I am an ordinary girl from Ukraine, also a wife and mother of three kids. For the past two years, my family has lived in Poland. We have been waiting all this time to return to Ukraine and reclaim our old life. In Ukraine, just before the war, I organized an art school, fulfilling a dream I had since childhood. I studied art from the age of 10 until 15 in a professional art school, and then spent 7 more years in university. After completing my education, I decided to utilize all my skills for art charity projects, mostly in orphanages. One of my goals was to use art to help people and, of course, to create the most friendly space for learning art. It was fulfilling. The house we rented to live in provided a perfect space for our family and business. From the beginning, I had more than 30 students, and some IT companies were coming for workshops. My husband also developed his business project – creating spicy sauces that were so good and so spicy that local restaurants ordered a lot of his products.
Now I understand that a career or business is not as important compared to saving lives and mental health. I have regretted and cried a lot about the people we used to live near. Our neighbor used to invite my little Lizzy to play with her daughter and supported me with gentle words and actions. Other neighbors were a pastor’s family from my church. It’s difficult to write that I don’t have these people next to me anymore. But God, in all periods of my life, has always given me the best people, the best mentors, and good friends. If someone asks me why I want to return to Ukraine, the answer is simple – to be next to the best people on Earth. But I believe that God is leading us to America now to meet other awesome people. My husband and I have decided to focus more on family needs and relationships within the family. Joey is excited to live again in Texas, but before, we thought that the USA was not a safe place to raise kids. I guess anyway, it’s no longer a safe place in this world. And with the new baby, who arrived on March 23, 2024, we need much more stability with finances, relationships, home, etc.
A little earlier, I had a negative attitude about moving to America. I thought that I would have to protect myself all the time, protect my cultural identity, protect my kids from fast food, and explain to people why we are not winning the war. After labor, already at home, I had a high fever for a few days. On the third day, I was going to call for an ambulance but decided to pray first and ask some friends to pray. I was afraid to be separated from the newborn baby and my other kids. That time, God spoke to me a lot. He said that I draw too many negative pictures in my head and that I have to do something opposite. I have to already appreciate the new family, new church, new friends, and every connection that I will have. It’s a bad thing to live with a negative attitude, and if I can describe Americans with one word, I will say that they are positive people, and I will try to learn from them.
If someone wants to join my prayer:
Holy God, thank you for this opportunity to move to the USA. Please lead us step by step with everything that we need to organize for the kids. Thank you to all these people who are waiting for us there and want to help. Thank you that already someone is giving some toys and useful things to our kids. Teach me to be a more organized and positive person. Help us to serve people there, to love people who need it. We need your help with this new start. Thank you for your word.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
