Our First Family Night

Wednesdays nights here in Sevastopol are family nights. By 5:30 the first kid is shouting to us from outside the window, asking to be let in. They trickle in, and by 6 pm we have seven Ukrainian teenagers around our kitchen table scarfing down Jaimee's awesome spaghetti off of yellow plastic plates. I can't understand but a few words of what anyone's saying, but between a couple of people who speak a little Russian and a little English, we can all communicate well enough. Besides, who needs translators to tickle, to wrestle, to surf the internet, and to take silly pictures? Teens are teens no matter what country they live in!

From the moment Nastia walked in and threw her arms around Jaimee, then Andy, and then me, I fell in love with her. She is clearly one of the more troubled girls, and begs for attention through drinking, smoking, and the stories she tells. She is eager to learn English—every time someone says something in English she demands that Andy interprets for her. I am excited to develop a relationship with her, to begin teaching her English, and to show her the grace and freedom of her heavenly Father.

One of the boys, Vanya, seemed to take a special liking to Jared. Vanya’s accent is so thick that even other Ukrainians have a hard time understanding him; in fact, he can barely say Jared’s name. But Vanya didn’t need anyone to understand his Russian to get Jared to wrestle with him! Some friendly punches and noogies are just what bonded Jared & Vanya last night. In fact, the 11 year old girl from across the hall, Anya, was excited to get in on the wrestling action too. She was jumping on Jared like she was a monkey in a tree!

Most importantly, as we watched Andy & Jaimee interact with the kids they’ve been discipling for the last 18 months, we realized how hungry the orphans are for family, for mothers and fathers, even for discipline. We’re here to hang out with them, to give them a safe and homey environment, to take them to the pharmacy to get cold medicine, to walk them to the bus stop, to be their family—to show them the love of Christ! Jared and I are eager to see the ways in which God has for us to minister to these kids. Also, the more we get to know them the more motivated we become to help Andy and Jaimee work on projects such as transitional housing, summer camps, and starting a youth center. Thank you for being a part of this journey we’re on to love the orphans of Ukraine! We need each of you, your prayers, and your encouragement more than ever!