Appearances

I was reminded again about how often we look at outward appearances and label a person from what we can see.

recently i was on the train.  near me, sat this very tan woman, who just exuded confidence and strength.  it wasn't in anything she said, but it was just her presence. 

after some time, she spoke, and rather timidly, which surprised me.

and then, later in the evening, after i went to try to sleep, she spoke with my friend--telling her the tragedies in her life, of her parents dying, her daughter dying, and then more recently of her husband dying.  my friend said she began to cry, and her recounting of this story just reminded me again and again of how we try to keep up appearances when, really, we're all broken inside, and how most people just don't know. 

People Watching...

i think you'd find it hard to believe that i enjoy people watching through movies and television series.  of course, you might think: that's not real people watching.  everything is scripted and the people are portraying characters, not actually who they are.

but i still enjoy it.
that being said....

i decided to stop watching movies/television shows for a bit--unless i'm in a group of people.
purpose being because it doesn't relax me.

many people watch television as a mindless activity, to check out and relax after a long day of work or whatever they've been doing.

i find it quite mindful.  i'm always wondering as to the psychological history and background of the characters that make them what they portray at that particular moment. 
it's actually exhausting. 

so i am exploring other options for relaxation methods, such as reading books and spending more time with friends.  of course the latter suggestion is funny, because as much of a people person i am, i am also very introverted and need time away from people to re-energize. 

so today i really wanted to watch something while i ate dinner...which is quite a normal thing for me to do.  but i instead opted for the option of writing a blog.  :)

Wouldn't you know?

I had just written about grace well, mentioned it.
and then i decided i should go through a devotional.
so i found one online.

and today's hit the topic of grace and "fairness" from matthew 20.

i don't know if we can ever truly describe God as "fair". he's just, righteous, honest, true...but what does fair really mean?

does it mean having some sort of standards/guidelines, and consequences?  and then "fair" falls within those parameters?

so back to grace.
the workers from the first group of men rounded to up work agreed to terms, and then hoped for the terms to be changed, as they waited for their pay.  they saw "generosity" from the land-owner, as he gave those who worked only one hour a full day's pay.  so of course those who'd been there all day expected more.  that would of course, be fair.  never mind the agreement they made earlier.  :P  work more=get paid more.  ???

but grace is something undeserved.
i think it comes after you're ready to receive the consequences of your actions, to be fair.  and that requires humility.
grace works with humility.  and that is something pride will never understand.
you can't demand grace.  if you demand it, you're in a position to believe that you deserve it.  and grace is undeserved.

the land-owner gave the men who worked the full day what they deserved.  what was fair.
he gave those who worked just an hour what they didn't deserve, what they didn't expect.  but like it says in matthew 20:15--"am i not allowed to do what i choose with what belongs to me?"

if he had given those first men more, no grace would have been shown.  it would be just fairness all around.  but grace, grace...

If you want to read the devotional click on the website here and go to may 21 if it's already a different day.  http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/

i'll be mulling over the last thought given in the devotional:
"if people judged God by my actions, what would they know of grace?"

Is that ok with you?

i recently discovered that the question in my title line is not, in fact a rhetorical question.

maybe you're thinking, well, of course it's not.  but honestly, i think often when we're making up our mind about something, we tend to use this question, "is that ok with you" out of politeness rather than out of real concern for the other person.

maybe i'm completely off base. 

I was just reminded of this in a recent meeting i had. 
a decision was made.
i didn't necessarily agree with the decision, but i didn't also really care the outcome either way.
but then that question:
is that ok with you?

and wouldn't you know?  there are people out there that genuinely ask that question for real.
of course, i had to find out the hard way...(which wasn't that hard)...meaning a miscommunication, moments of discomfort, apologizing, clarifying, and reconciling. 

so, in that whole situation i was reminded of the amazingness of working together in a team. 
yeah, teams are hard.
people have their own opinions.
there's that famous saying: if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go with a team...or something like that.
but honestly, what i discover over and over again is working in a team gives you the opportunity to receive grace from God through them, and to give others grace. 
yeah, it's harder working with people.
i work with people from different nations, with different personalities, different values, different ways of handling conflict, different ways of having meetings...etc...
but with one purpose which is to serve God by serving ukraine.

and when we remember that, well, mountains are moved.

grace and peace to you.

A Good Read

We in ukraine have been watching with a little anxiety the things that have been happening in and around the country since president yanukovych took office in february. 

for those of you who have no idea what's going on, please click on the link below and read the article. 
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0507/Ukraine-Russia-relations-Why-Kiev-made-a-dramatic-U-turn-back-toward-Moscow/%28page%29/2


and if you haven't seen the reaction of the opposition party in the ukrainian parliament to the extended lease for the russian fleet in the black sea, please click on the link below and watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfCRyLlyqJI&feature=fvst

It's a Small World After All

I was recently (yesterday) at the Passion Concert in Kyiv, which was wonderful by the way.

And i was walking around, seeing random people i'd met through different churches, through the prayer conference which was the weekend before...and someone i went to university with in Canada.

All of the sudden i hear my name, and this familiar looking girl walks up to me.  i'm sitting there, thinking, how does she know me, and i know i know her, but from where?

then it hits me!
my senior year of university, i started feeling a call to go to Ukraine.  there were many "signs" that i saw that it was a call on my life BEFORE that year.  my father's ancestors lived in ukraine for a time, i grew up around Russians/Ukrainians, even though i never talked to them...
but after I had decided that I would try Russia/Ukraine, i remember having tea with a friend.  She herself was Ukrainian, although i never knew it because her english was perfect with anything but that russian accent.  she put all of the articles "a", "an", and "the" in the proper places.  and anyway, i didn't know what ukrainians were supposed to look like, so she looked like a regular canadian to me.

anyway, so we had tea together, and she told me a little about ukraine and where she was from, which was a place of course, i'd never heard of.

so, it was this friend, 6 years later that i ran into, who was calling my name.  isn't the world small after all?

so, something a little less spectacular, but still makes the world feel small...
at the Passion Concert, many people from the International Church helped with directing people and crowd control.  i met one such person while i was chatting with a friend.  it turns out, he's from a town about 20 minutes from where i grew up.  i played sports against his school.  we graduated the same year and had some mutual acquaintances. 

again, the world is small, and our God is much bigger. 

Growing up...

I've been sitting in lectures in a YWAM Addictive Behavioral School.  This week's topic is on Dysfunctional Families.  One of the most interesting things that was said today was:


If you want to grow up, get married.
If you want to grow up more, have children.
If you don't want to grow up, don't get married.
If you really don't want to grow up, don't have children.
If you want to stop growing up, get divorced.

Just a very interesting way of looking at things. 

Sunny Weeks...

ok, well, sunny week.
it's been sunny all this week so far.  and i started wearing my flip flops.

it's refreshing, i think, to be able to let the toes feel the wind.

it's still a little bit wet outside though, and i still have to be careful exactly where i step, but all in all, it's lots of fun. 

so today what made it particularly fun was that the lady that cleans the halls in the apartment building was in an argument with another tenant.  like pretty much, she was just finding something to complain about.  and then the second lady saw my feet and kind of yelled, "she's barefooted!". to which the cleaning lady calmly replied, well, she went out in the car, never missing a beat with her cleaning.

later, when i came back, the poor cleaning lady was ranting about the other lady.

ah life.

in other news, i went to a large store i'd never been to before.  that has been my day.  now i'm attempting to be motivated to do some more planning stuff.

Other Family Dinners

So the fun part with this particular family dinner is just that it was different.

normally what happens is i cook, he comes over, we chat, then we watch a movie in russian. (and hopefully i've previewed it before hand so there are no surprises). 

this time, our lights went out shortly after we finished dinner.  

both roommates were home, which normally doesn't happen, so we all sat in the kitchen with candles and had a very comical "romantic" evening.  we chatted.  played a bit on the computer, which still had batteries.

then after that, the lights came back on, and i just wanted to have a somewhat girly night.  so that's what we did.  i put makeup on him, straightened his hair, and gave him a half manicure.  we laughed so much.  and even though it might seem weird to most people, we had a great time, one of the best times we've had together recently.  

so we felt it worthy of a picture. 

Photography Course

This year, we had our annual Photography Seminar for Vasil'kiv.  It consisted of 4 students from the Trade School--two boys, and two girls.  They got to play around with 2 Nikons (d50/d300) and a Sony, and a Fugifilm.  They learned the basics of ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture, and then Perspective.  They then practiced putting these things all into practice, by taking pictures in and around our base, as well as in the city.  Of the 4 students, 3 of them would like to continue learning more about photography.  

On the whole, this, meaning especially this weekend, has been my favorite seminar in the past 3 years we've been doing this. 

The above picture i took while the kids were taking pictures.  i ignored most of whatever was taught (mind you, i have a very simple point and shoot with no options to play with), and then edited it a bit to make it more fun, and got it to a point that i liked.  but this picture just captures the weekend for me...the kids, no matter who it was, were all about taking pictures, like they'd seen the light, and were now excited to capture snapshots of life in a permanence they'd never known before.

Spring in 10 Days!

yesterday, the weather being deceivingly beautiful, i was walking around the center of kyiv in not quite enough clothing.  i stopped at a little stand that sold gloves, hats, scarves, and bought a pair of gloves.  i know, late in the winter, but still, the hands were so cold, and i had forgotten my other pair.

the man there told me there was 10 more days of colder weather, and then spring would come.

i had to laugh because earlier that day, we had more snow, and the almost bare pavement turned once again from snow to slush to ice to snow on ice, making it a bit more treacherous. 

on the flip side,
Last night we had a bit of fun.
lance, sasha, and i were walking home from mc donalds where we had a very healthy family dinner.  when one rather scrawny looking boy kind of started trash talking us...first americans, then sasha, then lance as "4-eyes".  lance told me and sasha to just walk ahead, which we did, all the while looking back.  and at first, the kid was pushing up against lance, trying to get him to fight.  and then, after awhile, they were hugging and having a great ol' conversation about who knows what.  by the end of it all, the boy came back up to me and sasha and apologized for his rude comments, and gave lance one of the bottles of beer which he'd been carrying.    we all parted amicably, lance with a new best friend.

Forever Winter

Now that it's snowing again...
i blame helmut.
i think he prayed for snow.

it's ok.  it's going to stop some day.
i just don't know when.

so, that being said, no running, and no time for running.

the snow does look pretty in the sun.

however, just because there is sun out, it doesn't mean the weather is warm.
i remember once when some poor southern californian had to find that out the hard way...

anyway, happy international women's day.
we should celebrate women every day. 

Day 2 Running

you know the flailing arms and dance moves you pull when walking over ice?
really slippery ice?  and not just the type that you can run and then slide on because it's smooth like glass.  but glassy ice that has polished over peoples' shoe imprints when the ice was but a slushy, snowy mess?

that's what i went running on today.  well, not completely.  i walked on those.  for the most part, the sidewalks are cleared.  but there are a few places that the sun doesn't really hit, which means: ice patches.

so, i'm running along, running along, running along.  slipping on black ice, running along.  and then i see a patch of dangerous ice ahead.  it looks like it might have some snow left on it, meaning, grippable, by shoes standards.

and each time, i go from a nicely paced jog into the arm-flailing dance that would put michael jackson to shame (if he were still alive). 

but so far i haven't fallen...yet...

Sun

Today was incredibly sunny, and I was inspired by a friend to go running outside.
So i ran.
my feet ache right now, but the rest of me feels wonderful.
the roads around here seem to be fairly clear of snow, however the sidewalks are full of either deceivingly deep puddles of icy water or super-slick, bumpy ice. 
it's officially spring here in ukraine.
new season. although the sun isn't supposed to last long.
new president. we'll see what he does.
new aches and pains. but they will fade.

all in all, life is pretty good.
i also was reminded, even just a few minutes ago...i'm an answer to someone's prayer.  and you are, too.

valentine's day

i just want to point out that last year, i received an e-card from a friend that pointed out that we celebrate "love" on the day that st. valentines (multiple) were killed.

and fyi, there are different myths about the origins of the celebration.

but i guess february has been known for a long time as the month of love?

anyway, happy valentine's day.

A Birthday To Remember?

as much as i'd like to say that i don't really care about celebrating my birthday, i really do.
so that being said, this birthday was not ideal, and kind of sucky, but not entirely without its highlights.

i spent the day in a meeting that i didn't get to finish
then went to a funeral that took much longer than i thought it would (not the actual ceremony...). 
and i had already cancelled my birthday dinner, because of my recent tummy troubles.
so, it was not quite a birthday celebration that exudes joy. 

on the upside, while we were waiting for the funeral, i got to sit and chat about orphans, which is a topic i love. 
i got some mars bars as a gift.
someone gave me a lot of pink things, including a mini, pink soccer ball.
i had someone sing me happy birthday in dutch.
i ate "tacos" for dinner.
and my roommate baked a delicious dessert that i can actually eat!

i'm waiting for next week when i get to celebrate out with my team.

Loving the One you Hated...

imagine (or maybe you don't have to) growing up with no mother and an emotionally closed and hardened father. 
imagine knowing that your father was an alcoholic and drug addict.
imagine remembering all the times he that caused you pain: emotional, physical, spiritual.
imagine growing up embarrassed at your father, and who he was.
imagine hating your father
imagine knowing that you never wanted to be your father and have his life.
imagine growing up, realizing you're on the same road as him, and you hate him all the more for it.

and then, imagine that this one person who has been in your life from the beginning, has died.

this morning, i got a call from one of the kids we have taken in as a team, Sergey.
he found out this morning that his father died.
he was 55.
yesterday, he saw him for the last time. 

for months, and years, even, i have watched sergey struggle with his feelings of hatred for his father, and with his desire of a connection.
for months, i've watched him start walking the same road his father started a long time ago, convinced that it was in his blood to be a failure, an alcoholic, a drug addict, a nobody. 

today, this morning marks the first day i have heard him speak wistfully about his father, the first time his tough orphanage upbringing has betrayed him, to hear in his voice the little boy missing his father.
"my neighbors say my dad really loved me, that even when i was little, and i tried to run away to kyiv by myself (at about 4 years of age), he ran after me.  where ever i'd disappeared to, he'd go looking to find me."

i remember meeting sergey's father in june, after he graduated.  we went to visit him at his home, the place sergey remembers. 
drunk as he was, the father was extmemely proud of his son.
i remember sergey tried, and very awkwardly gave his father a hug. 
i don't think his father knew what to do with that.
i remember i shook his father's hand, and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
and i remember his father looking back at me, also with very proud eyes, before kissing my hand and muttering something i could not understand.

tomorrow we return to their home,
to make arrangements for the man that sergey hated his whole life, but loved as well. 

In Ukraine...

usually the hot water gets shut off at random times for random lengths. 
today, our cold water was shut off.
you might think, that's much better than turning the hot water off.
but let's take into account a few things:
1. cold water can always be heated up on the stove, in a hot water kettle, in the microwave.
2. hot water, when it's scalding hot, takes a very long time to cool down.

tonight's scenario:
my roommate returned after rock climbing (or wall-climbing) wanting to take a bath and soak her muscles before going to bed.
no cold water.
so she ran hot water.
waited, checked, waited, checked.
waited.
and decided to take matters into her own hand:
she got my desk fan and held it above the water for awhile in an attempt to cool it down.
next we took out buckets, pots, whatever, of hot water and put them on the balconey where the temperature is about...-12C/12F.
i'm now supposed to be sleeping.
but i thought you should all know, the water is still not cooled down enough, and it's been at least an hour. 

Does crazy run in my blood or in my family?

i think i'm starting to go it.
besides being a natural introvert at home.
and then not being able to go anywhere all week.
and hiding from the people (or most of them) that did come over.
i think i'm starting to go crazy from the lack of social interaction.
is that possible?

Return to Normal Food

so last night, i tried some plain, boiled chicken. 
it was amazing!
i guess i never realized how much the taste of meat would be appreciated by some carnivorous creature forced to become not even just a herbivore (which would have been acceptable), but a carbohydrate-vore. 
everything seemed to digest very well.
this morning, i tried borscht, which my roommate made late last night.
then i didn't feel so great. 
too many "new" food items.
but this evening, again, i'm back to eating boiled chicken and boiled potatoes, and dried bread (or toast).
and life is again, good. 
i'm currently sitting with a cup of tea, trying to figure out WHAT to do.
but my tea has sugar in it!!!!
find happiness in the little things. 

praise the Lord.

Epsom Salt

while it has many uses, the one i use it for is to cleanse the body.
after so many days eating only carbohydrates and water and such, i feel the necessity of helping my body release toxins.
not such a pleasant topic.
and i'm sitting here at the computer, thinking of how much i DON'T want to taste that gross bitterness of the salty water.
and trying not to do it.
trying to find any excuse to not have to drink that concoction.
but alas, i must go.

Carbohydrates and Live Cultures

so, for the past 5 days, i've been on a stricter diet than normal.
let's just ignore the fact that a few weeks ago i went on a cleanse diet, and now i'm on a...pretty much, all carbohydrate and starch diet. 
the live cultures to which i referred is in a wonderfully tasty drink called kefir, which people say you will acquire a taste for it.  of course, i haven't yet.
the reason of course being my digestive dysfunction.

the change in diet isn't the only impact this digestive dysfunction has had on me. 
i also have back pain.
and i get tired very quickly...my roommate and i were discussing how pathetic it is that i washed dishes and swept, and was tired again.
i have irregular sleep patterns, which are quickly becoming quite regular...reminds me of a baby that needs feeding...but i'm usually needing a hot bath to relieve the pain in my back.
(pain killers are out of the question as they contribute to difficult digestion).
and i haven't left the apartment in 4 days, feeling like a complete hermit, although not disliking it.

i wouldn't mind having some cheese and sausage to put on the bread i eat, though (which is also out of the question at this moment in time).
and as my birthday is in one week, i had hoped to feast...i guess there is bread and potatoes for everyone!
but i'm alive, and in relatively good spirits.

today was the best day out of the five.
in part because i saw the doctor, he told me what he thought was the problem and told me what medicine i should get.
second part, because i had less pain and more energy than the previous 4 days.
second and a half, because the doctor told me no more kefir.
and third, because this medicine doesn't seem to aggravate the condition.

i'm about to go to sleep.  i hope i actually get there.
good day and good night to you all.

Heat Wave in Ukraine?

ha, just kidding.
since i had been around -18C for the past, quite awhile, actually, and it went all the way down to -8C, it felt like summer!

i first noticed that the snow/ice began to melt.  at -8C.
so, life became a bit more slippery. 
and the rate of my "almost falling" or "making up crazy dance moves" started rising exponentially.

but i haven't fallen yet in these conditions.

just yesterday i was walking with a friend that often falls.
i was walking a bit faster than she was, and i could hear she was slipping on the ice.
so i just said, careful, don't fall.
but obviously, said it too late, because then i turned around to see how she was getting on, and she was already picking herself up from the ground.
:)
she's from hawaii.  they don't walk on ice over there. 

but not it seems it's back to something colder.  -14C this morning

but i hear it's supposed to get warmer.  closer to 0C. 
my not water-proof boots will make life more fun.

Cinderella...

i remember hearing a sermon awhile ago.
about how we are like cinderellas.
the prince (jesus) picks us up out of our slavehood and makes us princesses (or princes).
but also how the change doesn't happen over night. 
we have to learn to become these princes and princesses. 

i was thinking about it.
a young girl orphaned.
previously raised as a lady.
then raised under the oppressive hand of a hateful stepmother and step sisters as a slave.

realistically, she would have devloped a hard shell around her heart and a thicker skin.
which reminds me of the kids we work with.

not that they're all raised under the oppressive hands of hateful people.
but they are looked down upon by most, even christians. 

but once they've made a decision to live for jesus, it doesn't mean they are all of the sudden without their previous habits, mannerisms, worldviews, fears, insecurities, mistrusts, anger...etc...those things are all still there, as are (often) the environment that cultivates those characteristics that keep them from developing healthy, close relationships with people, and a right view of God.

i mean, we always have the mess that we created to work through, even though we have the hope of jesus at the end of it all.

i just pray that these kids do not lose hope along the way. 

A Wonderful Surprise

there we were on the last morning of our weekend seminar.
we were about to get started cooking french toast.
all of the sudden, someone starts talking, and i was like, sweet, i don't have to get everyone moving, someone else can do that.

but then she starts talking not about french toast.

my team presented me with a gift for being the sole leader while our director (and my co-leader) were gone for 3 months, unexpectedly.  and for organizing the weekend.

i was shocked.

so i opened the present, and there was coffee and creamer, which...i love coffee.

and then in individual pieces was wrapped a candle holder...with a history.

at our christmas celebration for our base, we had a white-elephant exchange.  one person got this very simple but elegant candle holder.  i knew i was one of the last people to open a gift, so i figured, i'd steal that one and no one else could take it from me. 
so i waited, and i waited and i waited.
i watched while one of my teammates stole it from the first person.  and then the first person's son stole it back for his mom. 
and then came my turn. 
and i took the candle holders! 
i was sooo excited.
so pretty!
and then...
one of my other teammates...stole it from me to give back to his wife.
sigh.
so i left with no candle holders.
and that was ok. 

so now i have my candle holders.

after that, i got to run around and take pictures of the kids cooking. 
since i lost my camera, i've missed taking pictures. 
and yesterday, i got to take pictures with a nice camera.

so the end of the cooking seminar was amazing. 

and i was blessed beyond expectation. 

A Day with a Happy Ending...

so today marked the first of 3 days hosting a cooking seminar for orphan students from a local trade school. 
i had already been nervous about this weekend, because, well, the people i thought would be teaching, weren't able to.
so that left it up to our ministry team.
granted we all eat, and we all eat well.
i wouldn't say any of us are gourmet chefs. 
i can sometimes live off of the same meal for days, because that's what i've cooked, and i'm too lazy to make anything new.

so to start the day, i believed it would be a good day.
our van started, for starters.
it's a diesel van, and in the cold weather, sometimes the diesel turns to gel and we get no where.
however, after that, life went a little more hectic.
i decided to have a russian lesson this morning.
then it started half an hour late and went half an hour longer than i thought it would.
then i had forgotten something to take out to the school from the office.
then, half of the kids we thought we would take backed out.
we scrambled to find others.
finally we ended up with 6 kids.
then i forgot to turn the heat on in the kitchen where we were going to cook.  so there was no heat, the pipes were frozen, and it would take two hours to thaw.
so, we packed up and took everyone to my apartment.
my apartment is considerably smaller, with fewer large pots and pans.
also, only 2 of the 4 burners work. 
after that delay, it was a little harder to keep the kids' attention.
and the limited space made it a bit harder to get them to work at the same time.
but they did great.
we made spaghetti (not mush, like they're used to) with a sweet sauce. 
and garlic bread, which became more complicated than needed to be.
during that time, i had to take away our lighter (gas stove) because the boys were trying to heat up knives with it.
it was already an hour later than we planned when we sat down to eat.
everyone was hungry, because as soon as we'd prayed, it was completely silent (except for the sounds of forks hitting the plates, and people eating).
we then gave them a break and then had to chase them down to get them back on time.
we played a game to get them thinking of different jobs involving cooking/food.
and finally, we sat down to watch ratatouille, at which point, i went to go over tomorrow (now today).
and got myself into a conversation with our translator about one of the girls we both know who didn't come this weekend. 

it was a good day. 
i looked in my journal's entry for the morning before this busy friday, and i had written: our major goal is to spend time with the kids and make cooking a pleasant experience for them...whatever happens or doesn't happen is not life or death, and is not a matter of national security. 

and it's true. 
i think all the kids had a good time.
i had a good time.
i think our staff had a good time.
for all the mistakes and things that went not as planned, it was a great day.
and to top it off, we received today a donation for our ministry.
i'd call this not just a good day, but a great day. 
a day with a happy ending.

Walking on Ice...

i think i've gotten pretty good at walking on ice. 
it's -13C, and this winter, it's snowed, thawed, frozen, snowed, thawed frozen, a few times. 
the roads are both slick and bumpy.
i've fallen 3 times already. 
honestly, you think at times you've mastered this walking on ice bit, and you realize you have still so much to learn. 
but what it boils down to is knowing how to shuffle your feet, and then flailing your arms if you start to slip. 
balance is key.

i work with orphans.
my friend recently told me that working with them is like teaching someone who's never seen ice how to walk on the ice.  things that come naturally to you over time, like balance, NOT overcorrecting, picking the best places to walk, knowing how to shift your weight...etc...need to be taught to someone with absolutely no experience walking on ice. and for some people, it's hard to teach others when it comes naturally to them.

so, we continue walking on the ice.
and we continue teaching those kids, also, how to walk on ice. 

Why the changes?

so, even though i don't think anyone really reads this, especially since i didn't update it for almost a year. 
(i didn't update it because i had already taken over our team ministry's blog, and i didn't want to write the information twice.) 
why, you might ask? 
simply, i wanted something more "me" for the time being.  whatever that means.
also, i have stopped having so many adventures, so i decided to rename it to something more appropriate.
just, sharing bits and pieces of my life.
i'll try to be a little more consistent.  but you never know. 
i'll still be writing about what goes on in ministry--i'm still working with orphans in ukraine.
but different look, different feel.

happy thursday.

People always coming and going...

it's always easier when you're the one leaving.
tonight i was sitting in a group of women gathered to say goodbye to a common friend.  and it was one of those moments i both savored and wanted to forget.  savored, because i sat with chills running down my spine as our friend told us the long journey of being called to sweeden, and finally being able to go.  wanted to forget, because she hasn't even left yet, and i already miss her.
it's one of the most natural parts of being a missionary--that people come and go. 
of course, it's easier to keep in touch now, with the internet so accessible.
but it's nothing like meeting up in a coffee shop, sharing life over a cappuccino or latte. 
since it happens so often (people leaving, that is) i kind of get used to it. 
you don't survive if you don't.
but it reminds me how important sharing life with each other is. 
and how amazing it is when you share life, you're more alive.