A Blog about the Summer...

The summer began as Rel and I were joined by 5 other amazing ladies who would become known as RAS (Radooga American Staff). They traveled from Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Alabama to spend their summer orientating American Teams and serving Ukrainian staff. I could spend this whole post telling you how incredible each of these girls are and what a spectacular team they made…but, alas, this is a post about the summer, so I will spare you…but they are sure to show back up as we continue through the summer…

As team one arrived, we were busy planning and preparing for the first camp. One of the things we did, was paint signs to hang on the outside of the buildings. The camp theme this summer was Action 1 and thus the Auditorium became known as Hollywood, the cafeteria and Hard Rock Café.

This is what happens when you try and clean paint brushes without any paint thinner…My hands remained this color for a couple days. :o)

One really cool thing was getting to know the people that I had met during my stateside trainings this spring. This is a picture of Team One from Houston during our city tour.

English Classes are always fun. I got to visit them all and sub for a couple. My favorite day during English Class was during camp 2. I was walking around checking on everyone and I got to this kid Don's class and they were reading their Bible Verse of the day and I could tell that the kids could read the English, but that they had no idea what they were saying, so I started pointing to individual words and asking them to tell me the word in English and then in Russian. Later, after they had all said their verse and gotten their candy, they told me to say it, so I did...and then they were like "now in Russian" so I translated it as best I could into Russian and I "won" a giant pixi stick. Yeeeessss.

Several people came to visit us at camp this year. I had been really sick one day and almost didn’t get up to go to evening program, but I decided to anyway and was glad I did when I walked upstairs and saw Tyoma sitting in the balcony.

Pasha is demonstrating what happens when you spend too much time in the office. I think it’s time to go play with the kids!

One of the things we do to keep from looking like Pasha in the above photograph is dress up like ninjas for our late night program, BOOM

When Lauren had to go home at the end of camp four, she left her ninja suit for Sergey. Sergey is a very good ninja.

On the first night of each camp, Alosha, this really amazing guy who is kind of like a Ukrainian version of the Power Team, came and did a show for the kids. He was way hardcore and super sweet. :o)

This is Igor. He has been a camper at Radooga for several years. And His faith in God is incredible. When he was a baby his mom killed his dad and tried to kill him, he grew up living all over the place, with his grandma (who died when he was six) and then, moving from Russia to Ukraine, in multiple orphanages. Anyway, this summer, at age 17, having completed nine years of school in only 5, Igor graduated. He wasn’t going to be able to attend his graduation because he had chosen to come to camp, but someone worked it out for him to get to Kiev and back. He was so excited when he got back to camp. It is such an encouragement to me to trust God when I see people like Igor trusting him. His dream is to go to college in the states. And he says, “I believe God will help me to do this.”


Max also shared his amazing testimony each week during camp and even, one special night, in English to the RAS ladies. We love our brother.

On one of the Days off between camps, Roma and Rel had everyone over and we had “family dinner.” Tacos, yum!

This is what I looked like right before they woke me up for dinner. What can I say, camp is awesome; it is also, at times, exhausting.

No camp would be complete without THE CAMP DANCE! This year, RAS ladies came up with most of the dance and Sergey helped with the ending…it was great.

Ukrainian Drama this summer was SO GOOD. Pasha and Max were angels and Pasha was the "teacher" and Natasha was Lucifer and Sergey was her "stunt double" and he and Pasha had an AWESOME sword fight. And every week it (the sword fight, but the drama in its entirety too) got better and better. Week 5, I was standing back stage watching from the side while Pasha and Max are watching Jesus be crucified and Max is trying to run to help him and Pasha is explaining why he can't and Pasha gets really passionate and starts crying and I was crying. I'd seen it 4 times already, and I was back stage, so it wasn't like I was even really intently watching, but OH, they were so good.


Each week, as kids accepted Christ for the first time or recommitted their lives to Him, I was reminded of how awesome He really is. The only one who could save, does. And it is such a beautiful thing to watch.

Worship with Sergey is always amazing. I never get over watching people worship. And something about youth praising God, and for me, especially Ukrainian youth. It is incredible.

Other means of entertainment throughout the summer.

1. Dress up like the actors and come out on stage in the middle of their MC-ing a program.
Laura was in character the whole night. “I think I make am an even better Max than Max” –Laura Godfrey

2. Read HP7. Mom bought it for me in the states, Calyn read it in two days and left me notes in it, Laura and Madison read it in 7 days at camp, also leaving me notes.

At the end of every camp, we had a movie festival. Throughout the week the campers worked with their youth pastors to create a video to be shown at the movie festival. We watched all the videos and then Magdych gave out awards with special guests, Pax. He’s pretty much the best festival director ever. :o)

After camp, we take each American team souvenir shopping on St. Andrews Street.

And, no trip to Kiev would be complete without at least one meal at Puzata Khata, known to many Americans as the “Fat House,” a cafeteria style restaurant with traditional Ukrainian cuisine.

After Ukrainian Bible Study one night, RAS girls had communion with Ukrainian staff. It was really special. And really cool to watch the girls build special relationships with each of the Ukrainian personnel.

Special for me was my mom coming for camp 5. I am so glad she got to experience camp and meet so many of my friends.

The night before the RAS ladies went back to the states, we had taco dinner at the Vasilevsky’s house. Goodbyes are so sad. The hardest of all, though it didn’t happen until the next morning at the airport, was probably this one.

Roma and Arielle have said a lot of long goodbyes. May is almost tomorrow, guys.

After everyone left, mom and I spent five amazing days together. We went sight seeing, clothes shopping, coffee drinking, movie watching and ice skating. She helped me rearrange my new room and do laundry. We even got to hang out with the Magdych’s one night. Yeeeessss. My families converge. :o)

I love my mom.