraine. I also picked up some great Ukrainian recipes.

The view from the tower

The Lviv Opera House

IRA, Me, Sofiya, and Zenya the Granny

Nastia- friend, translator, and my Ukrainian cooking teacher 

The men hard at work while we cook

I also visited Sister Luba's work, the government office for taking care of the elderly. I got a tour of their facility, complete with a room to get your hair cut, clothes repaired, and a massage if you are elderly and in need. Sister Luba's work here has prepared her well for the ministry God has called her and Brother Ivan to. For 6 years, when they have the funds, they have been building a House of Mercy for the elderly. Located right next to their church, I got to tour their building site and see the care and craftsmanship going into the building. It is clear that they have a desire to offer a well built clean and caring environment to their future residents. They have some cool stories about the Lord's provision for their work-please ask me about them sometime!

The in-house hairdresser

The in-house clothes repairman

The in progress Good Samaritan House of Mercy

During my time in Kamyanka I celebrated my 23rd birthday. This was my second year in a row to celebrate out of the country. It can be a little scary to be in a new place for a special day, you never know if you will get to celebrate or be with people you know and love. For my actual birthday Brother Ivan, Sister Luba, Sofiya, and I were in another small town visiting a small elderly home there. After our visit to the home and church, Sofiya and I said goodbye to Ivan and Luba to go to a youth meeting and then spend the night at the house of a girl in the group. Our time with the youth was a blessing and I loved getting to fellowship with them. Then we headed to where we were staying. Little did I know that they had a cake, party hats, flowers, and a giant sucker waiting for me there! They sang and gave me birthday blessings and to my delight Ivan and Luba where still there too! They headed home and the young people and I stayed up late into the night talking about school, ministry, and the differences between the church in America and in Ukraine. After finally saying good night I went to my room where I read messages and posts from friends and family all over the world wishing me a happy birthday. What a blessed day! Two days later, just before I left, Sister Luba, Nastia, Sofiya and all of her friends surprised me with another party! We had more flowers, party hats, and not one but two homemade cakes! It was overwhelming to be blessed by so many people I had just met.

Birthday party number one!

*Unfortunately, due to my poor command of electronics I can't upload photos from the other party :(

September 1st is thew start of school countrywide here. So on the first day of school I accompanied Sofiya to the opening ceremony and first few classes of her school year. It was an interesting experience to see how schools in Ukraine operate. That evening I met one of the English teachers at the school and she invited me back to school the next day to shadow some classes and meet the other American girl that was helping there. What!? The OTHER American girl!? There was another one and I hadn't heard about her until now! That may not seem like a big deal but in a smaller town in Ukraine that rarely has American visitors, it was amazing. So, I went back to school the next day and had a lovely conversation about with Laura, a Peace Corps girl from Ohio. It was great to hear what had brought her to Ukraine and our different experiences within the culture. Later that day in an unexpected change of plans I headed to Boryslav, Ukraine for the next few weeks.

Ukrainian school opening ceremony!

Sofiya and I on the first day of school

I so enjoyed my time in Kamyanka. Brother Ivan and Sister Luba were the perfect hosts and so many others there gave up their time to ensure I had a wonderful visit. I will certainly miss all those in Kamyanka!

So you can't read Russian?

It has come to my attention that I accidentally posted my last blog in Russian. I am assuming that means none of you could read it...me neither. The post in Russian was due to my host families automatically translating Google pages as opposed to my amazing command of the language. Funnily enough their auto-translating computer will also not allow me to put my Facebook in English. The closest I can get is Spanish! So for now I am posting Russian blogs and operating a Spanish Facebook. Ahh, life on the road!

But no worries. I have gone back and reposted the blog- in English this time. So feel free to go back and actually read it. Thanks for following and for your patience!

Belarus!

After Berlin I headed to Belarus where I would spend the next three weeks. I was nervous coming in because I still needed to get a visa on arrival for the country. I had checked and triple checked all of the papers I needed but was pretty nervous that something would go wrong and they wouldn't let me in. Needless to say, that didn't actually happen and things went fine. I was met at the airport by Nastia, who would be my translator, tour guide, and friend during my first few weeks in the country. 

Once out of the airport, visa in passport, and bag in tow we headed 4 hours east to a small village near Kobrin. This is the home of the House of Mercy and Zemchuzencka, a children's camp. I was connected with these wonderful ministries through the Future Leaders Fellowship and The Missouri Baptist Home. The House of Mercy houses roughly 35 elderly people that are in need of care. Operating separate from government funding the House of Mercy is a Christian facility that seeks to actively share the Gospel with their residents through daily worship music sessions and loving nurses. Zemchuzencka is located on the same compound and is a Christian camp for children. Throughout the summer the facility houses camps for children and teens, with special sessions for children that have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses. 

My first few days there I did some gardening work around the grounds of the House of Mercy. As much as I wanted to help with the residents my lack of the Russian language made this very difficult and would have required constant translation. So it was the garden for me, which suited me just as well. 

The next week a camp for children age 7-14 began. I was the official camp photographer for the week (another great job that didn't require me to speak Russian). I took pictures and played with the kids throughout the morning and early afternoon. I would then impose on my friend Inna in the House of Mercy office. Every afternoon she patiently supplied coffee, snacks, and the use of her computer so that I could make a video to be shown at the evening program. I had a blast getting to know the staff and kids at the camp. Zemchuzencka had great Bible teachers who sought to share the Gospel in a real non-watery way. Sometimes in our attempt to make the Gospel understandable for kids it seems that we end up presenting a watery version that doesn't answer a lot of questions and can relegate the saving grace of God to something that just saves us from a scary hell (not that this aspect isn't important or true!), instead of as an amazing life giving gift that alters our worldview and life purpose. It was clear to me that  the staff at Zemchuzencka wanted to avoid this downfall with strong biblical teaching. The week passed quickly and I even managed to pick up a few Russian words and children's songs. 

The main building of the camp.

Pavel (the camp's current director), Me, and Valadmir (the camp's previous director) 

Unlike in American camps- children in Belarus have to work for their breakfast! We started out every morning with an exercise session including stretching, songs, and jogging.

Children are the same all over the world- there's always a ham in the bunch somewhere!

Me, Inna, and Nastia

Camp group photo 

My next stop was Volozhin (pronounced Va-low-shin), a town of about 11,000 situated 70 km from Minsk. I spent my week there with Pastor Sergei and his family. His daughter-in-law, Katya acted as my translator. I stayed at their small church where an elderly 96 year old woman also lives. She, as with many older people in Belarus, has no children or grandchildren who are able to care for her. This left her living in very poor conditions struggling to care for herself until Pastor Sergei allowed her to move into a room at the church. Now a fellow church member, Olga, comes daily to cook for her and do some light cleaning. My "job" for the week was to help take care of Granny (the name everyone lovingly referred to the old woman as). Again, the language barrier made this difficult but Katya and I were at least able to give Olga some much needed rest and bring some variety to Granny's life. I also had the opportunity to attend all of  their weekly church gatherings including the youth service, Sunday night prayer meeting, and women's prayer meeting.Throughout the week Pastor Sergei took me to the homes of several different elderly people and couples. Some, like granny, had no one to care for them, their living situations were dismal. Others, lived with their children or had children that visited often, these couples were well cared for and clearly had a better standard of living. It was important for me to see and understand the difference between the two situations to fully grasp why Pastir Sergei has a heart for developing a ministry to the elderly people without family to help. Their small church hopes to someday build a facility like the House of Mercy to house and care for the elderly in their community. 

My last few days in Belarus were spent in Minsk, the capital, with Katya and her husband Vanya. There we attended an organ concert at a beautiful old church with Sergei and Igor (a longtime friend of my friends at the Missouri Baptist Home). We went to church at one of the largest Baptist churches in the city and got to witness a wedding as well. In between events, Katya and Vanya opened their home to me and also showed me the sights of Minsk. They along with Igor, then took me to the train station to see me off to Ukraine. 

A small church plant near Volozhin currently being renovated.

Monday night prayer meeting!

Fresh picked wild blueberries- yum!

1 of 3 total fish caught that day... if you can consider my minnow a fish!

Pastor Sergei's Family- from the back left- Nastia, Miriam, Dima, Dasha, and me

Granny and I at the church.

The national library of Belarus in Minsk- it is a glass structure that is covered in lights that make different designs at night.

I am so incredibly grateful for the warmth, hospitality, and care that each person I met in Belarus freely gave to me. They housed, fed, and transported me, going above and beyond with special touches like fresh flowers in my room or sweet notes of encouragement. They also put up with my inability to speak their language. On multiple occasions people apologized to me for not speaking English, apparently forgetting that I was the crazy one who decided to come to Belarus without knowing Russian! 

Thanks and blessings to the staff of Zemchuzencka, the House of Mercy, and Pastor Sergei and his family- particularly Nastia, Inna, Igor, Pavil, Katya, and Olga. Thank you also to the Missouri Baptist Home, Roger Hatfield, and John Jackson for setting up my time here. 

All of these local ministries could use your prayers for God's continued guidance and provision. If you would like more information about these ministries or would like to help further- please let me know! 

Coming Soon: Night trains, clock towers, and Ukraine