www.natepaine.com: Ukraine (Oct05)

Ukraine and my time at Safe Haven· Jan 4, 10:17 AM

Hi Everyone,

Ukraine was definitely one of my favorite places on the trip. I spent some enjoyable time in Odessa, but what really made it awesome was the time that I spent at Safe Haven in Kiev. I’ve written about it some in another article…but the summary is that I just felt like I was welcomed right into a big family…and we had a blast!

Enjoy the pictures…and if you’re looking for a really neat group of people to support, please visit www.safehaveninternational.org

Take care,
Nate

Click on article title for more pictures…

Comments [536]

Just living...· Oct 17, 02:44 AM

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for waiting so long for an update! I’ve been living here in Bortnichi (near Kiev), just taking things a day at a time and really enjoying being part of the group here. So…contact with the outside world has been minimal.

So, I guess I’ve been here for about two weeks and I expect to be here another week…right up to the limit of time I can spend before running into trouble with my Russian visa.

So what’s it like here? Well, the Kiev area is pretty amazing. In the last ten years, Kiev has become a really nice…and expensive… metropolitan area. I think that the downtown rivals the best European cities in terms of what it offers…and its level of polish and glitz.

There is a store called Epicenter here (there are two now, one more being built) that is easily twice the size of the biggest Home Depot or Lowes. I’m building a railing right now and Epicenter has a wooden carved newel (the big bottom post of a railing) in stock on the shelf for sale for $760. Crazy! And there’s a lot of examples like that…just in a home improvement store… Also, real estate prices have been going through the roof here. Many areas near the city have seen a 500% increase in the last 5 years. And it seems like prices are now comparable to what you’d pay in the states.

But, that’s just Kiev…from what I’m told. I’m looking forward (in a way) to getting out to some of the villages…that are really hurting. And this is how the vast majority of the population of Ukraine lives. Still with outhouses, maybe electricity, and many of the problems that you and I don’t even consider in today’s world. So, I’m sure that will be eye opening.

So that’s the background…and I am living in a suburb of Kiev called Bortnichi. We are 2km beyond the last metro stop of the city. There are 15 staff and kids living at two Safe Haven houses…one for the boys, one for the girls. They are about a 5 minute walk away from each other. I sleep at the boys house…and hang out with the guys there…but I spend most of my days at the girls house where there are some construction projects underway. As it’s getting colder, we are working to build a shed and to finish some work on one of the founders (Jenny’s) domic (little house).

My schedule is really nice. Each morning, I spend a few hours reading and doing QT before making breakfast and heading to “work”. I work at a pretty social pace until dinner at 7. And then relax for the evening. Like Saturday night, eight of us went into Kiev to see the circus. So, it’s not so much about what we get done…but about the relationships. Which is cool! I feel really like I’m living right…balanced, I guess.

I hope you aren’t too tired reading by now…because I’ve saved the best for last. The best is the people – by far!! :) I really feel like I’ve walked right into a family here and I’m really going to miss being here.

First, Jenny (one of the founders) is an American and had been in Ukraine for almost 9 years. It’s really neat to see how much has grown out of her efforts over the years. We’ve had a great time sharing ideas about missions, people, life, etc. And, as with all the Americans that I’ve met here, I’m so impressed with their level of Russian language skills – very good!

The house parents in the girls house are Bogdan and Onya and their little boy Daniel. They are Ukrainian and one of the coolest couples that I’ve met in a while! I’ve been working with Bogdan on the construction work…and checking out all the junkyard motorcycle parts that he’s been bringing home. He doesn’t speak much english…but we actually communicate pretty easily on technical things. Onya is just really sweet…and speaks good english. A few of us just talked for a while last night…and it came up that Onya is a Chernobyl child…she was about 6 yrs old in ‘86 and lived 30km from Chernobyl. She said it was 3 weeks before people were evacuated. The stories that she told us make me really sad for the pain that that event will bring to people for many years. And Daniel is the cutest little kid…always running around the yard…sometimes helping me with my work with all of his 18 months of abilities. I’ve got a pic that I should be able to post of him helping me use a saw. :)

Wow, this is getting long! What don’t y’all just take a break now…and read more tomorrow. :)

So, the house parent in the boys house is Sergey. He is Ukrainian and he and I had the longest english language conversation of his life the other night…about and hour and a half… He said the previous record was about seven minutes. Cool! Sergey also works at the church…and is pretty busy with both. On Saturday, Sergey helped me go into the big second-hand market and buy a warm leather coat for my coming time in Siberia! As we went in, he said that I could not say a word while we were at the market. Any hind of my background and the price would shoot right up! I guess I was quiet enough because we got the coat for 50 griven…a little less than $10US.

Then the kids… they’re all somewhere between 14 and 18…and they are graduates from one of the big orphanages here in Kiev. Some speak english pretty well…others not really at all. I’ve gotten to play b-ball and soccer, shoot pool (both American and Russian rules…but on a Russian table), trade music, and just hang out in general. Obviously, it takes a while to build up relationships and I wish I could stay longer because all the kids are really cool!

Safe Haven basically gives these kids a good environment as they transition into the adult world. Some of them are working through some tough issues because of their background…and I am really impressed how everyone lives as a family and helps each other. It’s very good work that’s going on here. Check out the website for more info if you’re interested or if you’re looking for a really good place to put some of your extra US$. www.safehaveninternational.org.

In addition to the people here at Safe Haven, I’ve gotten a chance to meet many folks from the Ukrainian Christian community and the expat community. One of the highlights was getting to visit an English language school here in Kiev. It has about 125 students in K – 12…many who are American kids. I found a bit of a website: www.send.org/mkteach/nhcs.htm. I got to meet almost the entire staff…and was invited so speak to the 9th grade class and the 2nd grade class about my experience traveling. It was a lot of fun.

Just one more thought: both from visiting the school and from conversations with Ukrainians, I’ve been really impressed by the huge impact that Americans have made in the founding, growing, and supporting (financially) the Christian community here. It’s one of the first things that I’ve come across where I’m really proud of the American impact. So I was encouraged…and reminded how important it is for some of us to sacrifice our lives of comfort in support of our brothers and sisters around the world. Consider it! :)

OK…sheesh…that’s enough already! I’ll work on getting some pics posted. I haven’t really had my camera out…but I’ll manage to snap a few pics before I leave!

Peace!
Nate

Comments [28]

Livin' at the boys' house...· Oct 6, 03:38 AM

Hi All!

Just a quick note from somewhere near Kiev. I’ve been settled in for two nights now at the boys house at Safe Haven. There are about 15 kids and staff and it’s a nice family to be welcomed into. My lack of Russian or Ukrainian is definitely a challenge…but somehow we always get the idea across!

My first focus here is doing some work on a cottage that is being renovated into living space before the winter. Right now that means wall, trim, and tile work.

I expect to be here for at least another two weeks before heading into Russia.

I’ll post some pics when I can!

Take care!
Nate

Comments [14]

What a trip!· Oct 1, 12:13 PM

Well… I’m in Odessa now. And the ferry trip was unforgetable! I’m so glad I took it. I was the only westerner on the boat and I had a great time getting to know people for two days while we steamed along. I booked the cheap bunk in a room of 9 people…and we really hit it off!

Here’s a few pics of Istanbul and the ferry ride for you. I should be in Odessa for another day or two before I start to make my way up to Kiev.

Take care!
Nate

Click on article title for more pictures…

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