On Friday I head home.
Seriously?
It feel so weird, and honestly feels like a dream to me. It's just ridiculous to be leaving Ukraine, packing up and going home for a year or more. That's just silly.
I know that God's the same God here as He is at home, but I'm not the same person I was when I left for Ukraine in October. How the heck do I fit back into the dutchie, Berks County PA context?
And then, what do I say to people when they ask literally the dumbest question ever: "How was your trip?" A trip is a week or two, a month at the most. I lived in Ukraine for 8 months. That is not a trip. Please don't ask me to describe nearly a year of life in 2 sentences. Please don't break my heart like that.
After that, how do I explain to certain people (who view success only as the number of people converted to Jesus) the point of my time in Ukraine, how it wasn't a waste? So far, no one that I've come in contact with has become a Christian. I've been sharing Christ as I am able and planting hundreds and hundreds of seeds, and I'm totally cool with that. I know that the Holy Spirit is responsible for conversion- I'm just responsible to show up and speak as He leads, leaving the results up to Him. So I've been doing that. But I haven't seen fruit in the form of conversion. How do I answer those people who expect me to come home bearing a long list of those I've "won for Jesus"?
And how do I explain to people that Ukraine is not located in South America, that it is not still a part of Russia (or, better yet, that the USSR doesn't actually exist anymore), and that not all Ukrainians are pink-o commies bent on Amurican destruction? With grace (only from the Lord- because my grace is not equipped to answer those questions civilly).
Please pray for me as I transition back to home, even though it feels right now that I am leaving it rather than returning to it. Pray for grace from the Lord to deal with people, and myself. And pray for my goodbyes, that I say them well and use every opportunity to give God glory, even in tearful goodbyes.
Seriously?
It feel so weird, and honestly feels like a dream to me. It's just ridiculous to be leaving Ukraine, packing up and going home for a year or more. That's just silly.
I know that God's the same God here as He is at home, but I'm not the same person I was when I left for Ukraine in October. How the heck do I fit back into the dutchie, Berks County PA context?
And then, what do I say to people when they ask literally the dumbest question ever: "How was your trip?" A trip is a week or two, a month at the most. I lived in Ukraine for 8 months. That is not a trip. Please don't ask me to describe nearly a year of life in 2 sentences. Please don't break my heart like that.
After that, how do I explain to certain people (who view success only as the number of people converted to Jesus) the point of my time in Ukraine, how it wasn't a waste? So far, no one that I've come in contact with has become a Christian. I've been sharing Christ as I am able and planting hundreds and hundreds of seeds, and I'm totally cool with that. I know that the Holy Spirit is responsible for conversion- I'm just responsible to show up and speak as He leads, leaving the results up to Him. So I've been doing that. But I haven't seen fruit in the form of conversion. How do I answer those people who expect me to come home bearing a long list of those I've "won for Jesus"?
And how do I explain to people that Ukraine is not located in South America, that it is not still a part of Russia (or, better yet, that the USSR doesn't actually exist anymore), and that not all Ukrainians are pink-o commies bent on Amurican destruction? With grace (only from the Lord- because my grace is not equipped to answer those questions civilly).
Please pray for me as I transition back to home, even though it feels right now that I am leaving it rather than returning to it. Pray for grace from the Lord to deal with people, and myself. And pray for my goodbyes, that I say them well and use every opportunity to give God glory, even in tearful goodbyes.