Every year when I return home from my annual Ukraine trip,
I spend time reflecting on how amazing it is that my love for cookies
always manages to be a huge contributor to the make-up of the trip.

If you're not aware, I use the proceeds I make from blog revenue,
cookie sales, and cookie decorating classes,
to fund my travel to Ukraine and the ministries we participate in while there.
You can read more about it here.

This blog post attempts to share the "cookie side" of the trip's story.
For a full report of the overall mission trip, you can read about it here.

Beyond the cookie-related financial contributions, actual cookies are a big part of the trip.
Each year, I take as many small cookies as possible to pass out to all those we visit and minister to.
The airbrush lace cookies shown above were this year's design.
I ended up carrying 200 small square cookies in my checked luggage. :)
To me, it's about "spreading cookie love".
Plus, I want the Ukrainians to know that even cookies can make a difference in this world.

The 2015 Ukraine trip started on Thursday, May 14.
Together with my two other team members, we left St. Louis, Missouri for L'viv Ukraine,
arriving about 24 hours later.


Prior to our trip, we shipped several boxes of needed items,
including a pile of cookie decorating supplies.
It was nice to arrive to our final destination finding the cookies and supplies making it in good shape.


One of the initial projects we attempted were Dum Dum bouquets for centerpieces at the senior tea.
My OCD-ness came in handy as I gladly separated out hundreds of suckers by color. :)


The bouquets looked so pretty on the tables.....
and the seniors loved taking handfuls of suckers home to share with their families.


For the women's camp, the ladies are treated to a variety of "classes" they can attend.
This year, I offered a basic cookie decorating class.
With 80+ ladies in attendance, this required us to have a major baking session in our hostess' home.





The process was even more time consuming because we could only put
one cookie sheet in the oven at a time!



But several hours later, we had baked and boxed up 170 cookies for the event!


The women's camp site is gorgeous......but the weather was not exactly cooperative.
Most of the three days we were there it was rainy and cool.
One day, it was downright cold.....47 degrees and windy!


But despite the weather, we had a fabulous time being together and
enjoying a break from our everyday lives.
For most of these women, having three meals a day served to them is extremely rare!
You can just look at their faces and see how much they enjoyed this treat.



I had the awesome privilege of sharing a Bible study with the ladies each day.


This photo below shows a small window of time on the first full day of camp when it was actually
sunny and beautiful outside.
Just a few hours later, there was a torrential rain storm with flooding occurring at the camp entrance!


The morning of the cookie decorating class, Nadia and I worked on making glaze at 7 AM.
As you can see below, there was only one outlet in the work area,
and that location didn't happen to have a counter close to it.
So I mixed glaze on a child-sized chair!


The work area was very challenging......nothing like at home.



But some how we managed to fill 50+ tipless bags of glaze for the ladies.


They had a blast. I had a blast. It was a very good time! ♥








Notice those beautiful cookie boxes in the photos.
Those were donated by our good friends at BRP Box Shop!




And after the crazie long work day providing the cookie decorating class to over 60 women,
it was time to relax and regroup with some yummy herbal tea and honey. :)


Here's a photo slide show of the 2015 Ukraine women's camp.

Our final day in Ukraine was spent wandering the streets of downtown L'viv.
It's such a beautiful city with some gorgeous sites.


The candy store boasted many varieties I have never seen before.




The local coffee roasting shop even had some decorated cookies for sale!



Once we returned to our host home, a package was waiting for me
from a Ukrainian friend that lives in the capital city, Kiev.
We had hoped to meet face-to-face....and when that wasn't possible,
Natalia sent me these lovely cookies and gifts in the Ukrainian mail. :)


Our team was still going strong after two weeks of ministry.
(L to R: Pam, Dave, Donna)


We were grateful for a smooth trip home.

And once back in my own kitchen, I was able to enjoy gifts I received from my Ukrainian family......
herbal tea and local honey.
It gave me a chance to ponder the trip and say a word of thanks to God for all He allowed us to do.




♥♥♥

2015 Ukraine Trip Recap
Photo Slide Show of 2015 Women's Camp