It has been one year since we left Canada.
I wouldn't say that I'm an emotional person and I don't usually focus a whole lot on specific moments in my life but this year has been full of major changes and there is a lot to reflect on.
It's funny - since being here we've watched a few movies, have read and heard about several people who have uprooted their families and moved across the world. Even thinking about any Mennonite heritage you realize that they left everything to move across the world (okay so they didn't have much here anymore and were super oppressed here) but the thought that always goes through my head is "HOW could anyone do that?! How are they brave enough to do that? That's so scary!!" But then I kind of laugh at myself as I am reminded that oh yeah...I'm in Ukraine - we did that! But it just doesn't feel the same! I don't feel brave or like an exceptional family. I feel the complete opposite - overly normal and average and with nothing special about us....except that God called us up and said Go.
The first few months were rough. We had very few friends, it was winter so there was nowhere to go, we spoke little Russian so even going to the grocery store was painful, draining and a chore. There was a lot of frustration with the culture - things that bothered us that for everyone else were completely normal. There was one day where I was in the middle of making supper and I was mad and was praying out loud in frustration and anger, just wanting to be HOME and then all of a sudden the words came out of my mouth: "I don't even what on earth I'd be doing in Canada because I'm not supposed to be there." I screeched to a halt in the middle of the kitchen, stunned that those words were even in my brain because I just sooooo wanted to be home.
Once spring started, we had Bobi and Justin join us and things started to get easier. We made more friends, more connections, Bobi's help with the language was incredible and we started to settle into a routine.
Before we left home we felt that the first few months here would be rough and that if we could go in winter which was also a tough time, we'd get all of the hard part out of the way all at once and by the time summer came around we'd be good to go, and that's really how it worked out. Summer was awesome - we always had things to do, activities to be involved in, people to hang out with, it was great. I really started to feel like this is home - the roller coaster ups and downs were definitely fewer and farther in between. I adopted a motto of sorts that is "if I don't laugh about it, I'll cry" and it really changed my outlook on frustrating situations that I couldn't change. It's much easier now to let cultural, frustrating things go and choose to be joyful in spite of them. God has truly been changing my heart and teaching me to chill out with things like that.
God has shown up in huge ways again and again for us this year. It's so cool knowing that He is the reason we're here and anything we do is because He has made it possible. We rely on Him for everything in a different way that we did in Canada - there we relied on Him for sure but here now, we're following through - doing the thing He asked us to do - it's just totally different relationship-wise. He told us to come here, we're here and now it's HIM who does everything. He brings us people, He makes connections for us, He heals where we need healing, He speaks to those who need speaking to, He gives us ideas and vision of what's next. Every day I am reminded that He loves us so very, very much.
This has definitely been one of the most memorable years in my life so far and I know that God has so much more for us here that we have no idea about and I can't wait to see how this next year goes!
We again thank you so much for your continued support in prayer and financially. We would love for as many visitors as possible to come and see for yourselves, and be involved in all the amazing stuff we've got going on!!! God is amazing and uses each one of you to bless us and continue His work!
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