The Goodbye's

  March 12, 2018

     We had arrived back at their house to gather our things and prepare to head back to Kiev.  My plane would leave the following morning (Tuesday) at 6am.  Once there at their house I was able give Andriy's grandmother a little piece of my heart by way of a note that Kostya translated for me.  It was one that thanked her for who she was, what she had been and planned to do.  It told her how much we appreciated her and whatever she needed we would do our best to provide.   It ended with

  "Thank you for taking care of him when I cannot"

   She read it with tears as I watched with the same. She knew we loved him, and boy did she love him as well.  She reminded me so much of my grandmother.  She built her life around caring for him.  She was always up before him with breakfast made.  Washing and hanging his clothes to dry.  Lunch and Dinner were always ready.  I even at one point got on to him for not helping her carry

The last day

some things out to the chickens and she pointed to his arm (which at this time still had the cast).  Give me a break! Ha! I said "He has two"! She just laughed.  So yeah, he's taken care of and do you remember how he wouldn't leave with me, ever.  I had finally got the truth out of him as to why.  He didn't want to leave his grandmother there alone.   Just as much as she loves him, he too loves her.

   This however would lead the way to a very needed conversation, Summer hosting.  Seeing as he didn't want to leave grandma for even a few hours, how in the world was he going to leave the Country for a few months!  We had talked briefly about summer hosting a couple of days earlier as I had already thought about this possibility and all he could tell me then was that he was not sure.  However, on my last day there we had to come up with a plan as I would need to let the organization we use, Project 143, know whether or not we would be hosting or not.  So with the help of Kostya he was able to talk with Grandma and get her thoughts and whether or not she was ok with him coming.  She of course was, and this eased many of Andriy's fears giving the go head to Summer hosting.

   So now we had to leave. Blah.  I bet I walked back to his room 7 times to just hug him!  He didn't come to the door to say his goodbyes, he stayed in his room.  So I hugged him over and over there in his room and made my way out.  As we walked out the front door to leave I had Kostya ask his grandmother if there was ANYTHING she needed before we left.  I'll never forget, and I'll never EVER be the same because of it.  She simply said,

     "I only want to have food for us, for our water to work and our house to be warm"

 Grandma had walked with us to the stop while Andriy stayed back and we hugged her once more there with tears and made our way onto bus number one.  We'd go from there to the area right out side my hotel and wait for the bus that would take us back to Kiev.   I'd listen to a play list that I had on repeat each and every day while there.   Something some of you may not know about me, but music is my therapy.  I guess the music played would depend on the therapy needed.  For me the therapy most often needed is that from God.   His grace, His plan, His faithfulness, His power, His sovereign ways, His presence.  I would need these reminders constantly throughout this trip, my way home and very single day since being back.

Bus lady number one

    We arrived in Kiev, rode the subway back toward Kostya's house and then waited again for another bus.  This particular bust stop took sardine to a whole new level.  It was more like a can of worms, or biscuit's that when you opened it the contents just exploded out.  Bus after bus would bring these people and then more people would pile in.  The laughter this would bring was greatly needed.  Not to mention the bus ride from Andriy's house to the first stop just so happened to have bus lady number one which was also quite comical as I tried to snap photos of her so I'd always remember her, and no it wasn't the sweet second lady.

    I'm so thankful God met me in those places bringing laughter despite the heartache.  Having Kostya as a travel guide and protector was a testament to God's faithful plan and protection.  I've often told people since being back, I had not laughed that much, nor cried that
 much in a very long time.  I

Last sardine bus ride

needed both.

    We eventually arrived back to Kostya's house close to 10 pm that Monday evening.  After visiting with his mother for a little while and getting my bags packed Kostya said "so do you want to take a nap or what"  I laughed and said a NAP?  He said, "we have to be up at 2" - being as it was pretty close to midnight at this point a nap is exactly what I took.  After about an hour and a half of the sleep you get when you know you have something very important to do, which means you hardly sleep at all because you wake up in a panic every 30 minutes certain that you missed it, I woke to his mother cooking us a wonderful meal.  It's 2am ya'll.  I know where Kostya

Maybe becuase it was the closest thing to Amrican
food we ate, but this was one of my favorites!

gets his heart from.  His sweet momma had not slept yet as she was up preparing this meal so that I would not be hungry before I left.

    We hugged while saying our goodbyes and Kostya and I hopped in the Uber to make our way to the Airport.  I got all checked in, a few pictures next to the 🛧💓 KBP, and hugged Kostya one last time. It was like departures in America with the children except I was the child and Kostya was the parent.  He stood there and watched till he couldn't see me any longer.  Then sent messages to make sure I was where I needed to be in order to board my plane.

   First stop, Germany.  I'd be here for a very small layover, and would then board a plane that would take me straight to

Kiev Airport 

Dallas.  I'd use the same techniques to get me from Germany to Dallas as I did from Chicago to Vienna.  Sleep, books, music, movies and food.  Eleven or so hours later I landed in Dallas.  What should have been feelings of relief and excitement for being home was instead feelings of wanting nothing more than to have not ever returned. Plot twist right?!

   That isn't to say that I was not thrilled to see my husband and children, because I was.  I mean, have you seen them?  It was just that I was not ready to go back to living the life I had become so accustomed to after leaving behind a population of people who only wanted,

  "food for us, for our water to work and our house to be warm."

 I'd return home to a place that expected the same me that left a week ago to return.  The only problem was that I wasn't the same and coming back different to a place that's the same is very, very difficult.