halfway point.

so the halfway point is quickly approaching and i know that i haven't updated this in a while and as per usual, i have my reasons. writing a blog, as i have discovered is like a vicious circle. i am busy/tired so i forget to update it, then i do more things so i feel like i would have much more to write in an update, making it much more work to actually write aforementioned update, then I talk myself out of writing it because I don’t have the time or I just don’t feel like sitting down and writing down all of the things that are going on here.
I wish that wasn’t the case, because there is a part of me that knows that when time goes by and I want to look back on this experience and remember every thing I thought and when I also know it is a great way of keeping the people I love informed on what is going on in my life, however, I wish I was not a procrastinator. This mentality of “I’ll do it later/tomorrow/when I feel like it” is one that I know I need to overcome..
So here is (as brief an update I can muster) of the past few weeks here in Ukraine

TeachingEnglishClubFriendsSweetApartmentFootballGamesBowlingTalentShowsMorroccanTeaBeingSurprisedBumpyRoadsCoffeeLifeRussianLessonsMarshrutkasHomemadeVerenikiTheMarketTachMach

And many more things, and hopefully at some point I can explain some of these things in the fullness they deserve, but for now. This must do. One thing I can say is that whilst Ukraine is very, very different from life in North America, I could not be more excited to be exactly where God wants me to be.

hit the ground running.

So, here it is. my first blog posts from Ukraine.
It's kind of weird to think that little more than a week ago i was in Canada. Surprisingly quickly i have become really accustomed to the sights, smells and sounds of living in Zaporozhye. I was really expected to be fully and completely in a state of culture shock right about now, but instead life has continued on... just on the other side of the world. My first day in Ukraine (actually during my layover in the Kyiv airport) the full realization that I was on the other side of the world from everything and anything that felt like home sank in. I just thought, "God, why do you even want me here? I don't understand this."
And sitting there, in the airport, waiting to get onto my flight taking me closer to the place I will learn to see as my Ukrainian home, I cried. My first few moments here were honestly feeling more helpless and pathetic than I can remember feeling in a long time. Right then and there I reached the end of my rope, I realized my inadequacy and that God was the one who needs to carry me through this time here, because I sure cannot walk through it on my own. 
Since then... I haven't looked back.
Sure there are things I am missing about Canada,
I miss people who speak English
I miss being a phone call away from everyone I love
I miss solitude.
But all the while, I am loving Ukraine, garbage and all.
There is a lot of sadness here, alcoholism, government corruption and people who are just dirt poor.
But the people are just amazing, honestly just some of the friendliest people I have ever had the joy of being with. We have been invited to teach in three local schools (I'm teaching somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 classes a week, talk about feeling underqualified) and the teachers make us feel so welcome and appreciated.
I get the feeling I'm going to be making some really good friends here.
This is the outset, I feel possibilites, wonder and excitement.
It's interesting to think what things will be like in three months.

love.

actually really leaving...

so, my bags are packed...
and no, this is not the time to break out into another chorus of 
'leaving on a jet plane' (however tempting it may be).
the last week of training is done. all sessions are complete,
we have been fed with so many speakers, practical sessions,
books and insights it feels like it's time to just get on a plane and leave.
in a couple of hours, we are going to be commissioned.
and then one by one, our teams will leave. i still have another 8 hours before i have to leave
the place i've called home for the last 8 weeks.
also, within the hour i shall see my family again, which is strange and wonderful all at the
same time.
all i can say right now is, i'm excited for whatever adventure the next few hours brings.

love

drinking from a firehose

sunday night, ahh. 

if I was still in school, Sunday night would be a time to finish all the homework I forgot about, studying for tests or maybe (if I was lucky) watching TV and hanging out with my family. 

here though, Sunday night is (for me at least) the time where I get to take a look back at all that has happened in the past week. Filling out my weekly reflection often starts out as a chore but in the end leaves me with a great sense of accomplishment. Sort of a: "look at what has happened to me". 

This whole weekend though, has been a great resting and preparing weekend. Because I leave for Ukraine in 5 days (which still shocks me) I'm really trying to get everything ready that needs to be readied now. 

Writing letters, trips to Wal-Mart, lots of 'last skype dates' before I leave the country. 

Generally just 'preparing'. 

One thing though, that I've realized is how fortunate I have been to go through this experience of Trek training. I mean, I've known all throughout how blessed I am to have gone through this... but winding down to the end, I am beginning to realize just how amazing this process is. The whole time I have been looking at this process of 'training' as preparing for my time in Ukraine, but really Trek training is meant to go a lot further and deeper then I think I will realize in the next couple of months. 

The analogy they use is 'trying to drink water out of a firehose'. 

difficult task? no kidding. 

the things we are talking about, practices coming into play, sessions we are being taught are constantly bombarding us from all sides, and i've heard more then once that processing this whole experience of just training will take years. 

in fact, leaving out the whole assignment phase of this, training has been such an invaluable experience to me. 

the ability to experience so many new things. living in community. living away from home. sitting and soaking in the presence of Jesus. listening to the wisdom of people who have lived much more life then I have. 

taking this ride thus far has been incredible. in fact i almost look at the next few months in Ukraine and go "God, how can you blow my mind more then you already have?". 

but that's one of the beautiful thing about this thing we call faith. there is always deeper, there is always more. you have never hit the depths or heights that it reaches to. but the further you dive and the further you reach, the more you fall in love with it. the more you yearn to know more. I'm so excited to Ukraine. and terrified, but mostly excited. I know God will stretch me and grow me so much in these next few months. Living amongst a people who believe for the most part that either salvation was bought and paid for with their infant baptism and know nothing of a personal relationship with Christ or people who have rejected the faith altogether. Like I said, this time will stretch me, grow me. And I could not be any more excited. 

Love. 

getting ready.

it's officially here, the last week of life in Abbotsford. it's kind of strange because partially it does feel like training started yesterday and at the same time, the Mark Centre has, to a certain extent become home. The realization has kind of hit us in the last couple of days as flights have been finalized, prayer cards are being sent out, talks have been had with the host countries... that we are actually leaving.
this week has been a lot of dealing with 'practical matters'. teaching on culture/culture shock. language learning. teaching esl. really moving away from the theory and into the actuality of what we will be doing.
I'm very excited, we leave March 4th from Seattle (at 630am, meaning a VERY early morning drive from Abbotsford), flying through NYC and Kiev to Dnepropetrovsk (which is about an hour away from Zaporozhye, where we will actually be staying). I must say... I and (the rest of our team is very excited for what God has got in store for us in Ukraine, whatever it holds.

Meet the Team!

Once I get to Ukraine my contact home will be fairly limited, probably only one chance a week to get on the computer, but I hope to keep this blog updated regularly... I know you would think with the amount of updates I do currently that we were only able to use it once a month...).
Prayer Requests:

• safe travels 
• Amelia still needs her visa application to come through for her to be able to enter the country, pray for that to happen quickly. 
• quick acclimatization to the culture and language
• John and Evelyn Weins, our host missionaries
• our ministry, whatever it is, that God is preparing the places for us to go and people for us to interact with. 

all night prayer

last night the trek team was given a very awesome opportunity:

pray.

praying all night, which to be perfectly honest, did not sound like that much fun to me to start with. I just thought "I will most definitely fall asleep," but once again God did what he has done time and time again, he surprised me.  last night was not the boring, groggy sleep fest I had been dreading, instead we got to hear what God is doing around the world. Different people, missionaries, people who either have or are planning to spend long periods of time in these countries came and told us their heart and the real needs of people around the world. Both a chance to celebrate in and continue to ask God for his work to be done around the world. The Lord really sustained me through it, because I really thought that by two in the morning I would be done, but He kept me energetic and loving the time of prayer.

love.

UKRAINE, (plus, i fail at this whole 'blog' thing)

So, I know, I know. I'm terrible at 'blogging'. I can never find time. Or I have the time and I just think, "there is to much to say and I don't know how to say it".
So here I am, 12 days since my last update and much has changed.
48 Hours of Silence, was almost every emotion in the book. It was a time to rest and "Be still and know that he is God", a time to wrestle with God, listen to God, talk to him, pray about things that were on my heart and mind. One thing that was amazing about the 48 hours was how not-lonely I felt. You would think, spending so much time in your own head might drive you up the wall but really, it was awesome to just hang out with the God of the universe.
Team, was also something I discovered last week (in a very literal sense). Teams were announced, and I am going to Ukraine. I could not be more thrilled about this, because as much as I felt very much at peace with any team I think deep down Ukraine was the one most on my heart. So I'm leaving in a month alongside Steven (my team leader), Jason and Amelia... cannot wait.

those are the big two things. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us here.