These past few days in Kiev have been a complete fulfillment of all preparations and prayers and ALL the glory be to God! Because so much has happened and I haven't much time to flourish my stories in a full novel style I'll just give brief overview of the wonderful work God has been doing.
PLANE RIDE
God was with me the ENTIRE TIME (and I should know this because I asked him to do so since I was 14). Left my jacket at home on the way to the airport, considered going back and getting it but instead took the advise of my wise cousins, who has traveled internationally a lot, and pushed on to the airport. Met a polish guy in the check-in luggage line. Met an Iranian family in the security line, and got to share and talk about seeing family and the quirks that come with family. Then while in the bathroom I was able to help lift a little girl to reach the foam soap dispenser while her mom was in the stall. When looking for a NASA magnet to bring my friend I met the manager and two players from the British Olympic Basketball Team. Apparently the Manager's dad graduated from OU ( So Cool!). All these things are awesome and praise worthy, but hold onto your seat cause then God gets down to business. I had been praying for the person who would sit next to me on the plane that I could share Christ's love with them. I sat next to a Grecian woman who was headed home to Greece to go sailing with her father. After I told her I was going for a mission trip she expressed she was Greek Orthodox and asked about the difference between that and Christianity. When I told her about the personal relationship available with Jesus Christ, before even asking my name, she asked, "I am very interested. How does one have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?" Whoa! Wasn't expecting that (although I should have if I had been praying for it) and I worked to organize my thoughts. We talked for a while and she kept lumping Christianity with the rest of religions as a good moral code to live your life by. And I explained how Christianity is different from those because it's not work based and how the good things that come from your life are not the factors that get you into heaven but the product of walking with Christ. Conversation on religion faded after that but we talked a long time about the education system, poverty, media, brokenness of the world, etc. Throughout the flight she would point out and show me how beautiful the sky was in its different stages of the sun setting and dawning. In the morning she shared one of her perfectly boiled eggs that she had somehow gotten past security. And somewhere between talking about life, understanding one another, sharing food, and having reverence for God's creation I made a friend. It was a terribly long flight but not terrible in the slightest. God is good
While in the Paris airport I was EVER SO GRATEFUL for the french that I knew. It came in handy when finding my terminal and gate. And for anyone who knows how much I appreciate well designed/clean bathrooms, they would understand when I had to take a video panning the Paris airport bathrooms. Later while in a different bathroom a little old french lady kept glancing at me and smiling and then began speaking in french to me not realizing I was a foreigner. I figured by her gestures and tone she was commenting on how long the lines are, and I just chuckled a little saying "oui". Even then it was apparent my identity as an American hadn't been revealed. Before getting on the plane I met Pavlo, a Ukrainian who just got his Masters in Architecture in Ohio. His seat ended up being right behind mine, but because there was no one sitting in the seats next to me he switched seats and we talked almost the entire flight. At one point he asked me, "Of all the other countries, why Ukraine." So then I shared my testimony about how God had called me to Ukraine and how when you are doing what God has told you to do there is not greater sense of peace, joy, and fulfillment which transcends all understanding." After the meal I remembered that after not sleeping for 24 hours I get sick when I eat. Pavlo offered to be my alarm clock and wake me before we landed. After sleeping I felt a little better. But I was most grateful for the two people God had placed with me on my flights and when we landed I was so fully of happiness at setting my feet on Ukrainian ground. Olya Shvets was there at the airport to pick me up. Everything happened without a hitch.
FIRST DAY/EVENING
From the airport Brian Welch and two of his daughters picked Olya and I up from the airport and we went to his home for dinner. It was my first Ukrainian dinner of the year. I had forgotten how wonderfully simple and delicious the food was. (of course jet lag kept me from having too large of a helping). It was a real blessing to get to sit down with his family (and Olya :) ) and talk over a good meal, which was topped off with a scoop of pistachio ice-cream and fresh blueberries. From here we went to the apartment where I would be Olya's new roommate. The apartment reminds me of my Aunts old house, and is therefore comforting to me. It is not very large, but as Olya took me through the house and I received the short tour I felt as if I was a little princess. And I remembered that I am the daughter of a King, and it made my feeling absolutely valid. And I was receiving a gift from my father to live in an apartment (castle) in a giant city (kingdom) AND HAVE A PIANO IN MY ROOM (all the treasure in the world)!!!
I praise God for all that he has done and I figure I'll have to find a way to document the little things for myself and remember to post the bigger things for you guys. And I'll probably update only once a week by the look of my schedule. But please know that God is at work and that he is GOOD. :) See you guys later.
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