Odessa - Next Chapter!
We are now in Odessa and before I go into detail about that I want to back track and tell you how we finished our time in Kiev!
On Monday morning we had breakfast with Mickey Jordan who is starting Teen Challenge Kiev. Mickey was a missionary through MDI for 3 years and is now starting a Teen Challenge Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center, runs a coffee house for addicts from the street, and works in different drug clinics in hospitals in Kiev. He is also expecting a baby with his wife, Elya, any day! We closed with a great time of prayer over Mickey.
From there the women on the team went to meet with the women leaders at New Life. We started by debriefing about the conference. Then we had a special "hand washing service" for the women to thank them and bless them for all of their service to the women at New Life. We read John 13:1-17 over them and then one by one, we washed their hands in lovely soapy scented water, then massaged them with lotion, then two women prayed over them. We gave them pretty pink towels and handmade soaps with "Love One Another" in Russian printed on them. (thank you Tara!) Tears were shed over the sweet simplicity and also the value and love shown to each woman both American and Ukrainian. Afterwards we all went to a restaurant for lunch -- it was a beautiful setting, good food, nice background music, and more praying and singing. This was a very special event because the New Life women rarely go out to a nice restaurant.
Meanwhile, Steve had a long intense and deep 4 hour meeting with Anatoly.
That evening was spent in fellowship over a delicious dinner at the Vasilevskys home -- lots of laughter, relaxation, and fun!!!!
Early on Monday morning (7:30 AM) we headed to the airport to fly to Odessa. Our plane was an OLD propeller Aeroswit plane with bald tires and we were not sure it was going to actually be airborne! But we arrived safely in Odessa and settled into our hotel apartments. We had lunch at Kompote with Tanya Baranova and Julia Baskova and then walked to the Beckers. From there we headed to Internot #4 with Paul Becker. We spent a wonderful afternoon with the Becker's 7th graders, along with a few 11th graders, playing cards, chatting and getting to know each other. These are really great kids and because they are so old most have no hope for adoption. We left having had a wonderful time but with our hearts broken!
Then Rachel had a quick trip to the dentist! She had broken a crown and God in His perfect timing had us with Paul Becker, a dentist, who knows the top dentist in Odessa, who whisked her into her dental chair and fixed it in less than 5 minutes. Lots of pictures were taken and Rachel is feeling great now!
We had dinner at a Ukrainian restaurant that was decorated beautifully and we had a feast!!!! We closed the day with team prayer like we do most nights as we discuss where we experienced the Holy Spirit and also a blessing over all the people we had spent time with in Kiev.
On Monday morning we had breakfast with Mickey Jordan who is starting Teen Challenge Kiev. Mickey was a missionary through MDI for 3 years and is now starting a Teen Challenge Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center, runs a coffee house for addicts from the street, and works in different drug clinics in hospitals in Kiev. He is also expecting a baby with his wife, Elya, any day! We closed with a great time of prayer over Mickey.
From there the women on the team went to meet with the women leaders at New Life. We started by debriefing about the conference. Then we had a special "hand washing service" for the women to thank them and bless them for all of their service to the women at New Life. We read John 13:1-17 over them and then one by one, we washed their hands in lovely soapy scented water, then massaged them with lotion, then two women prayed over them. We gave them pretty pink towels and handmade soaps with "Love One Another" in Russian printed on them. (thank you Tara!) Tears were shed over the sweet simplicity and also the value and love shown to each woman both American and Ukrainian. Afterwards we all went to a restaurant for lunch -- it was a beautiful setting, good food, nice background music, and more praying and singing. This was a very special event because the New Life women rarely go out to a nice restaurant.
Meanwhile, Steve had a long intense and deep 4 hour meeting with Anatoly.
That evening was spent in fellowship over a delicious dinner at the Vasilevskys home -- lots of laughter, relaxation, and fun!!!!
Early on Monday morning (7:30 AM) we headed to the airport to fly to Odessa. Our plane was an OLD propeller Aeroswit plane with bald tires and we were not sure it was going to actually be airborne! But we arrived safely in Odessa and settled into our hotel apartments. We had lunch at Kompote with Tanya Baranova and Julia Baskova and then walked to the Beckers. From there we headed to Internot #4 with Paul Becker. We spent a wonderful afternoon with the Becker's 7th graders, along with a few 11th graders, playing cards, chatting and getting to know each other. These are really great kids and because they are so old most have no hope for adoption. We left having had a wonderful time but with our hearts broken!
Then Rachel had a quick trip to the dentist! She had broken a crown and God in His perfect timing had us with Paul Becker, a dentist, who knows the top dentist in Odessa, who whisked her into her dental chair and fixed it in less than 5 minutes. Lots of pictures were taken and Rachel is feeling great now!
We had dinner at a Ukrainian restaurant that was decorated beautifully and we had a feast!!!! We closed the day with team prayer like we do most nights as we discuss where we experienced the Holy Spirit and also a blessing over all the people we had spent time with in Kiev.
posted by Marti at
3:15 PM
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