Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Cultural Glimpses
My language teacher was recently trying to explain a couple words to keep me from getting (more) confused. The Russian word for bank is the same as ours, but they also have a banka, which is a jar. She said in America we put our money in a bank, but in Ukraine they put their money in a banka, because they know at least it will still be there when they want it. Exchanges like this give us interesting glimpses of the mentality here!
In Ukraine the city of Donetsk is said to be the father of the Ukrainian mafia, and Odessa the mother. Although foreign investment appears to have increased since we last lived in Kiev in 2006, the corruption and poverty that are so ingrained here have not diminished. Immorality and drug use have also soared…. outside of Africa, many believe Ukraine has the highest HIV rate in the world. These realities will be important for us to keep in mind as we work with orphans.
Recently at a team meeting we were praying for various requests of Send’s missionaries in Ukraine. The list of requests included ministries such as teaching pastoral training courses in Russian, and it certainly portrayed an impressive depth of experience and giftedness…. people much more intelligent and educated than us! As I read this list and considered my own relative helplessness with the language, I felt very small. How will God ever be able to use us here? Then I remembered that we are not here because of a talent or education or something we can offer, we are here because of who Jesus Christ is. May this truth continue to transform us and those we meet as continue our life here.
In Ukraine the city of Donetsk is said to be the father of the Ukrainian mafia, and Odessa the mother. Although foreign investment appears to have increased since we last lived in Kiev in 2006, the corruption and poverty that are so ingrained here have not diminished. Immorality and drug use have also soared…. outside of Africa, many believe Ukraine has the highest HIV rate in the world. These realities will be important for us to keep in mind as we work with orphans.
Recently at a team meeting we were praying for various requests of Send’s missionaries in Ukraine. The list of requests included ministries such as teaching pastoral training courses in Russian, and it certainly portrayed an impressive depth of experience and giftedness…. people much more intelligent and educated than us! As I read this list and considered my own relative helplessness with the language, I felt very small. How will God ever be able to use us here? Then I remembered that we are not here because of a talent or education or something we can offer, we are here because of who Jesus Christ is. May this truth continue to transform us and those we meet as continue our life here.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Getting Settled
We have been in Odessa for over 3 weeks now, and it is slowly starting to feel like home. We live on the 5th floor of a 16 story building and our apartment is quite comfortable. Just about everything we need is within a 30 minutes’ walk so we are thankful to be in such a convenient location. Our days have been filled with gradually buying appliances and other necessities to set up our home, as well as language studies. The tiny dumpster that services our building has been overflowing since our arrival and I’m sure the rumors are flying about the Americans who bring out boxes & trash every time they go outside.
Our flight here was challenging with a dog and a baby, but customs officials barely looked at us (after the hours & numerous appointments Sarah put in to make sure Hanjik’s paperwork was in order), and we were able to hire a Ukrainian to help us navigate the confusing airport system with our mountains of luggage. Esther had severe jet lag combined with some serious teething for the first 10 nights so I’m sure we’re not very popular with our new neighbors. Fortunately Sarah’s parents were able to accompany us and help us with this transition, for which we are very thankful!
Now that the dust is settling from our move, the reality of our new life and the land that is now our home is beginning to hit us. Our emotions go back and forth, from joy that we are finally here to wondering why in the world we ever wanted to move to this country. At our commissioning service last November, we were reminded that missions is God’s idea, not ours. That truth, combined with the knowledge that God has called us here, is an assurance we will cling to in the upcoming months.
Our flight here was challenging with a dog and a baby, but customs officials barely looked at us (after the hours & numerous appointments Sarah put in to make sure Hanjik’s paperwork was in order), and we were able to hire a Ukrainian to help us navigate the confusing airport system with our mountains of luggage. Esther had severe jet lag combined with some serious teething for the first 10 nights so I’m sure we’re not very popular with our new neighbors. Fortunately Sarah’s parents were able to accompany us and help us with this transition, for which we are very thankful!
Now that the dust is settling from our move, the reality of our new life and the land that is now our home is beginning to hit us. Our emotions go back and forth, from joy that we are finally here to wondering why in the world we ever wanted to move to this country. At our commissioning service last November, we were reminded that missions is God’s idea, not ours. That truth, combined with the knowledge that God has called us here, is an assurance we will cling to in the upcoming months.
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