Hey friends!
24 hours of traveling and we finally made it to camp! We were greeted by the Ukrainian staff and I got to see many old friends that I knew from the last two years here and meet more new people! We had dinner and then had a meeting where we found out what groups we were in. My group leader is Vova and my interpreter is Yulia. Anna and Jamie from the Grace/Indiana team are also in this group with me. Our campers this year are ages 25-29 and they are physically disabled but not mentally. After the meeting we went right to bed and slept easily after almost 24 hours of traveling.
Today, the first morning here, we got up at 8:00 AM (1 AM US time) and had devotions with the staff and then had breakfast. Right away the campers started arriving and I was so happy to see campers I knew from previous years! Upon seeing all the people that I love (campers and Ukrainian staff), I started to cry because I was so overwhelmed with joy and love! I know only a few campers in my group from previous years. They are Tolik, the burn victim that I talked about last year, Maxim who got close to Shannon last year and a man named Viktor. We are having difficulty with one camper because he told his mom he wants to leave. He has a spinal cord injury and is very reluctant to turn from the sin in his life. Please pray that God would soften his heart. I spent much of today pushing around wheel chairs and playing games with some of the children that are not disabled.
It has been a good 1 1/2 days here but it has been hard being away from home. This is the first year that I have been a little homesick but I know that I will see you all (family and friends) very soon. I love you all very much! Sorry that it has taken me longer than usual to post but none of the outlets were working and when they finally were working my phone did not work.
Thank you all for your love, prayers and support to help make my trip here possible.
Love,
Ashley
P.S. Cierra, I know how much you wanted to be here with our group. I wish you were here. I miss you, love you and are taking lots of pictures for you!
3 comments:
I love you!! I am praying for you my darling! Can't wait to read every single blog :)
love you so much, ash! so proud of you and everyone else for what you guys are doing over there. cant wait to read the other posts :) miss you and am praying!
Yay! Y'all have been on my mind; I'm so excited for all you guys are doing! looking forward to reading more! You are such a strong woman of God; keep your chin up! =)
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