return of the jedi

I guess it would be a good idea to give a little background on this mission trip, and perhaps the story of how I got involved. A few Sundays ago, I believe it would have been November 7, I was warm and cozy in my bed. We don't have heat upstairs in our house, so the wood floors can be rather icy and the rooms a bit chilly sometimes; anyway, I did not want to venture from my covers- not for food, coffee, or church- I wanted to lay under those warm covers until my little heart decided it wanted to get up. I'm usually awake around 7, and by this time it was around 9:45; My roommate, Liz came in and asked me if I was okay, and I just remember groaning and not budging from my bed. The truth is, I was fine. I was just being lazy.

I ended up going to church, only because I decided I was going to wear my new favorite Star Wars shirt. The sermon was different that day. So different, in fact, that I laughed to myself at how funny God can be sometimes...so, so funny. The service consisted of 3 things: a conversation, a very short lesson, and the remaining half hour was spent on the Lord's supper. The conversation was between Randy, our pastor, and Russell, the man in charge of the Ukraine mission trip. They basically sat in front of the church and discussed the success of previous missions and the hope for the missions to come. I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it.

I was sitting on the back row, and on the wall to the left there were pictures of orphans from Ukraine. I'm not sure exactly how many pictures there were, but it was enough to make your heart drop. Russell and Randy had been discussing their latest idea- a prayer group for the orphans. The idea was that members of the church would go and pick a child's picture, and that would be the child (or children) that the member would pray for. On the back of the card was the child's name. I went over, slowly examined the different faces of each child, and there he was. This dark-haired, shy looking boy, awkwardly leaning against the edge of a deck; you could tell the sun was shining in his eyes, because one eye was squinted more than the other. His head slightly leaning to the right; His face was gentle, calm, and innocent.  His name is Zhenya. He is the boy I am praying for. I will get to meet him at the first orphanage we visit in Ukraine.

I teared up just now.

It takes my breath away each time I think of the majestic way life ebbs and flows, and how we think things are just happening, just taking place, when all the while God is with us at all times. He is watching our stories unfold, delighting in things with us, crying with us, laughing with us...it's hard for me to wrap my head around it, but that's the beauty of it. I can't understand it, I can only pray I don't let moments pass me by and miss the simple touches, the slightest spark, that my Lord and Savior is right beside me. Nothing is coincidence.

Having said all that, we will be going to Kharkov, Ukraine on January 1, 2011 and returning January 9, 2011. I am not very good at geography, but luckily we have maps- apparently Kharkov is in the eastern part of the country, close to the Russian border. We will be visiting during the children's Christmas holiday; from my understanding, this is a very lonely time for them. We won't be alone in our mission, Radooga, a Ukrainian organization will be there as well. Radooga has been working at government-run camps for orphans over the past few years; Midtown (my church) has been sending teams since 2009. Missions Development International (MDI) is an American organization that has teamed with Radooga for several years. MDI will be handling the American side of the trip (training, airfare, insurance, etc). Each group involved is playing an important role, and I'm excited to see it all come together.

I just recently added a "donate" link. Part of the mission is that we need to raise $2,400. I am a little behind because I just hopped on board. I know $1,300 will be given to help the orphans, the rest is set aside to help with our traveling expenses, and any left over money will be given to the cause as well.  I'm not very good at asking people for money. It's awkward. I feel compelled to write over and over again how much this trip means to me, but the truth is, when I really start thinking about it- I'm left speechless.  There are no words to express certain feelings. Maybe that's when you know what true, pure feelings are like- beyond anything this world could ever describe.  I long to meet these children, to laugh and cry with them, and if anyone wants to be a part of that and help me get there...well, I'd hug you if I could.