Debriefing...

(Yes, this post is long, consider it 3 posts in one - that should have been posted nearly a week ago...)

Our trip in Ukraine has officially come to an end, and we are all sad to leave. After all our goodbyes (some of which felt rather rushed), Artyom accompanied us to the train station, (as he lives close by it). There a new trail awaited us…
We got on the actual train without a problem, but when the ticket collector came to collect our tickets, we discovered that half our tickets were not valid. It seemed as if when we had first bought the tickets, the train was most likely already full. The ticket master must have seen us standing there with money and issued us false tickets anyway. Apparently quite a few other passengers had been experiencing the same thing recently. Anyway, because our tickets were not valid, the woman in charge of our car was trying to kick us off, literally starting to push Amy out of a moving train. She would have fallen and could have gotten seriously injured if not for Alexandra. She grabbed Amy and pulled her back in, proceeding to chew out the lady trying to kick us off. After much yelling on both parties (something you have to do to get anything done in situations like this in Ukraine) we each had to pay 200 griven each to stay on the train and all squeeze into the one cabin that we had valid tickets for.

I actually ended up staying in the cabin next door with another team from DCU going back the same day as us. The same thing had happened to them as well. We were all quite cozy sleeping 2 to a small train bench bed on that 12-hour night train to Kiev. Definitely not the best night of sleep I’ve had this trip. I often found myself wondering how my team was and what they were talking about, and was kind of wishing I was with them in their cabin. However, I think it turned out for the better, and I hope that my outlook on the situation and our conditions helped to lighten their spirits somewhat. Even if it didn’t though, I got the chance to share my testimony with them, and I hope it was an encouragement to them as well.

We took a marshutka to the hotel in Kiev, only to discover that there were no rooms available. It was about 8 in the morning, so we decided to wait around and see if any rooms would open up, as people would be checking out. After all the things we had been experiencing thus far, first the train and then this, we all felt the same. We had all had an amazing time at DCU, and had really felt at home there. All the missionaries loved us and opened their homes to us, all expressing the desire that our team come back next year. We all felt the desire to come back, and on the voyage home, felt like Satan was trying to get to us, telling us through our trials that this is how bad it can be. We all got together and prayed, then proceeding to eat the rest of the bread and apples we had left and sleeping on the lobby couches until rooms opened up – and open up they did.

That night we held a ‘debriefing’ session, where we shared both our high and low moments of the trip. Some of the other girls had some amazing stories to tell, and, after hearing some of them, I was feeling kind of down and didn’t think I had made much of an impact on our students. I didn’t form any special bonds with my students or have any of the amazing conversations that some of the other girls did. I didn’t have any opportunities to share my faith, and, although I felt like I was a pretty good teacher, I really don’t know how much affect I had on my students.

When I told the other girls this, they shot right back at me how wrong I was, helping me to see the purpose I served. While not necessarily making an impact (that I could see) on any individual student, I did serve to encourage both the missionaries there, and the short-term teams that assisted us. I can’t remember the verse right now, but it basically said that we are not only called to serve, but also especially sent to encourage fellow Christians, which is what I helped to do. Even the fact that I was able to go in the first place is a miracle. I mean, seriously, I had major surgery just a few months before I left! It showed that if I can do missions, then anyone can - through the grace of God. And even though I have a disease, and my own set of problems, I was able to overcome them. Crohn’s Disease may be a big part of my life, and a big part of who I am today, yet it doesn’t define who I am. And I am just starting to realize this, and so much more…