I knew it would be hard to leave my family for a year. I didn't want to go because there were lots of things I was going to miss. It's going to be a big year for us. My mom graduated from nursing school; it's a big birthday year for my dad. My brother entered his senior year of high school and I will miss his last football and basketball seasons, the process of picking out a college, and ultimately his graduation. I'll also be gone for birthdays and holidays, but I put all of that aside in faith knowing this was going to be a great year regardless.
In Ukraine it started to wear on me that our internet connection was less than reliable, and sometimes all I wanted to do was have a private conversation with my family/friends back home. Obviously this was pretty difficult with 26 other people living in the same house. The outside picnic table was only place I could hope to carry on a meaningful conversation without having the call dropped 1 million times or the person on the other line sounding like a robot. One night I was at the picnic table talking to my mom, because like you would expect, it is not always easy peasy living in such close community. As our conversation went more indepth, I just stared across the road hearing all the familiar sounds associated with living in a village but not really paying attention. All of a sudden, I heard a loud pop and saw a flash of light. The barking that one minute ago had been background noise was now silent. I stopped what I was saying and whispered, "Mom, I think someone just shot the dog." I lost connection after that because I had to go inside; another conversation interrupted.
Shortly after that hype died down, we left Ukraine for debrief in Moldova. After a crazy trip there, we made it to our campsite in the backwoods of Moldova with no internet or plumbing. At first it was a little shocking but then I took full advantage of the much needed rest. Yesterday I got to our ministry site for this month and had internet for the first time in one week. I listened to my messages and found out that while I was at debrief with no internet my brother suffered a serious concussion. I can't describe how terrible it feels to find out – a world away, mind you – my brother was hospitalized without my knowledge (fyi, it's not that they didn't try to tell me, I just didn't have internet).
It's not easy living so far away from loved ones or with people I just met 3 months ago. We've had to learn each other's quirks and find a balance between socialization and alone time. Even though it's not without struggles, it's not always hard. We have fun; we laugh and we cry together. We've learned how to love each other and fight for one another. I've realized I need people to fight for me when I'm too broken and can't fight for myself. I need someone to lean on when something happens with my family and I'm too far away to go home.This Race wouldn't be possible without my team of amazing women!
So far away from home, I need friends to have my back when somebody shoots the dog.
