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!