I will finish off the Ethiopia team by telling you about our staff. Here is Ruslan, pronounced Roos-lan. (We occasionally call him Roos.)

Ruslan in India last year

Age: He will turn 20 in December while we are in Ethiopia.

From: Ruslan is from Moldova, a neighboring country of Ukraine. His family came to the Lord through another DTS outreach and now he is able to be a part of the same program that led his family to the Lord!

Ruslan is learning to play the guitar so he enjoys music. He likes sleeping on his days off and in the summer he enjoys playing sports.

Ruslan comes from a family of 5 kids. He is the oldest and has four younger sisters. So being with all girls isn’t too big a deal for him. He loves his family and his sisters very much. He wants to set a good example for his sisters- isn’t he the ideal older brother?!

I can’t describe enough how Ruslan is like a brother. He is just a real genuine guy. He is handy at everything, he always seems to be fixing something. He is a gentleman (he treats all of us girls like ladies), but can be playful and silly with kids. We like to kid around all the time. He is quiet and yet strong. He is definitely an important part of the ethiopia team!

It just seemed appropriate to tell you about Lena and Riza together since they are married. The only nickname is for Lena, Riza likes to call her hunichka (it’s like saying honey/hun with the infamous ‘chika’ at the end. How cute is that?!) Here is the amazing Gench family!

What a cute couple!!

Age: Lena is 27 and Riza is 33

Lena is from Kiev and Riza is from Turkey. I have yet to learn how they met, but it must be amazing!

Lena loves talking to people, this comes in handy since she is our beloved translator! She is so cheerful and loves to give hugs. Riza absolutely LOVES pizza, he may be sick but he can always muster strength enough to eat pizza. Riza also enjoys walking and reading and they both enjoy watching movies.

I had the wonderful privilege to stay with Lena’s family while we were in Kiev in October. Wow, I love her parents. They were so happy, loving, caring, and accepting. They were just a blessing to us! Lena describes her mom as having a fierce whisper, which I can see could be true. (I was fortunate enough not to hear the fierce whisper in person.) Her dad loves to preach and be with people.

Riza grew up in a Muslim family and became a Christian against his family’s wishes. He had considered himself an atheist at one point before he became a Christian. It was difficult for him to go against his family especially his father whom he was close with. Riza brings great perspective to our team since he grew up in another religion. One of his favorite memories growing up was going to the Turkish baths on Sundays.

They are such a great team, I am not sure I can adequately do them justice. They are not overly affectionate in public, but they clearly display love for each other that only a married couple can do. They are both supporting each other and give the rest of us singles a great example.

I am really, really, happy that they are coming to Ethiopia. Lena will be able to translate for me and I am no longer the only one who does not speak Russian!

Here is one of our few guys- Genadi or Gena for short.

Here is the perfect picture of Gena, in front of the world with a Bible in his hand.

Age: 38

From: Kiev (Capitol of Ukraine)

Gena basically enjoys preaching. He is always sharing something that he has learned in the Bible. He also enjoys fishing, sports, music and mushrooms.

Gena has one of those stories to tell that you simply think “wow.” Gena has gone through Teen Challenge in Kiev. He came from a life of drugs, alcohol, and sickness. While in prison, he was forsaken by his family and friends. God was certainly looking out for Gena; Gena will tell you he should really be dead now, but by God’s grace he is still alive. God has restored his relationship with his family now as well.

One of my favorite quotes from Gena this week happened in the kitchen. Dima our cook, saw Gena throwing away some bread. In a chastising cook sort of tone, Dima says “Gena, why you throwing away the bread?” Gena, who does not know English hears the word bread and simply replies “bread, yes bread” as he leaves the kitchen. We could only laugh. Gena usually likes to say “wow,” it must be one of his favorite words.

I am glad that Gena is coming to Ethiopia with us. He has such a passion to preach the Gospel and save the lost, it can almost be overwhelming!

P.S. Gena broke his arm while we were ice skating (at an indoor rink) in October. He is a trooper though and has a great attitude!

Yulia!! Or Yulchick* or poopsika. Her real name is Yuliana but these are all names of endearment.

Age: 17- Yulia is the youngest member of our team

From: Yulia will tell you she is from India, but she was born in Russia spent some years there, then spent some years in Ukraine where her family is actually from and now her family is living in India as missionaries.

Yulia is one of those people that just seems to be talented at many things. She enjoys playing the guitar and singing. She also just finished knitting a matching set of mittens, a scarf, and a hat. She loves to go out with her friends and loves to laugh.

As you may have guessed, Yulia was the one that came a week late. We are so glad that she did come, she is full of joy and laughter. Her family remains in India at this moment except for her younger brother who is finishing school here in Ukraine. Her parents are running an orphanage in Goa.

Yulia loves her family very much and is crushed she will not be able to spend Christmas or her birthday with them. She loves India and cannot wait to go back. She hopes to return there to help run the orphanage after DTS. In the mean time, she will be coming with me and the rest of the gang to Ethiopia where she will celebrate her birthday along with Christmas. Only good times are to be had in Ethiopia!

* A cultural note about nicknames. People like to add ‘chick/a’ or ‘ka’ to the end of your name to show love and friendship. It sorta translates to ‘dear.’ So Yulia becomes Yulchick, Dima becomes Dimka, Lena becomes Lenachicka, and Megan becomes Megchick. Doesn’t matter if you’re boy or girl. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Just throw a ‘chick’ on the end of someone’s name and you got a friend!

I have mentioned multiple times about my team this and my team that. But just who is “my team?” You saw a few miniscule pictures of random people that I seemed happy to be with. So I thought it might be nice to introduce you to the people that I have been living with and who I will be traveling with. So without further adieu, it gives me great pleasure and honor to introduce you to Inna!!

Inna supporting the India team

Age: 19

Born: She is from Berdyansk in Ukraine.

She enjoys crafts, cleaning, singing, writing, and being with people she loves.

Inna has an amazing story. Her father died when she was young and thou her mother loved her very much she simply could not provide for her kids and so they were sent to an orphanage. She has 2 brothers who have epilepsy. Inna grew up in an orphanage until her mother was able to take her back. Even then times were hard.

Inna’s mother is her hero for always putting her kids first. Inna also loves to work with other orphans simply because she understands them. She is always looking for an opportunity to go to the local youth shelter.

One of Inna’s amazing talents is writing poetry. Even though she writes her poetry in Ukrainian, it sounds beautiful. The few that have been translated for me are deep, moving, and full of inspiration. My jaw literally drops when I hear her poems!

Inna is one of my favs. I know I should not have favorites, but I can’t help but love her! She always wants a hug and is always happy to give them away. I am so excited that she will be coming to Ethiopia with me!