It’s Tuesday night in Kiev…

The team of 22 that I came with to Ukraine left this morning.  I stayed up til about 1:30 a.m. and then back up at 3:00 a.m. to see them off to the airport.  Back to bed at about 4:00, but not asleep until around 6:30 and then slept until 7:40.  So to say that at this moment that I am tired, doesn’t quite cover it.  But, I’m awake and happy to be here.  It seems strange to have put the group on the plane, but not to have joined them.  But I’m staying in Ukraine for a couple days to be with the Lord and to listen for His voice.  You can pray that I’ll hear His voice clearly.

I’m staying with some missionary friends tonight (the Peipon’s) but tomorrow I’ll head to another apartment that is vacant and will have some me and God time for 2 days, then back to Brovary for my last night in Ukraine and then to the airport early Saturday morning and back in OKC by Saturday night (after about 24 hours of travel).

This has been a great trip so far.  We did a camp at an internat (an orphanage for older children where they go to school and live and do everything) in western Ukraine.  There were about 150 kids at the camp and around 25 realized their need for a Savior and surrendered to Him.  Thankfully, the church we partnered with in western Ukraine will continue their weekly ministry there and will help these kids understand about the Messiah and will continue to disciple them. It’s been a great week.  The students we brought did an amazing job connecting with the kids and really built some fast friendships. 

Ukraine is definitely a part of me and my family and our love for this country runs very deep.  To say the least.  When we had just gotten here and were driving to the camp, we went through Zhitomyr and that is where Micah and Matthew were born.  It was very emotional just driving through.  I can’t really explain it, but the fact that two of my sons were born there, makes it part of me somehow.  I don’t know how to make it clear, but that’s how it feels.  And driving through there seemed like being “home” in a way and I longed to have my 2 sons with me that were born there so they could see where they began.  Yeah…too tired to really explain that.

The week will be over before I know it and I’ll be on a plane coming home to my precious treasure of a family.  I’m glad that I am and I need to stay for reasons that I can’t really explain right now, but I miss Mary SO much and I miss being with my kids so much that I ache for them.  We were definitely NOT meant to be apart.  God has made us ONE and I’m so glad.  It makes the being apart very difficult.

Above all things, we “Bless the Name of the Lord!”