{"id":4690,"date":"2025-06-15T04:39:24","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T11:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/?p=4690"},"modified":"2025-06-15T04:39:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T11:39:25","slug":"update-7-eastern-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/2025\/06\/update-7-eastern-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Update #7 Eastern Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hello everyone from Eastern Europe \u2013 Nathan here, bringing you today\u2019s update from the field!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re officially one week into the trip, and today was full of stories, sweat, surprises, celebration, and even a scoop or two of gelato. So grab your coffee (we definitely did) and enjoy this peek into our Saturday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Waking Up and Warming Up<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The day started like most: with sleepy-eyed travelers wandering downstairs, lured by the smell of coffee and the kindness of our GEM hosts, Matt and Rebecca. These two have been a true blessing, constantly serving, encouraging, and keeping us fed and focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Special Birthday Shoutout<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we get too far\u2026 today is Levi\u2019s birthday! <br>Most of us had quietly signed a birthday card earlier and made sure to congratulate him on surviving another trip around the sun. Celebrating with him was a highlight, we\u2019ll come back to that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Morning Devotions: A Word on Perseverance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At 9:00 a.m. sharp, we gathered for our daily devotional. Each team member was assigned a day and came prepared with a printed devotion. Today, Karina shared a timely word on Perseverance, a fitting message for this mid-trip moment. She quoted Max Lucado:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amen to that, Karina. What a needed reminder as we balance physical work with spiritual focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Work Assignments and\u2026 Dishes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After devotions, Matt laid out the day\u2019s assignments. A quick note: at the start of the trip, we all signed up to do dishes three times. Today, Levi and I had this responsibility. So for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we were responsible for doing all the dishes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Work Teams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Group 1 (Me, Levi, Karina): Concrete basketball court repair<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Group 2 (Katya, Vincent): Bench sanding and staining<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Group 3 (Danyelle, Chris): Paver driveway repair<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We worked hard through the morning, and the projects are really shaping up. We also owe a big thank you to Tibi and Genica, the caretakers of this property. They not only care for the land but make us feel incredibly welcome here. They brought us lunch today, chicken and potatoes from a local restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Birthday Celebration Time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At lunch, we surprised Levi with his birthday card, a vanilla cake, and some of his favorite sweets (thank you Danyelle!): chocolate with marzipan and nerd gummy clusters. Levi, we\u2019re all grateful to celebrate you today. We are so glad that you are here and able to celebrate with you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shopping (a Cautionary Tale)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After lunch and a quick dish-washing shift, Levi and I had finished our morning work, so we headed to the store with Rebecca. For those who know me well (looking at you, Lisa), you know it\u2019s dangerous to take me grocery shopping, I always come back with more than we need. And yes\u2026 pickles were not on the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We visited Kaufland, a German-style supermarket. It was quite the experience; you have to insert a coin to unlock a shopping cart (which you get back when you return it), and you weigh and label your own produce. Thankfully, they use pictures!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teamwork Makes the Dream Work<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After unloading, we all rallied around Danyelle and Chris to help with the paver driveway. For the first time this trip, all ten of us worked on the same project. It was an awesome moment of unity, laughter, and accomplishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dinner&#8230; and Cabbage Confusion<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We wrapped up work around 6:00 PM and were served dinner by Tibi and Genica at 6:30. Tonight\u2019s meal: steak, mashed potatoes, and\u2026 cabbage. A lot of cabbage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unsure of how to serve it, Rebecca looked up how to make homemade coleslaw. Later, we wondered, perhaps they mix cabbage into the mashed potatoes? Still unsure, but hey, we\u2019re rolling with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gelato, Police, and Laughter<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just when we thought the day was winding down, Matt surprised us with a trip into town for gelato at &#8220;Gelateria Ciao Toscana.&#8221; Amazing flavors, everyone picked two or three. A sweet way to end the day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On our way home, we had an unexpected moment of humor: a police checkpoint. All the men were in one van (looking very suspicious), and the women were in another. Surprisingly, the police waved us men through and pulled over the women. We pulled ahead and waited, watching the scene unfold before us. It appeared as though they were only stopping white cars (their car was white). They let the women go shortly after, but it made for some good laughs and storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evening Reflections<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back at home, we tackled dinner dishes together and then gathered for our evening reflection. Vincent led us with the question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat keeps you going?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a meaningful way to reflect on the day. I also had the opportunity to share my personal testimony, how God has been faithful throughout my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Final Thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To our friends and family, thank you for praying, supporting, and encouraging us. This group is amazing. Every person is giving their best, staying positive, and working hard in a ministry that will have ripple effects far beyond this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We feel your prayers. Keep them coming. And please, keep commenting, we read them and they bring light and a taste of home. We love hearing from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We miss you. We love you. And we\u2019ll keep persevering.Until tomorrow,<br>Nathan<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1627.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1627.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1627-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1627-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1626.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4676\" width=\"386\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1626.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1626-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1626-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1622.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4678\" width=\"386\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1622.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1622-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1622-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5266-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5266-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5266-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5266-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5266.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5254-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5254-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5254-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5254-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5254.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0414-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0414-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0414-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0414-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0414.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1615.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1615.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1615-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0411-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4684\" width=\"386\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0411-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0411-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0411-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0411.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_3264-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4685\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_3264-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_3264-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_3264-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_3264.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5243-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4686\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5243-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5243-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5243-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5243-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5243.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5244-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4687\" width=\"386\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5244-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5244-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5244-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5244-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_5244.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1630.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1630.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1630-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1630-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1629.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1629.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1629-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello everyone from Eastern Europe \u2013 Nathan here, bringing you today\u2019s update from the field! We\u2019re officially one week into the trip, and today was full of stories, sweat, surprises,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[72,83],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4690"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4690"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4691,"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4690\/revisions\/4691"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jessup.edu\/globaloutreach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}