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.