Privet!

Happy Autumn. Enjoy the warm colors as the air gets cooler! (God sure has a good sense of design, doesn't he? He wouldn't have to make the green leaves turn bright yellow and red before they turn brown… but he did. So cool.)

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written! I really miss all of you lots, and I've been a little afraid that if I sit down to write to you I might become more lonesome! But, actually, that's so backwards. I know I'll get a handful of notes in reply, and that will be happy. :)

So here's a list of what I've been up to lately… or rather, what God's been up to:

Classes ~ I teach Bible to 7th, 8th, and 10th grade students, English to 9th grade, a middle school art class, and a high school art class. We have many new students this year, with varied backgrounds from living all over the world!

Fall Retreat ~ I was responsible for coordinating our middle and high school fall retreat this year. Although planning details can be nerve-racking for me, God pulled all the pieces in place and it turned out to be amazing. The Lord worked in powerful ways among our students. Several students have testified to having "changed" lives from that weekend.

Graduate Course ~ I'm taking a course from Montana State University for some continuing education. It's full of inspiring teaching methods but requires several hours of work every week. I only have a couple more weeks of this course, and once it is finished, I should be able to catch up with my KCA school work!

Youth group, worship ~ This year I decided that, since I have a year of teaching under my belt, I should start getting more involved in my church here. So, I'm now helping with the youth group and I play ukulele in the worship band! :) Yay! Lots of fun, but 3 more nights a week of commitment (and an early morning Bible study every other week)! (Oi, I'm starting to feel tired… )

Bible study ~ You may remember that some of my teacher friends and I did a couple of Beth Moore studies last year. Most of those friends have moved, but this year there's a new group and we are studying Breaking Free by Beth Moore. This is a powerful study from the book of Isaiah. Something that God has been working with me on is handing over everything to him. I always find myself trying to manage on my own, but Jesus has already set us free from that kind of bondage. I can give it all to Jesus.

Highs and lows ~ The last couple months have been a funny mixture of emotional, spiritual, physical ups and downs. I experience stress in a very physical way. I usually don't cognitively realize I'm stressed out until my body starts telling me. So, I'm not quite sure how to explain it. Everyday is different. Some days are awesome and some have been really hard. Thankfully, I have awesome people praying for me--you guys(!!) and some great friends here. Yet again, I am learning to give it all to Jesus.

Please pray for me! Maybe you can feel the strain of stress as you read my words. What I want is the Lord's peace that is more than we can understand. I need wisdom for my school planning, how I spend my time, and for my influence in the young lives around me. 
Thanks for sticking with me through this journey… Love from Ukraine!

Back to Kiev... soon!

I can hardly believe summer is coming to a close! On my day off this week, I took some time to brainstorm for the upcoming year. I am thrilled to get back to work at Kiev Christian Academy. I am anxious to meet new students and their families and see how the new class groups will work together. This week I have done a little math to figure out my financial needs for this next year. Thanks to an awesome response from continuing supporters, it looks like I only need about $1000 more. I am looking for people that will be willing to give one-time or monthly donations. Click here to donate online.

I am so grateful to be on a team with those of you who pray for me or give financial support! I just feel so honored that I get to be the one to go and work with these sweet missionary families! Thank you for your support. I know God will return the blessing. He is so good.

Speaking of “God is good…” We only have two more days of girls’ camp here at Camp Cherith, then just one last week of boys. This summer has once again shown God’s faithfulness. Too many great stories to recount… several girls chose to give their lives to Christ and many more experienced God in a new and deeper way here at camp. I just love how camp provides a different setting, where we all can re-posture ourselves to hear from God. I pray that all of you are clearly hearing from God. He is truth. God bless!

I think this is a good one to read, people.

Highlights in this Post:

•   Transition from good-byes to hellos
•    I’m goin’ back and takin’ some with me
•    Please consider continuing your support
•    Surprise at the end… (Wait! Don’t scroll down. Ha.) 

Please read my wordy letter and contact me if you have questions! :)

Here I am in the Munich airport. I was here once before—August of last year, before ever stepping foot on Ukrainian uneven ground. What a year it’s been! This last week was full of good-byes. This year, several families that were “old-timers” left to move on to wherever God was calling them next. Yesterday I told someone that I was so glad I came this year to get a chance to know all these people! Even though good-byes are painful, the relationships are so worth it.

You can be praying for me these weeks ahead. I will be busy soaking up some time with my family and friends and planning and living out this summer at Camp Cherith. I have several lists to get through, but I mostly want to cherish spending time with people. This is an interesting transition for me; throw in some culture shock and jet lag, and I might just be an emotional basket case. Please pray that I can continue to rely on the Holy Spirit for my soul restoration!

I will be one of the “newbies” returning to KCA in the fall (I hope you don’t take offense to that, Kara and Caleb… hehe). Ironically, I will be a veteran welcoming several new teachers and families to the international Kiev community. I am super happy to welcome my good friends Bill and Kendra Mohn and their kids Josiah and Katya.

Will you consider continuing your prayerful support of our ministry with missionary and other international families in Kiev, Ukraine? As I was sitting here, munching on some mixed nuts, I scribbled out a list of my needs for the next year. They will be much the same as they have been this year, and I will be taking some grad courses that the school will be helping me to pay for. This year, the community in Kiev blessed me richly. I look forward to giving another year to serve in Ukraine!

Oh, I forgot to mention I get to teach art next year! I will be teaching all the same classes plus adding the middle school and high school art electives. So, I’ll be busy… but oh so thrilled! :)

Winding Down

It’s been a while since I’ve written. The year is winding down fast. Three weeks left of school! In the last week, Kiev has been transformed from the grey, wet, sullen city to a bright, blooming, and cheerful neighborhood. This lovely change in weather has given me the opportunity to take several long walks through some new parts of town.

This week we welcomed some visitors from ACSI (The Association of Christian Schools International) who are here for our reaccreditation. KCA is an awesome school, supportive like a family with the students, parents, and staff… I am so blessed to be here. (After being a student at North Heights Christian Academy, I remember thinking that there’s probably not any other good Christian schools out there in the world… then I went to Concordia, then Northwestern, then I worked at Hand In Hand, now Kiev Christian Academy! I love that God is present and working all over in Christian education!)

Lately my Bible classes are engaging in some deep discussions. I learn so much as I discuss with my kids! The eighth grade class is contemplating the balance of God’s characteristics in a unit called “Contradictory or Complementary?” We talked about God’s love and hate and realized He actually hates because he loves! We completely filled the board with things that are happening in the world today that God hates – things that put the things and people that He loves in danger. Tomorrow I’ll collect journal entries from the students that will reflect on their response to what God hates and loves. It is not our responsibility to take on all the problems on that whiteboard. No, that was Jesus – in fact, God’s wrath has already been spent for all of it – Jesus took it! What grace! But I believe He gave each of us a specific skill set so that we can stand for the things God loves and fight the things He hates. What is he calling you to stand for?

I will be coming home to Minnesota for the summer. I return on May 29^th. North Central Camp Cherith will yet again serve as my “summer home” … this will be my ninth summer on staff! I hope that I’ll get a chance to visit with all you at home who have been praying for and supporting me! Please continue to pray for me as I prepare for these final weeks of school, exams, and my transition to a summer back in America. I would also like to ask you to pray for camp as we are preparing for the summer, we will have a full batch of campers coming through, and I’m believing that God will speak truth and love to them during their time at Camp Cherith!

Thanks!

I don't actually have any news. I don't have any amazing stories. But I still wanted to write to all of you. I am so thankful for you, my people! God shows me how much he loves me through you! I am pretty much blown away by the fact that you even still remember me and are thinking about me, praying for me, and supporting me! So, I just want to say THANK YOU for letting God use you. It means so much to me. 

Now, I think I've already said this; but since people keep asking me, I better make sure the information is public: I am planning on coming back to teach in Ukraine another year. It's so exciting to be a part of what God is doing here and to know that I'm being used by him in this process--how could I walk away now? :) 

Lord willing, I'll be home in June for the summer... I can't wait to meet up with you if you're around! 

May the Lord bless you with His everlasting love, peace beyond understanding, and grace that none of us deserve!

Out of the Cold

Well, if it seems like I haven't written in a while, it's probably because my fingers have been exclusively tucked into pockets or mittens to keep them from frostbite. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little; but the last month and a half has been bitterly cold. The power has gone out in our flat several times, which scares us because our heat is electric -- the outages never lasted long. Really, I'm part of the portion of this country that is very blessed to live in a place with new windows and good insulation. In Europe about 200 people have died because of the cold blast; 135 of those deaths were in Ukraine. I've heard of several ministries collecting blankets and trying to support the homeless during this low point of the winter. I feel it's appropriate to pray for some warmer weather! On a brighter note, we noticed that at 10 past 5 o'clock last night there was still some dim light coming from the sky! I love when you know the days are only getting longer. 

Yet again, I can honestly say that time is flying! The last few weeks were busy and a blur. I've had some interesting experiences. A few weeks ago, a couple of my students invited me to visit an orphanage with them. We went for an afternoon just to hang out with the kids and give them a healthy snack. It was a blast; the children are so brave and lovable! I hope to go back there next time they go in a few weeks. Also, I stayed for a week with a family of three students of KCA while their parents were in America. I got to play mother, although they have a cook and a homework helper that come a few days a week. :) 

Staying busy has helped me not focus on myself, which is good. The weeks after returning from Christmas break were a little rough. I think I was finally experiencing some culture shock and some spiritual/emotional trauma in the dark of winter. I'm going to insert a prayer from my journal that I wrote last week: 

Church was really good today. I felt so encouraged; thank you, Lord! I know that was you. You know that I've been doubting and kind of down the last monthish. Today I was reminded in a real way of your faithfulness. YOUR LOVE NEVER FAILS. You blood is proof. And the grace I've EXPERIENCED in my life is pretty much the most tangible thing I could get in this world. Your HOLY SPIRIT is the seal on my heart... And even if I don't feel it today or this week -- I CHOOSE TO TRUST YOU. I am putting up a mental ROCK to mark this place... and I will call it... When I am faithless, still you are FAITHFUL! (So, that was last week, a turning point, I think. If you have any questions about my prayer I jotted out, let me know!) 

The little small group that I'm in is a continuous joy! We finished our Esther study and are hoping to start Beth Moore's study of James soon! James is a practical book with lessons on how to live out this life in our real world. I'm looking forward to learning from Beth's unique perspective! :) She's so cool! 

Today is Valentine's Day and the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week. Man, I feel appreciated. Today I was rewarded with a pile of sweets, cards and some artwork from my students! The Korean moms provided an over-the-top Korean lunch. There were even tablecloths and candles. Giant electric woks were loaded with stir fry and noodles and there was kimbab galore (Korean sushi). Wow, life as a teacher turns out to be not bad! :) 

Well, thank you so much, my dear friends; thanks for caring about my little life over here. Feel free to send an email or Facebook message my way! Much love and I miss you all!

Well, here I am in Hamar, Norway. It's my last day here, I can't really imagine a more wholistically beautiful Christmas holiday -- well, I just wish my family could have been with me, but I know that they also had a great Christmas in Minnesota... I can't quite wrap my head around how the end of the first semester at KCA came so fast. I gave four final exams that last week before Christmas. I was pretty determined to get a realistic assessment of the students' knowledge and application of what we learned this fall. I think it worked, and yet I'm still wishing I didn't have to give any grades for the Bible classes at all! :) (I think we do a good job of encouraging the students at KCA, but I still feel a tension between the academic achievement and spiritual formation of the students.)


Anyway, that last stretch, the students worked really hard. I think they inspired me to work hard too. I was able to wrap up most of the grading before I left for Norway on the 22nd. When I arrived in Oslo that night I was swept off my feet by the lit stars in the windows of each house, the aroma of burning candles on every available ledge, and the familiar sound of snow crunching under boots. The word that my Norwegian friends claim is used in about every other sentence is "koselig" -- it means something like "cozy," but they use it kind of like how we use "cool." Although it is much over-used, I think it might be the best way to describe this Christmas. Everyday of Christmas here (not just two days either -- there's "tiny xmas eve," little xmas eve," "xmas eve," "1st day of xmas," "2nd day of xmas," "3rd day of xmas," then two days to prep for new year's eve!) was filled with festivities with family, friends, and cake! There was even some singing around the Christmas tree!


This visit was a wonderful Christmas gift from my dear friend and DTS buddy, Jenny Korsnes. (DTS is Discipleship Training School with Youth With a Mission.) We both reminisced our parting at the end of DTS. I was afraid I might never see her, or my other global friends, again. I have been so blessed to spend these two weeks with her and her family! We have had many good talks with each other and with God.


Tomorrow I return to Kiev. I feel like if I'll ever experience culture shock, this might be the time. I'll be traveling from one of the richest nations in the world to one of the poorest. And, although winter days in Norway are short, the days here have been filled with light; Ukraine has an aura that is not as light... But, have no fear! I am not worried about this transition. In Kiev, I find myself in such supportive communities at school and at home with the Leary family.


Next week we commence Semester 2 at KCA. I would so much appreciate your prayers for me and my young friends as we embark on another chapter during such important times in their lives. I am so fully aware that the experiences that we have together are shaping our lives... I would love to hear about what experiences you are having that are shaping your lives! (Drop me an email or FB message!) It's a new year friends! A fresh start. With God's unending love and grace we can live confidently without regrets! Peace.