один means one

As I'm sure many other people begin their first blog, I will say "I've never really kept a blog." Because of this...well, I'm not sure what I want this to look like.

I guess the main purpose of this blog is to inform my family and friends of my upcoming trip to Ukraine. I will be leaving 12 weeks from today for my 3rd (seriously??) trip to Kharkiv, Ukraine to visit the kids that have become so incredibly important in my life. As you read this blog, please consider donating to help support the cost of my trip in January. You can do so by clicking the yellow button on the right side of the page. It is MUCH appreciated!! :)

Many of you know I am considering moving to Ukraine for a year or so to....do something. At this point, I'm not sure what my role there could be, where I would live, how I would afford it, etc, etc...so I guess this blog could be my journey of figuring THAT out. Or rather the journey of seeing the Lord reveal it in my life. I admittedly am excited about the possibility of packing up and moving there. About the idea of being SO close to the kids. The idea of a new life in a new place. But the Lord is funny sometimes. And He has me here now. Right here in Nashville, TN.

Our team leader, Russ gave me some of the best advice when we returned home in July. It was over a black bean salad in East Nashville (which I think makes the story exponentially better). I was anxious after being home for a week about getting back to Ukraine. I missed the kids, I missed Ukraine. I was fearful of returning to a mundane life of 9-5. He told me that right now, I just need to focus on January. That the January trip was what I had NOW. There would be time for future planning later. I'm thankful for that advice and I'm thankful the Lord calmed my heart enough to get back into my life here and realize I could love the kids from across the globe. Because that's where He has me now. And in 12 weeks, I believe He'll have me on a plane for 10 hours.

Thankfully, because of the great Internets I am able to communicate "regularly" with some of my kids and can find out what's going on with them. This was not a luxury I enjoyed last year. Please keep Sasha, Bagdan, and Vitya in your prayers. They've been in the hospital since Thursday with bronchitis. Ukrainian hospitals aren't the greatest even for "regular" Ukrainians...so you can imagine the care that 3 orphaned teenagers are getting. So please pray.

Watch the video...look at the pictures I've posted so far. Ask me questions about what we're doing in Kharkiv. I welcome all feedback. :)

спокойной ночи!

HH