Report on LifeNets Vinohradiv Project 2013 by Colin Kubik

What another amazing two weeks that I got to spend with some of the most incredible children on the planet!

My trip this year started in Moldova. I spent two weeks there to freshen up my Russian. I then flew into Budapest and spent a day there by myself to wait for the rest of the Americans to arrive. We got delayed by about six hours because of my dad’s flight got delayed by a day and he only could spend about three hours in the hotel. We then headed to the train station and we were off to Ukraine.

This summer when I go to Ukraine I will be going with more knowledge than when I went last year. I am so excited to keep growing these relationships that began last year. The kids that I worked with last year were just amazing and I cannot wait until I get to see them again. These children don’t have much but they are in content with their lives because they have God. When I go this year I want to come out of it with a better outlook on my life and realize that sometimes I have too much. This is going to be a great trip! (May 2013)

We arrived in Ukraine and got through the border with ease. We met my uncle Oleh and the two Vasyls there. I was so excited to see these three men again. We then drove from Chop to Vinogradov. By the time we got there it was time for us to sleep.

The next morning I woke up and ran to the Light of Love Mission. I got there and I knew that the next two weeks were going to be emotional. I saw some of the kids that I remembered from last year and I felt very emotional. It was hard saying goodbye to these kids last year and I was so happy to see them after such a long time. I was overwhelmed with emotion and it was hard to express my joy not knowing the language too well. I started talking to the kids with my extremely broken Russian. The kids had gotten so much bigger than the year before. They all started asking me about my sisters, Heather and Lauren and how they were doing and if they were coming. (Heather and Lauren went last year and two years ago.) I cannot explain the excitement that I had at this moment.

After the rest of Americans arrived we had breakfast and launched right into the first English lesson after we ate. The lesson consisted of reciting a bible verse in English. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear. Psalms 27:1.” The kids recited it many times. We also worked on singing songs a lot. They sang songs from previous years and they learned new ones this year. The English lessons usually consisted of reciting a certain bible verse and singing. We were very successful this year with the kids and their English. Another huge thing that improved their English was just hours of play each day. They would learn words just by being forced to communicate with us in English. Sometimes they would use Oleh or me as a translator, but for the most part, they spoke to us in small words. They also ask us how to say many things in English by just pointing to certain objects.

This year was definitely a lot different than last year. The weather forced us to have different excursions each day. On one of the days it was pouring outside. We decided to get out the balloons. It was immediate chaos. The kids went wild with the balloons. Every 30 seconds you could hear a loud explosion of a balloon popping.

There also was that squeaky sound of the balloons rubbing against each other going on constantly. Fortunately it didn’t rain everyday so the kids weren’t stuck inside the whole As the two weeks came to a close, I could tell that some of the kids didn’t want us to leave. I also had that feeling. Yes, I missed home, but I really felt torn when I had

to leave. Being with these kids really changes my outlook on life, and I hope to maybe someday fill Oleh’s position as group leader and translator. One of the hardest things for me this year was not seeing some of the kids that have outgrown the camp. This is the one thing that I have to accept when I return in future years. Contacting these kids via email or Facebook is one of my main priorities as the year goes on. I was so blessed to work again in Vinogradov, Ukraine. God Bless.

Colin Kubik

July 9, 2013

 

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