Leaving Home

After much thought and prayer, we feel that God is moving us back to California. There are several factors involved in our decision to leave Ukraine. The most important reason being Edna's health and the progression of the conditions affecting her spine. Many of you have been following her progress through our blogs and we thank you for all of the prayers and encouraging words. Unfortunately Edna has gotten to the point where the pain and discomfort have made everyday life a struggle. She can't sit or stand for any period of time or even carry a bag of groceries without feeling pain. The medications that are available here deal with the swelling and inflammation, but they are also potentially damaging her kidneys. The medications that she received on our visit back to CA seemed to be helping, but they are not available here and an effort by a private doctor to get them from the U.S., France, or Russia was not successful. She would also benefit from physical therapy like the kind she received in CA, making our decision that much clearer.

So it is with heavy hearts that we have started the process of leaving what we consider to be our home here in Ukraine. This is not to say that we don't miss all of our friends and family back in CA, but we have spent the last 2 1/2 years pouring ourselves into the lives of those around us with the hope of making Christ known to them. We have made so many friendships here that we know will remain even after we leave, but we can't help feeling a sense of loss in leaving Ukraine. We feel as if there is still so much to be done here, but we know that God is moving us on and He has a plan for us.

Thank you to all of you who have already welcomed us back to CA. We will need your continued prayers and support as we are planning for a March 1st, 2010 departure date.