Here is a video a friend made about the destruction of our little building at the YWAM base in Ukraine. This little building was our kitchen, dining room, and office. It was getting really old, moldy, musty, and the water broke this winter… so it was time for it to go. We are making way for a new building project that will house more bedrooms and classrooms! Yeah!

FYI- I am returning to Ukraine in a week!

I just wanted to add a few pictures from our short day trip to Glacier National Park while we were in Montana.

Beautiful scenery and great company

Near the water's edge

In awe of mountains and rivers

Peaceful woods

I am always so amazed at God’s creation! We are surrounded by beauty!

Just thought I would let you know what in the world I am doing in Montana. (Yeah, in case some of you missed that memo, I’m in Montana.)

I decided earlier in the year to go to Montana for a 6 week training. I am now in my second week and it has been great!The course is set up for those who work in DTS, but it covers areas for every leader. The course is based on the verse from 2 Timothy 2:2 “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.” It is all about being able to develop disciples who will turn around and disciple other people. You can check out their website for more info here.

Here are the spring students and staff!

Today we just finished two sessions on mentoring and spiritual disciplines. So good and such needed training! Topics in the coming weeks include pioneering, calling & conduct, conflict resolution, communication, working with people from difficult backgrounds, working with the local church… the list could go on. But it is all such great stuff for people who desire to be leaders in any sphere.

There is something special about this school in that there is a small focus to help us bring this same school to Eastern Europe. There are many leaders who need this kind of training in our region of the world. Due to this focus, besides myself and Lance who both work in Ukraine, there are several others from Eastern Europe. One girl, Oksana, did the Equip last year and came back to staff it. She works at the Lutsk base in Ukraine. There is David and Masha who work in Russia and Wanda who lives in Moscow, but helps everywhere. There is also one couple who work here in Montana, but had a desire to do this training with us. We are hoping to have this school available next year in Eastern Europe!

Teaching through skype!

While here in Montana, I am also connecting with the English ministry they run. I’m hoping to develop some kind of partnership or recruiting for more teachers! Just making connections everywhere… 🙂 The Montana base overall has a great system down and has a high level of integrity and excellence in all they do. It is fun to see how other YWAM bases run things. I anticipate learning  lost during this time that I can use in the English school and in ministry overall. I already have learned a ton!

Never tire of learning!

Last Group Shot

Here we are at the end of all things…

Yep, the first English for Missions school has come to a close for this year.

I smile when I think of all that has happened and how God was faithful in every moment that I needed him. It was a huge growing time for me and I was certainly stretched in many areas.

I have learned how to better communicate with my students.

I learned that teaching Slavic students is completely different than teaching North American students.

I always considered myself to be somewhat flexible, but I learned to be really flexible in this time.

I learned simple and complex things, as simple and silly as learning to have be more conversational when giving grades to as complex and difficult as dealing with students who do not want to do something.

I have gained a further understanding of Slavic culture.

I have grown in interpersonal relationships and leadership.

I started the school with a simple bag of tools, but I feel like I’m leaving with a full tool box.

The students have of course gained many things besides English as well. They have also gained an understanding of North American people. They are leaving with not just English, but with a broader scope of missions and Western-thinking. To see an academic list of what the students are leaving with or to see picture from graduation, go to the school blog here.  There are so many different levels of learning that go on in a classroom.

It was a great year, really, I think I can say that. Even though it was super difficult sometimes and I cried a few times, the school was a success. God was with us every step of the way. His plan was laid out and came to pass. I am so blessed to be part of it. I can’t wait until January 2013, when the next school will start!

My amazing staff and I

Just for fun

Many of you have been concerned and wondering if I was snowed in at my apartment, curled up under 10 blankets, slowing turning into an ice cube. I can safely tell you that is not the case. I actually had no idea that it was such a big deal, I thought this was normal weather and that I just needed to deal with it.

Let me tell you how I deal with it. Every morning as I am preparing to leave, I put on my fleece jacket, then my down jacket, then a long wooly scarf, my ear warmers, gloves, and snow boots. Besides all that, since November I have been wearing long johns, two pairs of socks and an undershirt every day. I open the door and walk the 20 min it takes me to get to the base. That’s how I deal with it.

I can usually tell about how cold it is by how fast of have little snot icicles in my nose. I had no idea what was happening when this first happened. I just thought ‘why is my nose all stiff?’ If I get snot icicles the instant I walk out the door… it’s cold. If not, it’s only kinda cold. That’s all you need to know.

I generally make a point to plow through the deep snow so I get a work out walking to the base, then I’m nice and toasty. That is also another way to gauge the weather. If I get to the base and I’m not hot, it’s really cold. I get some funny looks not walking on the beaten path, but it’s just more fun to make my own trail. (Really though, do I ever follow the beaten path?)

One of our students is from Siberia and absolutely loves this weather. She told me the trick to make the shivers go away. “Just embrace the coldness Megan, and the shivering will go away.” That’s what she told me, so helpful my students are.

Nothing has really effected us too much. A pipe broke at the base so we had to close down the kitchen our last two weeks of school. The kitchen has now been moved into the laundry room and the laundry room has been moved upstairs. Marichka and I’s neighbor upstairs had a pipe break which manifested itself in a waterfall down our kitchen wall. All pipes have been fixed to some extent or another. The only annoying thing is that our heater goes off randomly at the apartment due to air pressure changes, this just means we wake up cold and have to restart the heater. Nothing we can’t handle.

Most things go on as normal here. The buses still run, there are still taxis, businesses are open. There is about a quarter inch of ice on the inside of most bus windows so you really need to pay attention to the stops. Schools close not because of the amount of snow, but because it gets so cold. They close at -4F only because the schools don’t have heating systems that are good enough to heat the buildings. So kids here have missed quite a lot of school.

Yes, it has been cold here. I think the coldest was -24F, that was with low humidity though so I think it has been colder with humidity and wind chill. But really, I have not minded it. It has been fun to have so much snow. I enjoy walking to and from the base every day. I can’t complain.