Monday, July 18, 2011

It's Almost Time to Come Home.....

So hard to belive we have been here for almost 3 weeks! It has been fun and exhausting; exhilerating and frustrating; but above all I think it has made an impact on those we have ministered to and their families.
I am happy and sad at the same time that by this time on Wednesday we will be headed home.
We arrived in Ukraine the last Thursday evening in June, by Sunday afternoon we were at youth camp. We stayed at camp from Sunday-Saturday. It was rainy and cold most of the week, but so much fun!! Even cold showers and locked shower rooms couldn't dampen our spirits....only damp things were our feet and clothes. They weren't just damp but soaking wet most of the week! The kids who were allowed to join us (many parents would not allow their kids to go to camp with a group of Baptists) really opened up by the end of the week and had many questions about what they were learning during Bible time.
On Saturday morning the kids left camp around 12:30.....we weren't so lucky! Our ride "home" arrived at 7:30 that evening. It was a long day of sitting around waiting. We were back at the hotel by 8:30 pm, happy for hot showers and a bathroom we didn't have to hike to...at times only to find the doors locked.
Sunday after camp was a busy day with meetings to talk about how camp went and pray about how we could follow up with those who went to camp, talk about the day camp we did this past week and pray for that event, then go to the stadium to decorate and to walk around town to invite children to attend.
Monday dawned bright and early...we were excited to minister to the children in Horodok, not just the youth but children of all ages. We were not sure how many children would come...or what the day would look like- an adventure in the making!
Many children came each day and despite some rainy days and some very hot days we had a great week doing crafts, playing games, teaching Bible, singing and just hanging out together. Camp went from 10-2pm each day. Each evening we met at the feild from 5-8 for sports and games.
We had lunch between camp and sports and dinner after playing sports. Many nights we were eating dinner at 8:30 or 9:00 - it was totally exhausting but lots of fun!
Camp ended Friday at 1:00, then we invited parents to come to a closing program at 3:00...only one set of parents attended (which was a little disappointing) but many kids came back.
Saturday was a FUN day...the boys went to play paint ball with a group of youth from Horodok. Tanya and I went shopping at the market...for 5 hours!!! It was so nice to be able to take our time, look around, and purchase things without the "boys" saying are you done yet, aren't you ready to go? We did take a break and go to McDonalds between window shopping and buying. When the boys called and said they would be another hour we finished up shopping and went back to McDonalds for a snack.
Sunday we left for church at 10:00am and did not get home until 9:00pm! The kids from camp all met in Lviv and we went to an amusment park for the afternoon. They had a GREAT time just hanging out and riding rides. It was a long, exhausting day but well worth it for the follow up with the campers that took place.
In a few minutes we will head to the stadium for one last time with the kids, then off to Lviv this evening. Joey and Seb leave for camp for the next 3 weeks, tomorrow.
Guess that catches everyone up on what has been happening here....sorry not to post on the blog regularly but internet has been a problem to use this year. Joey and Seb's does not work much of the time, when it does work it is very slow. We really have not had time to get to the internet cafe.
Thanks for your prayers.
Merrie Spencer

Sunday, July 3, 2011

We made it!


Hello from Horodok, Ukraine! Merrie and I were greeted by Bogdon, Sebastian, and Joey at the airport in L'viv after more than a whole day’s worth of air plane rides. We are thankful to have made it here safely with all of our luggage. We had a delicious dinner at Ukrainian missionaries, Olona and Andriy's apartment. They have a beautiful 3 month old baby and his name is Zhar (Zachariah in English), and we also met Olona's little sister Daria, who is very nice. After that we went to the futbol stadium to reunite with friends and play catch with a baseball. Our friends were very excited to see us and made us feel very welcomed! On Saturday the weather was cold and rainy, so we stayed in for most of the day, playing Uno, Mafia, and Science with our friends, and then had a Bible study on the book of Luke. It worked out well because we read in English and then Ukrainian after each verse; so that we could all understand what was being read. We are looking forward for this upcoming week because we will be at an overnight camp for with about 20 kids, and we are praying for good weather! Hikaru will arrive tomorrow morning all the way from Japan, and he will add much comedy to our team. It is clear that Joey and Sebastian have made a great impact here in Horodok after being here for almost a year, and all of the children adore them. They have built strong relationships with these children, and are wonderful examples to them all. I look forward to the next couple of weeks and can’t wait to see what unfolds.
Much love, Tanya!