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!