I thought it would be a good idea to set the stage by giving you a few more details on the living conditions and who I am living with. Perhaps in posts to come, I will elaborate on the individuals that make up the fine team I am blessed to be a part of.

As was mentioned in the email update, I am one of 6 in a quaint room on the second floor of our building. The ages in my room range from 19 to 32. I am the only American here, but there are my two dear Canadian friends, one of which is in my room, the other is upstairs in a room of five. There is one staff member in my room, Valya, who is from Russia. My Canadian friend, Joanne, hails from Astle in New Brunswick. Natasha came all the way from northeast Ukraine while Ina took the train from the Crimea area in southern Ukraine. Lena also took the train but only from Kiev, the capital.

None of the us speak enough of each others language to hold a conversation but we make do with what we know. I think we are all trying to learn as much as we can and as quickly as we can. (Note: this act of “trying” can cause a sense of being overwhelmed, but can be remedied with a hot cup of tea and a little silence. Luckily, tea is quite prevalent here.)

Space is limited in our homy room. The furniture that makes up our aforementioned homy room are three bunk beds, one desk, two small drawer sets, and a closet. Oh and a mirror, but that just occupies wall space but becomes is very valuable in the morning. There are two showers for the ten girls that live here. This might sound scary to some, but really, we have not had any problems or complaints. In fact, not a squeak of a complaint has been heard from anyone and I will most certainly not be the first one. I love it here. I really do.

This past week was filled with stories of God’s grace in each of our lives as everyone shared their testimony. I am blessed to be with such an amazing team. The stories vary from person to person and each brings a unique aspect to the team. The girls in my room have experienced different things and each has a different passion in their lives.

This next week we will have a guest speaker who will be focusing on evangelism. We are also to decide this next week where we will go on outreach. Either Ethiopia or India. I look forward to some great times of fellowship and learning moments.

Lost in Translation moment of the week:

At lunch

Lena (we have three Lenas on our team, this was our translator Lena): These grapes are so nice without the bones in them.

North Americans: [Blank stares]

Allison (Canadian): Do you mean seeds?

Lena: Oh! Yes, yes, yes. These grapes are great without seeds!