Dasha's Diaries

Overcoming Challenges

2010-10-02T22:46:00.027-05:00

Remember Tanya, the interpreter who said she had never been around "religious" people before? After her most uncomfortable first day, Tanya was assigned to work in the upholstery shop with some locals who were cutting wood, foam and vinyl to make seat cushions. Our interpreters were paid workers but the other Ukrainians who worked in this area were volunteers. Leana, our seamstress, came to us from a church in Sumy and brought her cordless sewing machine. It looked a lot like my grandmother's treadle machine with a handle on the side of the wheel which, when turned, supplied the forward momentum for stitching. In essence, you cranked the wheel with your right hand and guided the fabric with your left. Leana was quite skilled in making this all work and despite the "no English" language barrier, she seemed to understand where straps etc needed to be sewn.

There were two thicknesses of foam we used for a variety of seat cushions, head rests and padding for various needs. The foam was cut with an electric knife and there were glue guns to aid the process of adhering pieces together. This little workshop was outside in an area with a dirt floor and the electricity was provided by way of an extension cord. The knife and glue gun needed adapters because they were American made and the electric plugs and voltage in Ukraine are completely different. In spite of those challenges, the first day in the upholstery shop went pretty well.

Leana cranking the sewing machine


Tanya carefully cutting the foam pieces

Tanya & Kostya cutting foam

On Tuesday, the volunteer crew, except for Leana, decided not to show up, nor did they return the rest of the week. That left Tanya, a psychology major, to run the upholstery shop and figure out how to use all the tools, fill the orders and "make do" with her own set of skills. Now if this happened to me, I would have protested loudly about not knowing how to use any of the tools and not having help. Not Tanya, oh no, Tanya faced the challenge with determination, creativity and the Ukrainian "can do" attitude! When we realized the volunteers we not coming back (except Leana the seamstress), every team member took turns going back to the upholstery shop to help with the orders. Tanya dove right in with the electric knife, carefully measuring, marking and cutting each piece of foam to fill the request of the therapists. She tackled the electric saw to cut the plywood boards, learned to cover the cushions with vinyl and became quite handy with the glue & staple guns. Up until this point, Tanya had never done anything like this, nor was she familiar with the tools. She did not complain or try to pass off difficult requests to someone else. You could almost see the wheels turning in her mind as she read the orders, thought through what process she needed to use and executed the finished product. By the way, she was filling orders for 7 teams! Our little Tanya came faithfully every day with a positive attitude and worked hard to accomplish all that was asked of her.

At the end of the week, we had a goodbye breakfast with all the interpreters and gave each of them large bags of gifts we brought from the States. Each team bragged about their interpreter and each interpreter had their opportunity to say something about the experience. The moment Tanya opened her mouth and started to smile, we knew she had something exciting to tell us. In the course of the week, she experienced the tremendous support of the team and witnessed all the love we poured out to the patients and to her. She said she had never experienced or seen anything like it before and it changed her, inside. She said that what she saw was real and something was growing in her heart. You can imagine how we all felt as she beamed while speaking of this new faith. There wasn't a dry eye in the room (including the other interpreters) and after the breakfast, Dave, our GAiN leader took Tanya aside and explained the Gospel to her one more time. Tanya eagerly received Jesus Christ into her heart and life. As we boarded the bus for Kyiv and the beloved interpreters were leaving the hotel, I looked out the window and saw our beautiful Tanya skipping down the street with her long blond pony tail swishing back and forth. She was as light as air bobbing along with a new song in her heart.

Tanya's glowing face as she tells of her new found faith

Alexander's Bungee

2010-09-30T05:47:00.004-05:00

Talu fought back the tears as she saw him struggling to approach the triage desk. Alexander's drop foot prevented him from being able to walk normally due to muscle or nerve damage. To compensate for his disability, Alexander invented a contraption consisting of a sling around his neck to which he fastened a bungee cord which went down and attached to the toe of his shoe. To take a step, he grabbed the bungee with his hand and dragged his leg forward while leaning on a cane. It was difficult to watch him labor with every step, yet here was another example of Ukrainian ingenuity; making do with what he had.

Alexander's bungee

Jill, our Wheels for the World leader, was available and cordially invited Alexander into her station. Jill is a redheaded, fireball, full of compassion and grace. She lovingly cared for Alexander and pondered how to solve this precious man's dilemma. In His providence, God sent a plantar fascitis splint and a cast shoe among our supplies so Jill could make a brace to prevent the foot drop when Alexander walked. Alexander also received a wheel chair to give him extra support for times when he was too exhausted to walk. This was just one of many God moments we experienced during the week.
Alexander left with the ability to walk without his bungee, however, he did take it with him and I'm quite sure, as he happily walked away, was thinking of yet another use for it! Alexander experienced the tremendous love and provision of our wonderful, creative God.

Another view of the bungee invention

Jill fitting Alexander with the splint & cast shoe

Seated on the right side of this picture is Sergi,our Ukrainian seating specialist. Sergi had his own team and of course could work without an interpreter. This was his second trip with GAiN and Wheels.

Later in the week we had a family who brought their Babushka (grandma) in another home made contraption. Some very clever person in the family constructed a wheel chair from bicycle wheels and combine parts of various objects so their beloved Babushka could be mobile. The chair was very functional and even had a reclining back! Its frame was welded together and had a small wheel in the back for balance. The arm rests were fashioned from old chair legs and the foot supports were perfectly fitted for Grandma's legs. Everyone on our team was amazed at the craftsmanship and imaginative design. There was no seat cushion but they had a lovely oriental style rug draped over the back and seat to provide a more comfortable ride for Grandma.

Terri, our Occupational Therapist, fitted Grandma with a new, folding, wheel chair with a nice padded seat cushion, for which the family was sincerely grateful. However, as they took the new chair and left, Grandma preferred to ride away in her beloved, hand crafted, chair.

The creative, home made wheel chair

Dwelling in the Shelter...

2010-09-25T11:09:00.000-05:00

As predicted, a light rain fell on Sumy on and off all day, Tuesday. As we prayed, we asked God to protect all the families who had appointments and to hold back any barriers that would hinder them from coming to the clinic. With a few new strategies in place, our clinic opened on time. The doors to the wheel chair storage room were now locked and we had a new system which allowed only 2 family members to come into the clinic while the patient was being fitted. These two changes made a big difference in the flow of our work.

Vladik, learning how to drive

Vladik and his mother, Sveta, live in a one room apartment on the 5th floor of their building. Vladik is 15 years old and has CP, like most of the other children we served. He was a sweet young man and his mother said Vladik's father left them when he found out the child was disabled. Up until today, Vladik never owned a wheel chair. He could walk, slowly, by holding on to his mother's hand. When he leaves the apartment building, he has to pull himself up the stairs to the fifth floor to return home. Sveta left her job to care for Vladik and to home school him; they live off of government assistance. We saw them at the rehab center a couple of times after he was given a wheel chair because he comes there a couple of times a week for therapy. Once Cindy and Ura got the chair ready, Vladik could hardly wait to get in and start wheeling himself around. He grinned from ear to ear with excitement as he pushed the wheels and made circles, turned corners and went forward and back. Mobility is a very special gift for someone who has never had it before. The exuberant joy on Vladik's face was priceless. I have to hand it to his mom, Vladik was impeccably clean, polite and happy. I encouraged her in her role as caretaker and single mother. Her whole life is dedicated to caring for this child. Sveta gets an A+ in my book for good parenting. Vladik got a denim bag for his chair to match his denim jacket; which he thought was pretty cool.

Behind Vladik you can see our reception area where we offered hospitality to the patients and families. It was chilly outside so hot tea and coffee were available along with cookies and other simple snacks.

Vladik, his Mama & our team

Igor, & Ura adjust the chair for Ilya

Our next patient was an adorable, freckle faced boy named Ilya. His papa, Igor, brought him to be fitted for a wheel chair. Igor was very talkative and was the only parent who asked me questions about myself. When he found out I was from Kansas, he wanted to know all about tornadoes, if I had ever seen one, if I had been in one...etc. Then he asked about Toto (the dog from Wizard of Oz)! In Ukraine, Toto is known as Tatochka. We had a delightful conversation as Cindy and Ura were fitting Ilya for a wheel chair. Igor told us he made a riding toy for Ilya by combining a stroller and a bicycle. I was amazed at his creativity. Igor took a great interest in helping Ura prepare the chair for Ilya. Igor asked if we were Christians to which our interpreter replied, yes. I was not aware of this part of the conversation but was told later by our interpreter, Sasha. Igor was quite surprised that "believers" would dress in "hip" clothing.He must have been referring to the way our interpreters were dressed because our team was dressed for comfort, not style! Ilya didn't have heavy enough clothes on so we got him a hand knit stocking cap from the gift pile and put it on him. He seemed very pleased with his new hat. After lifting the foot rests and adding a chest harness to the chair, Ilya was ready to roll. Just before leaving, Igor handed a business card to Sasha, our interpreter for the day. Now his questions and curiosity made more sense, Igor was in the TV and radio broadcast business!

Ilya with his custom fit chair, his papa, Igor and Sasha our interpreter

It Looks Like Rain

2010-09-20T12:12:00.003-05:00

Monday afternoon flew by as we served five more families by fitting their loved one with a wheel chair.

Sveta

There were two adults who came through our station in the afternoon. The first was Sveta, a woman who had taken a fall two years previously and was confined to a wheel chair. While Cindy and Ura were looking for a chair, Angela and I visited with Sveta and she told us her story. Sveta was a psychologist who lost her job when she became disabled. "I'm useless to anyone" she said. Even in her dismal circumstances she was hopeful that she would walk again because feeling was starting to come back in her legs. I shared pictures of my family with her which included photos of my friends who adopted 3 children from Ukraine. Sveta was so moved by their big hearts to take in 3 brothers, one of whom has CP, she went and bought chocolate bars and brought them back later asking me to send them to the boys. Sveta also mentioned her 10 year old daughter wanted a sibling so she and her husband are considering having another baby when she recovers from this injury. Once again, Sveta was not wallowing in her circumstances but looking forward to the future. She smiled a lot and said she loves the way Americans smile!

Alexander with his matching bag & seat cushion

Alexander was our last patient of the day. He struggled painfully to walk with a cane across the parking lot. His hips were so tightly locked he could barely sit in a chair. Cindy suggested a walker but he really wanted a wheel chair so he could go to the store by himself. She fitted him with a wheel chair for which he was extremely grateful. Being able to go to the store, alone, would give Alexander independence and a sense of value. Alexander had been an accountant until he started having problems with his legs, then he was let go by his employer because of his disability. Although his wife and family were very supportive, he struggled with the why questions. He asked me why God punishes good people. That lead into a deep theological discussion and Angela and I did our best to answer him with Biblical references. He said every person he asks these questions to says the same thing and they all quote the Bible. I explained that the Bible is our way of knowing God's heart and that He speaks to us through His Word. My parting words to Alexander were that God doesn't promise life will be easy but He does promise to be there with us through the good times and the difficult times. Please pray that God would become very real to Alexander and that he would come to know the incomprehensible love of his Creator.

Clouds were forming by the time our last patients were leaving. There was rain in the forecast for Tuesday and I wondered how the clinic was going to function in the rain. God was already at work and as we were leaving a big military truck pulled up to the parking lot with several soldiers and a huge tent! When we arrived the next morning, the three sided tent was up and we worked in its shelter for the rest of the week.

Soldiers unloading the tent

When we arrived back at the hotel there was much rejoicing because the 7 lost suitcases had been found and brought to Sumy! Yea God! Now everyone had their clothes and the much needed tools and supplies to custom make the remaining wheel chairs.

After being on my feet most of the day, running back and forth to the building, I was exhausted! The delicious evening meal was truly savored and we sat at the table sipping tea afterwards reflecting on all the wonderful experiences of the day. Yes, there were some challenges, one being the room where the bulk of the wheel chairs were kept was in the same hallway as the bathroom the waiting families used. As they walked by the open doors, some were tempted to go in and pick out what they wanted. This was difficult because the therapist has the final say in which chair is most appropriate for the patient. By God's grace, there were two sets of doors to the room so we were able to lock the set that opened to the public side of the hallway and that solved the problem for the remainder of the week.

Our "covered" clinic

Sound sleep came easily after a hot shower. When my head hit the pillow, I knew nothing until right before the alarm went off on Tuesday morning. The predictions of rain were correct, it was cloudy, rainy and cold but our hearts were warm and we couldn't wait to see what God had in store for us. I was reminded of Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. The tent was a reminder that we were dwelling in the shelter of the Most High, being His hands and feet; bringing the Light of Christ to those in need.

Masha

2010-09-19T16:32:00.002-05:00

As we completed one patient, Talu and Ira were right there with the next one in line. Some of these precious families traveled many hours to get to the clinic in a variety of ways. Many came by public bus, some by car and others by special vans the rehab center sent out into the oblast going from village to village picking up patients.It was an entire day's effort for these families and many of the parents took off work to bring their children to the clinic.

One of the transport vans that brought families from afar

Masha was one of the patients that really stood out. Talu had been visiting with Masha, her Mama and Grandma in the waiting area and eagerly brought her to our station. Upon first glance, we knew Masha was special. Her light brown hair was carefully braided and fastened in loops around her head. She was very bright and to our great surprise spoke English quite well. Masha was 11 and never owned a wheel chair. The only means of transportation she had was a stroller which was too small but like all Ukrainians, the family made do with what they had.

Let's stop here for a minute and talk about what I call the Ukrainian "can do" spirit. Not once this week did I meet any "victims" of circumstances. The families and individuals we helped had a spark of ingenuity and a strong sense of dignity. When they came to the clinic they wore their best clothes which were clean and neat. The children, although some were acutely disabled, were extremely well cared for, had on fresh clothes and we never smelled a poopy diaper! When a child has not been cared for but has been "cleaned up" for a special occasion, it's obvious. I am a detail person and I notice the smallest things. These precious children had immaculate, well trimmed fingernails, spotless ears and tidy hair. Many of the children we served drooled constantly but not one of them had chapped lips, cheeks or sores on their faces from drooling. The children were adored and given them the best possible care. It was inspiring for all of us to see such dedicated parents and grandparents whose complete energy and attention was given to attending the disabled child.

Back to Masha's story. Cindy asked many questions about Masha's condition, which I believe was Cerebral Palsy, and Masha answered many of the questions herself, in English. English was one of her favorite subjects in school and she conversed with us easily.

Cindy and Ura quickly bonded and Ura's incredible sense of

Masha waiting patiently to "try on" a chair

what a person might need in a wheel chair proved to be invaluable. It was no time at all on the first day that Cindy announced she no longer needed Angela to go back to the storage room because she and Ura were "on the same page" and didn't need translation. Now is that a God thing or what?

Fitting Masha with just the right chair proved to be challenging but after three attempts, Cindy and Ura came up with the perfect seating for her. Cindy tried to fit her with a walker as well but Masha's legs would just fold up when she put any weight on them. The fitted chair gave Masha a new sense of freedom because she could wheel herself around. A pair of fingerless gloves was given to her to help with traction on the wheels and keep her little hands clean.

Masha had the Ukrainian "can do" spirit and she was not about to let her disability stop her from doing what she wanted. I don't know who was happier when Masha left the clinic; Masha and her family or our team of four. She was an enormous encouragement to us all.

Masha with her gloves & bag

Masha ready to roll with her new wheels!

The Clinic is Open!

2010-09-19T07:36:00.003-05:00

Every morning started with worship, prayer and devotions at 7 am, which set the tone for the rest of the day. It was a time we could gather as a team, share our hearts and commune the One who brought us there for His purpose and glory. Sparks of excitement filled the air as we sang and petitioned the Father for the day's needs. A hearty breakfast would carry us through the hectic morning and some of us through the entire day.

Left side stations

Right side stations

On this beautiful, sunny Monday, we arrived an hour before the clinic was to open and there were already patients waiting for us! Our clinic was set up outside in the parking lot of the rehab center. The team launched into high gear as we assembled the areas: the gatekeeper's table, for appointment check in, was at the entrance along with a waiting area. 7 stations with teams of 4 spread across the center of the parking lot. Each team consisted of a physical or occupational therapist, mechanic, support person and an interpreter.

The waiting area

A line of tables near the building held all the supplies the mechanics would need to custom make the chairs for each recipient. Gifts occupied an area on the porch of the center and off to the side was the upholstery shop where seat cushions, head rests, chest harnesses etc. were constructed as needed. After the patient received a wheel chair, they were escorted to the safety training area where two young Ukrainian men, Kostya and Oleg, demonstrated safety techniques and gave them written instructions. From there they went to the evangelism station and finally to the registration desk where they signed for the wheel chair which included a promise not to sell it.

Our team: Ura, Cindy, Angela and me

Our therapists were the team leaders and I was the support person for our team; Ura (who only spoke Russian) the mechanic, Cindy our pediatric, physical therapist and Angela, our interpreter.

I was concerned about having Ura on our team only because he would need an interpreter to communicate with Cindy. Ura has been part of the GAiN ministry for 11 years and is a real joy to be around. I wondered how it would work out when Cindy, Ura and Anglea went in the building to find a suitable wheel chair and I was left with the family. My ability to speak Russian is limited however I did bring along a Russian dictionary for support in an emergency.

After a short team prayer, we alerted Talu and her interpreter, Ira, that we were ready for our first patient! Ira escorted in a delightful young man named Kostya who struggled to walk with a pair of wooden crutches which were too tall for him, gouging his underarms. He was 31 years old and had never had a wheel chair. The effort it took for him to walk quickly drained his energy and a wheel chair would give him the freedom to go long distances. Cindy examined Kostya and asked questions about living conditions and daily activities. After each examination, we prayed with the patient and their family asking God to help Cindy and Ura find just the right chair that would help make their lives better. While Cindy and Ura were choosing the chair, I would greet the patient and their family, get to know them and give them encouragement. Thankfully we had floating interpreters who stepped in when Angela accompanied Cindy and Ura into the building. In a few minutes, Cindy and Ura came back and fitted Kostya with a new pair of crutches (the correct height & padded tops) to use at home, a walker and a wheel chair.

While Ura was adjusting the chair, walker and crutches, Cindy instructed Kostya how to use them, and I filled a wheel chair bag with the gifts we brought from the States. At the end of the process, Kostya was presented with the gift bag and we took a final photo. Kostya's face beamed with joy upon receiving these precious gifts.

Kostya with his new crutches, walker & wheel chair

And so the format continued for each patient we saw. Every chair was altered to fit the specific needs of the person which could include making a seat cushion, head rest, chest harness and lots of other adjustments. Our little team fitted 6 people with wheel chairs the first day.

For our patients, receiving a wheel chair for the first time was exciting and sometimes emotional but most of all, life changing. The best way to describe how families viewed the wheel chair was with deep gratitude for the freedom the recipient now had. In some cases, the chair represented more freedom and flexibility for the caregivers.

First Things First

2010-09-18T04:44:00.007-05:00

Six hours of sound sleep, a hot shower and a hearty breakfast helped kick-start the first day in Sumy. The first order of business was to meet our wonderful interpreters. As we crowded in the conference room, each person introduced themselves and said a few sentences about their lives. It was about what you would expect until it was Tanya's turn. Tanya is a beautiful and bright young woman, wife and mother. She bravely declared that she had a degree in psychology and had never been around "religious" people before. As the words dropped from her lips, I could sense her unease with the group and a look of "what have I gotten myself into" all over her face. Remember this about Tanya as you read about our time in Sumy because God did something extraordinary throughout the week.

Our wonderful team of interpreters

Several of the interpreters had incredible testimonies about how God worked in their lives and families, I'll work some of them into future stories. Following introductions, our worship leader, Bob, got up and lead us in a few songs then we got down to the business of orientation. Yours truly was asked to do the Gospel bead explanation and to put it mildly, I was quite nervous about it. This was my first trip in two years and the thought of "preaching the Gospel" to my peers had my stomach in a knot! However, when it was time, the Holy Spirit gave me the confidence and the words to present His Gospel message. I started with creation explaining the incredible value of human life and how every human being bears the image of God. The mindset of abortion as birth control and treatment of those with disabilities in Eastern Europe is quite different than our views. Then came the fall, separation from God, Christ's life, suffering, death and resurrection; the gift of forgiveness, the promise of the Holy Spirit , spiritual growth and of course the best part - our eternal destiny (heaven) and the restoration of justice. All I can say is God really came through for me! Whew!

The morning flew by and after lunch we boarded the bus for the rehab center where our clinic would be held. 200 wheelchairs had been shipped from the States in a container, arriving in Ukraine only 2 weeks before we arrived. Our wonderful "boys", Ruslan and Ura, transported them by truck from Kiev to Sumy and they were waiting in a shed to be processed for the distribution. In a matter of minutes, the team started bringing them in to the large room which would be our warehouse for the week. The shrink wrap was cut off, seats measured and chairs were lined up by size and category.

Talu sorting specialty chairs

Remember the seven missing suitcases? Unfortunately some of the supplies we needed for labeling the chairs were in the lost luggage but God provided alternatives for us and with all hands on deck (including interpreters) the job was completed. As the precious cargo was unwrapped, it became apparent we had a large number of pediatric chairs. According to Jill, the Wheels for the World leader, this was quite unusual. We wondered what God had up his sleeve!

Unwrapping the chairs

Sorted chairs waiting for new occupants

All of the chairs would not fit in this room so some had to be taken up to the second floor and others were put in the shed. The wheel chairs are donated by American families from across the United States, refurbished by prisoners and shipped all over the world for distributions like this one. This is a ministry of Wheels For the World which is part of Joni Eareckson Tada's ministry. http://www.joniandfriends.org/wheels-for-the-world/

Once the chairs were ready, we brought the suitcases ladened with gifts each trip participant brought to distribute with the chairs. The support staff patiently sorted and organized all of the wonderful goodies our patients would receive as part of the process. Everyone oohed and ahhed over the beautiful wheel chair bags and blankets from the fantastic volunteers in Kansas City!

By the time we got everything prepared for the clinic to start on Monday, it was dark and we were ready for dinner and a good night's rest. Anticipation was high as we prayed over the wheel chairs and asked God's blessing on the activities of the week. What would tomorrow bring?

And Away We Go!

2010-09-15T17:46:00.010-05:00

September 3rd dawned and it was finally time to go. All my plans of getting a long list of "to dos" completed had gone completely out the window as the pre-departure hours flew by. It's funny how the "to do" list becomes a "wish list" as a deadline looms. Sigh....I suppose it is just pride to want the house in perfect order in case the plane drops in the ocean and someone has to organize a meal at my house for surviving family members and friends.

Although everything was packed days in advance, Danny and I got a bit of a late start to the airport (I'm sure all of you are quite surprised) so he had to make up time by speeding like a mad man to get me there in time to check the extra bags all the way to Kiev, Ukraine. As we darted in and out of traffic I was composing a mercy plea, in my head, for the police officer who would surely pull us over. By God's grace we made it without any incident, bags were checked and paid for leaving just enough time for a last stop at the ladies room before security.

Thankfully, Delta was on time because my room mate and a couple from Dallas were waiting for me in Detroit so we could fly to JFK together. It's been a while since I've passed through JFK and now I remember why. Talk about mass confusion, crowds, traffic and an overall sense of "If I get separated from the group, I'll never find my way out of here!". We managed to locate the correct terminal and find our team leader sitting under a fake tree by the Aeroflot check in desk. With hand luggage in tow, we entered the world of Aeroflot, Russia's famous airline.

After an excruciating wait in a line reminiscent of the Soviet Union, we approached the "agent" for a simple issuing of boarding passes to Moscow and Kiev. Silly me for assuming anything with this airline would be simple! Although our bags had been checked all the way through, the Aeroflot representative wanted our paid receipts from the originating airport. Unfortunately my luggage claim ticket had been plastered on the back of the receipt and I was on the verge of an anxiety attack at the thought of letting it go. Horrific memories of a 2 week trip to Siberia with only a backpack and one change of clothes flooded my mind. (That lost luggage took 4 months to be returned to me.)

While conversing with the agent, my room mate and several others were informed they had to leave the line, go around the corner and get in another line to obtain a paid receipt then come back for their boarding passes. I was able to negotiate with the agent, keep my luggage tag and obtain boarding passes so I stood with the carry on luggage while they went through the "other" line. Eventually, everyone got boarding passes and made it through security downing the last few drops of the $3 bottles of water before the scan.

Waiting for the overseas flight @ JFK

At the gate we easily spotted the rest of the team dressed in their blue shirts. There was a young man who was on his way to a closed country to partake in a business exchange for a year. When the team gathered to pray, we included him and prayed for his venture as a businessman-missionary. It was one of those God moments.

Upon boarding, I was delighted to find one of our new participants as my seat mate. However I could not sleep and probably kept her awake most of the night. Water was only offered before and after the two meals which were served. The almost 10 hour flight was miserable, sleepless and I arrived, dehydrated, at the Moscow airport. Rushing through passport check, the transfer desk and security I hurried to find a nice refreshing bottle of water. Vendor after vendor refused to take anything but Rubles, my heart was pounding as I searched in vain for a currency exchange. Finally my room mate produced 15 Rubles she had saved from a past trip and we purchased bottles of water. With shaking hands I opened the cap only to find thousands of bubbles rushing to the top......yes, it was water with "gas"! At that point, it didn't matter so I downed the whole bottle burping up bubbles after each swallow.

The connecting flight to Kiev was short and they had plenty of "still" water, bigger, more comfortable seats and I slept like a baby for about 45 minutes waking up just before landing at Boryspil airport in Kiev. Tears filled my eyes as we landed in beloved Ukraine as thoughts of relationships and experiences of the past 11 years flooded my heart. At last, I was home!

Greeted by the Oksanas at Boryspil in Kiev

Upon retrieving most of the team luggage (7 pieces didn't make it) we were herded to a waiting tour bus for the final leg of the long journey. The weather was noticeably cooler here and the lower humidity made it a welcome relief from the exceptionally hot weather back in the States. It was a 5 hour adventure from Kiev eastward to Sumy on roads which were "under construction". I never did see any signs of road work in the dark but we felt every bump, pothole and broken pavement along the way.

The "auto grill" indoor and outdoor dining

After an hour of bumping along the road, the bus stopped at a quaint Ukrainian folk restaurant. We enjoyed typical Ukrainian food and folk art as we sat in the covered, outside, dining room.

The much needed break and restroom stop ended all too soon as we hurried back on the bus for the remaining 4 hour journey through the countryside.

While Ukraine is developing nicely after 70 years of oppression by the Soviets, there are still a few things which have not caught up with the times. There is no such thing as a "rest stop" with restrooms when one is out in the rural areas. When our bladders were screaming for relief, the bus driver simply pulled over on the side of the dark road and we filed out - guys to the left, girls to the right and were instructed to find a tree. With wet wipes in hand, I stumbled around trying to find something suitable, all the while hoping not to disturb any living creature that might be lurking in the dark. The chilly night air was quite shocking on warm, bare bottoms as we struggled to squat and keep our clothing dry in the pitch black of the night. All was well until someone decided to turn on a flash light so they could see better! Shrieks from half naked women quickly changed the offenders mind and the light was extinguished.

The rest of the ride was nothing but a blur as I slumbered peacefully in spite of the rugged roads passing beneath the wheels of the bus. It was shortly after midnight on Sept 5th when we rolled into the Shafron Hotel parking lot in Sumy, Ukraine. As soon as the keys were handed out and luggage was delivered to the rooms, I drank in a hot shower and for the first time since Thursday night, got in a horizontal position....ah the simple things in life are always the best!

God is sew good!

2010-09-01T22:46:00.001-05:00

OK so I've explained how God provided all the money for the trip but He was just getting started!
An email was sent to each team member with a 3 page, spreadsheet list of items needed to make the mission a success. I gasped a little when first viewing the attachment with the monstrous list. Feeling a little overwhelmed, I looked carefully to see which items I could possibly help with.

My heart warmed when I saw there were items which could be sewn from fabric. Never before have I been able to use my sewing talents on one of the GAiN trips other than making Gospel aprons. There was a great need for seat cushion covers, backpacks to hang on the back of the chairs and lap blankets.

Back packs cut and ready to sew.

Robin hosted a sew-a-thon for Ukraine.

Having the entrepreneur spirit, I jumped in with both feet and committed to making 50 seat cushion covers and 100 back packs and/or drawstring bags. Since God had given me a firm confirmation about going on the trip, I felt confident He would provide everything needed to make the goal.

After gathering a few pieces of suitable fabric from my sewing room, I sent out an email to friends asking for fabric donations and volunteers to sew. Within a few days, stacks of fabric had been donated and one sack of fabric even showed up on my driveway (left by an anonymous person who I would discover later was my sister.)

My friend, Shelley, at one of the sew-a-thons.

The first of many sewing marathons was scheduled and I got to work cutting out items we could assemble. Each time we gathered to sew, more volunteers would appear. Some of the ladies wanted pieces so they could work at home so I gladly farmed out the items. We even had the mother of a friend who lives in Arkansas make 10 backpacks and 10 drawstring bags! Our youngest volunteers were 10, 12 & 13 years old.

Over 20 ladies (some of which I had never met) volunteered their time and talent to make 51 seat cushion covers, 71 back packs, 34 drawstring bags and 11 lap blankets! Not only did we reach our goal, we exceeded it! God likes to show His power and He did it in a big way! My friend, Janet,was dubbed "Iron woman Seamstress" after making 19 seat cushion covers and 20 backpacks! Janet is a marathon competitor and a triathlete so she knows the power of finishing strong!

All of the wonderful items which were made for the mission.

All throughout the two month project I was blown
away by God's faithfulness to bring more and more volunteers to get the job completed. I cut out all the items which were made and finished the seams with a serging machine to make it easier for the seamstresses. As I came to the last piece of donated fabric, and cut the remaining items we needed, there was only a few inches of fabric left over at the end of the yardage. Only God could do that kind of math!

Sasha and I working on the serger.

Not only did God provide all the fabric and the volunteers, He also provided and extra suitcase which was needed to carry the gifts to Ukraine. My dear friend, Carol, found the perfect bag at a garage sale and was able to negotiate a phenomenal price after she told the lady the bag was going to Ukraine on a mission trip! Jehovah Jirah does indeed provide everything we need! He gets all the glory for this outstanding accomplishment!

Be still and know...

2010-08-28T16:06:00.047-05:00

And now, the rest of the story! Having sent the email appeal with shaking hands, I sat back and watched God flex his muscles. Within 24 hours, I received 2 checks and another pledge totalling $1500, the exact amount needed for the first deposit on the trip! In less than 5 days, checks, emails and phone calls came flooding in to fulfil the rest of the need for the International portion of the mission. Several weeks later, another pledge was made which covered the domestic airfare. How's that for a confirmation? Any questions in my mind about fitting in as a member of a medical team were completely eradicated. When God shows up and leaves heavy footprints, He leaves no doubt as to Who made them!

After 11 years of partnering with God as a humanitarian aid worker, I can't begin to describe the overwhelming sense of awe I have for God's sovereignty and ability to provide absolutely everything required for this adventure.

Here we are in an uncertain economy where families are struggling just to keep food on the table and God produces this abundance for me. Being the recipient of such love, grace and generosity is deeply humbling. But the story isn't over..there is so much more! Stay tuned...

Was that you, God?

2010-08-23T12:01:00.015-05:00

It was a typical, summer morning in mid June. Punky, Toofie and I had returned from our morning walk and I was sitting in my favorite chair, reading Scripture, when the phone rang. Had it not been for a name that rarely comes up on the caller ID, the call would have gone unanswered. I closely guard the quiet moments of the morning while I'm reading and talking to God. It's the only time of the day when He could possibly get a word in edgewise in my crazy life!

Dasha, Talu & Dave Sanders - June 2009

As I picked up the phone, my friend, Dave Sanders, cheerfully greeted me with his usual, suave, style and so began the "pitch" for the medical team headed for Sumy, Ukraine on September 3rd. He was looking for Occupational and Physical Therapists to help with a wheel chair distribution to needy, disabled persons. My mind begin to flip through the faces of all the therapists I'm acquainted with thinking maybe I could recruit someone for the team.

Then Dave asked the big question, "Would you consider going with us?" Having not been to Ukraine for two years, I hedged a bit and said I would pray about it because I wasn't sure how I would fit in with a medical team. However, in my heart a small flame began to kindle. We had recently returned from a trip to Israel, I was not working outside the home and we had nothing saved to be able to pay for the trip. Even if I wanted to go, the circumstances didn't look promising.

After hanging up, I shared the news with my husband, Dan, and we started to pray about the possibility of me being part of the team. An email was sent to every therapist I know and I made a couple of phone calls in hopes of recruiting one of the 7 therapists still needed. With the registration deadline only two weeks away, most people could not commit to the time or the cost involved.

After a couple of days of praying, it became very clear that God was nudging me to take a step (leap) of faith and send in the registration fee of $50. I was very hesitant to raise funds in light of the recent trip to Israel and the fact I was not employed, but it was my own foolish pride. God was pressing me to trust Him by sending an email request to friends and family who were supportive of past mission trips. It seemed like hours sitting in front of the computer trying to come up with just the right words. Hitting the send button took every ounce of strength I had and even after I did, I wondered what people would think. But that is exactly where God wanted me...stepping through my fears into the unknown.

The faith journey will shake you up, tip you over, spin you around and hurl you right out of your comfort zone. It can actually be quite painful because you have to let go of your preconceived ideas, pride, prejudice and your own will to move forward. The upside is when you take what seems like the perilous first step, what follows will most likely blow your socks right off. But that's the rest of the story which I will share another day!

FYI - Sumy, Ukraine is located East and slightly North of Kiev, the capital city. Sumy is near the boarder of Russia and is at about 1 o'clock on the map.

2010 Update

2010-08-20T11:00:00.004-05:00

So much has happened since my last adventure in Ukraine the summer of 2008. My dear friends, John and Jean have adopted three brothers from an orphanage on the eastern side of Ukraine. Dan and I met them for the first time in July....what a treat! One of the highlights was attending "Life Fest" together. Life Fest is an outdoor Christian concert featuring a variety of Christian artists. As you might guess, there was quite a variety of strange and wonderful food available from outrageously unhealthy, deep fried, Oreos to Mongolian BBQ. Above is little Daniel devouring an ear of fire roasted corn and Uncle Danny with Dennis and Daniel sporting their new shirts we brought them from KC. In return, we each received a Packers t-shirt so our multi-cultural exchange took place on many levels!
Nick was determined to "lose" his second front tooth while we were visiting and spent much effort coaxing it along. The night before we left, the tooth finally gave way with a last heroic effort after bedtime prayers. Nick bounded out of bed and ran down the stairs proudly displaying the tooth and his new gap which officially gave him the right to sing, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"! We all clapped and cheered while Jean took photos to commemorate the occasion.

While Uncle Danny entertained the boys, John, Jean and I followed a roughly translated recipe and came up with a fabulous kettle of Ukrainian borsh. The borsh was made complete with Jean's freshly baked "pompushki" (little yeast rolls) with garlic sauce. As we sat at the kitchen table savoring the aromatic borsh, sprinkled with fresh dill and a healthy dollop of sour cream, it felt like a lot like being home.

By the end of our reunion, little Daniel was asking Uncle Danny to hold him. Quite amazing considering 4 months previous, 3 yr old Daniel was living in an orphanage and only knew 5 words in Russian! God knew what He was doing when he created families. The marvelous love of a Mommy, Daddy, two brothers and many family members has catapulted Daniel into a life he would have never even dreamed of as a disabled child living in an orphanage.

My fondest memory of the time we spent with this beautiful family is when we all gathered for bedtime Bible stories and prayers. Nick, Dennis and Daniel each took turns along with Mom, Dad, Uncle Danny and Dasha thanking God for His provision of the day, for family and friends, concluding with a sweet song. Next to God, I am convinced the power of a loving, God fearing family is the second most compelling force in the Universe.

Vanya's hand pump wheel chair

2008-08-07T20:18:00.013-05:00

Thanks for your patience. It has taken me much longer to post these stories than I would have liked.

I've been procrastinating on this story because has been difficult to write.

On Wednesday, July 16Th the Yellow bus departed for a long ride in the country. One of the fascinating sights we saw as the bus drove past wheat and hay fields which were being harvested was a great number of storks. The storks were hunting for frogs (their favorite food) in the freshly cut fields. They build intricate nests on chimneys, water towers and even utility poles. We passed a church on our way from L'viv to Chernivtsi that had an enormous stork's nest atop the chimney. Their wing span is huge and we got some great shots of storks and their nests.

As we rode along the sights were very much like what you would see in the Mid West...fields of healthy green corn and ripened wheat. The difference is that the crops are grown in smaller quantities than here in the States. They are often positioned in long rectangular strips rotating with corn, wheat, potatoes and canola. From the air it looks like a scarf knitted with variegated yarn. There are also some delightful sights you would not see in the States like wooden windmills and horse carts pulling hay and other produce. The most remarkable thing to me was the incredibly black, rich soil in which the crops thrive. This part of Ukraine receives a great deal of rain so crops are prolific. Since there is so much rain in this region, beans are grown on tall poles to keep them from rotting on the ground. Every house in the villages and along the country highways had beautiful gardens. Each yard had a flower garden with gorgeous roses and all kinds of flowers and the other part of the yard commonly had fruit trees, maybe a grape vine and of course the vegetable garden with potatoes, cabbage, corn, squash, bean, beets, pumpkins and tomatoes.

Much fertile soil of Ukraine was stripped and hauled off to Germany by Hitler during WWII. It hurts just to think about all the suffering that went on in Ukraine and Russia during that time. Later I will write a story about a precious woman I met who survived the 900 day siege of St Petersburg. At 88, she still carries the scars of that horror with her.

Back to the story; This was the most difficult visit of our trip. After the long ride, we pulled into the driveway of the home for mentally handicapped men. Tony and I went in to find the director. The room where the director guided us was occupied by several residents who were watching a DVD. They were hastily chased out and it was obvious the men were not happy about leaving their movie. As I entered the room the overpowering smell of urine permeated my nostrils. It was all I could do not to gag. At that point, I decided it would be best to breath through my mouth if I was going to make it through the conversation. Tony began negotiating with the director and I stood by listening. Outside the door where the occupants of the room had been chased, I heard extremely abusive yelling by caretakers. It kept up for several minutes and I was feeling very uncomfortable about it. In the background you could also hear residents screaming and feet shuffling down hallways. As the minutes passed I became more uneasy about our visit here.

Boxes of back packs with school supplies had been delivered by Ukraine for Christ earlier in the week, along with shoes, socks and other aid. The director did not want us to give the backpacks to the residents but wanted us to take them with us. It was impossible for us to take them back because of red tape with delivery and acceptance being documented on paper so we decided to give them to the men anyway. There were only 7 school age children here and the rest were adults. The director told us we could break into two groups, one would meet with the younger children who were kept in a different wing and the other group would meet with the rest of the men in the dining area. They quickly gathered the older men in the meeting place and we went out to get the team from the bus.

By the time our team got organized and in the building the waiting residents had become quite restless. Few of them could talk but they were making all kinds of unhappy noises. It is very difficult to describe these pitiful souls. Most of them had malformed heads but were physically functional. The director called them "imbeciles". What amazed me most was the way our team came in and ministered to those precious men. As soon as the team walked into the room, the unhappy noises stopped. There was a spirit of love that filled the hall and it was in every member of our team. With hearts of compassion our team greeted the men and treated them with love and respect. Each one I observed had small scars on their heads, hands and legs. I didn't even want to think about how they got the scars but deep down I knew they had been beaten. This was confirmed a couple of days later by a former resident. The smell in this room was so overpowering I had to leave. I felt horrible leaving my team mates there to deal with the situation especially since no one else seemed to have the same problem with the smell. My husband who is extremely sensitive to smells never left the room. Later I asked him about it and he said he didn't remember the odor.

The rest of the team was with the younger children so I headed over to see what they were doing. In a small room with one care taker there were seven severely disabled children. Tears came flooding to my eyes as I watched our team members love on these kids. They took turns holding them and playing with them. The children squealed with joy to be touched and loved. They could not speak but they certainly responded to the tender touches and loving words of our team members. As I walked into the room, a little girl leaped into my arms wanting to be held. She was actually a pretty big kid that weighed about 35 lbs. I struggled to pick her up but when I did, she wrapped her legs around me, hugged my neck and held on as if to say, don't leave me. We rocked and swayed for a long time until I could not hold her weight any more. Thankfully a team member named Tom was able to take her.

Outside the building was an older man we stopped to talk to. He was the living history of the institution at age 57. Vanya had been there since he was a young child. We tried to give him a book but he said he could not read or write. He was sitting in a wheel chair that resembled a three wheeled bicycle. There were two bars attached to the arms of the chair that Vanya pumped up and down to make the chair move. He asked us if we had a different wheel chair because this one broke down frequently. Vanya's picture is above. He said he had a room with one roommate and a television which he was very proud of. Anya was interpreting for me and I got the distinct feeling Vanya probably could have been literate if someone had taught him when he was young. It made me sad to think he had been there most of his life but he seemed to be reasonably content.

I have chosen not to post any pictures of the severely deformed men to protect their dignity. Please pray that the caregivers in this facility will treat these men with kindness and respect.

Frank was able to meet with the kitchen ladies and give them Gospel aprons and Bibles. God promises His Word will not return void. Please pray that the Bibles and Christian books we left there will be read and lives will be changed.

Later in the evening as I reflected on the day God spoke to my heart about the smell I had such a hard time dealing with. He said, "Your sin is as wretched to me as that smell was to you." It was quite an unexpected blow and I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to argue with God, but I knew He was right. As I drifted into fitful sleep that night, I tearfully confessed everything that the Spirit brought to mind. I will never forget that lesson, the smell and God's voice.

God will often speak to my heart and deal with some issue when I am away from all the distractions of my everyday life. These trips have done more to change me than anything beside the in depth study of God's word. I am intensely grateful for the experience I went through ten years ago with Heart Connexion Ministry that catapulted me from fear to trust. Without that life changing training, I would never have taken my first trip overseas.

Elaina and the tree tunnel to camp

2008-07-30T06:22:00.007-05:00

When the bus left the home for men, the driver stopped for directions to our next site which was a camp for kids who lived in boarding schools. We were in the foothills of the Carpathians and the air was fabulous. It wasn't far from the men's home but the roads were narrow and lined with little houses all which had beautiful flower and vegetable gardens. Many of the houses boasted new windows and new decorative fences. It was like going back in time as we crept down the dirt and gravel roads that lead to a final turn to the camp. The driver barely made the corner and stopped because the bus literally could not go any farther. Camp was about a kilometer away and we would have to walk. Normally this would not be a big deal but we had hundreds of books and other gifts that would have to be carried. Our wonderful team didn't miss a beat and each person took their share to carry to the waiting children.

We started our trek to camp and quickly came to a marvelous wonder (pictured above). It was a tree tunnel that we had to walk through to get to the camp. The deeply rutted and rocky road went steeply up at the end of the tunnel. When we got to the other side we walked down a little lane of the village lined with lovely houses and gardens; passed a village church and finally to the gates of the camp. Once the children saw us we were swarmed and greeted with inquisitive smiles. They knew guests were coming and were excited to see us.

Tony spoke to the director and we quickly broke into 5 groups to meet with the kids. Since we only had 4 small groups, Tony and I had to make our own group and we met with the 14,15 & 16 year old kids. It was sprinkling lightly so we all huddled into a wooden gazebo to get acquainted. Tony shared his pictures of family and told them about his hobby of bicycling. I shared the story of Dave, a troubled youth who surrendered his life to Christ and made a radical change of direction. The kids listened intently as I shared before and after pictures of Dave and told how God has completely changed his life from despair to hope. They especially liked the wedding picture of Dave and his wife Alison. We talked about how God can take any willing person and transform them. Tony shared the Gospel message with the group and many of them prayed with him to receive Christ into their hearts and lives.

Side note: There will be follow up for all of the locations we visited by a woman named Masha and her team who have been ministering to these kids for 11 years as well as all the other locations we visited.

After we talked with the kids it was time to play! Tony organized two teams and had a relay race by passing beach balls back and forth. After we wore that game out I pulled out the colorful parachute. It only took a few seconds for them to catch on to this new game and within a couple of minutes they were experts at bouncing the two beach balls high into the air with cooperative effort. The other groups who had finished meeting all gathered around the parachute to eagerly wait their turn to play a new and fun game. It was so great to see the smiles and hear the joyous laughter of these kids.

I was anxious to hear some of their stories so I pulled out the big smiley face stickers and started handing them out to our group. I don't know what it is about smiley face stickers but they are always a huge hit with children and adults. One needs no interpreter when handing out smileys!

One of the boys in our group named Igor had taught himself to do flips. He proudly demonstrated front and back flips along with flips off of a bench and a running series of front and back flips. I asked him where he learned to do flips and he said he just taught himself! Anya took a video of Igor and I will try to post it on the blog when I figure out how to do that!

There is always one child that grabs your heart and this time was no exception. A sweet young lady named Elaina wanted to talk to me. She had a lovely face with sad eyes and my heart melted as she began to unfold her story. Her picture with me is above, she is the one to the right of me with the reddish hair wearing a navy blue jacket. Elaina was put in the boarding school because her grandmother could not care for her. I asked where her parents were and she responded, "I don't know." She has a younger brother who also lives in a boarding school. Elaina is 16 years old which means she will soon be leaving the boarding school to make it on her own. I wanted to wrap her up and take her home with me. Elaina's story is all too common. These precious children are warehoused, given marginal education and then turned out on the streets at age 16. Many of the girls become prostitutes because they have no skills with which to get jobs. My heart aches at the thought of the future of this lovely young lady. Please pray for Elaina and the all the other children who face the same situation.

All too soon it was time to leave and as we started our trek back to the bus the older children accompanied us. Elaina and a few of her friends walked down the path with me and when we got to the tree tunnel she extended her hand as if to say goodbye. I tried to shake her hand but what she wanted was to hold my arm and help me down the steep, rutted road under the tree tunnel. She seemed delighted that we could walk together and after we made our way through the ruts onto the level road I continued to hold her arm. Elaina knew a little bit of English so with my little bit of Russian we continued our conversation sans the interpreter. As we came to the end of the road where the bus was waiting, Elaina hugged and kissed me and I hugged and kissed her back and told her that I loved her and that God loved her. All of the kids that walked with us wanted their pictures taken with us.

A little bit of my heart broke off and stayed with Elaina. Anya got the address of the orphanage where she lives so I will send the picture and attempt to write her a letter. The rest is in God's hands.

July 15th - Cows in the front yard!

2008-07-27T09:08:00.014-05:00

Tuesday brought a welcome rain accompanied by cooler temperatures. The Yellow Bus traveled over rolling hills past breathtaking countryside before arriving at the place where147 men call home. As we pulled into the gravel drive and glanced across the front lawn, 40 cows and a few young calves greeted us with a quick look and then immediately went back to grazing on the luscious green grass. One small man was in charge of the herd and carried a small piece of wood about the size of a yard stick to encourage any strays back to the group.

Tony and I got off the bus to see if we could find the director and came across a man working on the engine of a car. After we told him who we were looking for, he pulled out a cell phone and made a quick call. He told us the director would be there in a few minutes. Meanwhile on the bus there were 15 Americans who had traveled an hour on full stomachs needing to find a rest room. Small droplets of rain began to fall from the sky as we patiently waited for the director. One at a time, some of the residents made their way to the bus and to the place we were waiting under the trees. The residents were dressed in ragged clothes and their feet were muddy because of the rain. Most of them wore some kind of slipper/sandals with out socks. They were peaceful men and quite friendly although our interpreter couldn't understand much of anything they said. As we stood there, I began to hear a sweet melody coming from the bus; our team was singing praise songs. The residents stood at the doors of the bus to hear the voices of those who traveled from the other side of the earth just to bring the Light and hope of Christ to them.

This home for mentally impaired men was a place of refuge for some and a prison for others. When the director finally arrived we were all escorted to a new building, still under construction, to use the toilets. Welcome relief was found in shining new squatties! (A squattie potty is one where you stand or squat over an opening. There is usually a way to flush but sometimes it is just a hole in the floor that drops into a pit.) These were porcelain squatties with the ability to flush, we felt honored to be able to use them. The alternative was probably an outhouse so you can see why this was a privilege!

On the way back to the meeting hall we passed an older building where there were men locked in rooms with bars on the windows. Their arms were hanging out of the barred windows and they called to us as we passed by. Later, Anya went over to speak to them and they asked her to go to town and buy them bread. They offered her money and said they were hungry. Anya felt so bad she gave them her lunch which consisted of a sub sandwich an orange and a candy bar. Had any of the rest of us known what was going on they all would have gotten lunches but we didn't realize what had transpired until later.

The other item of interest besides the cows grazing on the front lawn was an unusual statue (pictured above) of Lenin and Stalin. This is the first time I've seen anything like it so that is why I included a picture. Evidently this institution was quite proud of the monument because it was well cared for and in a prominent location. AS time goes on you see fewer of these kinds of statues but some still hold to the ideals of socialism and dream of the past.

A good number of the men were working in the garden that day along with others who were building a "pig house" for the 100 pigs that they care for. The director told me the garden, cows and pigs were the main source of income and sustenance for the home. They get some help from the government but not enough. It was evident by the shabby clothes of the residents there wasn't enough to go around.

Most of our group met in a meeting hall with the men who were not working. They shared with them, sang to them and of course did a Gospel presentation. I went with Dan's group to the dormitory. There were some care givers on the second floor who gave us a tour. A few men were watching TV in a room and kept turning up the volume. The building was very old but it was clean and the rooms were sparse but tidy. Sharyn shared the Gospel message with the ladies who seemed very interested. We passed by one room where we could see a man lying in bed. I asked if we could go in and pray for him, the caregiver didn't think that would be a good idea so we stood in the hall right outside his room and Dan prayed for him. As we walked down the hall, there were a few men in a common area, one sitting in the corner looking out the window that appeared to have Down's Syndrome and the other was stretched out on a row of chairs sleeping.

This was a dark and depressing place. It didn't appear that there was much if any kind of activity for the men who didn't work. They just walked around aimlessly. After we finished our "tour" of the dormitory, we were sent back to the hall where the other groups were meeting. The men seemed happy to have visitors and were quite pleased with the gifts we brought. For the first time in a number of years some of the institutions we plan to visit, asked for food. This is one of them that requested food along with soap, shampoo, toothpaste and socks.

By the time we left the cows were being hearded to the barn for milking. The residents who participated in the group presentation were standing around the bus shaking hands and giving hugs to our team. There was not one overweight person we saw and it was difficult to leave knowing the men in lock up were probably not the only ones who didn't have enough to eat.

"Sad Gora" Hospital for children with TB

2008-07-24T15:04:00.006-05:00

There are 31 Americans on the Ukraine summer team. We are divided into two bus groups, the Chocolate Bus and the Sonshine Bus. Dan and I are on the Sonshine Bus also known as the Yellow Bus. Tony Fritz is our captain and yours truly is the Co-Captain for this voyage. We have 16 American participants and 6 Ukrainian assistants helping us communicate our message where ever we go. Our dear friend and long time ministry partner, Anya Yezhova, is with us as a tour guide. Anya has been an interpreter and project coordinator many times in the past so she is very familiar with our procedures and is quite passionate about the ministry. We feel very blessed to have these dedicated young people who put themselves aside and serve us all day long in whatever capacity we need. They are wonderful servants with huge hearts. The commitment level of these young believers is an inspiration to all of us. They stay in our hearts for ever and have a lasting impact on our lives.

"Sad Gora" is the second site we went to on July 14Th. It is a hospital of sorts. Sad Gora is a place for children who have TB, are recovering from TB or at high risk to get TB come to live for a relatively short period of time. They receive treatment especially for their immune systems to help their bodies fight off infection. TB is at epidemic proportions in the former Soviet Union as is HIV and other STDs. TB is the number three cause of death in the world. The top two causes of death are Aids and malaria. So you can see why these kind of institutions are important to help keep the population healthy. A few years ago, the statistics indicated only 10% of all babies born in the FSU were considered healthy.

Our group was asked to bring sports equipment for this hospital so we took up a collection among the Yellow Bus participants and purchased soccer balls, bad-mitten sets, various kinds of balls, Frisbees and small bowling sets for the younger children. There are children here from age 3 - 18. Along with the sports equipment we brought other kinds of gifts like care packs (school supplies) beanie babies, hats for the little ones and of course Bibles and other Christian literature.

When we arrived the kids were outside and a number of the older boys came running to the bus to greet us and helped carry the gifts to the hospital. All of the children were outside waiting for us and they had prepared a program for us. Two young ladies dressed in traditional Ukrainian costumes sang several traditional Ukrainian songs and recited poetry. Their picture is above on the left. The kids were then divided into four groups and Dan was assigned to the smallest children. I joined his group because I love to talk to the little ones.

It always amazes me how obedient the Ukrainian children are. The kids were asked to sit on two benches all squeezed together and listen to us put on our little presentation. We started by asking them to tell us their names. I squatted in front of each child, asked their name and gave them a smiley face sticker when they answered. This small act makes each child feel important and recognized. We pulled out our big colorful world map and showed them where we came from and where Ukraine is located. Then we pulled out some hand puppets of farm animals to play a favorite game that goes something like this: In America, the dog says "woof woof" what do Ukrainian dogs say? The kids always laugh and say "guff guff". We then proceed to the cat, the pig, the chicken and finally the cow. In Ukrainian, all the animals except for the cow say something different than American animals. When we get to the cow and say moo, the kids are always surprised because the other animal sounds are so different. We usually agree that American cows must speak Ukrainian since they also say moo like the cows in Ukraine.

We then passed out the gospel bead bracelets and Dan did a fine job of explaining the Gospel to the children using a giant gospel bead bracelet. Each child also received a hat, as seen in the photo on the right, and a beanie baby as well as a children's Bible story book. The kids were so good and sat still to listen for a long time so we pulled out the parachute and started to play games with them. They all wanted to hold on whether there was a handle available or not and we put a beach ball in the center so they could toss it up in the air. Jennifer taught us some other parachute games and the kids had a few twists like throwing the beanie babies up in the air on the parachute while some of them ran underneath. We all had a wonderful time until the children were completely worn out and it was time for us to go.

The goal we have in coming to an institution like this is to bring joy to these children and to introduce them to Jesus Christ. The gifts we give will only last a short time but we believe the seeds of faith that are planted will be nurtured and eventually harvested in due time. We always pray for the children and the care givers when we get back on the bus trusting that God will continue working in each of their lives.

Monday July 14 - Visit to baby home

2008-07-24T13:34:00.010-05:00

Our first day of ministry was very hot. We roasted in the hotel and on the bus but when we got to the Baby home, the heat didn't matter. For those of you who are new, a baby home is an institution where infants from newborn to about 4 years old live. These children have been abandoned at birth or taken from unfit parents. Many of them are adoptable but not all of them find families so they are put into the system and live in boarding schools / orphanages.

Dan volunteered our group to go and see the disabled children who rarely get visitors. We were lead up a winding flight of concrete stairs to a locked door. The doctor rang the bell several times before a caretaker answered. As Dan, Sharyn, Jennifer and I entered, we were asked to remove our shoes so we could go in the play room. The children had just eaten and before we even got in the room, they came scampering around the corner, laughing and smiling, throwing their little arms in the air begging for attention. Some could walk, others scooted on bent, lifeless limbs. We had a wonderful time sitting on the floor playing with them, giving gifts of beanie babies and Bible story books. All were hungry to be noticed and climbed into our arms and laps seeking to be loved. Although Olga our interpreter was with us, we needed no interpretation because most of these little angels could not communicate verbally. However they fully understood our hugs, kisses and embraces.

After we had been playing with the children for a while, the doctor asked if anyone wanted to see the children who were immobile. Sharyn and I immediately said yes and were taken to another room with four severely disabled children who were lying on the floor on pallets of blankets. I knelt down next to a little angel named Irena whose legs were very stiff. Her face was expressionless until I took her tiny hand and began to gently rub her arm. A huge smile spread across her face and she turned her head in my direction. The doctor said Irena's smile is the only response she is able to give to any kind of stimulation. My eyes filled with tears as I thought about this little life whose only response is a smile. She didn't cry or speak, only smiled. I continued to rub her hands, legs and feet and to speak gently to her. She seemed to relax a little and enjoyed the stimulation. The doctor said Irena is 4 years old but she is the size of a one year old. He said they would keep her in this facility as long as possible so she will receive good care.

Next we were invited to go outside to play with the other children. Many of our group were already out there handing out little hats. One affectionate little girl literally ran over to me and demanded to be picked up! Her name was Marina and she was adorable. The picture above is of me holding Marina. We rubbed noses, played patty cake and horsey ride until I was worn out! I tried to get her to go down the slide with some other children but she absolutely refused to leave my arms. I knew leaving would be difficult so I got one of the little hats we had brought and put it on her. She seemed happy to have it but it was not enough of a distraction for me to slip away. As soon as she saw me walking away she started to sob, my heart was sobbing as well as tears splashed down my hot cheeks. I silently prayed that the Lord would send her an adoptive family very soon.

The last part of the visit was a trip to the kitchen to give the cooks our special gift of aprons that tell the gospel story. Frank Sladko and his wife Mary started the gospel apron ministry a number of years ago. Mary recently died but Frank was with us on this trip. Frank and I went to the kitchen and found four precious ladies who were cooking for the children. Frank explained what the aprons were for and said his wife had made them. All of the ladies were looking at me as if I was the wife, then suddenly they started hugging and kissing me! We had to explain I was NOT his wife but they didn't seem to care and kept hugging and kissing me. As always, the ladies were so appreciative that someone had thought about them and brought gifts for them. We took photos of the ladies with their aprons on and talked to them about a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Three divine encounters at one location - God blessed me far more than I could imagine.

Ukraine Summer Trip

2008-07-23T14:21:00.000-05:00

For the first time in 10 years I experienced Ukraine in the summer. As an extra blessing my dear husband, Dan, came with me for his first visit to this delightful country. What a treat to drink in the beauty and majesty of God's awesome creation while the flowers are blooming, crops are growing and people are out in their gardens working. L'viv and Chernivtsi are the two main cities we visited in Western Ukraine. We flew into L'viv, spent the night there and then drove in a bus for seven hours to Chernivtsi which is close to the border of Romania. From Chernivtsi, we went out each day into the country side and into the Carpathian foothills to visit children in camps, hospitals, homes for disabled and homes for elderly. Our days were so long I was not able to get to the Internet cafe to send stories. These entries will give you the overall flavor of each day we spent in beautiful Ukraine.

Since my first trip in 1999 the changes in Ukraine are staggering. I remember how difficult it was to get anyone to smile, including children. We had to work hard to see the corners of little mouths turn upward or even to laugh a little. When you walked down the sidewalk no one would look at you or acknowledge your presence. Seventeen years of freedom have bloomed into smiling faces, friendly hellos from strangers, and the precious sound of laughter can be heard. I will never forget the time on my first trip when our team walked a long distance to a McDonald's where we had a small taste of home and sat around tables laughing and talking. A Ukrainian man in the restaurant stopped us on the way out and was very angry because of our loud talking and laughing. Now you can go into a restaurant and hear people having a good time, celebrating and enjoying life. Freedom has come full bloom to the people of Ukraine and they are loving it.

Some new things I saw this trip were huge shopping centers similar to Home Depot and Super Wal-Mart. One of the shopping centers in Chernivtsi was like a Costco that also included a car dealership! There is renovation going on everywhere. The majority of houses we saw in the villages had new windows and many varieties of new fences. Buildings in cities are receiving face lifts and the hotels have improved so much I hardly feel like I am in a developing country any more. There is an abundance of nice cars such as Mercedes, Lexus and Toyota just to name a few. We even saw limos carrying wedding parties on Saturday. What a contrast from the early days after the Soviets lost power. Yes, freedom is showing in Ukraine and I feel very blessed to have witnessed the Light that has come to these incredibly strong, intelligent people.

Best of all is that the Ukrainians are ministering to their own people. This is the ultimate goal of missions and witnessing the results of years of work is deeply rewarding. Many Americans and Canadians as well as other Europeans have come to minister to the Ukrainian people and teach them how to minister. They are quick learners and have picked up the mantle. We worked with one such woman named Masha who I will tell you about in another post. God is moving in Ukraine among the people and it shows!

February 8 - 400 year old prison in Ukraine

2007-02-25T15:33:00.000-06:00

This is the last story from Ukraine. I've put off writing it because I wrote it once and lost it on the Internet. The whole experience was gut wrenching. Writing it the first time was painful and reliving it in detail is hard. This is long but I hope you will take the time to read it.

The bus ride was short and it was snowing again that day. We pulled up to an ancient looking sliding gate painted with aluminum paint. The gate (solid door) creaked open just enough for us to pass through one at a time. As we stepped through, the prison complex became visible. It was a mix of archaic and moderately archaic looking buildings in an arrangement that one could not completely see unless you were at bird's eye level. We marched in silence across to a huge metal garage door that lifted up for us to enter. It was a truck entrance and garage. As we entered the garage area, Pastor Misha's group was hastily unloading boxes of hygiene supplies and food for the prisoners. Global Aid Network had purchased these items for the inmates. The humanitarian aid opened the door for us to go in the prison. No Americans had EVER been allowed to visit the cell blocks or see prisoners. God was definitely at work here!

As soon as everything was unloaded and all team members were in the garage, the huge door lowered and we were asked to form two lines so they could count us. They did not check our pockets or pat us down but trusted we were not carrying any of the forbidden items such as weapons or any kind of bag or purse. At each of the prisons we visited, all of our passports had to be handed over to the administration as we entered, this time even our interpreters had to hand theirs over. I had the large Gospel bead bracelet in my coat pocket for the group presentation and my family pictures in my hand. The feelings of oppression, depression and hopelessness were starting to creep in. The huge metal door at the other end of the garage slowly opened after we were counted and we walked through in our two lines to the oldest part of the prison.

This prison was built in 1611, the same year the King James Bible was translated into English! The plumbing in the prison is 200 - 300 years old and is in need of constant repair. There are crumbling walls on the first floor that are full of mold and in such bad condition they took all but one "life sentence" prisoner out of those cell blocks. When it was first built, the building was a Cloister, then a Monastery for men until the Austrian-Hungarian forces turned it into a prison.

We were escorted to one of the oldest buildings and through many locked, grid and heavy metal doors that closed after we passed through. The floors, walls and stairs were badly in need of repair. Broken stairs made us watch every step we took as we climbed up and up to the top level of the building. On the top floor, we were taken to the cell block where they keep the teenage boys. There were heavy wood doors to be unlocked and then an iron barred door before we were allowed to see the boys. Much to our amazement, the boys were all wearing Operation Carelift sweatshirts! They had been given to Pastor Misha to give to the boys before we arrived. Five or six of these cells were opened for our groups to enter.

The cell had a high ceiling but little room to move around in because the beds took up most of the floor space. Each bed was neatly made with an incredibly thin, lumpy looking mattress, sheets and wool blankets. There were 8 - 10 boys in each cell, standing in a row with hands behind their backs as we entered in single file. The only place to stand was directly in front of the boys so we were eyeball to eyeball with them. There were two guards, one interpreter and five of our team members in each group.

We shook hands with the guys and later presented them with hygiene packs. We also gave them Gospel bracelets and shared the Gospel with them. Since the interpreter was three down from me, I could not get his attention but made an attempt to communicate with my feeble Russian skills. Everyone in this region of Ukraine speaks Ukrainian and if you speak Russian to them, they get upset. At this point I didn't care about all that but wanted to get to know these young men. They seemed surprised I could speak the language and quickly engaged in simple conversation with me. Some of them had been there only a few months, others much longer waiting for a trial. They shared their stories with us and each one of us who had a son was deeply touched. One boy said he was a believer and smiled a lot. He said he would be in prison six more years!

It is hard to describe the sadness we all felt as we were asked to leave only 15 minutes later. We each hugged the boys and said goodbye. Those of us who have had trouble with a teen were moved to tears. At the end of the hall was a class room behind the same kind of locked door where a TV station had set up a camera to interview our leader, Dave. The camera followed us every were we went recording our entire visit.

The next stop was a cell block of women. We went down several flights of broken concrete stairs and arrived at the women's part of the prison. Our little group of two women (including myself) Tawny, a twelve year old, and two men were ushered into a cell containing 8 women. This cell was much smaller than the previous one with barely enough room to stand at the ends of the bunk beds. The women were lined up in front of us and we could easily reach out to shake hands with them. The looks on their faces were what got to me. One of the women did most of the talking and my friend, Gary, began speaking to her. He relayed we were there to encourage them and share our faith with them. This tall woman could look Gary in the eye and she responded to everything he was saying. She told us that she had a Bible and that they read it every day and prayed in the morning and the evening before bed. As Gary was speaking words of encouragement to these ladies I watched their faces. Tears started to flow down the cheeks of the woman standing in front of me who was probably about my age but looked much older. I reached out and offered a hug which she immediately took. She clung to me and held my hand afterwords. There was a young woman standing next to her who was trying very hard to be strong but her quivering lips and chin gave away the tenderness in her heart.

We asked their names and told them our names. Then I pulled out a picture of my son during his time of rebellion and told them his story. I showed them the picture of him, now, with his lovely wife and talked about the transforming power of the Holy Spirit when a person turns their life over to Jesus Christ. Tears were streaming down my face and Tawny, our twelve year old was wiping them with her little fingers. Several of the women reached out and grabbed my arm and hand acknowledging the pain of the situation. They said they all had children and were very worried about what was happening to them while they were in prison.

Toby, the other woman in our group shared some words of encouragement to the ladies from her heart. The tears were flowing freely from every eye in the cell. Aaron, our dairy farmer and recent widower (age 32) offered a prayer for the women.

I will never forget their faces, the pain in their eyes and the encounter we had that day with those precious ladies. They seemed genuinely touched especially by our two men who spoke gently to them. I suspect they had not had a kind word from a man in many years. As we left the cell each of us hugged and kissed every lady on the cheek. More tears fell from our eyes as we filed out and the door closed behind us.

Then we were taken to a room without windows in another part of the prison to visit with some of the adult men. There was a small stage in front of the room which we were asked to stand on. The men came in, dressed in black and sat at tables with benches all facing the stage. Our hearts were full of emotion from the visits with the teens and the women but we knew we had to give our best to these men. We sang several songs to them and several people gave testimonies. Pastor Misha had brought two men who used to be in that prison who testified about how Jesus Christ changed their lives. Palmer gave his testimony and the Gospel presentation then Gary invited the men to pray.

It is hard to read faces of people who are hardened. I don't know what they were thinking but they were very attentive the whole time. As we left, food and hygiene items were handed to each man seated at the tables. They wanted us to leave before the men left the room so we stepped off the stage and down the center aisle to the back of the room. Normally I would not have tried to engage with the men but God prompted me to begin shaking hands and saying "dobrey den" to each of the men seated on one side of the room. I was not afraid but genuinely tried to look each person in the eye and be sincere in my greeting. Every handshake was firm and assuring. One of the older men at the back table had a terribly burned hand. I reached out my hand to shake his and he stood, not wanting to look in my eyes but took my hand and bend down in a bow. He place both of his hands around mine and hesitated. I did not resist but waited for him to release my hand. As he did, I smiled at him and received a small smile back. I could see the pain in his eyes and it broke my heart.

We were escorted back through the courtyard where there was a greenhouse in which thousands of onions were growing. Snow was falling reminding us of God's incredible grace and pure love he has for all of his created beings. Later, we were told that the simple act of shaking someones hand and saying "hello" to them was huge for these prisoners. They are often treated like animals and to have a kind word, respectful handshake and a gift means more to them than we can imagine.

Pastor Misha has quite a ministry here and he said Christian programming like sermons is played over the intercom for an hour, twice a day. They also play Christian music over the intercom. They wanted a CD player because the tape recorder they were using was about worn out.

Dr Jean and a couple of other medical people on our bus were allowed to tour the prison "hospital". They serve several thousand prisoners a year with very little equipment or methods of treatment. The doctors do what they can but things like their x-ray equipment was ancient. Our x-ray tech team member said she had never seen anything like it. Dr Jean said it was at least fifty years old, maybe older and the images were so bad the doctors had a difficult time diagnosing much of anything. There was also a "surgery" room that had a light which was archaic and no working anesthetic machine. Dr Jean said they use a kind of anesthetic used on kids for very simple things like keeping them still for suturing. It was not meant to be used for major surgery.

Jean is going to see if she can get some doctors in the States to help fund some working, more modern equipment for the prison hospital which takes care of prisoners from the whole region around L'viv.

Dr Jean and her little team were able to visit many of the hospital patients and share their faith with them. She shared that God's love could reach inside even the thickest prison walls.

We left through another garage door and silently walked to the bus. Our leader and a few others were invited to tea with the warden. There he expressed his gratitude for our visit and thankfulness for electricity in the prison because it made the place cheerful. He really cared about the prisoners and wanted to give them hope.

Please take a moment to pray for the prisoners we saw and the seeds of faith and hope that were planted in each of them. Pray that God will provide more openings for Pastor Misha to minister at other prisons in the area. We got to leave, get on a warm bus and go home to our families, everyone in the prison had to stay there and many will be there for quite some time.

Thank you for taking the time to read this account. The reports would not be complete with out it. I hope it touched your heart in some way or gave you perspective on your situation in life. I am so blessed and I feel compelled to share the blessing with "the least of these".

May the love of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit rest in your hearts today. Thank you for taking this journey with me and for all of your prayers and financial support. With out you, this mission would truly be impossible.

Until next time, dus vee danya (good bye)
Love,
Dasha

February 7 - The power of touch in Ukraine

2007-02-25T15:29:00.000-06:00

You may be weary of reading these emails but hang in there this story and the next one are the ones that touched my heart the most.

One of the things we pray every day on these trips is that we would be used as the hands and feet of Jesus. Wednesday, Feb 7Th will be etched in my heart forever as the day Jesus reached a child through my hands.

The Rozdil School for Boys is housed in an old Cloister where nuns lived for many, many years. There were a number of these kinds of buildings we visited where old palaces or monasteries had been converted to homes for children since they are large and have numerous bedrooms.

The Rozdil School was one of those "warehouse" schools for children who had severe handicaps. The first stop is always the restroom for our team since we usually ride for thirty or more minutes after a big breakfast. This was no exception. We were lined up at the bathroom door when a small boy with Downs syndrome appeared from around the corner. He was our unofficial greeter and without words, gave each of us a huge welcome with his big smile, handshakes and hugs. He could not speak but it didn't matter because we knew exactly what he was trying to say to us. "I'm so glad you came today, welcome!"

After the restroom stop, we were invited for a tour of the building. We climbed stairs up to the third floor where the bedrooms were. There were several long halls full of rooms with neatly made beds, each covered with a rug and huge fluffed up pillow. No personal belongings were any where in sight.

As we reached the end of a long hall, tucked way back in a corner was a room for "bed ridden" children. I was not prepared for what my eyes saw as I was one of the first to enter the room. It was a long narrow room with ten beds each containing a disabled or deformed child. From the front of the room I could see a child in the back whose head was three times the size of a normal adult. This boy had hydrocephalus and could not even lift his head from the pillow. His body was the size of a three year old. The child in the crib next to him was screaming and crying, with feet and arms flailing in every direction. He was about the height of a four year old but his limbs were the circumference of bones. His muscles could not even been seen. An attendant was standing next to him, trying to calm him down.

As I gazed across the room a tiny, shaved head swinging back and forth caught my eye. A small boy was sitting up in his crib, shaking his head back and forth. God lead me to that crib and I gently laid my hand on his bony little back. Immediately, his head stopped shaking and he looked up at me. The touch of a hand had let him know he was not alone. I began to rub his back and he came alive. He looked into my eyes and gave a small smile showing a full set of teeth through his distorted mouth and jaw. As I continued to rub his back he reached out and grabbed my hand, hungry for the touch of another human being. I stood there smiling and softly talking to him while I rubbed his bent little frame.

His name was Vitaly and he was six years old although he was the size of a three year old. He could not walk or talk and didn't even make noise other than the grinding of his teeth. But he did understand there was someone who cared about him, touching him and showing him love. His tiny fingers of porcelain skin clutched tightly to mine and we shared what every human being needs the most, love. He leaned in to my side as much as possible through the bars of the prison he will spend his life in soaking up the touch of the hand of Christ. It was absolutely painful to have to let go of him and leave after a short while.

Dr Jean's group was assigned to that room for the remainder of the visit and each child was given lots of special attention and love from 5 of our team members. Jean later told us of an 18 year old boy who was in the last bed at the end of the room who had been perfectly normal until he was 8. He was in a train wreck where he sustained severe head injuries and burns. He had been taken to the States for surgeries and cared for by a man named Michael. Jean' husband, John, sat down on his bed and he said "Michael" ? He was able to give a hand shake and communicate a little in English. His mother had cared for him all these years but had recently died and so he was placed in this home to live out the rest of his life. Michael was his American sponsor who paid for his medical treatment in the States and comes to visit him once a year in Ukraine.

My small group was then taken to a class room of eleven boys, one of which was the little Downs syndrome boy who greeted us as we came in. Only three boys could talk in that room and one was completely blind. We sang lots of fun songs with them, played games and did a very simple Gospel presentation for them. They had been to a camp in the summer where they learned one of the songs we sang to them. It goes like this.
"Who is the King of the jungle?
Who is the King of the sea?
Who is the King of the universe?
And who is the King of me?
I tell you J-E-S-U-S, Jesus!
He is the King of me,
He is the King of the Universe,
The jungle and the sea!"

With each line there is an action and the boys knew all of them! We did that song several times over and each time the boys laughed with glee. Each boy got a back pack and carepack (school supplies) and of course a big teddy bear! Oh, you should have seen them love on those teddy bears, it was so cute. The three boys who could talk recited poetry and sang for us. It was evident the caregivers and teachers here treated these special children with love. There was no aggression or anger displayed by any of the children, only smiles and joy showed on their faces.

You may wonder why I share all of these details with you. The reason is because God wants you to see how blessed we are. We are so incredibly blessed just living in America, having whole bodies and sound minds. We have SO MUCH to offer those in need. My question to you is what are you doing with the time, talents and treasures God has given you? Are you using them for His glory? Are you blessing others with the abundance you have? You may think you are not cut out to be a missionary even on a short term trip but you do have the ability to help others in need right in your own back yard. If these emails do nothing more than to inspire you to reach out of your comfort zone to show the love of Jesus Christ to someone else, then they have served their purpose.

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

There will be one more story tomorrow of our visit to an adult prison built in 1611. I pray that God speaks to your heart and encourages you to serve Him today!

With Love,
Dasha

February 6 - Zhurane Sanitorium visit

2007-02-25T15:27:00.000-06:00

Thanks so much for taking the time to read these accounts of what God is doing in Ukraine. I hope you are encouraged in your own walk with God and inspired to use the incredible gifts and talents you have to serve Him and others more.

We approached the Zhurane Sanatorium School on a muddy road. It was warmer on Feb 6Th and the snow had melted leaving plenty of sticky, slippery mud to navigate. As the bus pulled up next to the building, little faces appeared from lace curtained windows with smiles and waves of excitement.

There were a number of buildings in the complex which housed 95 children recovering from lung diseases like TB, asthma, pneumonia, etc. Again, there were kids who had been here for years because there just aren't enough places to put all the miss placed children who have no families or functioning parents.

The director wanted us to see their new building under construction so we walked a muddy, icy path about 100 yards to see the new facility. It was two stories with nice ceramic tile floors, modern bathrooms and fixtures and brightly painted rooms. The building was about 95% finished but they ran out of funds for furnishings and finish details. Some of the finishings inside were recycled from old buildings like the banisters on the stairways. Our team took up an offering on the bus and raised enough to buy some much needed beds and mattresses for the new building. Just about every mattress you see in State run facilities looks 40 or 50 years old, urine stained and is about 2 inches thick.

All of the kids were assembled in an auditorium so we did a large group presentation to them with lots of singing, games and of course testimonies and a Gospel presentation. I am always amazed at how long a group of kids starting at age 6 - 17 can sit still and listen intently. After our presentation we handed out backpacks with Carepacks inside of them and teddy bears! I went around with my roll of smiley heart stickers to place one on each child. A smile and a smile sticker communicates volumes to a hurting child.

Over on the side of the room were the older teen girls. They were huddled together in groups watching every move we made. Their shy smiles invited the ladies over for conversations. I got the pictures of my family, grabbed my interpreter and went to talk to three girls at the end of the row. They were 14, 15 and 16 years old. The two younger ones had recently lost their mothers and the older one had lost her father. The 14 year old said her father is an alcoholic and is very mean. She is forced to live at the sanatorium because there is no place else to go. She began to cry as she was telling me her story so I reached out, put my arms around her and pulled her close to my chest. She sobbed and the other two girls were also in tears. I loved on each one of them and encouraged them to read their Bible for comfort from our wonderful Father in Heaven. I told them God knew their circumstances and had not forgotten them.

As this was going on, a 17 year old girl came over for a hug. She was an orphan and told me not to cry (yes I was in tears too) for them. It made me even sadder because her heart had become so cold. I told her my heart was sad for her and encouraged her to read her Bible for comfort from the Father. These kids often turn their emotions off just to survive. There are hundreds of thousands of these children all over the former Soviet Union. It makes one wonder what will happen to this generation if they are not nurtured and given an understanding of who they are in God's eyes. I pray that the seeds planed here will take root and grow in their hearts to mature them emotionally and spiritually.

Dr Jean Thur, my dear friend, was allowed to go in to see the really sick kids and give them gifts. They were the ones who were peeking through the curtains when the bus pulled up along side the building. As usual, she had a wonderful time playing with all of them and bringing some joy to their dismal existence. Jean is a pediatrician.

As we prepared to drive away, the kids in the "sick" building lifted up the curtains to see us. They were holding their teddy bears, smiling, laughing and waving goodbye to us. It is always rewarding to bring a smile to a child's face.

Have you ever considered coming on one of our trips? Maybe you think you don't have any special talents or abilities. Do you know how to give a hug, smile, hold someones hand or be an encouragement to someone in pain? Then you qualify! Think about it and see if God might be calling you to make a difference in someone life, you will never be the same! You can email me back for more information or go to www.gainusa.org for a list of trips available in the future.

With smiles and hugs,
Dasha

February 5 - Dobromil School

2007-02-25T15:26:00.000-06:00

Monday, Feb 5Th we visited a boarding school in the town of Dobromil, Ukraine. The drive was long but fabulous because the sun came out that day! It was the first glimpse of the sun we had since our arrival on Jan 28Th. We drove out in the country side past villages, farms and hundreds of houses under construction.

Let me take a minute to explain the houses we saw. Our bus guide, Dr Eugene Krupin (a medical doctor) told us that people from Kiev buy land out here and build houses. There is no such thing as a home mortgage loan in Ukraine, so people start building and pay as they go - what a plan, here's another lesson we could learn from a developing country! The houses are big, I'd estimate from 2000 to 3000+ square feet. They start with a foundation and use brick to build the basic house. Then as time and money permits, many houses have stucco on the outside. It can take years to build something this way but when they are finished, it's completely paid for.

Dr Krupin says a lot of people leave the country to find work, save money then come back and buy a lot to start building on. Business owners from Kiev also build houses in the country. Just thought you would be interested in these little tidbits we learned. Here's the sad part. When these houses are finished, most people live in the basement or one room because they cannot afford the heating bills or furnishings for the rest of the house. It's all about show - an unfortunate result of materialism.

Back to the trip; as we drove further, the outline of the Carpathians began to emerge. As we got closer to the snow covered mountains, the clouds cleared and the sun rays illuminated the beauty of the Ukrainian country side. Out in the country there are still many people who use horses and carts to haul things and work for them. We even saw people riding around in horse drawn sleds. Horses are used for plowing too. It is like taking a walk into the distant past. The architecture in this part of Ukraine as well as L'viv has a very European flavor and is beautiful.

We made two stops that day to distribute books in market places. People are hesitant to take books because they are afraid it is from some cult like Jehovah's Witnesses. That is when our interpreters come in and explain what the book is about and show them the Gospel of John which is on the flip side of the book. When people understand it is a pure message about Jesus and an atheist's search for truth, most gladly accept the free book. This country has a 95% literacy rate and when you hand someone a book, they often sit down and start reading it or read while they are walking.

After eating a big breakfast and drinking lots of water, there was a great need for the use of a toilet. Upon entering the school, the smell of the toilets came wafting up our noses but the urge was greater than the smell so we proceeded to the "place". This building was extremely old and had not been remodeled at all. The toilet area was nothing more than three squatty spots on a raised platform with no dividers. All I can say is using these with two other of your team mates makes for a real bonding experience!

The school was for mentally slow children. We entered the cafeteria area where the kids were finishing lunch and were surprised to see a beautiful, large creche still up in the front of the room along with a fresh cut and decorated Christmas tree. There were definitely some slow kids here but also a good number who seemed quite normal. Often kids are labeled and stuck into institutions when there is no other place to put them.

Several boys sang karaoke for us using a television and video. A few of the younger kids recited poetry for us. After their program we broke into small groups and my group was assigned to the oldest kids. Paige, another of our 12 year old team members did the gospel presentation and did a great job! The kids respond so well to our younger members and we are so blessed to have these American teens with us. Tom, the only guy in my small group, shared about his job as a postal worker and tied it into how a stamped letter is absolutely unique when it gets a postmark. Then he talked about how God makes each of us unique in some special way.

There was one older boy who was good at making eye contact and responded to everything we included them in. He told us his favorite thing was reading and exchanged addresses after our presentation. When we finished the kids wanted to sing us a song about their best friend, Jesus! They were of varying levels of capacity but all sang the words beautifully. Our hearts were warmed by their affection and love for God. It has been very comforting and affirming to go into the public schools and preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are finding most boarding schools are Christian oriented and are teaching the children about God's love, teaching them to pray and reading the Bible to them. Over the past few years, I have noticed the children smile much more and seem to be more hope full in spite of their circumstances.

This site needed a refrigerator desperately. We collect enough money from our group to buy two refractors for them! Another group had come for a visit not long ago and promised to buy a frig but never came back. They only asked for one regular sized refrigerator but there are 121 kids ages 6-17 who live here so we bought them two! They were amazed and thankful.

I am constantly inspired by the people of Ukraine. They are a hardy people who never lose their desire to be hospitable to strangers in spite of meager means. I've learned so much about life from these incredible human beings! How I thank God for the privilege and opportunity to be part of this endeavor.

May His Spirit fill you with all hope and love!
Dasha

February 4 - TV Tube Factory Church

2007-02-25T15:22:00.000-06:00

We have been working with Pastor Misha from New Life Church. Pastor Misha has started and maintained a number of ministries to the down and out in L'viv. One of his ministries is to prisoners and many of the members of his church are former prisoners. He has services in the prisons four times a week and 500-600 prisoners come to the services.
Misha visits each new prisoner to find out what brought them there and if they have any family connections. 85% of the young people who go to prison have no one on the outside who cares about them or helps them in any way. New Life Church supports over 50 boys in prison who have no parents.

Once a prisoner is released, they are offered help from New Life Church. There are sewing classes, cooking classes and other opportunities to learn trades as well as ministry to street kids and folks who are still in prison. The church has even provided housing, food and clothing for many of the released prisoners.

Six years ago, New Life Church bought part of a TV tube factory and have slowly been changing it into a usable church. They began meeting in the building without heat and worshiped there for five years without heat!!! How many of us would continue to go to church in an unheated building? Misha said they didn't lose any members from the lack of heat! What dedication these saints have to the Lord. The majority of the work done on the church is being accomplished by former prisoners who volunteer their time and give their own money to buy the materials. These people have jobs but they are so grateful to have normal lives, they give 90% of their income to the church and live off 10%! Hmmmm I think we could learn a lot from them!

Sunday morning our team went to worship at New Life Church. The place was packed after our team of 30+ walked in the doors. Thankfully, the worship area is heated now and they even had an overhead projector with the words to the songs in Ukrainian and English! The Ukrainian alphabet is slightly different than the Russian alphabet so it was very difficult to read the words in Ukrainian. I sang in English with the rest of the team. During the worship time, I was deeply moved by the fact that we were all worshiping together, singing the same songs, just different words. It occurred to me God heard our voices as one Praise offered up to Him. Worshiping with brothers and sisters in Christ in a foreign culture is one of the sweetest experiences one can have. There is perfect unity, joy and fellowship around the Lord, no language needed! The Spirit of Christ was overflowing in that place.

A man named Volodia got up and told about his former life as a drug addict, alcoholic and criminal. He met Pastor Misha when he was in prison and turned his life over to Jesus Christ. He spent many years in prison but is now free from all addictions, is married and has four children. Volodia is also a Gideon!! Two members of our team gave testimonies about their lives and how they met Jesus then our team sang some songs in English for the congregation. The last song we sang was one they all knew so they joined us in singing the chorus (in Ukrainian of course). My wonderful friend and former room mate, Dr Jean Thur, gave the gospel presentation and her husband, John, prayed.

Then Aaron, a new member of our team gave a sermon. Aaron is 32 years old, a dairy farmer from Pennsylvania and father of six children! Six months ago, his wife died of breast cancer. Aaron is a soft spoken man with an incredible grasp of reality and who he is in Christ. I am amazed at his spiritual maturity, understanding of scripture and his outlook on life. He does not see himslef as a victim at all but is strong in his faith and is moving forward with his life in spite of the horrible tragedy of losing his precious wife.

At the end of the service a sweet young girl came up and played the Bandura and sang. The Bandura is a stringed instrument kind of like a harp but it sits on the lap. It has many strings but also has a wooden back like an auto harp without the fret boards. Like an 60 string guitar!! www.bandura.org/bandura.htm

After church we were assigned to a family to go to their home for lunch.
The family my group was assigned to just happened to be the family of the 13 year old girl who sang and played the Bandura. We took taxi's to their flat and were ushered into a wonderful smell and warm hospitality. The table was all set and we sat down to a fabulous feast of two kinds of salads, borsh, mounds of mashed potatoes (yum!) and chicken. There were other goodies on the table such as home made pickles, pickled peppers and sausage and cheese plate. We stuffed ourselves and then they brought out the strawberry ice cream!! The best part was the fellowship with Nadiya and Uri the parents of Katya who played the Bandura at church. We talked about everything under the sun and Uri did his best to speak as much English as possible. Actually he did quite well.

One of my favorite things to talk about is how people who grew up under Communism come to faith in Jesus Christ. Nadiya started going to church because their oldest son had been invited and was going several times a week. She went to church to see what her son was involved in and just kept going, that was 10 years ago! Uri said he hasn't "repented" yet because he didn't think he could give up his occasional smoking and drinking! We reassured him that God doesn't expect someone to "clean themselves up" before they come to Him. I relayed the story of the young man who came to live with us at age 19 who was suicidal and in a lot of trouble. I showed him the pictures of Dave before Jesus and after! He was very touched by the testimony.

The hours flew by and before we knew it the church van was there to pick us up and take us back to the hotel. It was a wonderful day!

That's all for this evening. I stayed in tonight although most everyone else went out for dinner. We went way out in the countryside again today and I must have eaten something that wasn't happy staying in my body for long! Enough said! We did get our daily manna today but only for a short time (snow that is).

Tomorrow we have two more visits to orphanages and then an adult prison on Thursday. Friday we must say goodbye to L'viv and the lovely people of Ukraine until next time.

Many blessings to you. Please continue to pray for good health for our team. Several are still struggling with illness and one has a strained back.
Do-po-bachen-ya (good bye in Ukrainian)
Love,
Dasha

February 2 - Boarding school in Krakovets, Ukraine

2007-02-25T15:07:00.000-06:00

We drove two hours to the border of Poland to a boarding school in a small village called Krakovets. The sleepy little village had many abandoned buildings which were falling in on themselves. As the bus headed down the narrow roads of melting snow and mud we became the spectacle of the day in our red and silver tour bus. The road became too narrow to continue to the school, so the driver stopped at an intersection and let our bus captain out to go visit the director. As we waited on the bus, we did the usual things like singing and praying for the meeting and the children who live at the school.

A small group of curious people were gathering outside the bus so some of us decided to go out and talk to them. They were elderly men and women with big, gold tooth grins and worn clothing. We gave them gospel bracelets, books (More Than A Carpenter) some hygiene care-packs and items from our sack lunches. They were very grateful for the gifts and gave hugs, kisses and blessings as they went about their business for the day. One of our guys, Palmer, was handing out More Than A Carpenter Books on the street when a small red car rolled by and came to a stop. The driver rolled his window down and stuck his hand out for a book! The people here are hungry for Truth!

Since this was Friday, most of the kids at the boarding school had gone home for the weekend, all that was left was a small group of orphans. It was a little disappointing after such a long trip but we knew God sent us there so we went in and ministered to the orphans.

The building was literally falling apart on the outside and the inside. Some renovations had been done like new windows in a few rooms but there was much more that needed attention. Removal of ice from sidewalks an driveways is not something that is considered necessary in Ukraine. Sometimes, the walk to the building can be quite an adventure in itself carrying backpacks and bags of presentation materials and gifts. We held on to each other and inched our way over the icy surfaces, doing the "old geezer shuffle" as one of our team members so tactfully put it.

The smell of the bathrooms greeted us as we entered the building which is a common thing in these types of schools. That on top of cabbage cooking was enough to send some of our group back outside for a breath of fresh air. Bathrooms and plumbing are major issues for most institutions of this kind. After a short tour, we were taken to a large room to meet with the kids. They were totally engrossed in a cartoon blaring on the small television in the corner of the room. There were as many of us as there were orphans so we had a good ratio for interaction.

We did a group presentation with testimony and Dave (bus captain) asked me to do the Gospel presentation. I'm fine in a small group setting but doing this in front of my team mates is always intimidating. But God is very good and I felt His spirit giving me just the right words for these children to hear. When you give the gospel message there is always one or two in the crowd that catch your eye. This time it was two teenage boys who seemed riveted to the message. Every time I would look in their direction, they smiled and nodded affirmation. My friend, John Thur lead the prayer afterwords and then we gave out Carepacks with backpacks. The kids were delighted as we mingled among them, giving smile stickers, making balloon animals and distributing other small gifts from our group members.

The two teenage boys wanted to visit with me so I got the interpreter to help. They were 15 and 16 years old and wanted to have their picture taken with me. They said they enjoyed the message very much and were so glad we had come to visit them.

One of the girls sitting in the back of the room was sullen and did not smile at all during our formal presentation, in fact she kept hiding her head! As we mingled with the kids, one of our ladies went back to talk with her. As they shared together, the girl warmed up and began to smile. By the time we left the girl was laughing, engaging in conversation and even hugged some of the ladies she was talking with. The change in her countenance was amazing! It is always a miracle to me to see how personal contact will bring down walls with a person.

There was also a sweet little downs syndrome child who could not speak sitting quietly in his chair. Tawny, one of our twelve year old team mates, sat down next to him and played with him the entire time we had after the formal presentation. She patiently sat there with him, holding his hand and talking to him. It was very touching and he responded well with smiles and affection.

We made our way back out of the building, over the ice covered path and back to the waiting bus. A collection was taken on the bus and we raised money to help buy new beds and new windows for the school. Pastor Misha will oversee the purchase of these items for the school.

Please pray for the seeds of faith that were planted in these children's hearts and for restoration of their broken lives. Their stories are enough to make even the strongest person cry.

Blessings to each of you from our wonderful Lord, Jesus Christ.
Dasha

February 2 - Home for mentally disabled women

2007-02-25T15:01:00.000-06:00

It seems the days and nights just keep rolling by and I have so little time to sit down and write about all the wonderful things God is doing here with our team! I am picking the best stories out to share with you so understand there is MUCH more happening here than what is written about.

We visited a home for mentally handicapped women ages 17 - 92. There were about 100 women living there as well as a few men residents. We drove way out in the country side to a small village on the ice and snow covered highways. You can imagine if the highways are covered with ice and snow, how the roads in the village are. We found the location and the bus driver (mind you, this is a huge tour bus) tried to get on the small road that lead back to the facility. The bus got stuck and started to slide sideways off the road. It was the big event of the village for the day, I'm sure because the men all came running to see if they could help.

This was a farming community so they had plenty of ideas of how to get the monstrous bus back on track. One man even offered to get his tractor and pull us out! We saw the tractor he was offering and were thankful he didn't attempt to pull us because I think it would have been a disaster. The tractor looked at least 50 years old, maybe older! But their hearts were in the right place and finally they got straw and put it under the back wheels. We all moved to the back of the bus, over the wheels and the driver started to rock the bus forward and back as we swayed forward and back in the bus! Finally, it moved and we got out of the ditch!!

That was an adventure in itself but what happened inside was even better! The women's home had been established 300 years ago and for that length of time, had housed many people the public just did not want to deal with or see. There were parts of the building that looked 300 years old like the stairs, the floors and some of the walls! Much of the furnishings were extremely old and many were falling apart. There were layers and layers of linoleum on the floors and a few holes (in the floor itself) which made you wonder if it would even hold you up!

They took us on a tour of the top floor where the ladies lived. It had a regular height ceiling but the doors to the rooms reminded me of Hobbit hole doors they were so low! The beds in the rooms were neatly made with a rug over each one as is the custom in these kinds of institutions. There were a few personal belongings on the walls and in the rooms but for the most part pretty sparse. Some of the rooms held 4 or 5 beds while others had 8 or 10.

After the tour, we were taken to a very steep flight of stairs to climb up to their meeting hall. The precious ladies were seated and waiting for us to come in. As we entered, we went over to shake their hands and love on them a bit. The toothy smiles we got and hugs were priceless. They were overjoyed to have some outside visitors and lapped up the attention. There many levels of mental capacity in that room and some of the ladies appeared to be quite normal.

This site reminded me so much of a place we went to in Kirishi, Russia where hundreds of mentally and physically handicapped men and women lived. They had NEVER had any visitors and the people were so full of joy.

Our team sang some songs and Tawny, our 12 year old gave a testimony about herself. Someone did the Gospel presentation and then we prayed with them. When we finished our part of the presentation, they had a presentation for us! Several of the younger women got up and sang. One girl sang a solo that was absolutely beautiful, we were all in tears. Then to our great surprise, they all stood up (about 100 women) and said the Lord's Prayer, in Ukrainian of course. It blew us away.

We handed out carepacks which contain pens, pencils notebooks toothbrush etc, teddy bears and beautiful hot pink fuzzy slippers! I wish you could have seen the incredible reaction to the teddy bears. They were delighted as they hugged and kissed them. Then we started to mingle with the ladies and give them other little gifts and take pictures. Several people brought Polaroid cameras and began taking pictures. WOW, everybody wanted a picture of themselves with one of us! We had enough cameras and film to get pictures of all the sweet ladies there that wanted a picture.

I had big smiley stickers and was going around putting them on each person. Faces lit up and I got more hugs and kisses than you can imagine. As I made my way down one side of the auditorium, a very sweet little lady in navy blue and red plaid dress came up to me and started to pet my arm. I had a wool cable knit sweater on and she must have liked the texture or something. I turned around and extended my arm to hug her. She smiled which revealed only a few teeth in her mouth and then melted into my arms, rubbing her head on my shoulder like a small child. Her tiny, thin body was glued to mine and she wasn't going to let go. I just loved on her for a long time and she finally stepped back still smiling. She came up to me several more times for additional hugs. I was so touched by her. She could not speak at all but she sure knew about love!

By the time we left we had made 100 new friends and there were many hugs, kisses, smiles and even a few tears as we said our goodbyes and headed out the door. I kept thinking to myself, what if my family took me to a place like that and dropped me off never to return. That was too much for me to consider. We felt sure the director cared about these precious ladies. One of the younger girls even mentioned to an interpreter that the director made sure they had nice clothes.

I really don't know how some of the older ones got up and down those steps but they did. There are some amazingly strong people in Ukraine.

That's it for now, I'm going to bed early tonight to get some much needed rest. Today we drove 2 hours out of L'viv to a small village at the base of the Carpathian mountains. We saw the sun for the first time since we've been here! This is also the first day it did not snow! We started calling the daily snowfall, our manna from heaven!

Blessings to all of you dear friends. Please continue to pray for our team. We have sickness spreading through the team and this is the point in the trip where everyone needs an energy boost to make it to the end!

Love and sunshine smiles from Ukraine,
Dasha

February 1 - Visit to a boy's prison

2007-02-25T14:56:00.000-06:00

February 1st marked second visit to a boy's prison since I've been coming on these trips. The contrast between this prison in Ukraine and the prison in Russia was incredible. The boys prison in Russia was like going to a prison camp, complete with exposed, leaking pipes, dark, dank rooms and little sunlight. It was the most depressing place I've ever been in. Our whole team cried, (including the men) when we left that boy's prison in Russia. The hopelessness of the children in that place was overwhelming.

Fast forward six years to Ukraine. Our group was ushered into a set of four locked grid type doors as we made our way into the prison complex in groups of Seven. After the final door, we stepped into a courtyard that was beautiful. It hardly looked like a prison with brightly painted murals on the walls of the prison and buildings that were in good repair.

We entered the main building and went up stairs to the living quarters where the boys who are going to be released in six months are housed. The walls were painted white and above each doorway were hand painted flowers just like what you would see in a country house. There were nice curtains on the windows and the rooms were bright and cheerful. Each bedroom had rows of neatly made beds with teddy bears or other stuffed animals on them! It was so refreshing. These boys were kept separate from the other boys who were still serving time. The commander of the prison told us they try to prepare the boys for life outside the prison sixmonths before they are released.

This was an Austrian prison built over one hundred years ago. The commander of the prison told us the boys go to school, learn a trade and work while they are there. There is a metal factory where the older boys work during the day. We saw the classrooms and the computer lab which were both well equipped. The boys in this prison range from fourteen to twenty years old.

In the other part of the prison were the rooms where the boys slept, the school rooms and computer lab. We climbed up to the third floor and noticed metal grids covering the space between each floor and the stairway so no one could jump down and commit suicide. That was kind of creepy but good to know they were protecting the lives of the boys.
The rooms where the boys slept in this part of the prison were small, only four to a room (no stuffed animals on the beds). Even this side of the prison was well kept and had nice curtains on the windows. In the hallway were huge boards with information on them. One was full of Bible stories, one with poetry and one with patriotic information about Ukraine. There was nothing depressing about this prison. It was obvious someone cared a lot about treating these kids as human beings.

We gathered in the auditorium which was beautifully painted and stenciled. The boys sat in the back of the auditorium with guards in the rows in front of them. They wore green uniforms, not the traditional black which is very shameful for them. Each one was clean and well groomed. Quite a contrast to what we saw in Russia.

Our team stood on the stage and the commander of the prison announced we would be bringing the "Word of God"to them! We were very surprised to hear such words coming from his mouth. There was a musical group with us who do ministry at this prison regularly. They sang some songs and then we sang a few in English. Suzanne gave her testimony and Dave (our leader) asked me to do the Gospel message. I agreed to do it but then he came back a few minutes later and said they needed a guy to do it. So my friend, Gary gave the Gospel message and did a fabulous job relating his own story in with the Gospel.

I watched the faces of the young men as Gary spoke about God's love and how he changes lives for the better. There were three reactions. Some listened intently and nodded their heads, some got bored after only a couple of minutes and one was sound asleep! After Gary spoke a young man named Uri gave his testimony. Uri had been in prison there for a number of years and then in an adult prison for a total of eight years. He decided that was not the direction he wanted his life to go in so he invited Jesus into his life and made and about face turn. He has been out of prison for three years now and offered to help any one in that prison after they got out. He is active in a church, has a job and has made all new friends.
After the program was finished, the regional director of all prisons in Ukraine came on the stage and thanked us for coming and bringing aid to the prisoners. We brought food, carepacks and Bibles to the boys. He acknowledged that the prisons which had strong Christian influences in them were much more successful than those that didn't. He said fewer people return to prison if they have been in a prison that had a strong Christian ministry.

Wow, those were refreshing words to hear and so unexpected. The USA could learn a lot from these people! At the end, they gave us some gifts which had been hand made by the boys. Some were embroidered pictures, some painted and some carved.

It was a rewarding and positive experience. The boys in the auditorium participated in all of the songs and seemed to have a great time. We were not allowed to mingle with them or talk to them but they could see our faces and I'm sure the could feel the love we each carried in our hearts for them.

Please pray that the seeds which were planted there will be nurtured and the ones who committed their lives to Christ will grow in their faith.

That's it for now, I'm pretty tired. We had a full day and went out for our cultural event tonight.

Still snowing in L'viv,
Dasha

February 1 - Birthday in Ukraine

2007-02-25T14:52:00.000-06:00

Please excuse the long delay for sending messages to you! We have been extremely busy and there has been little time to sit down and write!

First, thanks to everyone who sent Birthday greetings! My birthday was a lot of fun and we celebrated in many ways. Wednesday night, John, Jean, Gary and I went out for dinner with Tatiana, a woman we met on the plane. Tatiana took us to a Ukrainian restaurant called the Seven Piglets. It was decorated in folk Ukrainian style, very rustic and incredibly quaint. When we walked in the door there were musicians dressed in traditional Ukrainian costumes playing folk music. It was a lively atmosphere and very cozy. We sat in a room that was down a short flight of stairs where there were only four tables. The walls were white stucco with painted floral designs over the timbers and the ceiling was timber and brick. It was a lovely evening getting to know Tatiana and fellow-shipping over candlelight and delicious Ukrainian borsh and other traditional foods. At one point the musicians came down to our room and played several songs just for us!

Tatiana is an American citizen with parents who are full Ukrainian. She grew up speaking Ukrainian at home and went to Saturday school to learn to read and write Ukrainian. She now lives here and works at the Greek Catholic Church regional office doing translation work. Tatiana explained that the Greek Catholic Church has just emerged back from being underground during Soviet times. They were heavily persecuted and met in homes just as many of the protestant churches did. Greek Catholics have the traditions and rituals of the Orthodox Church but are considered Catholic by Rome. It was quite an education talking to Tatiana about her faith and life in Ukraine.

Her parents bought a flat here about ten years ago which she is now living in. She has relatives here who she sees regularly and helps them with their garden. They still carry water by bucket to water the garden and dig potatoes with a shovel. It is back breaking work and Tatiana is trying to figure out a way to get some irrigation into the garden for her family. Evidently the garden is quite large. She thinks it is about the length of a football field and a third of a football field wide.

Tatiana is a very gentle person with a huge heart. We shared our faith with her and told her what we do here. She was eager to get some gospel bracelets to share with others and really liked the central message of the gospel that we share with people.

On Thursday was my birthday and when I got on the bus there were two Happy Birthday banner signs up! My interpreter, Alla, brought me a box of chocolates and a darling little angel ornament. How could she possibly have known I collect angels?? It was a God thing! Everyone sang Happy Birthday to me on the bus and later that evening they surprised me at dinner with a bunch of big sunflowers and two cakes! The cakes were a chocolate torte with yummy cream between each layer and a white torte with fruit all over the top and between the layers.

All in all it was a grand Birthday Celebration!
Well, it is time for prayer so I'll be back to tell you more about our visits to see children and prisoners later.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers. We have several more people who have gotten sick. Please pray for healing and for protection for the rest of the team. I have a slight sore throat but feel OK. I may stay in tomorrow, Sunday and rest.

Love from snow covered Ukraine,
Dasha

January 30th - Visit to a baby house

2007-02-25T14:50:00.000-06:00

Tuesday morning our team headed out on the big tour bus to our first two sites. The initial stop was a baby house where there are infants from newborn to age 4. When Oksana, our in country staff person, called to verify the appointment, the director told her only 10 people could come in to see the babies. In faith we all loaded into the bus hoping the director would change her mind once we got there. This is a frequent occurrence.

Dave and Talu (our bus captains) went in with Oksana and the media people to visit with the director. The rest of the team stayed on the bus singing worship songs and praying. Sure enough, they came back and said we could all come in to see the children! Yea God! We took humanitarian aid in the form of clothing, blankets and other essential items. The director spoke of a need they had for cribs that could be used outside so they could take the babies out to play when the weather is nice. We took up an offering on the bus and raised enough money to buy a good number of cribs for them!!

My group was taken up some very rickety old stairs that curved around in a dark hall to the second floor. There were three rooms in this unit with different age children. The first room was small with about 6 cribs. There was one young woman taking care of the babies who basically lie in bed all day long. They were dressed in warm clothes and tucked into their beds, tightly, with blankets. There was a set of twins, both girls and a couple of other tiny not very healthy looking babies in that room. We were told not to touch them but we stood by their cribs and talked to them trying to get a response. They really didn't respond like a normal child would which was hard to deal with.

The next room had 5 older babies around 8-9 months. There was another set of twins, a boy and a girl, who were sitting in bouncy seats on the floor. The little boy wanted out really bad and started to cry. Instinctively I walked over to the one that was crying to try to soothe him. He reached out and I just had to pick him up! No one said anything so the others on the team spread out and picked up the other babies. They were so cute but we didn't get to stay long in that room. All too soon they herded us into the third room where there were children from 1-3 years old.

The third room was a much bigger room and there were quite a few children in there.
There were four workers in that room looking after the babies. One woman was holding a little boy that had no arms. He was a live wire and full of life. Having no arms did not stop him from doing anything he wanted! He had short legs with relatively normal feet but only had 4 toes on each foot. They sat him on the floor and took his socks off then place an electronic keyboard toy that had a lot of buttons on it in front of him. He immediately began to "play" the keyboard with his toes and push the other sound buttons with his chin! He laughed and had a wonderful time playing. His attitude was incredible and we all remarked that his disability would probably not stop him from doing many things in life.

There was a small child sitting on the floor just watching everyone and rocking back and forth with two small toys in her hands. She was not smiling so I sat down on the floor next to her and started talking to her. Then I started rubbing her back and soon she held out her arms and wanted to be picked up. I scooped her up in my lap and cuddled her, then turned her around so she could see my face. She was strong and could stand on my legs and bounce a little. I asked the caregivers what her name was. It was Marianna. Marianna and I spent the next 30 minutes together laughing and playing. It wasn't long before she was smiling and cooing, while showing me her little front and bottom teeth. She had soft brown hair and beautiful brownish green eyes. Her little face lit up when she smiled and she seemed so at home in my arms. Another team member wanted to hold her and have me take a picture of them together. I gently handed Marianna over to her and took the camera. The minute she was out of my arms she stopped smiling and started looking very worried. We could not get her to smile at all for a picture. I took her back and spent the rest of the time snuggling with her. All too soon it was time to go. This was one of the hardest things I've done in a long time. It felt like I was leaving one of my own kids behind when we left. I cried like a baby on the way to the bus.

Well it's 10:30 here on Wednesday and I've only told you about one of the four sites we've been to in the past two days! We went out to dinner tonight to a wonderful Ukrainian restaurant called the Seven Piglets. But that's another story!

Thank you for all your prayers and emails of encouragement. We've had two sick team members but they have recovered and we're hoping no one else gets it.

Please pray for good health, openness to the Gospel message and safe travels. The roads are covered with ice and snow and we travel by bus sometimes as much as an hour to get to a site.

Blessings to all of you. I'm having a wonderful time as usual!! By the way, the summer trip here will be to the Carpathian Mountains which are breath taking. Any body interested???

Love and hugs from Ukraine,
Dasha

January 29th - Orientation

2007-02-25T14:38:00.000-06:00

Snyeg ("snow" in Russian) has been falling all night and most of the day.
Fortunately, we had a day of inside activity getting to know each other as team mates and meeting our interpreters. Most of the day was spent practicing our presentations and some briefing on what to expect for the next few days of ministry. We got to meet our interpreters today which is always a joy. My group was assigned the only female interpreter, her name is Alla. Alla is a single mother with an eight year old son (Roman) who became a believer just a few years ago. She is an English teacher (how did I rate to get this one?) and has an excellent command of the language along with a very enthusiastic spirit. I know this will be an excellent week with Alla. Our mission would be totally impossible without our dear interpreters.

The food at this hotel is excellent, in fact they feed us way too much! The dining rooms are super elegant with beautiful long table cloths, fancy fabric drapes on the chairs and candles on each table. They had a fabulous breakfast buffet this morning with just about anything you could imagine.

A few of our team members ventured out this afternoon when the training was over. They did quite a bit of walking and found a chocolate shop among other interesting places to buy things. I stayed in and rested so my old body will be ready for ministry tomorrow.

We are going to two sites tomorrow, one is a baby house where there are children from newborn to 4 years old and the other one is a home for mentally handicapped children.

That's it for tonight, I'm off to play Phase 10 for a while before bed.
Slept pretty well last night and hope to do better tonight! My roomie snores but not too terribly loud! grin :-)

Blessings to each of you and thank you for your prayers. Please pray for a safe journey tomorrow and for open hearts to God's message of love. We have one person who has contracted a cold so prayers for good health are welcome!
From beautiful snow covered L'viv,
Dasha

January 28th - Arrival in Ukraine

2007-02-25T14:36:00.000-06:00

We arrived in L'viv, Ukraine this afternoon after several delays from Chicago to Warsaw! However, all the luggage managed to make it except one piece which is a miracle. We have 30 team members and only one lost suitcase! The eye glasses got through customs with no problem and no one even asked about the large sum of cash I was carrying. God is very good. For the first time, I was able to really sleep on the plane last night and have had enough energy to get through the day with a smile!

The airport in L'viv is small and the luggage system is, well, pretty archaic! It was snowing like crazy and there was one little man unloading the bags onto an open truck bed, driving them in loads over to the building and handing through a small door to those inside. They have no conveyor belt. Our men helped sort the luggage after it was handed to them through the little door in the wall.

We got to the hotel and had an hour or so to rest then went to dinner. It is a nice hotel, warm, remodeled and has warm water! YEA! Dinner consisted of beet salad, bread, rice and a fried meat patty with mushrooms and cheese on top. Then there was a fancy little dessert for each person.

Well, I'm exhausted and it's time for bed. Tomorrow we have orientation and meet our interpreters. They are predicting snow every day we are here!

Thanks so much for your prayers, especially for the eyeglasses and money getting through customs! My health and strength is good, so please pray that I am able to do my job and not get tired!

Dus Vee Danya from L'viv
Dasha

Friday January 26th 2007 - Leaving for Ukraine

2007-02-25T14:28:00.000-06:00

Finally! The day has arrived for our team to leave for Ukraine. We will fly from Chicago on Saturday Jan 27Th to Warsaw, Poland. After a brief stop then it's on to our destination, L'viv, Ukraine for another adventure with God. (This is my 9Th year!!)

There are some concerns about customs so please be praying that I can get the 100 pair of reading glasses through without a problem. Our advance team also had a challenge at the airport while here in the States regarding the cash they were taking with them. There are a number of us carrying large sums of cash to pay for hotels, transportation, meals etc for the team. There is no bank system like we have here and as strange as it may seem, they operate strictly on a cash basis! So we have to take cash with us to pay for everything. The ministry spreads out the funds to trusted team members to carry over. As soon as we check into the hotel, the money is turned over to the team leaders! Whew!

Thanks so very much to everyone for your support, prayers, financial contributions and love. Everyone has been exceptionally supportive! The next time you hear from me, God willing, I will be in Ukraine!

See you on the other side!
Love and hugs,
Dasha