FROM NICK BERRYMAN:
After we met for breakfast, we split up and my assignment was to go to a school in Lysets. While there we met and presented the head of the school with a new laptop. She was excited to be able to use it. We were also asked if we had watched the football match between Ukraine and Portugal. From there we were able to go and speak English to some of the classes. Bless their hearts they were nervous of messing up English in front of us.
After we had lunch with the school and then we were shown a house that is being purchased to be able to hold worship services in Lysets. From there we went to a community kindergarten where they have been building a new building for five years now. Everywhere we go they offer coffee or tea and some sort of dessert. I think I have gained a few kilograms because of that.
FROM NICK REVELS:
After breakfast, we went to a school in Lysets for the morning. We talked to multiple classes about life in America and answered any questions the kids. We had an amazing lunch (this seems to be a common theme) and then went to visit a kindergarten in the village. It was a community institution so it is partially funded by the government but a larger portion is paid by the parents. They currently have 45 kids and a long waiting list of kids who want to get in. They do not have running water or a sewer in the building and the kitchen is separate from the school so they have to shuttle the food back and forth. They have been constructing a new building for the past 4 years, building it as they get money. I hope that we’ll be able to help them out with furnishings or other things once it gets finished. Nick and I finished the day by unloading a truck full of wood at the construction site of the new church building. The wood will be dried and used to finish the roof.
FROM ELIZABETH REVELS:
After breakfast we went to Ugornyky and visited with the clinic. Afterwards we went to the school. I went around and visited with children from 1st grade and 2nd grade. They were in English class and we worked on their English lessions. We went to lunch at the school and if was so good! After lunch I went to two more classes. One with 2nd grade and the last was with teenagers. They were very interested in learning about Alabama! We came back to the hotel and prepared for our Bible lesson. We went back to Ugornyky and taught about baby Moses to the children. They were so sweet and loved the crafts. After we finished we had snacks with the kids and then came home to have dinner!
FROM SIMBA:
Yesterday Nick, Nick, Chip (or you can call him Nick if you want to make it more fun), and myself went to Lysets to speak to the kids in the schools. I wise man once said, “ I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more just to be the man who walked 1,000 miles to fall down at your door. Ba da da da da” Though we did not walk 1,000 miles we did ba da da da da da. We gave a laptop to the school principal and we were able to briefly speak to everyone at their morning meeting. After lunch we went to see a building that could be a potential site for the church there in Lysets to meet. It was a bit of a trek to get there from the school we were yet but we were very excited once we got to see the building. From there we toured around a kindergarten that is building a new building right behind the current one.
Afterwards Nick and Nick parted ways so they could go lift 14 tons while Chip (or Nick if you want it to be more fun) and I stayed with Julia to help with another English class.
At night while most of the group went back to Ivano-Frankivsk to teach classes at the church, Maggie, Elizabeth, and myself went to Urgorniky to teach some kids at the town center where I had several good conversations with some of the older people there before coming back for a good nights sleep. It was a long and productive day and I am looking forward to another day.
FROM GIF:
Children are basically the same all throughout the world: inquisitive, high-energy, and overly-loving. Yesterday we all got to go to different classes with children and were greeted with questions that ranged all the way from what our favorite animal was to whether or not we’ve ever met Donald Trump (I haven’t but we’re Twitter friends). Many of them are huggers which is great because I am also a hugging person.
During the evening, we met with the church here and began to discuss the role of leadership in the church and how to properly plan for maturation and church growth. The church here is still young but willing to grow; they will face hard times and difficult decisions but with preparation they will be ready to deal with these issues. Our goal is to walk with them through this process not as dictators but as fellow workers so that we can all reach the same goal.
FROM CALEB:
Today we returned to the village of Zelena. Early in the day, we met with two teachers at the local school. Though the power was out (which happens frequently up in the mountains), we were treated to a tour of their school museum which showcases several artifacts of historic and artistic value. The instructor there was very well-versed in the history of the region. We were then treated to tea and bread, both of which were made on a wood-burning stove and oven since the power was out.
After that we visited a middle-school English class where the children spoke an impressive amount of English and were even able to sing for us. We also met with a high school Biology class. They were interested in our religion and how we worship. Afterward, several students came to ask us follow-up questions after class.
For lunch, we were hosted by Brother Ivan’s cousin Gala and her family. When the meal was finished we discussed scripture and fielded questions for over two hours, most of them for Gala’s father. Though we covered everything from Noah to the Transfiguration, but most centered around the distinctions between flesh and spirit.
Finally, we hosted a lecture and Bible study at the church. Gif lead the first lesson, and I led the young ladies in a breakout lesson on the apostle Peter. There was a robust conversation, but leading a discussion-based class when you don’t speak the language is incredibly difficult. Still, I do hope they learned something about church leadership.
FROM DOUG SCHOFIELD:
Caleb and I, together with Oksana to translate for us, returned to Zelena today. We visited the village school, consisting of grade 5 through 9. First, we met with the teachers in their office room, introduced ourselves and listened as they told us a little about their school. It was easy to see that they are proud of their school in this little mountain village. They have a room dedicated as a museum in which they display numerous artifacts from the olden days of their culture. The village is close to 500 years old, and has its history deeply rooted in the mountains. The electricity was off today, (as frequently happens), but it was a sunny day and the rooms were adequately lit. After the museum, they took us to a building out back that serves as the dining hall. We were served coffee and tea along with freshly made yeast rolls filled with homemade plumb jam, and a very large gingerbread cookie – all prepared on a wood-burning stove. In the classrooms the students were extremely polite, even though they were excited to have foreign guests.
I am always impressed with the sense of national pride that is evident in the Ukrainian students. The village is very poor, and the school is severely underfunded. One of the teachers pointed out some seating that they had received from one of the shipping containers sent by the church. I think one of the most significant moments was when one 9th grader asked a question about the church; he asked, “how do you worship?” True, New Testament Christianity is almost completely unknown here; except for the benevolence they have received. (Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits…”, Matthew 7:16).
Leaving the school, we returned to the home of Galena and Bogdon (not Borg) for a delicious lunch of Buckwheat soup and potato pancakes. Following lunch, we had a long discussion with five adult members of the family about a variety of questions they had concerning the church, baptism and Heaven. We have been invited to return on Wednesday to continue discussions. We also plan to return to the school to present them with some much-needed medical equipment and supplies.
Please pray for these precious souls as we attempt to bring them to Christ.
