I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

: the problem of not being able to think of something to write about or not being able to finish writing a story, poem, etc.

THIS has been my problem the last few weeks.

 This is actually a new post, maybe I will be able to complete it.  I originally wanted to share with you about our Kentucky mission trip.  It seemed that I would get to a certain point and I couldn’t go any further.  Each night I would try again, only to walk away frustrated and at a loss for words.

It occurred to me during some quiet time, before bed, the reason why.  The mission trip to Kentucky was not the only time these kids have given back since they arrived.    Actually they are continually touching peoples lives.

We knew when we agreed to host them for the summer that it would be a type of mission work.  We would be helping them by making others aware of their situation and possible help them find a forever home.  I knew they would touch others while they were here, but I didn’t have any idea they would give so much of themselves.

For instance only about two weeks after they arrived I saw Vlad helping our neighbor cut her grass.  He was riding his bike and decided to stop and ask if he could help.  Remember he speaks another language, but he motioned with his hands enough for her to understand.  So there he was, pushing the lawn mower of someone he hardly knew.  He just wanted to help and so he did.

Right around that same time frame my sister’s church had a Vacation Bible School.  I took the kids every day, half  a day, for a week.  They had a great time.  The boys got an opportunity to play soccer.  Vika did other activities that were for her age.  She learned a lot of new songs, played in the water on water day and made a lot of crafts as well as a lot of friends.

I was amazed that she shed no tears.  They all went into an environment where they knew only my sister and my niece.   Once again, they only knew a few words in English yet they all wanted to go.

They are so brave.  They are not intimidated by little things that tend to stop a lot of us from interacting with others.

On the last day of Bible School this church does a mission project.

 Fields from some local farms were gleaned, delivered the produce to the church and had it ready to bag.

I’m talking about a LOT of  green beans.

as well as squash.

It was packaged into individual small net bags so it could be distributed to many different families.

Here are our kids with Charlotte, my sister and my niece Amelia.

It didn’t take long to achieve great results.  Many families will have fresh vegetables on their table that otherwise would have been thrown away.  These were the remnants that were left in the field.  Perfectly good, healthy food.

A few weeks later, we ventured onto our Mission Trip to Kentucky!  A state they had never been before.  Ever since they arrived Billy and the boys have referenced maps.  We have a World Map over one of the boys bed and a United States Map over the other bed.  They have loved following our travels.  This was another welcomed adventure.

We arrived bright and early one morning.  The boys and the youth from our church had not had much time together at this point.  We were praying things would go well for the upcoming week.

 Our youth minister was going over a few things before we left, which our kids couldn’t understand.

So they stayed close to us.

Our nephew Alex went on the trip too.

Let’s just say because we got up so early…..it was a quiet ride for a few hours.

We were packed into Billy’s truck.  But at one of the stops along the way the boys were asked if they would like to ride with one of the chaperone’s.

They looked as if they weren’t positively sure they understood the question.  Their little eyes grew wide with excitement once we explained.   They didn’t hesitate to say YES….YES!!!!  These boys LOVE cars, especially cool ones.

Shortly after this stop one of the buses experienced some over heating issue.  It took some time for the problem to get fixed.  Meanwhile this allowed the boys to interact with the youth.  It really turned out to be a perfect time for the kids to really connect before the work week began.

The boys worked hard…..

and played hard.

Vika became fast friends with a neighbor girl who made them matching bracelets.  She even gave Vika this cute teddy bear.

I was on kitchen duty, so I saw the kids most of the time when they came in for a meal.  I loved seeing that they were fitting right in.

I saw this group gathered one afternoon and looked to see what they were doing.

The boys were showing off their skills in art.  This is a scorpion that Artur drew for Peyton.

They were more than happy to paint faces on block party night as well.  Vlad thought I needed to be a cat.

There were also beautiful butterflies.

Richard and Carol are the missionaries that work in Maytown.  It was great spending time with them in their community.

Our youth enjoyed getting to know the children.

As well as Ms. May and her horses.

 The youth group became very close to her as they worked on her house through the week.

Friendships were made

as each grew to know the other in ways that is hard to do until you spend time with one another day after day.

Soon you find common interest…..

and a bond is built that will always be remembered.

Our kids as well as our church youth gave back to this small community.  An area that has experienced some really hard times.  The people needed love and encouragement as we all do.

The greatest part of giving to help others is that in turn it seems that you are the one who receives a blessing.  It is a win, win.  You cannot out give God.  He will bless you over and over in ways that you cannot even begin to imagine.

The week drew to a close and we headed home.  But we didn’t leave the same, we were all changed.  I imagine our kids had sore cheeks, because they smiled the whole time.  I saw nothing but teeth the whole week.

Our youth were so glad that Artur, Vlad and Vika went on this trip, they spoke highly of them.  That made my heart swell.

Who knew several months ago that three children from around the world, looking for a forever home themselves, would be in Kentucky helping others.

Several people, some of them the youth, have come to spend one on one time with our kids since we have come home.

They have had an awesome summer, but the days are coming to an end.   They leave in just a few weeks.

Please continue to keep these adorable kids in your prayers.

They start school just a few days after returning.  They are looking forward to seeing their friends, but they also hate to leave.

Billy and I keep saying to one another that we are not going to be able to take them to the airport.  I suppose someone is going to have to come get them while we sleep.  I don’t think we can bear the goodbyes.

We continue to pray that doors will open for them to have a beautiful future.

I thank God that He has allowed us to have this time to together.

They continue to touch our lives in special ways each and every day, and they don’t even know it.