Simferopil!

Hi everyone! I spent the last week in Kherson. We took a 15 hour train ride from Ternopil to Kherson to have a week of lectures there and to work with a DTS on a mercy ship from Holland. It was really good! I didn't have internet there, so I couldn't update. Sorry. On the train I slept on the top bunk and I kept feeling like I was going to fall off the entire time so I didn't sleep too well. We were staying at a Bible school campus in Kherson. It was really beautiful! We were right on the Dnepr river and there was a really nice beach like right outside the door of my apartment. Actually we were staying in dorms. There was one room with a toilet, one with a sink, and a shower room. Then there were 2 bedrooms. One had one set of bunk beds and the other had 2. Our speaker for the week was Kelly Hoodikoff from the Kyiv base! He and his wife and 2 kids were with us all week! It was really good to get to see them! Those of you who have been to Ukraine before know who I'm talking about. Kelly spoke on "Biblical Worldview." It was really interesting for me. He based everything in the first 5 books of Genesis, so that was cool. "The answers are in Genesis," right dad? :) Laura and Joey unfortunately weren't able to make it to Kherson. We ate in a cafeteria with all the students for every meal, so we didn't have to have cooking detail last week. It was kinda nice. We had lectures as usual in the morning and then in the afternoons we would go into the city and evangelize with the Holland DTS. Tuesday and Thursday we opened up the boat for a cafe where people could come and have coffe, tea, and practive their english. We had a really big turnout because the boat is right in the main port of Kherson and so alot of people were curious about it. There is also a sailor's university really close by so we had some sailors coming as well. I made friends with an 18 year old girl named Masha (Maria in english). We just swapped life stories and chatted for like 3 hours. She is going to school to be an interpreter, but her real dream is acting. She might also go to school for journalism when she finishes her other schooling. She was really sweet and we've been emailing back and forth. Wednesday we did an outreach to some local school-age kids. We painted nails, played football (soccer) and did some fun games and songs with them. Very basic stuff but the kids LOVED it! I mostly painted nails and fiddled around with a guitar that one of the Holland guys had. I still had a good time though. Friday we left Kherson at 1 am and got to Simferopil (where I am now) at like 7:30 the next morning. I slept alot better on this train than the last, even though I had a top bunk. I think I was more used to it and plus I was exhausted. When we got here we just hung out and walked around the city. We have a very small 3 room apartment with no washer or dryer or wi-fi. We don't even have a TV. We have a VERY small kitchen with a sink, a stove you have to light with a match, and 3 cabinets. Thank God we do have a refridgerator, and hot water most of the time. I am sleeping in a back bedroom with my 2 leaders Galya and Gyulia. The ither 4 girls (Andrea, Natasha, Sveta, and Nika) are in the other back bedroom. Yura and Vova are in the livingroom/dining room/hallway. I feel bad for them. They are in a really high traffic area. We don't have beds in our apartment, just materesses on the floor. Actually Yura has a "bed" which doubles as the couch and I Sveta has a bed but that's it. Everywhere you look in this city there is a stray dog or cat... EVERYWHERE! It is really hot here too. The last 2 days its been in the 80's or something like that. Very hot. Just to specify where I am exactly, when you're looking at a map of Ukraine, look at Crimea which is the island in the southern part. Simferopil is exactly in the center of that island. It is actually the capitol I'm told. Yesterday we went to church with Sharon and Ruslan from the Simferopil YWAM base. They taught the ancient paths seminar the first week of DTS. It was very small, but very good. Today we started week 9 of the lecture phase. The speaker is Orban Bellamy, who is originally from Canada. The topic for the week is "Identity in God." Orban is REALLY funny. He cracks alot of jokes but gets his point across as well. I like his style of teaching, AND he speaks english so that is always nice :) actually he tends to mix english and russian just to confuse the translator. He has thus far succeded. She just laughs at him. Well, that's all I have to write for now. I'll update again soon. Love and miss you all very much. God bless! -Missy P.S.- there is no wi-fi at our apartment so I can only be on at the internet cafe. that is why I haven't been on skype for those of you who have tryed to call me.