Our Wonderful Trip to the Ukraine

While thinking on what that I should write about our mission trip to Ukraine, hundreds of faces and names flood my mind and I think about every one of them and how God has used them to give myself an experience that has changed my outlook on life and family. When I finally realized I would be able to minister to hundreds of orphans in a country in the former USSR and be able to share my faith of Jesus Christ with them just amazed me, and I had the chance to do that exact thing while I was there. On Sunday the 15th at about 2:00, my sister and I met with the rest of our school's team and said goodbye to our parents before leaving on a connecting flight to Munich, Germany and then to Kiev, Ukraine. After a VERY long plane ride and some nasty plane food we finally arrived in Kiev and went to the administrator of the trip's apartment which where we had an orientation of what to expect at the camp and to prepare us for life in Kharkiv. After a 11 hour train ride and a 3 hour bus ride to the camp itself, we arrived at the camp. More of the story to come... Here are some pics of the trip:

How God Works

It's amazing how God can take a situation that might not look so good, to a wonderful opportunity to minister to the hurting. At somewhere in the beginning of July, my dad received a call from my principal at my school. Every year the school goes somewhere on a mission trip. Before it has been at New Zealand, Africa, and the Ukraine. This year, they are going to the Ukraine again and had their slots filled. (At least we thought.) The call was about one of the people going (Her daughter) became sick with Lyme's disease and the doctor told her not to go because it could hurt her health. Because there was an extra seat, she wondered if either my sister or I would like to take her seat on the plane and go to the Ukraine. My family prayed about it and we tried to come to a decision but we couldn't. So, the next time my principal called us, we explained our position and she asked us if there was another seat, if both of us could go to th Ukraine. We said "Yes" and she checked with the directors of the trip if there was another seat for myself. They told us that was another seat but we would have to raise more money to go. Plus we have to go get tetanus shots, and go to Washington DC at the passport office to get, you guessed it, passports. After all of this is done, we have to pack up everything and actually go to the Ukraine on the 15th. In all of this going on, I can see how all of is coming together beautifully to be able to love kids who have never been loved before. I can't wait to go and please pray for the team and the kids and teens we will be ministering to in the Ukraine because prayer is the only thing that has got us through so far. Thank You.