We entered this country in the early morning hours and I slept through the border crossing. When we finally arrived at our home for the month, I felt calm. Not nervous or anxious. The kind of calm one feels when entering your own home after a long day.
Our hosts this month are kind and loving and I adore their family. The town we live in is small and quaint and it is nearly impossible to go out without passing someone you know on the street.
But beneath the surface of calm is an uncertainty. An uncertainty about what the future holds. We work with students all day teaching English and they are always completely shocked to see six Americans in Ukraine. We always give the students a chance to ask us questions and the most asked question is not about American food or what kind of music we like, but what do we think about the current political situation in Ukraine.
The other question we get asked all the time, weren’t you afraid to come to Ukraine given the current situation? Our answer is always no, not at all. The fact that we, six American women are in Ukraine at this exact moment in time is no accident. We have been given an incredible platform to share hope to the young people of this town and this nation. We have addressed hundreds of students in the week and a half we have been here and we always draw a crowd because most of the other Americans have already left the country.
The people I have met in this country are inspiring. Even in the midst of complete uncertainty, they have incredible courage. I am so honored to be here during this time to learn more about this culture and to spread hope to the people here.
Please continue to pray for the people of Ukraine, that they would find hope in the midst of uncertainty.
