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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Orthodox Easter celebrations 2011

This is actually a post I had to write for my Cultural Anthropology class.

On Saturday night at 11:30, one of the other missionaries and I went to part of an Orthodox service. The interior of the church was beautiful – no wonder Volodomyr was convinced to convert to Orthodoxy in 988! The walls were covered with paintings of Biblical scenes and saints. The iconostasis had icons of saints in ornate golden frames.

[More information about the cathedral/monastery I visited can be found here.]

I saw people proceeding through a line to view a glass coffin that held some part of a saint, after which they knelt and crossed themselves. (Did you know the Orthodox cross themselves the opposite way that the Catholics do?) Some time later, the liturgical part of the service began. The priest recited/read something that repeated “Lord, have mercy” and everyone would cross themselves and bow. (The liturgy was in Russian and it was even harder to understand than at my church.) Later there was some kind of responsive reading/recitation, where the priest read and the women’s choir sang. We left after this part.
My contraband photo I took inside the women's monastery church.
It is customary here for people to bring their baskets with their food to be blessed by the priest’s holy water in the wee hours of the morning. In the morning, I saw many people carrying their baskets with cloths draped over them that said “Christ is risen.” I knew that they had been to church that day.

Lady with her Easter basket
At the sunrise service, Zena’s mom talked about how Lenin was still dead and in his tomb. She can’t say that Lenin’s with her, but she can say that CHRIST is with her. Later, my pastor preached a sermon about how Christ conquered death—the unknown. This means we have power and victory, and that Christ can deliver us from fear.

Nazarene sunrise service
Easter is celebrated (at the church) for 3 days here, even though Monday was the only day off from work. I was near an Orthodox church on Monday, and could still hear them ringing the bells in celebration.

As I looked around at the people gathered inside, I thought of them as the people who ride the bus with me, who I pass on the streets. I wondered what impact Christ’s resurrection had on their lives, if they connected Christ’s victory over death to possible victory in their own lives (especially for the drunk people I saw later).

The ritual in the Orthodox church reminded that there are millions around the world celebrating with me, and millions (billions?) more that have celebrated in the past in similar or very different ways. What connects us all is the fact that we are rejoicing over Christ’s incarnation, sacrifice, and resurrection. The beauty of the church reminded me that God is a God of beauty – God makes “beautiful things out of us” (“Beautiful Things”, Gungor song).

Friday, April 22, 2011

Ukrainian Easter Celebrations

This year is my first year to celebrate both Palm Sunday and Easter with my Ukrainian church family (last year I was in Israel).  The next week is going to be busy with writing my term paper for my online course, but let me give you a little taste of the celebrations here.  I'll post pictures when I get a chance.

Palm Sunday is actually called Willow Sunday here, because people use pussy willow branches instead of palm leaves.  I saw countless numbers of people carrying bundles of these willows in the few days preceding "Willow Sunday," and afterwards no one had use for the unsold ones.  I wonder what they do with them at church, if they get them blessed or something.

On Wednesday, our church held a concert by an a cappella group from Tennessee.

Our church also has Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, but I was unable to attend them because I had plans with friends already.  (Does that make me a bad Christian, for making plans on Good Friday that don't involve church? hah.)

At 6am on Easter morning, there will be a sunrise service, behind St. Michael's cathedral, overlooking the Dnieper.  This will be followed by a regular 11am worship service back at the church, and then the missionary staff will have dinner together at 5pm.  (Somehow, I WILL fit a nap in there!)

Two videos of Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

Symbolism:


How to make Ukrainian Easter Eggs:

Monday, April 18, 2011

Monday the 18th.

Geometry class:
*Attempted to throw a marker at the circle I'd drawn on the board. I missed.
*Drew what was supposed to be a regular pentagon inscribed in a circle.  The pentagon looked like home plate with a floppy edge.  I told my students, "Observe this diagram," first meaning to take note of where the shaded regions were.  But then one of them looked at it and laughed at how terrible the drawing was.

Precalc class:
*I introduced "limits" to my students, and played the Eagles' song "Take it to the Limit" as a tribute to my high school calculus teacher Mrs. Quimby.  She played that song when she taught us about limits.  One of my students said something like, "Oh, so this song wasn't written just for limits?":)

Lunchtime:
*Worked with 2 geometry students on 2 different assignments.  THAT was confusing, but I think they understood the work.

6th grade math and Bible:
*I can't think of anything right now.

study hall period:
*listened to my roommate share her testimony with the seniors.

after school:
*graded papers

at home:
*ate dinner that my roommate fixed: salad (lettuce, feta cheese, olives, sunflower seeds, carrots) and rice
*walked up to the corner store by Куренивский Ринок, checked it out, and bought some ice cream (we wanted to buy these jelly-filled donuts, but the kiosk closed before we could get back!).
*window shopped (literally) as we walked home
*edited Trino's thesis (chapter 3)
*listened to my roommate play the alto saxophone
*chatted with friends via Skype
*read some
*went to bed!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

March 2011 KCA Update

Hello, family and friends!

Spring might finally be here in Ukraine.  One thing is for sure -- the April showers are!  Here is an update about the past month.

My Brother's Visit
In the middle of March, my younger brother came to visit me during his spring break.  While he was here, we did some sightseeing, watched some KCA basketball games, and also went to school for Pi Day* (3/14).  In addition to the classic touristy places, we also visited the National Aviation Museum, which I had never heard of -- it's got lots of old Soviet airplanes and helicopters.  In our stop at Andrevsky Spusk (for souvenirs), we also went exploring and hiking up a random but kind of creepy hill -- I'm glad that he shared my sense of adventure!  I really enjoyed seeing him and spending time with him around the city, and introducing him to my friends.  Some of my friends asked if he was my twin! :)

Adam and I in the bell tower of St. Sofia's -- it was a really windy day!
*The formula for circumference of a circle is 2*pi*radius, and pi = 3.14159...  Pi Day is celebrated on March 14, and my students brought in pies for us to enjoy. :)

Language Skills Improving!
In the past month or so, I think I've sensed that my Russian skills are getting better -- listening and possibly speaking.  When Adam was here, I often traveled with him on public transport, to get food, and served as translator.  I can understand what people ask on the bus -- for example, "is Kurenivskiy rinok the next stop?" It also helps this year that my roommate and I have a Ukrainian landlady next door that comes over once a month so we can pay our utility bills.  Still, though, if I don't have translation during a Sunday sermon, my attention span is only about 15-20 minutes -- after that, I can't even attempt to figure out what is being said and simply want to sleep.  Yesterday, I met with three ladies from church to interview them for a class project.  Most of our interview took place in Russian, and I will need to double-check with them later to make sure I understood them correctly.  One skill I need to practice is repeating what was just said -- this helps me practice new phrases and lets them know that I really do understand.

Summer Plans
On June 8, I will be flying back to America for the summer.  My summer will consist of spending time with friends and family, but also to raise support for one more year of teaching/ministry in Ukraine.  During the week of July 5, I will be a sponsor for the "Missionary Kid District" at Nazarene Youth Conference in Kentucky.  I am also looking for some occasional, flexible work -- like tutoring or babysitting.

Since KCA does not pay its teachers a salary, I need to raise enough funds to cover my food, transportation (airline tickets and public transport once here), utilities, rent, mandatory medical insurance, and language study; plus this year I plan to attend the Eurasia Regional Conference for the Church of the Nazarene.  This total comes to approximately $12,000.

I have already been scheduled to speak at 4 churches in Maryland/Pennsylvania, and I'm looking to speak in New England on July 24.  If you are a pastor or missions president, please consider scheduling a time for me to come and share what God is doing here in Ukraine.

If you are interested in sponsoring me monthly, visit http://web.nazarene.org/goto/ukrainejh to contribute online.  

KCA High School varsity boys basketball team and fans after the championship game
Upcoming Dates:
April 17: English lesson at Obolon

Praises:
*A restful spring break in Ireland with some classmates/friends -- now I feel rejuvenated, ready for these last 2 months of teaching
*I booked my airplane tickets to Kentucky, and had thought that I would have to pay around $300 (this was even Southwest's airfare).  I bought it on Continental for only $160, and will only have to pay $25 for a checked bag (rather than $50, like I'd thought).

Prayer Requests:
*Focus and motivation to do my homework in a timely way (Russian language or for my NTS course)
*A summer job and provision of finances for next year

*To show love and grace to my students even if I don’t feel like it
*To believe what God says about me – to find my identity in Christ

Psalm 65 (NIV):
I'll leave you with this, friends. :)
Jessica

I read this the other day, and it reminded me of how God provides for us, and takes action to answer our prayers.  God's provision and presence are what we need to satisfy us, nothing that we could improvise on our own. 

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
 1 What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion.  We will fulfill our vows to you, for you answer our prayers.
      All of us must come to you.
 3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,
      you forgive them all.
 4 What joy for those you choose to bring near,
      those who live in your holy courts.
   What festivities await us
      inside your holy Temple.

 5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,
      O God our savior.
   You are the hope of everyone on earth,
      even those who sail on distant seas.
 6 You formed the mountains by your power
      and armed yourself with mighty strength.
 7 You quieted the raging oceans
      with their pounding waves
      and silenced the shouting of the nations.
 8 Those who live at the ends of the earth
      stand in awe of your wonders.
   From where the sun rises to where it sets,
      you inspire shouts of joy.

 9 You take care of the earth and water it,
      making it rich and fertile.
   The river of God has plenty of water;
      it provides a bountiful harvest of grain,
      for you have ordered it so.
 10 You drench the plowed ground with rain,
      melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
   You soften the earth with showers
      and bless its abundant crops.
 11 You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
      even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
 12 The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture,
      and the hillsides blossom with joy.
 13 The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
      and the valleys are carpeted with grain.
      They all shout and sing for joy!