Summer Update (in short)

I would say my life has been insane the past couple weeks, but then I back up and realize the whole summer has been full of unexpectedness and talking to my friend Daniel today was reminded that my life here started with just as much craziness. (Another one of those paradoxes I love so much—crazy, at this point, would be a calm and quiet day.)

What God has been ingraining in me this summer: He is perfect. Always. In everything.

On the plane heading back from the states in June, I tried to picture what my summer would look like. I couldn’t do it. I saw Poltava on the horizon, but couldn’t judge how far away it was, how long it would take me to get there or what all would occur between the time I stepped off the plane and the moment I walked across the threshold into my apartment there.

So many days I longed for it. A couple times I even held my breath. He said wait. And so I did.

My waiting me landed me back at camps this summer. Unexpected. But perfect. Being at camp gave me many opportunities to tell my story, strengthened relationships that I know I am going to need and forced me to use my Russian. I made new friends—even a couple who live in Poltava (perfect). God let me be part of a ‘moment’ in a friend’s life that I had been praying for the entire time I have been in Ukraine. (perfect.)

Being at camp in Bucha also opened the door to helping out with an orphan camp going on in Poltava. And Magdych loaded the van with my stuff and Radooga’s stuff…and so it began...

Upon arrival in Poltava, I stood outside the door to our apartment praying that it would be God’s and that those who enter it would feel the same spirit that Amberly, mom and I had all felt upon entering the Zychinko’s apartment. I stepped in, looked around, grabbed my ‘camp’ suitcase and headed to the van letting out the breath I had been holding.

Camp in Poltava was really hard. Very different from what we’re used to. And for me personally, not having Americans there really through me for a loop. Pasha suggested I teach English classes, lead English worship, “and anything else Americans do. Lori will do everything.” ;o) This obviously not being the case, I would like to say that I was SO impressed with our team who took our ‘flexibility’ motto of the summer to a WHOLE new level. Everyone led ‘craft class’ in place of English classes and by popular request we instated the first ever “Radooga Discoteka.”

The day the Ukrainian staff left camp was a really hard day for me. I thanked him for my ‘transition’ week with friends and asked if He was sure about my staying here, knowing full well the answer to the question. And for the first time without preceding or following with the statement “I’m excited” I said, “I’m scared.”

The next couple days were spent with the Magdych’s and Alyona (actress and friend) in our apartment, seeing the city and meeting with friends.

Then I got to go with the Magdych’s on vacation to their parents ‘dacha’ where we rested for a couple days before returning to Poltava.

On Sunday morning as I hugged them goodbye at 5 in the morning again I said “God, are you sure?”

Later that morning, my new friend Alyona, met me at the bus stop to help me get to her church. The preacher preached in Ukrainian and Alyona translated into Russian for me—kinda cool :o) Anyway, he talked about how as soon as we see a problem, as soon as something goes wrong, we want to turn around and go back. We decide that God must not be in it. He referenced the Israelites and how they got out of Egypt, but as soon as things got difficult they wanted to turn around and go back—even into slavery. Even as he preached it I thought “yeah, when the Radooga team was leaving camp I thought ‘God, are you sure Poltava? Did I really hear you?” and again as Magdychi left on just that morning I had asked Him ‘here?’ both times without response, but both times clinging to the memory of sitting in Jenn’s kitchen at orphanage 12 and all the events after that the I know He gave me to remind me that yes, He did say and yes, he has (and is) providing. Even to the point that the preacher read Isaiah 55, the chapter I am memorizing.

God is perfect.