2008 VBS Final Report

The Teel family (Allen and Susan with daughters Megan, Emily and Julia) from Abilene, TX visited Ternopil this past summer to assist with the annual VBS. They have each personally written about their experience:

From Megan, age 17:
Going to Ukraine was truly an unforgettable experience. Having never traveled to another country, it was very hard adjusting to a new language, a new time zone, and a new schedule altogether. I loved getting to know kids my own age and learning about their lives. I absolutely loved the experience and hope to travel to Ternopil again.

From Susan:
“What did you do this summer?” That was the standard question at the beginning of school as usual this year.

“We took our entire family to Ukraine – Mom, Dad, and three daughters, ages 11, 15, and 17.”

“Was it some kind of mission thing?” was always the next question. (Somehow no one imagined Ukraine to be the vacation hot spot that it is.)

Yes, we were sent to Ternopil, Ukraine to encourage the brethren at the Old Park congregation and help in whatever way we could with their yearly Vacation Bible School. When we arrived we found that there was really nothing we could bring or do that was truly needed. We found a group of about a dozen or so dedicated, energetic young (and some less young) people who had been working for several weeks on a VBS about the Journey to God. They were ready for the Bible lessons, the crafts, the games, the snacks, and the 80+ children that were coming to them in a few days. We were each assigned to a teacher as his or her “assistant.” We each found our ways of assisting, from teaching through an interpreter, to running errands, to corralling small children, to demonstrating craft projects. The language barrier was overcome by the fact that most of the children and teens had studied English in school and Oksana Heohdzhayeva had taught us a few key Ukrainian words before we left Abilene (please, thank you, glue, marker, scissors, etc.). My favorite time of the day was snack time, but not just because of the delicious food. I enjoyed sitting with the kids from my class, who delighted in giving me Ukrainian lessons. They were very patient with my feeble attempts, but there was plenty of giggling also. I think Megan, Emily, and Julia liked recreation time best. They happily joined in on the races after carefully watching the other children or asking for a translation of the instructions by the teens or a nearby adult. On Saturday morning, the teachers, both American and Ukrainian, prepared a program that included several hymns. The girls sang an arrangement by Jack Boyd in English and then everyone sang several hymns in Ukrainian. Sofia Lutsykiv does such a wonderful job of leading their singing group; it was an honor to be asked to join them in making music together.

But I think some of the most memorable times for our family were the times we spent with the young people apart from the VBS. It was during those times of walking around town, swinging on the lodochky, taking boat rides, eating ice cream, making crafts, practicing English and Ukrainian, eating smores, drinking tea, and playing many, many games of table tennis that we began to know and love our brothers and sisters in the Old Park church. It was during these times that we watched our children form new and lasting friendships with Christian believers half a world away. I cannot tell you if our trip to Ternopil was a success from the point of view of the Ternopil church. They are a strong, capable group of beautiful Christians who would have continued their tradition of a successful VBS whether we were there or not. I would like to think we were some help, some encouragement, as five extra sets of hands and a few more voices in the choir. From a personal standpoint, however, the trip was a huge success for the Teel family. For us, it is as if we have added many new members to our family, people we love and care about and look forward to seeing again.

From Emily, age 15:
Our visit to Ukraine was a wonderful experience. When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by everyone and waited on patiently to overcome our jet lag and culture shock. One of my favorite parts of the experience was all of the friends that I made while I was there. Also, I learned that children are essentially the same in any country. They all like to laugh, they all pretend to be superheroes or princesses, and they all just want to be loved.

From Julia, age 11:
Going to Ukraine was so much fun. In some ways, Ukraine is like America. Kids love talking on their cell phones, and they're just as fascinated as we are with the latest toy or gadget. Some things really are international! However, not all things are the same. We got to try some new foods and see some different sights. I also had fun getting to know the people in the church and just seeing the way they did things there. We were really impressed with how hard the children worked on learning more about God during the VBS. If you were to ask any one of us where we wanted to go in the world, chances are, we'd say Ukraine!

From Allen:
It was a real blessing for our family to spend twelve days (July 23 - August 3, 2008) with our brothers and sisters in Ternopil, Ukraine. Susan, Megan, Emily, Julia, and I are very thankful for the opportunity; it was a life-changing experience for all of us. When I reflect on our time there, a few words come to mind: we were overwhelmed, humbled, and encouraged by various aspects of our trip.

We were overwhelmed — not by cultural differences, the language barrier, or the other challenges of international travel, but by the incredible hospitality shown to us during our time in Ternopil. Valya and Volodya Prylyudko were wonderful hosts throughout our stay, and the entire congregation welcomed us warmly. We were also humbled by the generosity that we experienced again and again. Our new friends freely shared their time, their meals (which were incredible!), and themselves with us.

Most of all, we were encouraged by the ways God is at work in the Old Park Church of Christ. It is a community in which the members take care of each other, believe fervently in the power of prayer, and exhibit great joy in their corporate worship. The youth group, including the university students and young adults, plays a vital role in the life of the church through their singing, ministry through the VBS, and much more. They are also starting to use their singing group to reach out to other congregations in western Ukraine. Again, our family is extremely grateful for the blessing of being able to travel to Ternopil and see the great things God is doing with, and through, the Old Park congregation. We truly fell in love with the people there, and we hope to return soon.