Back again

June 10 I once again boarded a plane to Ukraine. I am traveling solo for the first week when Richard and Randi will join me. Our court date is June 23rd and if all goes well Richard and Randi will return shortly after and I will stay and finish the paper work.
This flight was on a different airline and I swear the seats were closer together, it was a shorter flight however and that made it a bit more bearable. I arrive in Kiev at 10:40pm which was too late to take the train the same day so I stayed in a hotel for the night and headed out to Chernivtsy the next day which put my actual arrival in the region 4 days after I left.
My friends met me at the train station and took me to my apartment where I grabbed a quick shower and then they picked me up again and took me to see the boys. The camp the boys are at for the summer is about an hour and 10 minutes away. The trip is interesting as well with roads that change from asphalt to dirt to gravel to half asphalt and dirt and so on, Richard would have loved the dirt and mud puddles if he had his truck. In addition to the unique road conditions you have cows, goats, sheep, horses and ducks to contend with, more often than not in the middle of the road. The scenery was amazing, lots of lush green farm land, rolling hills and trees.
When got closer to our destination the boys were waiting out on the road to show us the way into the camp. The camp is well kept and the staff is friendly. The downside for the kids is there is nothing for them to do. At the internate they could leave the school and find things to do around town, hear they are miles from anything and the largest store nearby is half the size of a gas station mini mart. We visited with the kids for a few hours and then headed back. I did some quick grocery shopping and went to bed.
The next day, Sunday, we again went to see the boys only this time my friends dropped me off and picked me up several hours later.
The boys and I first walked around the village and went to the bazaar which was about 20 booths were the boys bought coffee and tea and then on to the store where the boys grabbed body wash, shampoo, a razor, shaving cream, shoes, soup, sugar, cups and spoons and sausage.
We then headed back to the camp and hung out in Kevin’s room which was a large room with about 8 beds for an hour or so until Karaoke started and Alex had to join in. So I spent the rest of the visit on the bench watching Alex sing and the other 2 boys play video games while the rest of the camp watched them.
Monday we left to go to the camp around 12:00, a couple hours earlier the women asked me to lead a bible study for the kids. So with little time to prepare and no idea what to share with a group of kids ranging between 6 and 17 years of age, I did my best. Not to mention the added joy of having to pause and wait for the translator which adds a whole new aspect to teaching because you have to work to keep your place. I did OK, not my best but I think I only lost about 25% of my audience so I guess it wasn’t too bad. Afterwards I got to speak with my boys for a while with a translator, various different subjects like killing poisonous snakes and why it’s a bad idea to joke about bombs on a commercial airliner to how to escape from handcuffs.
On our way home I got to drive, it was actually a request from the women who owned the car as this was her second time driving without her husband. Fortunately married to Richard I was equipped to navigate the unique road conditions.
We stopped so I could activate my internet card and then I was invited to attend a small group for the church in which I was again asked to share. Having only 2 minutes to prepare this time I asked for at least a scripture passage to work with to which I was given Luke 16 the parable of the unfaithful steward- I have to say this is my least favorite parable as it appears to commend dishonest business practices so I was then motivated to find my own passage of scripture verse trying to mess with the spiritual concepts mixed up in that story. I finally settled on 2 Corinthians 12:9 and shared on the thorn in Paul’s flesh.
Tomorrow I met with our attorney at 10:00 and afterwards my friends found me a driver to take me to the camp for 150 hyrivnas which is approx. $20 US dollars. I will go up a bit later as I have been invited to stay the night. I will have my own room- I don’t have to share with 7 other kids and I imagine it will be quite the experience. This camp is different, a lot more kids and a lot more needy. I will sit down on a bench and have children rush to sit by me and lean against me for a hug or any sign of affection, breaking out my package of mints emptied out in seconds. Many of the kids are from different internate so I don’t recognize them all- additionally some are disabled. Keep these children also in your prayers and for the women from the church who lead the bible studies for these children and are a source of love for these kids.