I'm sitting here in the "Molod do Isusa" student center in L'viv Ukraine, drinking weak tea, preparing future sermons, talking with students, waiting for the rest of the slush to melt outside, and just thinking about how incredibly blessed I am.

On Sunday, St. John's Episcopal church held an ecumenical concert to raise support and awareness for my time serving in Ukraine. I had the opportunity to talk to the people (via Skype) gathered about my time overseas and my call to missionary service. It was such a blessing to see people from my home town gathered together in support.

If I ever had any doubts about my call to be a missionary - their love and support have proven once again that this is EXACTLY where God wants me to be.

I'm frustrated with the language. It's so close to Russian that I can understand bits and pieces - but it's different enough that I feel like I've stepped back a few thousand hours in language training. I will have to work really hard and be diligent to learn Ukrainian.