Conclusion - September 9

These are my final reflections for my Ukrainian Sojourn.  I walked into my house at midnight.   The hours at JFK airport in NY were torturous.  I was at the end of my energy but had no choice but to endure until I got home.  When they called for boarding my flight, I sighed in relief.  There were only about 40 people on the plane and we were in and ready very quickly.  And then - nothing.  We waited and waited and waited more.  Finally, about 45 minutes late, we took off for Rochester and arrived about 22:20.  I took the shuttle bus to my car and drove the hour home.  My eyes wanted to stop working and I had to drive with the windows open and shake my head frequently to clear my vision.  

It may have been a stressful travel day, but if that is the price of such a wonderful week in Kyiv, I would do it again today.

I will be thinking about my time in Ukraine for a long time to come - until I return actually.

The Forum I participated in was extraordinarily powerful.  The days and schedule were long and intense.  But the results were exactly what we hoped for.  Information was shared, there was solid teaching, people shared stories and opened their hearts.  In short community was formed.   The unifying element was the context of prayer and worship.  Even though we were divided by language and nationality and even ideology, we opened ourselves in the presence of God.  Whenever people are able to do that, miracles happen.

Take all that strong emotion and put it in the setting of a magnificent historical city.

So, my friends, I've used a lot of words but still can't capture what happened.

I arrived home.  I slept well for 7 hours.  My body feels like I have been run over by a truck.  My throat is sore.  I have a headache.

But I am not complaining.  I am grateful.  Today I will let my body rest.  In my mind, each face from the conference passes my inner eye.  In my heart, I have new places that belong in Ukraine.

If you have read this blog, thank you for coming with me on this journey.  Perhaps you will return there with me some day.