Almost Adventure Time!

Hey all~

WOW! I cannot believe I'll be flying out of LAX just a week from now. I can remember starting the Peace Corps application process last November and thinking that departing would be forever from then. But it's actually happening!!

As a Peace Corps Volunteer, my primary job will be a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher. I'll be teaching English to 10-17 year olds. And during the summer, I'll be helping with summer camps. I'll be flying out to Philadelphia on the 24th for staging and then flying out of JFK airport on the 26th (arriving to Ukraine the afternoon of the 27th). For the first three months, I'll be living with a host family and doing training (learning about the language and job duties). After training, I get to be sworn in as a Volunteer and my actual service time starts December 8th. By that time I should be to my site and living with a second host family for another three months. After that initial six months, I may be set up with my own apartment! So I should be done December 8th of 2011.

Ukraine is an Eastern European country.  It borders Russia to the Northeast. The Ukrainian National Republic was formed in 1917.  In 1918, it declared its freedom from Russia.  But it was reconquered  and became part of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in 1923.  Under the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, over five million Ukrainians died of hunger from 1932-1933.  Soviet nuclear power plants were built in Ukraine and in 1986 the Chernobyl Disaster (a nuclear reactor accident) took place.  By 1991, Ukraine claimed its independence. An agreement was signed by former President George W Bush in 1992, and since then over 1800 volunteers have served in Ukraine.  Currently, about 300 volunteers are serving in Ukraine, making it the largest program of the total 75 countries Peace Corps serves.

Although it is REALLY scary making this change, I am excited for what God has in store for me over in Ukraine. As I was really considering the commitment of becoming a Volunteer, I honestly began to question if this was the right decision for me. For one, 27 months can feel like such a loooooong time. And two, this is such a big change for something I'm totally not used to. But my mom put the time in a good perspective for me, telling me that in the (hopefully) long span of my life, two years is really a short segment of that. And through my nerves and uncertainty, God has been confirming that this is a journey He wants for me. He has been consistently opening the doors that have kept me on the path to this point. And I figure if the Peace Corps was something He didn't want me to do, He would have closed the door somewhere along the line, right? Although, I am nervous about making this big change to my comfortable little lifestyle in California, I am very excited for the adventures/growth/laughter/learning/friendships that are in store for me.

I would LOVE to keep in touch....so please don't hesitate to email me (ShiningLight1026@aol.com) if you would like to hear more personal stories or receive cool Ukrainian gifts :)

'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' Jeremiah 29:11