We had a neat trip into Europe.
It was fascinating to visit other Eastern European countries after living so deeply in probably the farthest eastern most “European” country– and isn’t that what this war is all about? Will Ukraine really be the eastern end of Europe … or western end of Russia … ?
It was good because I realized how hard it is, comparatively, to live in this country: Police constantly on the roadside stopping cars, the ins and outs of a bribery state, the poor quality mass-building techniques, and the list goes on. I’m also glad I can say that Ukraine is probably easier to live in than Togo, West Africa, or Bangladesh, where my relatives have been and are missionaries.
It was also nice that we stayed with other missionaries, one night in Budapest and then for five days in Czech. It was nice to compare myself, in a good way, to these other families, to see what my own strengths, weaknesses and struggles are compared with other missionary families.
I realized some things I have that I haven’t ever really valued, like that I’m fairly fluent in Russian and that I have, for years, always wanted to be a missionary and always wanted to live here, where I live now. I never really valued that I’d had those things behind my back, helping support me, in a sense.
Things I struggle with: I don’t have an American missionary standard of living, nor do I have a Ukrainian standard of living. It’s a … well, it is what it is. Just my life, and it’s OK. I don’t want to say it’s “stressful” because finances are stressful for everyone breathing.
Now, the fun part! I peeked around my friends’ kitchen and looked at how they organized, decorated, the stuff they bought. … I am still growing a lot in this area.
My friend Julie has an awesome pantry. Nice shelves, a cooler place to store fruits and vegetables, and just really organized. I took pictures. They buy on sale and save money and stock up. (There’s more storage in the garage, they tell me.)
I’ve read about a pantry, but it’s something that really changes me when I look at it in real life. It was so beautifully clean and filled and organized. I’m impressed, and I want to start slowly incorporating some of what I saw.
Leave a Reply