A Big Deal

Most of you should know, almost exactly three years from now, I had the privilege of traveling to Ukraine with my parents to bring my little brothers home. Even though I was only eleven, I was impacted by the three weeks I spent in that beautifully diverse country, and all of it's people- well, God's people that is.  Even though I did enjoy it there, I was ready to come home after just a few days. I suppose I was just focused on getting home with Gabe and Levi and 'finishing' the adoption process. But the funny thing is, as soon as we got home, I wanted to go back! I continually prayed God would bring along an opportunity for me to do so. I had dreams, of becoming a missionary and working within the orphanages there one day. Of course I had made the realistic assumption that it would be years down the road though.


When the opportunity came up for me to travel with Jennifer Quinn on her "gotcha trip", I was ecstatic, to say the least. Once things in Ukraine began to heat up, my parents were unsure about letting me go. As any parent would have the right to be. A couple months went by, and things started to calm down, according to the news anyway. Even though Jennifer and Marty were there on their first trip already, and reported that things were peaceful, there were still tragic stories popping up here and there that didn't help my mom and dad's insecurities. When I mentioned the thought of me going to Ukraine to my friends, they were slightly caught off guard so to speak. They would remind me of what was going on at the moment, and were obviously somewhat concerned. My family did the same. They expressed how worried they were for my safety. Which again, I can't blame them for. But you know what's weird? I wasn't afraid. Not one bit. I just had this overwhelming peace about the whole thing. Even after friends and family would read me articles about the current events taking place in UA, fear still failed to strike me. I knew God had placed this peace in me, and I knew it was for a reason. I mean, here I am, fourteen years old, about to fly 5,795 miles away from my home and family, to spend 2+ weeks in a foreign country with a woman (whom is awesome, I may add!) I had only known for about a year. And those that truly know me, know that I am a naturally shy and timid person. Anxiety is a familiar word to me, I guess you could say. So this was a big deal for me. I don't even like to order by myself at restaurants. So yes, a very big deal indeed. Not to mention, I reeeally don't like flying. My ears always pop and ache from the pressure. But again, this didn't seem to hesitate my decision one bit.

After lots of praying and talking, my parents made the brave decision to let me go. The next few days to follow, were some of the happiest days I have had. That all came to a quick end when I woke up one Friday morning to some not so happy news. My mom had just gotten off the phone with Jennifer, to explain to me the "new plan". She told me that the Quinn's just got news they would need to leave the next day, for court. At least, that's pretty much all I got out of it. That, and the fact that I wasn't going with them. The whole thing was just really confusing to be honest. Plus, I did just wake up...

Besides the fact that it was obviously extremely last minute, I stayed home for safety. My mom had asked several friends, some of which are living in UA at the moment, for advice before they had made the final decision to let me go. She wanted to get opinions from reliable, and experienced people. After speaking with our facilitator, who also happens to be the Quinn's facilitator, my parents agreed it was best for me not to travel at the time. I was pretty bummed. Well, really bummed actually. Of course it was disappointing, because I had my heart set on going and was beyond excited about it. But I made the choice to trust the Lord for the way things had turned out, and continue to praise Him even though I felt like throwing a 2 year old temper tantrum. A couple of weeks had passed, and things slowly began to look like I might actually have a chance at going after all! I still refused to get my hopes up, until everything was for sure this time.

Jennifer called my mom to tell her she needed to book the flights for what would be her third trip, to finally rescue those sweet boys of hers. I knew my mom and dad had not made any official decision at this point, and now she was asking for my passport number to buy my plane ticket. My dad was at work that morning, so my mom called him after talking to Jennifer, to discuss the situation. I have no idea what was said, but it was obviously good on my part, because it concluded to me receiving info about the flights! According to Halyna, (our amazing facilitator) and the Quinn's, everything is cool and calm right now. And you KNOW you can trust their word if anyone, being that they are living in it. I trust God will protect us, as do my parents. I also know that this must be part of His plan, simply because of the miraculous way things have worked together for good! For example, the timing, even though a few weeks ago I didn't want to believe it, is perfect. Because if I was to have gone with Jennifer and Marty when they did, I would have missed my uncle's wedding taking place this weekend. I also would have missed my violin recital, and various events. Even though I was willing to give them up, I'm still grateful I was able to make them.


SO, if you're still reading, props to you. And in case you were wondering, I will be beginning the long trek to beautiful Ukraine, with Jennifer, next Saturday:) I am totally psyched!!!