Okay. So the next thing I haven’t written about is the second camp. And here’s the thing: I’m not really sure if I’ve developed all of my thoughts about it. I feel like most things from this time are going to hit me at random points in time when I get home. This time was a lot different than the first camp. The campers were all older, like late teens to early thirties. So the dynamic was completely different. It wasn’t chaotic or crazy, it was chill and relaxing.
But there was something a little more…serious. These people know what their life is, they understand where they are. Some of them have been disabled since birth, and some recently in the past few years. But either way, these guys have lived their lives for years dealing with these not only physical or mental issues, but social, spiritual and financial issues as well. And not only them, but their parents as well, many of whom were at the camp with their child.
Being disabled in Ukraine is the lowest you can get. There are so many social stigmas and financial issues that come with it. The government helps in the absolute most minimal way, and families are left alone. Mothers are abandoned by their husbands and families, left to take care of her child alone. Many are told that their child’s disability is a result of something she did in her life. Can you believe that? Can you imagine? Living your life being told that your disabled child is a punishment for something that you did? Goodness gracious. I literally can’t comprehend what these women go through. The love they have for their children is like nothing I’ve ever seen.
So anyways, second camp was way different. And there was an (awesome) American team here from Grace Community Church. They ruled and added a whole other dimension to camp, bringing smiles and help and a willing and open heart to everything they saw and experienced.
I met a couple of new friends in some of the campers. Zhenya was assigned to a girl, and since she was my translator I got to spend some time with her as well. Natasha started out seeming bitter and bored as she sat through small groups, looking uninterested in anything that was being said. But by the end of the week, she was holding my hand, asking me to walk her around and sing to her, and smiling and laughing with me. It was incredible.
There was a day that we went through the group and played a tamer version of ‘never have I ever.’ Some people hadn’t flown in an airplane, or done this or that. Natasha had never seen an aquarium. Oleg from Romaniv had never swam. (I don’t know the correct past tense of that word). So our goal for the end of the week was to do something for our camper that he or she had never done before. Larisa took Oleg swimming. Zhenya and I created an aquarium for Natasha out of small water balloons, sand and beads (there was no way I was going to be able to catch a fish, let’s be honest). Other people did other things, and it was so cool. Helping people check things off their bucket list. I love it.
I taught my Bible lessons, and I must say they were a thousand times easier than last weeks. I felt like I could say what was on my heart. I actually enjoyed it. I don’t know if anyone else did, but that’s fine. Hah.
There were a couple times during small groups that are moments etched in my brain.
One was watching Roma and Andri. Neither can speak in actual words. They can make sounds and point and motion, but they don’t communicate through sentences. But they understand what is going on. They just can’t respond without the help of someone making a lot of effort to understand them. I can’t imagine their frustration. Well Andri has a really hard time communicating what he is saying to anyone. But he wanted to make a comment in small groups. So as our leader Natasha is trying to figure out what Andri is saying, Roma starts trying to get her attention, too. She can understand Roma better and he told her what Andri was saying. He understood him. And he was able to communicate that to Natasha for Andri. It was the coolest thing watching them interact, and them with another girl in our group who could understand them as well. They were all working together just so that Andri could make his comment in the discussion. They were looking out for each other.
this is roma.
and this is andri.
Some of the other things that I will remember were just stories I heard. One of my Bible lessons was on forgiveness. Good grief. So after I read some Scripture and made a few comments, I opened it up for people to talk about situations in their life in which they were given the option to forgive or get angry. The stories were unreal. Like things that you don’t think people would actually do to each other. Like with Viktor. He was in an accident when he was 18 that paralyzed him, restricting the use of his hands and his legs. Apparently none of his friends continued to talk to him after the accident. They ignored him, they wouldn’t even look at him as he waved to them on the street. They left him in his biggest time of need. They abandoned him when he needed help and support and love. And Viktor forgave them. He hasn’t allowed bitterness to crowd his life and choke out his spirit. He’s happy, he’s sweet and he’s been through some of the toughest stuff I could ever think of. If that isn’t God working visibly in and through someone’s heart, I don’t know what is.
There were obviously hundreds of other stories at this camp. And the thing is this: while these stories are heartbreaking and unbelievable, they are all being told because God has brought them through it to see the other side. They are here because God’s love has been shown to them. He has transformed lives. He is alive and working through these people’s hearts. And its obvious. And we got to be the ones to remind them of this while they were here. How cool is that? It was crazy to see, not only in myself, but even through the team that was here that this was a two-way street. We may have been at the camp to help and serve these people, but they were doing it right back in a different way. We saw God in them just as much as we hope they saw God in us.
some of the Romaniv boys playing with the parachute.
Over and over and over again I see this beautiful picture of how God has organized and designed His body for these wonderful and unique purposes. It’s complex and its sometimes overwhelming, but God’s will and the way He has the body of Christ working is incredible. We are all alive and working for one purpose: to glorify Him. And we all saw that happen in a hundred ways during camp, right in front of our eyeballs.
Sometimes it gets dark and foggy, and I forget that God is alive. But since I’ve been here, I’ve had one specific truth stuck in my head: the light overcomes the darkness. And He is the Light. Whether we see it now, or later for all of eternity.
It was a good week. It was one that made me think, and that thinking will continue for awhile. I’m glad for that.
So yeah. I believe that’s all I have to update on from the past 20 days. Or at least all that I can formulate into a blog post. But that’s fine. I hope this is satisfactory.
Hm. One week from right now I will be in Italy. That’s psycho.
Also, I think I’m gonna keep this blog around for awhile. I feel like I might have more thoughts in the coming months. We’ll see.
Okay. I need to catch up on some reading or Barry will kill me.
Kbyeeeee.
i just love this lil guy.
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