Well, this is it, my last day in Poltava. I can't believe my time here is over! I have really enjoyed being here. But as my Grandfather keeps telling me this chapter of my life is over. Not that I am happy about that. The youth put on a really nice going  away party for us this evening and many are planning to come and see us off in the morning. It will be very hard to leave them! It will be very hard to leave Erin!!! The three of have always been together these past months, what will I do with the other parts of me? Erin has threatened many times to steal our passports or unpack all of our suitcases, she will miss us too. Although I am through here, I will continue to pray for all the students we formed relationships with. In my mind I am only leaving Poltava for a vacation, it is hard to accept that I will not be living here anymore. Hannah and I leave for Kiev in the morning at 7:40 on the express train. Then Hannah, Joanna, Josh and I will be flying to Prague Saturday afternoon. Then we have meeting in Prague for the next couple of days and then fly home Wednesday. So this will most likely be my last post since I am not sure if I will have internet. Thank you so much for keeping up with me (or at least trying due to my lack of post in the recent past). But mostly that you for all the prayers and support that you have given me. Please continue to pray for the people of Poltava and of Ukraine. до свидания - Goodbye, pronounced Da-svi-da-niya.

Well, I am still alive and just teaching up a storm. There really has not been any "new" news. We have had lots of school holidays recently so we have had some more free time to spend with friends. Like last Monday we hikeed up a mountain, ok a big hill, to a monastery. It was different but nice. Then last night we went walking in the downtown with a bunch of friends. We even went to a park and played around on the playground. Today we met up with one of the girls that we met last night and went to a cafe for ice cream. Today was Memorial Day, now don't get excited and think that it is the same as ours, because it's not. Here every family goes and visits the graves of their loved ones. Now that sounds nice but they also bring food, gifts, and vodka (how could they live without it!) and leave it at the grave. But we are back to our almost normal schedule. Erin has managed to get us another class on Thursday at yet another school. The school is more like a tutoring center which will be great for in the summer. God has really opened this opportunity for Erin and groups coming in the summer. Please pray for more opportunities like this to open up.

Our Easter in Dnipropetrovsk. We made a bunny cake, colored eggs, and went bowling. 

Students from one of our classes from Transport College. They are playing a spelling game.

These are called Easter cakes but they actually taste more like bread.

- for Erica's comment: No it does not taste like bread with icing. The stuff on top looks nice and soft but is actually like cement. It does not taste bad just not as sweet as our icing.

Our Wednesday night program went wonderfully! Everyone who came really seemed to enjoy it and everyone was open to God's word. We had a reporter here from the Alabama Baptist paper that spent two days with us. This week has been kinda long and we are all tired. This weekend is Easter and there will be no rest for the weary. Things here are starting to wrap up and I am not happy about that. I have really become settled in this life here and I don't care to be uprooted and have to go home. You must think doesn't she miss home or at least her family? Of coarse, but having Skype I get to actually see my family and they don't seem an ocean away. American food. Now that is what is bringing me home, plus my dog.

I had a great Easter weekend! We all went to Dnipr to spend the weekend with Mike and Linda. We dyed eggs, made a bunny cake, and went bowling. I almost felt like I was back in America. Now this weekend is Ukrainian Easter. This Wednesday night we are going to be reading the Easter and discussing it. Please pray that everyone who comes has an open heart and mind to God's word. We are all a bit nervous about how the evening will go. We also found out the the group of boys we have in our Tuesday class now have to do hands on work. So we have a new group of students. That's fine it's just that there was one boy in that class that had begun to come to some of the church events and we were worried about not seeing him again. I quite upset because this boy had really been on my heart. I prayed all day that God would bring him to SMS. Man, that God of our is so great! The first face I saw in SMS meeting was his!!! We would really like for him to come to our English Club too but we are thankful that he is hearing the Word at SMS. Please keep this boy in your prayers. Also keep us in your prayers and pray that it will not be us speaking tomorrow night but it will be from God. Pray that He gives us the right words to say and that He works through us. 

So the past week went back to normal classes. Although we added a new class and a new University. We now teach an English Club on Wednesday at the Teacher's University which until now has been very hard to get into. Hannah and I have been running around Poltava with Andrei trying to get registered before April 11 or we become illegal aliens! In English Club on Wednesday we had 11 people there, 7 guys were named Sasha (Alexander)! Thursday evening I went with Hannah, Nastya, and Pushkin to a dorm to visit with the students. We spent most of our time with two young guys, one who has been coming to many of the church activities. The weekend went well and I was able to get some rest.

This week is a short week for us because we are going to Dniper for our Easter. Ukrainians celebrate Easter on the weekend of the 19th. Last night Hannah and I went out with Nastya. We thought we would be meeting up with a few of her friends. Try 17 friends, most from the church. We all went out for pizza and had a great time. While we were waiting for our pizza we played the game mafia, which Hannah and I found ironic since they really do have mafia here! It was amazing to be able to just hang out and not have to teach English and to be with other believers. Tonight we had dinner with Rodic and his family. Rodic and Sophia have two daughters, Vlada and Eve, both under the age of two! We had a great time looking at photos, singing, playing with Eve, and just spending time together. They are a young couple and Rodic works a lot with the youth at the church. Tomorrow we are going to try and finish registering, well for the most part anyway. They will have to take our passports for a bit. That part makes me nervous! They had Erin's for 2 months and we only have a little over a month before we leave. Which Rodic told us tonight how thankful he was to us for coming to Poltava and I thought I was going to cry. Rodic's English is ok and for him to say all that he did and struggle through the English meant so much. I can already tell that I am NOT going to want to go home.

This week has been non-stop and we are all exhausted! I got lucky and the two people I worked with this week were wonderful. They allowed me to help them and took my advice and the classes went well. Hannah and Erin were not so lucky and their adults did not listen to them and would not allow them to help. The night activities went well and there was a decent turn our every night. The women prepared different American food every night. There was pizza, dessert bars, pasta salad, chocolate chip cookies, egg salad, brownies, pancakes, and lots of American candy. It was nice to have American food! We did make some new friends at the meetings. The three of us girls were invited to and English Club at the University for Teachers. Ira is a student here and has been trying to get Americans into her school but has not been able to. God has opened the door for us and the students and teachers loved the activities we did with the students. We are now going to be going to their club every Wednesday! The Illinois group is finally leaving tomorrow. I will miss the two that I worked with. Just wish the others were a bit more appreciative, but I guess that comes with southern manners. I was never grateful for being raised in the south until this week! We finally get some rest tomorrow so Hannah and I are going shopping after sleeping in. Then in the evening is a going away party for the group.