Returning to School

I will be returning to school this fall and restarting my internship next year in Canada or America. Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

Carpe Diem

Home

After a two day trip from Odessa to Halifax I am finally safely home. A few highlights from my trip

- All of my flights were late
- I missed my flight from Prague to Frankfurt
- Was switched to a different airline and had three seats all to myself
- Had to ask for Euros from some men to call for my shuttle to my hotel
- Had a hot shower and a comfy bed to sleep in
- After more late flights finally arrived home during a Tropical Storm (oh how I missed Maritime weather)

God kept me safe and allowed me a good trip even with the difficulties. I have a meeting with my school on Thursday and 1pm Atlantic Time about different things (including whether or not I am able to complete my internship so late in the game). Please keep this in prayer.

Carpe Diem, Deborah

Coming Home

I am sorry to announce that I will be leaving Odessa, Ukraine on July 21 2008. This past month and a half has taught me so much about missions work and about loving through actions and not words. There are many reasons for my early departure but it is in God’s hands and He has a plan.

Culture shock is something that affects everyone that comes on the mission field, and it affects them in different ways. For me it was not the being able to get around the city, or ride the buses and go grocery shopping. For me it came in a way that I would have never expected. Since the day I arrived I felt very homesick and because of that I was never able to fully engage in my ministry. As I tried to overcome it each day and week it just seemed to get worse and manifest itself into physical and more emotional problems. I feel that because I am not able to give myself 100% to the ministry here it would not be fair for me to stay. I am not able to be the best that I can be to the team that I work with or the kids that I minister to every day.

I want each of you to know that the ministry that goes on here in Odessa is amazing and has life changing effects on all of the kids. I have been able to make great friends while here and really feel the touch of God in my life and those around me. I have learned so much in the past seven weeks and I am so excited to share with anyone that will listen to the things that God has taught me and the things that I have seen.

I want to thank everyone that has been praying for me and keeping updated with how I am doing. Your words of encouragement have gone a long way and really helped me.

The next step for me after I return home is unclear right now. Because it is so late in the internship program I am not sure if I will be able to continue my internship in North America or not. At this point I am fully in God’s hands and know that whatever happens will be with good reason and completely in His will.

Please pray for:

- The seeds that I have been able to plant while I have been here

- That the good-byes are not more difficult then need be

- For the children I was not able to meet and show God’s love to

- That the remainder of my internship goes with God’s plan and not human plans

- For Ally as she adjust to the new culture and ministry (Bethany intern who arrived July 1)

- Please pray that I have a safe flight home and that my overnight stay in Frankfurt goes okay

Carpe Diem

(Seize every moment and experience God gives you, no matter what it is and how hard it may be)

Deborah Guptill

Camp

I just spent the week out in a village running a camp with the team that was here from Ottawa (Ally is also here now). It was a lot of fun and a great chance to interact with the kids. This was a chance to reach out to kids that have a likely chance of ending up as street kids. It was a lot of fun to just be able to play with them and to see how happy they were to have us there. I have posted pictures and you can go and see them at the following link
http://picasaweb.google.com/deborahruth1987
I hope you enjoy my endless pictures from this week alone.

Carpe Diem

First 2 weeks

I have now been here two weeks. I have gone through some ups and downs and a lot of homesickness. But God has taken me through the many tears with the prayers of many friends and family. I have been able to make friends with a few of the kids that I will be working with (when I say kids they are actually teenagers). I hope that I will be able to make an impact on their lives as I am here. If you are on my facebook I have posted pictures on there, and if not you will have to wait until I have internet on my own computer so I can set up a picture site.

Carpe Diem

Here I am

I made it here safe and sound. I have been around the city a few times, and been on the crazy buses (which are not that bad). I also went out to Hope House today and did some clean up work in garage and met a few of the kids. It has been a good time so far. I am excited for the work that I will be doing. I will be putting some videos up soon as soon as I get internet on my own computer (I am currently using my roommates Mac). Bye for now

Carpe Diem

3 flights left

me in the Toronto airport...only 3 flights left.