Fall Camp Video

You should check out this amazing video that Anika Bachle made of our fall camp. It was such a fun time and this shows a glimpse into our weekend!!!

October Fun

Time has been flying by...It has been a month since I have been back and I am wondering where October went. This month has been been packed full of ministry. We have had birthday after birthday.

We had fall camp a couple weeks ago and it was so much fun. We had a total of 42 people which is by far the most we have ever had. Our speaker Vova, spoke on fear, which was a good topic for our kids to hear. I was so thankful that we had warmer weather and it actually felt like fall.  We had some amazing friends from the states that helped us with camp and we had some great fellowship.

We have had many new graduates come and stay with us on the weekend so they do not have to be the only ones left at trade school.

We have had hospital visits to Yula, who they thought had a heart problem. Then she came and spent last weekend with us.

And this past couple of days we traveled up to Shostka to visit Losha, who used to live with us. He now has a house with his girlfriend and 7 month old baby.

So much goodness happening...

My "sons" Birthday :)

Celebrating Tret's birthday with our American friends.

Our group at camp...

Yula teaching us how to make an Italian dish

Our night out to the movies with Yula

Meeting Losha's son Ivan

Loved spending time with Ira and Losha. They were great hosts.

Helping make green Borsch

Losha teaching me a thing or two about Borsch

My beautiful friend

I have said before that Dusya(one of our girl graduates who now has two children) is the strongest woman I know. Over the years she has become one of my very dear friends. Dus lives in the village where the orphanage is and has a really hard life. Yet, when we see her she is almost always joyful and she is an incredible mom. But I know the last couple years have been hard on her and little by little I see her joy lessening. We went to the village yesterday and it was my first time seeing her since I have been back. She rarely asks for anything but when we called she sheepishly asked if we could bring some groceries because she said this month they are really low. This is supposed to be the coldest winter and let me tell you, IT IS COLD. It snowed today.... Ummmm what? snow? already? So, she lives in a village where she only really has one friend, no money, now work, and it's super cold/depressing. I was sitting talking with her and she was telling me how she is not talking to one of her friends but this "friend" was spreading rumors about how Dus' kids are dirty and not taken care of. If you know Dus, you might as well of just slapped her in the face then spit on her. She LOVES her kids. As she is explaining all this to me she said how she told the girl she was talking to that she won't trust anyone again except for us. My heart was breaking for her because you could just see the hurt as she was talking. She doesn't understand why people keep hurting her for no reason. I was feeling sorry for myself yesterday and a little frustrated because there are some people and relationships that have hurt me. Or people who have made it so very clear that I am just not important to them. Then I thought Dus and all that she has and is going through. And she rarely complains. She even said, "I start to worry, then I just tell myself that everything will be okay." Even though I have had these people who have been so hurtful I have true friends and family who love me. She doesn't have family that she really count on or friends. I have a lot to learn from this amazing girl.
 It made me really proud that we have finally gained her trust but I want for her to have other friends who she can trust and who will take care of her. I couldn't be more thankful that God has given me Dus in my life.

Back again...

On Wednesday, I left America and traveled back to Ukraine. I left sunny California and returned to a cold Ukraine where there is snow in the forecast for this week. WHAT? SNOW? It is supposed to be the coldest and longest winter in 130 years. I am definitely not looking forward to that but I am excited to be back in Ukraine with all the kids that I love and missed. And as always, we hit the ground running. I got in at almost 11pm on thursday and we went to bed at 4:45am even though we had to be up by 9 on friday. We met with a friend then we went to look at a camp we were hoping to buy. Well, let's just say the camp was a complete DUMP. We were so disappointed but it just means it is not the camp for us and we will keep waiting. Over the course of the weekend we had 9 kids and 6 which stayed the whole weekend.  On Sunday, it was Yura's birthday(my little brother who I have written about in the past). I cannot believe that he is already 20. It seems like just yesterday he was a little boy, stuck to my side, at the orphanage. I am so very thankful that he still in my life. These next couple of months are going to fly by and I am going to try to soak up all the goodness of birthdays, holidays, and camp. Thank you so much to all of you who prayed for my trip back it was probably my most smooth one yet. And for those of you who know me, I almost never have smooth trips :)