Wednesday, July 04, 2012

::Thank You, America::

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, 
one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and 
justice for all."

I currently live in a place where the 4th of July is simply that...July 4, 2012, a day like any other. Even our American-style Independence Day party has been delayed until the 7th of July (crazy, I know!) for our Ukrainian friends and contacts.But the significance of the day is not lost on me. This is the second Independence Day that I have spent as an "expat;" an American living abroad. And I hope it's not my last.

If I was given the choice to live anywhere in the world, I wouldn't pick the United States. My dreams involve living abroad as much as possible. God has given me a heart for missions, and more specifically foreign missions. I want to live abroad, whether its full-time missions or vocational ministry. I would love to live in the United Kingdom, in a jungle in Nicaragua, on an island in the Pacific, in New Zealand, in a hut in Ghana, in the mountains of Tibet, everywhere in the EU, and all over the world.

I really don't plan on living the rest of my life in the US. In fact, I pray for God to give me opportunities not to live in the US.

The fact that I currently live in Ukraine qualifies me as an "expatriot," by the literal sense of the word: a person living in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing. And most likely, I will be an "expat" again in the future. However, I've never liked the term "expatriot," because it sounds like I've renounced my allegiance. My allegiance has not changed. Despite things I don't like about America, there are more things I am grateful for including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to assemble. I can travel around the world and know that the US government will do what it can to protect me as a citizen.

I am proud to be an American.

Traveling opens my eyes to make me that much more grateful for freedom. So, as I celebrate this 4th of July while living in a country that only recently gained its own freedom, I want to say thank you.

Thank you, America, for all who have ever fought for my freedom, especially my own friends and family.

Thank you, America, for giving me freedom so that I can live all over the world. 

Thank you, America, for giving me the opportunity to live in Ukraine. I am so grateful to live here.

Thank you, America, for giving me opportunities in the past to travel to Nicaragua, Mexico, England, Ghana and Italy. Places I dream about seeing again.

Thank you, America, for fueling my dream to live and travel all over the world.

But most of all, thank you, America, for always welcoming me back home.

(credit to Bethany B)
Happy 4th of July.




Monday, July 02, 2012

::Three Days in Donetsk::

"A group is a bunch of people in an elevator. A team is also a bunch of people in an elevator, but the elevator is broken!" ::Bonnie Edelstein::

Last week, the five of us AIMers had to make a trip to Donetsk to fulfill part of our visa process. In order for us to remain in Ukraine, we must be registered. We were hopeful that all would be smooth sailing, but this is, after all, Ukraine. Instead of a quick one day trip, we were there for 3 days and on the third day we actually had to start the process over. We are still waiting to hear the final word on our registration.

The trip was at times very frustrating, because we never knew when we would get the ok to go home. We didn't take much stuff with us, so we made do with the little we had. We also had a whole lot of down time. In this case though, boredom bred creativity!

And so, without further ado, I present to you the world premiere of "Three Days in Donetsk"!
(I highly recommend you watch it full-screen!)



Please comment and let us know what you think! :)

-ej

Monday, June 18, 2012

::EURO 2012- Kharkov::

"Souls and bodies we'll lay down, all for our freedom,
And we will show that we, brothers, 
are of the Cossack nation!"
::Ukrainian National Anthem::


This month there is an international championship soccer tournament going on! Have you heard of it? Probably not, if you live in the US. It's the European Football (aka Soccer) Cup! And Ukraine is co-hosting the matches, along with Poland!

Kharkov, where I have lived for the past year, is one of the host cities of the EuroCup. It has been at times something laughable to imagine Ukraine hosting such an important international championship. Streets were torn up, buildings torn down, and ambitious projects started that had no chance of finishing in time. I even heard of a small village near Donetsk (another host city) that was closing its streets to visitors because they were so unprepared. Some of the changes here in Kharkov include English signs and announcements in the metro, new high-speed trains to the capital Kiev, and more miltia (police) than ever before.

However, as the fans began arriving this month, I have been happily surprised at the changes I've seen in the people of Kharkov! They have been so welcoming to foreigners. Smiles come more easily, and I have watched Ukrainians willingly struggle to communicate in English to help the fans. It is truly inspiring! There's been positive news reports, especially about Kharkov like this one: "Foreign Guests Blown off Their Feet in Ukraine".

I am so proud of the people of Ukraine! Experiencing the EuroCup, even as an outsider, has made me sentimental. Right now the world gets to see the best of Ukraine, and seeing through their eyes makes me love Ukraine more than ever!

Thanks to the EuroCup, I can share with you a few glimpses into my home: Kharkov, Ukraine.

A commercial for Ukraine during the EuroCup:
"Switch on Ukraine"


Here's a music video filmed completely in Kharkov!
"Welcome to Kharkiv!" by Anastasia Blinkova


And a short, funny commercial about Americans and the EuroCup in Ukraine:
"Euro 2012 Couple"
With Love from Ukraine,
-ej

Monday, April 23, 2012

::Orthodox Easter::

"Where, O death, is your victory? 
Where, O death, is your sting?"
::1 Corinthians 15:55::

As Orthodox Easter was a week ago, I thought I would share a post about Russian and Easter. If you weren't aware, Christian holidays fall on different days in the Orthodox calendar. When my Ukrainian friends ask me about when Christmas or Easter is in America, they identify it as from the Catholic calendar. Now I haven't done a lot of research into why these calendars are misaligned, but basically Orthodox holidays (including Christmas, New Year's and Easter) all fall exactly one week behind when they are traditionally celebrated in America.

For our worship assembly on Orthodox Easter, we invited families with children to come celebrate with a few American Easter traditions including an Easter egg hunt. For most Ukrainians, this was the first egg hunt they had ever been to! It was so much fun!





Ukrainian traditions for Easter are different. One thing that you hear everyone say is "Christ-os Vos-kress!" (Христос Воскрес!) It means "Christ is Risen!" On Easter, you can greet everyone this way, whether they are Christians, friends, religious, or even strangers, and they will reply with the phrase "Va-i-sti-nu Vos-kress!" (Воистину Воскрес!) meaning "He is Risen Indeed!"

Another interesting thing about Easter in Ukraine is Pas-ka! Easter bread/cake! It doesn't exactly have an English counterpart, so you can call it what you like :). As a friend explained to me, the word for Easter is only one letter difference from the word for Easter bread: Пасха (Easter) and Паска (Easter bread).

The bread/cake is in the shape of a giant cupcake (although they vary in sizes), usually with frosting and sprinkles on top. They are sold everywhere in the days before and after Easter, although every different Paska I tried was rather dry with raisins. Perfect with a cup of tea :). I really like them! If you're curious, here's a Paska Recipe.

Traditional Paska
Many Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter by waking up before the sun and lining up at a cathedral to have the priest bless them with holy water. A common sight on Easter was women in skirts with their heads covered by scarves (required for entry into an Orthodox church) carrying a basket full of Paska cakes. The priest would sprinkle holy water on the Paska to bless it, and then some of them would take the Paska to a graveyard and leave it on the grave of their loved ones.

I was personally given two different delicious Paska cakes from friends (one even home-made by her mother!). For me, celebrating Easter in Ukraine was another wonderful insight into Ukrainian culture, which is intrinsically Orthodox. Experiencing traditional holidays is definitely one of the most amazing things about living in a foreign culture.

Христос Воскрес!!!
-ej

Friday, March 02, 2012

::A Support Request::

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
::Galatians 6:9::


I have been here in Ukraine for 9 months! It has been quite the adventure! It's hard to believe that my commitment is half-way over. As such, I am looking ahead to the next 9 months, and I am in need of support for a visa renewal trip (my current one will expire in May) and eventually a flight home. I need $2500 total.

Here is my support letter with more details about the work:
(if it's not loading, click to read it on Dropbox or Google Docs)



You can even donate quickly and safely online below:


Every little bit really does help from $5 to $50! Thank you so much for your help and your support! If you'd like to receive my newsletter, let me know!

Where God leads, He provides.
-ej

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

::The One in Control::

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
::James 1:27::

I'm the one on the far left!
Most Thursdays I go to a hospital here in Kharkov, to visit a ward for abandoned babies. These babies are in a state of limbo, waiting on paperwork and formalities before the government takes them to an orphanage. There have been as many as 8 or 9 babies, but right now there are only around 4. The oldest is 2 years old (we were there on his birthday), and the youngest is only a few months old.

I really enjoy getting to hold the babies and love of them and wish it was longer each week. It's a time when God shows me that He is the One in control. I can wish a better life for them, I can pray for a beautiful future, but only God can give it to them. I have NO CONTROL over what happens to them. I can't make it better. I can give them the only thing I can: love. They won't remember me, but I pray they remember the One Who IS LOVE.

A few weeks ago, a group of medical students came in to look at the babies while we were there. They were foreign students from all over the world: India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Morocco are the places I remember. Their classes are in English, and so after an awkward length of time when the teacher kept speaking to me in Russian (assuming I was Ukrainian), I initiated a conversation with the students. We shared where we were from, what we are doing here and contact information.

I have no idea what will come from this, but God seems to have an additional purpose for our time with these sweet babies. As much as I want to, I can't adopt each of these babies. I can only love them. But as I love them, God is showing His love to more and more people. He is the One in control!

-ej

Monday, January 02, 2012

::Out with the Old, In with the New::

"Christmas is over. Do not despair but rather be glad. We had a good year, now let's have another. remembering all the good times that we had. Oh no more lights glistening, no more carols to sing, but Christmas- it makes way for spring."
::Relient K::

Well, I guess it's about time for a new post!

We celebrated Thanksgiving the American way, sweet potatoes and pie included. It was wonderful to take a day to remember everything I have to be thankful for, including being here in Ukraine!

Ukraine doesn't celebrate December 25, but rather January 7 is Christmas day in the Orthodox calendar. The big holiday for Ukrainians is New Year's! A family meal, presents, Grandfather Frost (aka Santa Claus), and New Year's tree (aka Christmas tree) are all part of the New Year's holiday.

For us missionaries, we shared food, fun and gifts on December 24th. My family sent some gifts that I then opened Christmas day after skyping them the night before. Despite being my first Christmas away from my own family, I enjoyed celebrating with my friends here who have become family to me.

New Year's was quite a big celebration for all of us with friends here in Kharkov! We counted down the New Year's, greeted the New Year with hugs, celebrated with sparklers, watched fireworks all around, and played games until 5am before calling it quits! It was quite the party, and a great way to bring in 2012 here in Ukraine!

Here's a few pics from the last of 2011:

 The Sky Highway over Kharkov

 Me & Canaan at the Halloween Party

Christmas gifts sent from my family!

 In Kharkov's Freedom Square

 The 2012 New Year Dragon in Freedom Square

Happy New Year to all of you!
-ej