Back in LA...for now.

Dear blog-followers,

It has been an incredible, emotion-filled 9-month journey to the Ukraine and back.  I am writing this post in the Pacific Standard Time zone again.  Yep, I moved back to LA.  My visa in the Ukraine had run its course, and so I must stay out of the country for 3 months, or get another visa before I can return again.  I want very badly to return next spring, as the trees and plants were just beginning to grow leaves again when I left.  We will see.

I am so grateful to God for everything I learned and experienced on this journey.  It was hard to say goodbye to my new family in Kiev.  It will be a wonderful joy to return to them again someday.  I pray for the opportunity to visit again soon.

In the meantime, I am happy to see my old friends again, and look forward to seeing what new adventures God is leading me to here in Los Angeles.  He has provided me a wonderful home to live in, new friendships to invest in, and new hearts to win for Christ.

I feel so refreshed and grateful to be able to speak to people about God and invite them to church again...at least, in a much deeper way than I could in Kiev.  I can't wait to study the Bible again with those who are seeking to know God.  It's just amazing to be able to connect with so many people again in English.

So, until the Lord leads me to another city, another country, or another continent, I will continue to practice putting my trust and security in Him here in LA.  And no matter where I go, I want always to remember that my true citizenship is in heaven, and wherever God is, there I am home.

Until my next blog, farewell dear readers.  До Свидания. (Dasvedania.)

Banya - A Russian Treat!

Although I haven't yet experienced the authentic banya (where you are essentially beaten with special branches by trained beaters inside the sauna), I must say I have fallen in love with the tradition of a Russian Banya.  They are like sauna's back home, getting as hot as about 100ºC, and modern ones can include a separate steam room.  They also furnish a pool with icy water to dip in between sauna sessions, and a lounge area for drinking tea, eating snacks, listening to music, and otherwise enjoying company.


You can rent these special rooms and saunas by the hour, for a select number of people, and I am excited to share this experience with a handful of my closest friends this week for my birthday.  It is a very bonding and relaxing time, and I am very grateful to experience this before I say farewell to my friends and life here in Kiev.

It's a time of cleansing and renewal, and as I face a new journey ahead of me, filled with doubts and unknowns, I can't think of anything better with which to usher in the beginning of my 29th year in this crazy adventure we call life.

As they say here after someone comes out of a banya (which I think means something like "happy steaming" or "hope you had a good steam":   

С легким паром!  (S legkim parom!)

Farwells and Fondness - Petra

Dear friends and blog-followers,

I'm writing this feeling quite a lot of mixed emotions.

Sadness, fear,
Joy, gratitude,
and a heart filled with
love...

I'm so grateful for the friendships I've made here in Kiev. 
I'm going to miss them so much. 

In the next two weeks, as I prepare to move back to America for an undetermined time, I will blog about the different feelings I experience, and the people and things that have affected me on my trip.

Today, I want to say thank you to a very special person.

Petra, my sweet-naughty roommate who knows just how to push people's buttons and make them feel loved at the same time.  I'm going to miss our Sudoku and Eli Stone times.  I'm going to miss your muffins.  I'm going to miss our honest talks–which leave me feeling either inspired, convicted, comforted, or challenged, yet always accepted.  You've allowed me to be myself, bumps (or lack thereof) and all.  You've laughed with me, cried with me, and been a mentor, a best-friend, and a true sister to me.  You've been abundantly patient, unconditionally kind, and completely authentic in our friendship.  I will never forget you, or be the same, because I knew you.  Thank you for your love, your maturity, and your friendship.  And thank God for bringing us together.  Kiev–honestly, my life–wouldn't be the same without you.

I love you very much, and look forward to the time when our paths cross again, whether that be in Kiev, Slovenia, Africa, or LA.  Wherever the Lord carries our gypsy hearts, you'll always be a part of mine.

До свидания, Моя подруга.

With all my heart,
Shaela

P.S.
Remember our 10-year agreement.

Life is a Mist...

I'm writing this in a state of some shock.

Last week, a young sister in the Kiev church (Vika), who was only about 30 years old, died from liver failure.  Just today, a brother (Stass) in the Odessa church died of pneumonia at the blossoming age of 22.

Recently experiencing some health-concerning symptoms of my own, I can't help but feel the truth of Solomon's observations in Ecclesiastes: swirling with activity one minute, dissipating in sunlight the next, our lives are a mist.

How will you live yours?

A Night with Our King in Kiev

I know I've been quiet for a while, here, but there've been some great things happening in Kiev, lately, and it would just be a shame not to share them with you.  So, let's start with the most recent event, shall we?

"A Night with Our King" in Kiev

Back home, we have an annual event around Valentine's Day called "A Night with Our King" meant to encourage single sisters by making God's special love for them more tangible and personal.  It's an intimate evening, and much more elaborate than I can explain now, but well worth the effort.

As Valentine's approached, God put it on my heart to host a small version of this tradition to share with my friends in Kiev.  I had been sick on Valentine's Day, when I had originally planned to schedule it, so decided to see who was available last-minute for the following Saturday (the 19th).  I sent a mass SMS, and four of my friends were able to attend: Olya, Natasha, Julia, and my roomie, Petra.

My other roomie, Sonya, had just cleaned the house with Petra's help, and I lit candles and prepared tea with Julia while the other girls arrived.  I put on the CD I still had from last year's event, which had on it a collection of love-songs through which various women felt God singing to them.

We all sat in a circle with tea and candlelight, and learned about how God offers us engagement with him like grooms did in Jesus' time.  We drew parallels between the Jewish custom of marriage in that day with the analogy of how Christ loves us (the church) as a bride.  As was custom in Jesus' day, each sister was given a coin to represent the offer of engagement Christ offers as our groom.  We also learned about how the bride and her maids would wait, and keep the oil lamp burning to light the way of the groom.  We watched video clips to bring the scriptures to life, listened to a personalized love-letter from Jesus, and had great discussion about how we could faithfully and pateintly wait for the true love we longed for--Christ!

We all felt very special and loved by God.  Some sisters commented that they had never experienced something like this, and asked if we could do it more often, to which another replied, "You can host the next one."


I hope this tradition continues long after I've gone.  It is so good to see an idea God placed on one sister's heart acted on, and watch how God is now using her effort and others' to cause ripples around the world.  Thanks, Jen, and everyone who helped make these evenings possible.  May the ripples continue to spread, and may the lamp continue to burn!

Tough Times

I just told my roommate that there should be a manual for missionaries.  Is there a book out there I can read to get my role on straight?

As a first-year teacher--and I heard it from every teacher I know--the first year was the toughest.  That summer, I got a great tip from a colleague to read The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher, and I applied everything it recommended, trusting its findings from years of experienced teaching nation-wide.  It worked!  The 2nd year was a completely different animal.  I loved it, and I really felt like I had grown.

If only there was a similar formula I could follow for giving up your life and everything you love to embrace a culture that you are a stranger to.  Then again, I think that's what makes missions such a refining experience.  You have to go through it to learn how to get through it.

Anyway, I just got back from a month in South Africa, (sorry for the long silence, here), for the holidays, and for vacation.  It was an amazing experience I'll have to blog more about later, since it's nearly 1am Kiev time.

Until then, Merry belated Christmas, and Happy New Year!