the day after Passion Kyiv

*copying this from my other blog*

So. I’m currently on a plane to Helsinki, Finland. VERY quick layover (hope we make it....if I post this soon, we did NOT!). Then, another flight to Stockholm, Sweden. Which basically means I have come and gone from Kyiv, Ukraine. And that is all that is ridiculously crazy to me. 60+ days of intense in-your-faceocity (yes, I made a new word, Webster) and all is said and done.

Passion Kyiv. Where do I start? Let’s see. Maybe I will start with my two Kyiv best friends, Christine & Jo. (I’ll have to get pictures from them and post later.) Christine and Jo are two fabulous women who basically did everything I could not have come close to doing by myself in Kyiv. Christine is an American that has been living in Kyiv for the past 3 years with her husband and children and Jo is an Aussie who has lived in Kyiv for the past year or so. (Hope I got that right, girls!!!). I LOVE THEM. It about killed me to say goodbye to them and I must confess that it brings tears to my eyes to even write this right now. If you can develop a deep and everlasting friendship within just a few days time, we did it! I guess that’s where God steps in and says, “Hey, it’s all good...your plans are pretty lame, so I’m going to go ahead and prepare the way for you. Just chill.” So...Jo and Christine, I WILL be coming back to visit and WILL be expecting some Gloria Jean’s time. :O) Love you and miss you already.

Ok, so the actual event itself! You HAVE to check out the 268 blog. Jeremy Cowart has been taking some *ok* pictures. (pause) I mean, seriously? Ridiculous. He even did a quick “shoot” of my star tattoos the other day. I don’t know if it will make the Passion World Tour book, but who knows. Maybe one day when I’m famous, he will put it on his website. Ha ha. So, go check out the blog...there are some great stories and AMAZINGGGGGG with a capital RIDICULOUS pictures posted there.

To give you the quick background on Kyiv...when we started planning, we had NO IDEA how many people we could expect to show up. We would get mixed reactions from people. Some would say thousands would come, some would say we would be fortunate if 1000 showed up. Because it was a free event, we had no idea of knowing until the doors opened and people came in. SO...5:00 rolls around and a few hundred people are hanging outside. Praying. Preparing. Wow. 6:00, doors open and they start pouring in. By the hundreds. Still not sure what to expect, though. At 6:30, we enter into a time of prayer. Louie, the bands, our wonderful, wonderful, wonderful Kyiv leadership team, our team....an outpouring of the Spirit...just crying out to God to be THE God of Kyiv. Such a dark city, such a closed city. 6:55, we walk out to the backstage area and through the curtain. THOUSANDS have shown up. WOW. Truly, WOW. Louie posted a blog that said, “How do you say WOW in Russian?” That was literally how we felt. And they kept coming in. All in all, we had over 4,000 at Passion Kyiv last night. MORE than we could have ever expected, ever asked for, but truly what only God is capable of doing. Certainly nothing four human beings are capable of planning for, that’s for sure.

The night was a typical Passion event for those of you that have ever attended, volunteered, or just know what Passion is all about. But, it was so much more than that, too! We sang some in Russian...kudos to the guys for learning that in such a short time. You guys have my respect. Louie was translated the entire night by our friend, Oleg. What a cool guy Oleg is. I wish you all could meet him! We also took up an offering for Stockholm (the next city on the tour). Kyiv is a city that is hit hard by poverty, yet the students believed in what we were doing, what GOD is doing, the message of GRACE....they believed in that so much that they gave what they had so that another city could hear like they had. I am TRULY humbled. Truly. I know that God specifically placed me on the Kyiv team for this moment. Kyiv feels like a second home around the world and I am honored to have been a part of such an amazing journey.

So...I sit on a plane. I can’t believe it’s over. But, it is for me. For those still in Kyiv, there is much to do, much to come still. I look forward to seeing what God has brewing in such an incredible place! And I look forward to returning one day....soon!

Now, it’s on to Stockholm, Sweden, where I will be more of a staff person. I get to help with media and just be a generally helpful person. Hope I do well with the task assigned!

So...skipping ahead a few hours...I am now at the hotel in Stockholm. This is a pretty cool city, at least what I’ve seen of it. I think I might try and grab a dinner with the guys later. I had the pleasure of traveling with the “Brits” today. They are a fun bunch. :O) So, I may go eat some good food with them and then hit the ground running. By that time, the rest of the gang should be at the hotel.

Anyway, sorry to spill so much in my first update! So much to share! Hope you are along for the ride!!!!