Zaporozhye

Street Sign in Zap. (237 km from Donetsk)

I can't believe it's been two months since we last posted on here! I guess it's time to catch you all up on what's happening in our lives here in Ukraine.

We've really settled into life here in Kiev. It's been a huge blessing to have some stability in our lives. When we felt the Lord calling us to move to Kiev last May, we knew that that Lord was only calling us to be here temporarily. We still believe that the calling on our lives is in eastern Ukraine, but we know we're supposed to be in Kiev right now, waiting on the Lord.

So, how long will we be in Kiev, just waiting? That's a great question, and we have no answer! So far, we've been here for 6 months. When we initially moved here to Kiev, we knew we could be here anywhere between 6 months and any number of years. Waiting is difficult, but waiting on the Lord is ALWAYS worth it in the end.

These last 6 months in Kiev have blessed us so much. We've had the opportunity to really connect with the Calvary Chapel Kyiv family. We've also been able to invest in friendships with many of our friends that are living in Kiev. This has been a special blessing to me. One of my good friends is a girl that I met years ago at an English camp, and it's been really awesome for me to be in the same area of Ukraine as her over the last few months. Although we haven't been able to spend tons of time together, I've been really blessed to get to see her more frequently than I saw her in the past.

Famous Cossack Monument with Friends in Zap. 

And, of course, it's been awesome being able to have a stable life with Yana and Yana living with us. All of us have been through a lot over the last couple of years, and it's been cool to see how the Lord is restoring pieces of all of our lives that felt destroyed because of the past.

As Byron and I have been waiting in Kiev, we find ourselves praying daily for the Lord to give us wisdom and to show us what He wants us to do. We've had a lot of different opportunities for ministry come up since we've been in Kiev - but none of them seemed to be the "thing" that the Lord was wanting us to leave Kiev for, so, we've just kept praying.

As we've been praying, our desire to be in eastern Ukraine keeps growing and strengthening. With that in mind, a few months ago, two different pastors here at CC Kyiv asked us to pray about serving in Zaporozhye. At first, I was totally closed off to the idea. Mostly because I was starting to feel attached to Kiev and not willing to pick up and move again. I have to be honest, it's really not easy moving frequently. And even as I write this, my mind is screaming that I need to just stay put and not move again for a VERY long time. But then the Spirit reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:25, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

Whatever I think is best, in all of my wisdom, is still weak and and foolish when compared to what the Lord thinks is best. Staying in Kiev makes sense to me, but also, Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."

Hydroelectric Dam in Zap.

So where is the Lord directing our steps? Truthfully, I don't know yet.

However, I do know this... Over the last few months, as we've been praying and waiting on the Lord, my heart has changed about Zaporozhye. As Byron and I have been praying, the Lord gave us an opportunity to go and visit Zaporozhye and scout things out. And while we were there, the Lord gave both of us a huge heart and compassion for the city.

Now, does that mean we're supposed to move there? Again, I just don't know yet. Maybe we're supposed to move, maybe we're just supposed to pray for Zaporozhye. But regardless, I know we have to keep seeking the Lord and trusting that He will continue to make our path straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). My own understand says stay in Kiev. But I think the Lord has planned something bigger than staying here.

Since we returned from visiting Zaporozhye, we've really been seeking the Lord and asking for direction. Right now, we haven't received any confirmations, one way or another, about moving to Zaporozhye. So for now, we are all (Byron, me, Yana, and Yana) praying and asking the Lord to show us what to do. One of the biggest question marks for us is what about Yana and Yana? Well, we don't have an answer to that question right now. However, it's been cool to see how the Lord is teaching all of us to seek Him about His will for our lives. As Byron and I are praying about Zaporozhye, Yana and Yana are also praying and seeking the Lord.

Khortitsa Island

Okay, so what happens in the mean time? Well, for us, life will continue as normal. We will continue studying Russian. We will continue working here and doing ministry here in Kiev. We will continue to use Kiev as a holding place, and we will continue to seek the Lord as we wait to hear what He wants us to do.

Whoever said the Christian life is boring must not have been a Christian :) Our lives are far from boring, even in the seasons of waiting!

Thank you for praying for us, for Yana and Yana, and for the Lord's will to be done in our lives and in Ukraine!

Blessings,
Emily