Just for Fun... Part 2

You may be asking yourself, "Part 2, what happened to part 1?" You can find Part 1 in the Peru blog post in 2007. While we were in Peru I received an email from a friend that asked questions to get to know me better. I changed the questions a bit to make it pertain to Peru. This time, I am answering the questions regarding to our experience in Ukraine.

1. What is your occupation? Adam and I currently work at Kiev International School (KIS) in Kiev, Ukraine. Kris is a Physical Education teacher and Adam is the High School Counselor. We have been employed since August 2009. This is the first time in our six years of marriage that we are earning two incomes! With the extra pay check, using public transportation ($0.32 a day), housing paid by KIS, and our great central location in Eastern Europe traveling to other countries has become our favorite hobby.


2. Who was the last person you spoke with on the phone? My sister and mom to announce that Baby Runyan is a girl!


3. What color are your socks right now? Oh thank you God, that I do not need socks now! After surviving a harsh, cold, and dark winter it is now spring time and beautiful outside. To prevent frostbite to my toes in winter I had to get a pair of UGGS and wear heating pads in them.


4. What are you listening to right now? I am in parent teacher conferences right now, obviously working really hard. Our conferences are held in a large room with several tables. At the moment I am listening to a teacher speak Ukrainian, and yet another in French, and a family speaking to each other in an Indian dialect. I am surrounded by people all over the globe. This is the International culture. At KIS there are over 56 nationalities and currently sitting in the same room as me are Canadians, Ukrainians, Americans, Russians, Italians, and Indians.

5. What is the strangest thing you've ate? The strangest thing I've eaten in Ukraine so far has been salo. Salo is raw bacon fat. It actually tastes like butter. No chicken feet on this trip.

6. What is your favorite sport? That is a hard one. Rock climbing is definitely my favorite, but Kiev is a flat concrete jungle. There are no rocks to climb around here. However, being a PE teacher has broadened my sports skills and interests. Since August I have learned how to throw a perfect spiral in football, perfected the backhand swing in tennis, started to shoot hoops during breaks, and have become good at catching baseballs.

7. Pets? We brought our Australian Shepherd, Riley, to Ukraine. He has not enjoyed adjusting to apartment and city life, but we are still glad he is with us. When we first moved here he was most apprehensive about the elevator we take to the 16th floor. He would just spin in circles the whole way up and the whole way back down. He did this for about a month. Although we are in the city, we have found some good alternatives to the mountains. We take Riley to the dog park by our house where dog owners enjoy champagne, chocolates, and grapes while dogs play.

Took Riley for a walk in the forest and within seconds clouds came in and we were soaked! We ran home in the rain! I laughed the whole way!

This is our friend Katie. She is awesome and very special to us. Riley loves her too!

8. Favorite food? I am not crazy about the Ukrainian cuisine, other than Borscht (a very tasty beet and cabbage soup). My favorite food is Mexican food made by Americans (us) in Ukraine and shared with our Ukrainian and Canadian friends! Quite the International dish.

9. If you where a crayon, what color would you be? A crayon.....? We work at a very wealthy private school where all students have laptops, iPhones, iPads, and all the latest coolest gadgets. Crayons are a thing of the past. Do they even know what a crayon is?

10. Last movie you watched? Everything is Illuminated with Elijah Wood. It is a well done movie about a young man in the States who travels to Ukraine to find out about his family history. It was a good movie the first time we saw it, but now that we have lived in Ukraine, we appreciate the humor so much more! 'It is premium movie'.

11. What is your favorite thing to do in Kiev? I cannot get tired of walking downtown at Kreshadik. I love spending time with friends and Adam downtown. On weekends they close the main street down to cars and is only for pedestrian use. The architecture is outstanding and there is often music or cultural entertainment as well.

Walking downtown Kreshadik with our friends.

12. Favorite day while in Ukraine? I have many favorite days, like when we first moved here and Adam and I spent an evening putting our new home in order, making dinner and then he danced with me in the kitchen. Other favorite days include our 24 hour trip to beach town Odessa, Ukraine with our good friends Ken and Alyssa, and trip to Krivoy Rog to love children at a boys rehab center.

Adam getting some fresh air out the window of the trian to Odessa.

13. Living arrangements? We live in a luxurious apartment on the 16th floor. Our apartment is provided by KIS and is elaborately furnished. We are rustic mountain, earthy colored type people, however our Kiev apartment is adorned with red velvety couches, pink light fixtures, and Ukrainian-Victorian style furniture. Our dining table seats 12 and you feel like a king/queen when you sit in the living room chairs. It really is very nice and somehow we got extremely fortunate with our new home. Many other teachers do not have as nice of accommodations.

14. What are you afraid of? Although I know God has a plan and I have found peace with being pregnant and giving birth in Ukraine, I still fear being so far from home and family.


15. When was the last time you cried? Last night. Every Wednesday we have a Bible study small group with our closest friends. They've become our close family here. January-March I have to say there were many tears. I had tears of sadness, homesickness, and worry about what to do with a baby on the way while in Ukraine. Now I am happy to say last night were tears of happiness, I laughed so hard I cried. The real hard laugh that makes your cheeks hurt and gives you quite an abdominal workout! What a great group of friends we have.

Darkness in the Daylight

To be honest, I've never really experienced a sense of depression until moving to Kiev. Amidst all the amazing travels, culture and life experiences, as well as the surprise of Baby Runyan, I lived in a very depressed state throughout the winter months. I felt guilty for feeling this way because we were on a trip of a lifetime, and I should be on an ultimate high, but was at an all time low.


Of course part of this was influenced by a very dark and extremely cold Ukrainian winter and pregnancy hormones. However, now that I am in a life season of spring, I can reflect on the major issue that caused this emptiness and sadness in the depths of my soul.


I had left a climate of friends, family, a job I absolutely loved, a ministry I fully thrived in, a sense of purpose and worth, and a city I considered home. Generally I have a spirit of spontaneity and adventure. Moving abroad and not knowing what was ahead and what we would see was exhilarating. Although there were many exciting unknowns, I did have a plan for my life in terms of work and ministry.


Learning about Kiev I discovered that Ukraine has the highest rate of human trafficking of women and children in Eastern Europe. Human trafficking is modern day slavery which earns over $32 billion a year. It is the world's third largest organized crime, following arms and drug trafficking. Of the estimated 27 million people enslaved today, 80% are women and girls and 50% are minors. Men and boys are often trafficked for labor. Women and children are trafficked across boarders to service the sex tourism industry, forced into prostitution, or sent to live a life in brothels; at least until they are further tormented by a STD or are deemed undesirable by clients. Then these victims are kicked to the streets with nothing but the haunting of their betrayal and torture.

I learned about this global injustice a few years ago and since then I have sought for ways to get involved in anti-human trafficking efforts. Coming to Ukraine, my plan was to work for a NGO and fight trafficking of persons, through raising awareness and rehabilitation for victims. Once we moved to Kiev, a roadblock was everywhere I looked for opportunities to get involved. I became discouraged. I lost my passion, compassion, I let go of my passionate pursuit of God, and I went numb. I was empty.

Then God rocked my world.......

He called me to surrender my cares, worries, frustrations, and desires and lay them at his feet. I realized how judgemental, negative, lazy, and selfish I had become. I was so nearsighted on what I wanted that I was missing life changing and life impacting moments all around me. During worship at church God called me to my knees. Much more he called me to make a public confession of my surrender to him at the alter. I didn't want to go. I worried what others would think. Why must we care so much about not making others uncomfortable and less about disappointing our Lord? As I walked to the front of the church in obedience and total submission, the closer I got the more I just wanted to run and fall at His feet. I was broken. I fell to my knees praising and worshiping God ready to do his will and go where he leads. It was an amazing moment of cleansing and renewing of my spirit. I was overwhelmed and my peace and passion were restored.


To some of you this may not make sense, unless you've been in this moment yourself. What I want to share with you is this: Be open to God's plan for your life. It is a life of abundance and excitement. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I have loved my Lord since April 2001. The last three years I have been more in love with Him than ever. I desire to live my life as a love song for God. He has taken me on a wild life adventure as I open myself to his will and his plan for my life.

My life since 2007 (after college):

Happily married to the most amazing man
Been jobless and homeless traveling
Served at an orphanage in Peru
Learned Spanish
Learned to love orphans and children
Helped bring water to a village who had none
Been an art teacher
A preschool teacher
An English teacher
A direct sales person
Cable/Internet installer
Event Specialist for Compassion International
Served children living in poverty
Been a youth leader and mentor
Suffered from blood clots
Seen God pay off my hospital debt of over $20,000
Seen my mom come to love God more than I do
Seen an incredible work in my uncle turning from a life of drugs and alcohol to hope in Christ
Seen peace and joy restored to my family after three years of hardship and pain
Host parent to an 18 year old Brazilian
Traveled to Europe, Israel, and Egypt
Been a PE teacher
Taught over 56 nationalities
Studied Russian
Loved orphans in Ukraine
Loved and played with children at a boy's rehab center
And soon to experience life as a mommy.

Currently I am discussing opportunities to get involved in anti-human trafficking with IOM, and things are moving forward. I am excited for what God has in store for my life. Life with Him is a wild, passionate, and exciting ride! Hope you are on board!

Behind the Scenes

I've had a case of writer's block after my last post. This week Adam and I are traveling to an orphanage in Krivoy Rog, Ukraine. I hope that that will stir my heart again and give me the inspiration I need for my blog. I'm sure it will be an experience to share with you all.

I thought this would be a fun addition to the blog in the meantime....

Wonder how we get all those great jumping photos? Well, it doesn't come easy. Finding another tourist who can capture two people in the air at the same time AND get the landmark that we traveled to see comes as a challenge. We've learned to start looking for the young adults with really nice cameras strapped around their necks. Not all tourist are as committed to the quality shot like my father!..