Back in the Saddle

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Nathan

It's hard to believe that we have been back in Ukraine for over four months now! While we have had our share of challenges (more on that in a minute), we have also we have also experienced many blessings and answers to prayer.

God's Faithfulness

For starters, our trip back to Ukraine went about as well as could be expected. None of our flights were delayed or cancelled, and all our bags arrived with us. Our teammate, Josh, and assistant pastor, Vladyslav, were able to pick us up from the airport in two minivans, and then drive us to Lviv the next day. Once we arrived, we were immediately able to settle into an apartment our teammates arranged for us to rent (which is working out nicely!). We began the process of applying for residency permits (which were granted in April). About a week after arriving in Lviv, we transfered our belongings from storage to our apartment, and 99% of our things were still in good shape, despite their two-year stay in a 20-foot metal shipping container. And lastly, the things that didn't fit in our suitcases, that had to be shipped separately, were delivered without any issues.

It's good to see friends again!

Challenges

We have also experienced our share of challenges. First off, I will just say that moving internationally is no joke. I'm sure there are a lot of factors, but these international trips don't seem to be getting any easier.

The first challenge, which we expected, is the air raids. They usually happen at night, and average around two per week, so we've had to find a balance between taking preventative measures, and getting the sleep we need. Thankfully, our side of Ukraine is pretty quiet, and our city is almost never targeted.

A challenge we didn't anticipate was the rolling blackouts. Russia has been targeting Ukraine's power plants of late (among other things, like a children's hospital), and with the increased summer demand, our electricity is off anywhere from 6-10 hours per day. Thankfully, we were recently able to buy a portable power station (basically a giant rechargeable battery with outlets), which can keep the lower-wattage things going when the power is out.

Another challenge we didn't anticipate was Lyme disease. Despite having almost no run-ins with ticks since I arrived in Ukraine 20 years ago, three of our kids were bitten by ticks shortly after we arrived. Two of them seem to be fine, but Lydia contracted Lyme. God has provided a small team of medical practioners and individuals that are helping with treatment and advice. Lydia herself is feeling better than she was when initially diagnosed, but she still struggles with various aches and lower energy. We would appreciate your prayers for a full recovery!

Ministry

On the ministry front, our correspondence course, Bible First, continues to tick along, with five new students signing up in the last month. We've also seen an uptick in requests for Good and Evil books recently, probably because people are wanting to use them in various summer ministry venues. We recently sent out a batch of 900 books to various distributers, and it's looking like we will need to print more soon.

Kids from a camp in the Kharkiv region show off their new Good and Evil books.

Another unexpected ministry project was dropped in our laps a few months ago. Our good friend Serhii, who used to run Bible First before he was drafted, posted in several Facebook groups for librarians. In those posts, our ministry offered to send a Good and Evil and some other books to any library that requested them, and about 200 librarians from all across Ukraine responded! We are currently coming down the home stretch on getting those books sent out.

Working together to pack books for the libraries.

Family

Home life continues on, although working with the ever-changing rolling blackout schedule adds an extra layer of complexity to our days, especially since our apartment is 100% electric. While our power station can run some things, about the only major appliance it can run is the refridgerator and freezer. In a pinch, we have a couple gas camping stoves that we can use to heat things up. A part of every day is checking the "power forecast" for the day, and planning our day appropriately.

While we miss our American family and friends, one unexpected blessing is that we are living in the same building as our teammates! Now that we are living so close, the Day kids are able to get together with the Steele kids on a regular basis.

In summary, while our return to Ukraine hasn't been all smooth sailing, we are glad to be back, and we would appreciate your continued prayers for our family and ministry!