Hey friends!
It is crazy to think I have only been in Ukraine for 1.5 weeks. It feels like we have been here for a month already. Here is a quick recap of the team I am with this month, ministry, and squad leading as a whole.
This month I am with a team of 6 women named Submerge. These women love Jesus a lot. I have seen them extend so much grace to each other as they figure out this whole living in community thing. I have loved getting to know them better through hanging out one on one and hearing a little bit about where they came from. I am excited to see what the Lord teaches them this month in Ukraine. I am praying all the mercy and grace and trust and closeness with Jesus over this team.
These are the 6 women I get to hang out with this month in Ukraine… Caroline, Morgan, Megan, Emily, Brie, and Charla.
This month our ministry is a few different things. For the first two weeks we are hanging out at a day camp for kids ages 6-12. We teach them English and new songs and just hang out and build relationships with them. After these two weeks we will be going to some orphanages and possibly a baby hospital to hold abandoned babies.
One of my favorite things so far about the day camp is watching the kids dance. These kids LOVE to dance. Every morning they have an exercise time that is basically Zumba. They do the ChaCha Slide and the Wobble. Then after breakfast they have a time for worship songs and Bible stories. Then there are times throughout the day where the teachers play music and they all can’t not dance. There have been a few dance battles too.
The thing I have noticed about all the dancing is the kids have no fear of embarrassment or worrying about what others think of them. They literally just dance and it is so funny and so beautiful and so free.
It’s funny because this time around in the field has felt so normal and so new. Squad leading has been a whole new experience for me, yet ministry and living abroad feels so normal. There are days when I sit in awe that my job is literally to disciple and hang out with people in other countries. What the heck? There have been so many times I have told my co-leaders that we live a crazy life. I’m so thankful for this time on the field. I am for sure learning about daily rhythms like hanging out with Jesus, journaling, reading my Bible, and loving and serving the team I am with. Right now Jesus is teaching me a lot about what mercy for my team looks like and what grace for myself looks like. There have been a few days that I have felt like I should be doing more, then the Lord reminds me to be still and he will guide me.
Thank you for all the encouraging messages and prayers and support. One thing that I know for sure is that I have so many people in my corner praying and fighting for me.
As of right now I have about $700 in my fundraising account. In total I need $6,500 for squad leading. Will you pray and consider partnering with me?
If you feel led to donate you can click the donate button on the left hand side of my blog home page.
We’re doing the thing in Ukraine!
Much love, Carson
