Through Em's Eyes

My friend Emily recently wrote the follow post after a God-moment we shared the other day in McDonald's:

God's Timing is Perfect

By Emmychka

Lori on Thursday invited me to meet her and hang out where she was staying. I jumped at this opportunity and headed out to the bus stop. Well come to find out on the way there, the people she is staying with just weren't home, so she suggested we go to McDonald's instead. So there we were at McDonald's discussing this and that, laughing at nothing in particular when a boy, appeared at our table as if out of thin air.


Now this boy was caked, I mean caked, in dirt. He was so sheepish and wouldn't look Lori or I in the eye as he softly mumbled out his desire for some money so he could buy food. He gave the impression that he knew he was less of a person than Lori and I was. I asked him what he wanted. He looked at me like I had three heads, so I repeated my question.

He just sheepishly smiled and replied, "Just a cola would be fine."

After I made sure he was sitting down and wouldn't go anywhere, I bought him dinner. Lori and I talked to him, trying to find out about him and subtly probing how such an innocent boy ended up on the streets. He wouldn't disclose much except that his name was Vlad, he was in his fifth year of college (not really, he didn't look older than 9) and lived with his friend Dima, not in Kyiv, he said, but on the street.


The cutest part of the whole ordeal was when I asked Vlad if Dima had eaten and Vlad immediately took a napkin and covered his ice cream sundae and said he would take that to Dima. I said it wasn't necessary and bought dinner for Vlad to carry to Dima. I told Vlad that this was all just a gift from God. Vlad's response was, "I know" and he smiled so big.


He honored us and showed us where he lived, didn't take us into the abandoned building, but showed us where it is. I want to go back before I head off to the states and bring him some bread, meat and cheese. It's so sad that someone so innocent and young is living on the streets, fending for himself and without parents to take care of him. I don't know his story, but I know that our Creator loves him.

Please pray for Vlad and Dima. I mean, I know that doesn't fix their situation, but pray that they would be open to me ministering to them. Pray that I will have the grace to love on them how they need and would be able to touch their lives as God would want, not how I think I should.


If the people Lori has been staying with had been home, we never would've met and been able to minister to this young child. That's just nothing short of God's miraculous and perfect timing. For Lori and I at first we were a bit frustrated and feeling inconvenienced, but at the end of the night we both just knew that this was the better way. God always does know best.

Check out other awesome posts by Emily here.

Life Skills Curriculum Training: Day 4

Today was “practice what you’ve learned day” and we were broken into groups to present a lesson to the rest of the class. My group was a 20 year old, enthusiastic, super sweet girl named Nastya from Dnipropetrovsk, an awesome lady named Lena who became friends with a young pregnant girl from an orphanage in her city and through her began getting connected in other ways there and myself. Our topic was “the intellectual sphere of personality” and we talked about how what you hear about yourself affects what you think about yourself and how important it is to know what God thinks about all people and to speak His words to both yourself and others so that you are hearing and thus feeding your brain Truth.

Life Skills Curriculum Training: Day 3

You Tallahassians would not believe the traffic jam I sat (or rather stood being that there were no seats left by the time I got on the bus) in this morning on my way to training. But in a city of 6 million, traffic can get a bit ridiculous.

Today we went through several of the lessons in the book we received including relational styles, life is not a game and sex and relationships.

Life Skills Curriculum Training: Day 2

Today has been much more Informational and less of the game playing that occurred most of the day yesterday has repeated today—a plus in my book, but I know not everyone’s, so maybe this training will be well balanced and keep us all happy.

Today I’ve been talking to a guy named Vladimir who serves at an orphanage in Zaporozhzhia. He’s only been there about a year (similar to myself) and it is really great to hear about what God is doing in other orphanages and other cities.

Please pray for those of us going through this course. Pray that we would constantly be seeking Christ in the ministries that He has called us to. And that we would always remember that the only thing we have to give is Him. And pray that the Holy Spirit would work through us to bring hope and change lives—because only He can.

Life Skills Curriculum Training: Day 1

Only in Ukraine could I be 30 minutes late for a meeting and receive a prize for being one of the first to arrive.

It was AWESOME to be in a room full of Ukrainians who share my heart for both youth and orphans. It was AWESOME to hear their stories about “their kids.” It was AWESOME to be reminded that we are in this together and that together we are making a difference.

I am working on my homework (which is all in Russian) and am excited about tomorrow when we will actually begin looking at the curriculum.

At the beginning of the class this morning Isaiah 55 was read. This chapter was read to me by a friend my very first week in Ukraine and was reread the week I was called to move to Poltava; hearing it again this morning reminded me that God is always doing something. His word will not return void! :o)