As I am asking so many of you guys to support me and stand with me in prayer, I decided that it would probably be a good idea to give you guys a bit of perspective and insight into the countries that me and my team be ministering in. I'll be updating this blog with thoughts on all three countries over the next week:)
Of the three countries we'll be reaching out to in the Fall Semester of the Discipleship Training School at YWAM Kyiv, the Ukraine is the one that I actually have a unique perspective on, as I was able to spend a part of my summer last year connecting with the people and culture of Ukraine.
During World War II, the Ukraine was heavily impacted. This took a heavy toll on the country, and after the war a devastating famine took place that took tens of thousands of lives. One of the first things that I noticed in Ukraine, and something that stuck out to me and several team members throughout the trip was the overwhelming feeling of sadness in the people. I can remember having a conversation with a native who explained to me that the country had not fully recovered from the devastation and pain caused from that time in their history. There is almost a cloud of sadness that seems to hang over the city at times, and the impact of past events are still being felt.
Another thing that I was informed of by Ukrainians at the beginning of the trip was that Ukranians are very relational. One of our translators said the best way to describe it was that Ukranians might be a bit stand offish when first approached, but if you really make an effort to talk with them and get to know them, they will open up and have conversations with you. One of my favorite things about the Ukraine trip was the opportunity to go into downtown Kyiv, and simply talk with people. While some people are more reserved than others, a majority of the people we spoke with were willing to interact with us and listen to what we had to say. While Ukranians do have their own language (similar to Russian), most of the people I spoke with either spoke some English or were very willing to attempt to communicate. At times it took getting a little bit creative, but there were very few instances of someone being unwilling to try to communicate with us.
I'm going to be honest, a pretty big highlight for me was the food. A main Ukranian dish, and one we had quite often, is Borscht. Essentially, it's soup made with beets.
I'm not a huge beets guy. Soup isn't my favorite.
I love Borscht.
I know, I don't really understand it either. But I could probably eat several bowls of Borscht a day and be pretty happy.
The weather is pretty warm in the summer. It was warm for most of the time we were there last summer, although I got chilly on a couple occasions, but I'm pretty sure that might have something to do with the fact that I'm from Florida. The Fall is not so much rainy as cold, and Kyiv can get very snowy and icy, which will be an extremely new experience for me. The coldest part of the winter is November to February/March. So I'll experience about a month of the heart of Ukranian weather before we head to Moldova and Romania, where it will also be cold temperatures.
One of the biggest issues in Ukraine is the orphan situation. There are thousands of orphans in Ukraine. Alcoholism is a main cause for loss of parents, as well as abandonment and imprisonment of parents. We were able to minster at an Orphanage while in Ukraine last year, and it was a life changing experience. To be able to go in and make those kids feel special for a day, form connections with them, reach out to them, is simply incredible. I've played soccer for 10 years. I love the game, I have a lot of great memories. But one of, if not the most, rewarding moments I've experienced with soccer was running around in a field of grass with a ton of kids from the orphanage and playing "keep away" with two teams (forming the teams as we went and changing them when somebody decided that they actually wanted to be on the other team). No structure, no strategy, just developing a relationship with these kids and making them happy. This is a crisis going on in the Ukraine, and it needs attention.
One of the main things I've heard people from Ukraine say is that, as a nation, Ukraine lacks an identity. They have so much pain, and so much sadness. But you can really feel that God is doing something. I really feel that it's time to step up and stand with the people of Ukraine, and help this nation find it's identity.
As I stated before, I really connected with the Ukraine. I felt at home and developed a passion for Kyiv and the surrounding area. I loved the people, I enjoyed the culture, I just really feel passionate about this nation. I'm sure I broke some writing rule for overusing the word passion, but that's honestly the best way to describe my emotions toward Ukraine. I want to reach out to the people, I love them as a nation. I feel very strongly about this country and I feel passionate about what God is doing there!
I don't pretend to be an expert because I went to Ukraine for a few weeks last summer. I also realize that Kyiv has probably changed in the year I've been gone. But I do feel for this nation, and wanted to give you guys an idea about the place that God has called me to go on this crazy journey.
I'll be posting my thoughts on our outreach to Moldova and Romania soon:) Please keep praying for me:) You can contact me at 813-449-0804, joshholmes19@gmail.com, or Facebook. If you would like to support me, check out my GoFundMe Page at http://www.gofundme.com/130ajw?pc=fb_cr , or contact me for more details. Also, go "Like" my Facebook page Josh's Discipleship Training School With YWAM Kyiv, Ukraine (http://www.facebook.com/joshukrainedts).
Thanks for reading!:)
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