Just wanted to share about two English students that we feared may not return to the school after holidays.

One student, Sveta, returned to her home in Belarus and was told at the border that she did not have the right paperwork and that she would not be allowed to come back into Ukraine. She had not had problems before and has frequently crossed the border between Belarus and Ukraine. The officer was nice and told her that when she tried to return to call him (he gave her his number) and he would make sure that she got through.

Sounds so nice right?

Well she knew better, she asked him how much that would cost. He said “Oh don’t you worry, not much.” Hmmm, right. Bribes are incredibly common in just about any part of Ukraine.

Another student, Ruslan, went home to Moldova. He has had multiple problems before so it was no surprise that he was stopped at the border and actually had to get off the bus to talk things over with the border guards. He was told a similar story; not the right papers, need some stamp here, pay some fine, bla bla bla. He was told he would be deported if he returned without the right papers and stamps. He had to wait until another bus came through the border in order to get home.

I met with both students over skype to hear their stories and gain some understanding. We prayed and asked God to make a way.  We all believed that they would get through since God had already called them to the school.

Two days before the school started, I got an email from Sveta in Belarus saying that she made it back and was in Kiev! They did not even ask her any questions!

I sent Ruslan a message asking what he was planning on doing. He replied saying that he was leaving the next day. Later I got a call from a mutual friend who was driving Ruslan back saying that they had been stopped again and that we should pray. Ten minutes later, he called back saying that he had been deported.

Yep, then he laughed and said “Gotcha, they let him through.” Praise the Lord!

Our whole class made it back from their holiday break!

Finally, the long awaited, blog has arrived!! The English for Missions blog is here!

TERNOPIL EFM BLOG

Every Monday, one student is assigned the task of writing a post for the blog. Students can write about anything, there are no restrictions on the topic. The options are endless!

By Friday, every student needs to comment on the blog.You too can comment and leave encouraging notes and bits of inspiration. The students will love it!

The Terrific Teachers will also be writing posts about funny moments in class and what we are doing. Don’t forget to leave comments for us!

First Class

For another glimpse, into the classroom watch EFM Students hard at work to see students using English and discovering who they are in Christ!

So our first two week of English for Missions are finished and we still have all 12 students! It has been quite a packed two weeks, but God was in all of it. I am so amazed at God’s faithfulness and seeing His hand in everything.

The School

Our first week was mostly spent in assessing where the students where in their language ability. This put a few people in tears, but we have been reassuring students that we simply need to know what they know. There is no way around it. Tough love.

We explained most of the procedures and expectations, gave lots of handouts, and just spent time together. Joanne started out our first week with several lessons on who God is. It was fun learning English while also learning about who God is. The students did lots of activities to bring out their expectations of the school and teachers and what their dreams and nightmares were about learning English.

I also taught a lesson on different learning styles and Allison did a lesson on devotions. We had a class picnic on Wednesday, did a craft on Thursday, and had a game night on Friday, we like to do fun stuff through out the week. Our week ended with a class covenant. We went over what we felt were important points to cover and put into practice, and ended with students signing a poster together agreeing that they would follow the covenant to the best of their ability. And week one was finished, and it was good.

Week two went much the same, except that we put students into groups based on their abilities. This allows us to focus more on what they need, they are also in multilevel groups, and then there are also writing groups. Lots of groups. We also implemented a fasting day on Wednesday. Every Wednesday we will be fasting breakfast and lunch together, instead of eating we are going to be praying and worshiping as one group! I love spending time with God with others who enjoy the same thing. Week 2 finished, and it was good.

Who knows what next week will hold!

First day of teaching!

The YWAM base in Ternopil has been so busy this summer. Team after team has come to work here. Different camps and projects having been demanding attention and assistance. Everyone has been here and there, this way and that way. We have needed a good time away to spend time together and simply rest without hurrying to answer the door or phone.

Sasha, our leader, stirring dinner

Everyone who is considered staff or a volunteer at the Ternopil base headed out to a village about 20 minutes outside the city on a cloudy, overcast Wednesday afternoon. We all settled in (there were 9 girls in my tent!) and ate pilaf for dinner. MMMMMMMM!!! That night we set up the projector and watched two movies before we dragged ourselves to bed.

Jumpin around

The next day, the sun was shinning, we set up a trampoline, brought out the volleyball and ate lots of food. Oh yes, there was shashlik, baked potatoes, salad, we had stir-fry and of course there was lots of desserts and tea and coffee. There was also a type of kite; it was like a full body kite. It provided some entertainment for most of the boys. Many people took walks in the woods or out in the fields. We had some worship and devotions together as one team as well.

Volleyball in the field

Alison trying to fly

 One of my favorite parts of the day, was when Roman and I set up a teambuilding activity. Hee, hee, hee. Some people considered it a form of torture, but really it was just helping them to learn to work as a team. I can’t give all the details incase some reader may partake in this activity, but it involved being blindfolded, ropes, and a bell. Pretty simple really. We enjoyed watching people suffer, [cough] I mean, work together. People enjoyed it, despite their earlier claims of torture.

Leading the blind

Joanne and I brought marshmallows to share with everyone. We roasted marshmallows and sat around the campfire chatting. One fun moment was at 1 in the morning, when there was only a small group of us left at the campfire, Elizabeth (6) and Annabella (3) were still up and wide awake. Elizabeth had already been sitting on my lap for an hour and wanted me to tell her a story. I started telling her Nancy Drew stories. She liked them so much I think I told her ten until she finally fell asleep at 2.

Dima playing with fire and my dinner

The party started to end on Friday before lunch. We had some more worship together and began to pack up our stuff. Some people left before lunch, while the rest of us stayed for some green borsch and more relaxation. Everyone enjoyed the time together and we all longed for our time to be extended. I look forward to more time their next year.

I just want to note that Joanne has finally arrived from Canada! I am so excited to have my dear friend back in Ternopil. I took her out to pizza to celebrate!

She will be busy helping with a King’s Kids team and preparations for the English school. In the mean time, we like to watch old movies like The Thin Man! Who wouldn’t want to watch The Thin Man?

We love black and white movies yes we do!

Recently we got to spend some time with a few girls whom we met last year during our children’s English class. We had tea, made some cards, and played Qwirkle. They are so sweet!