Yes - Megan is pregnant! (15 weeks this week; our baby is about the size of an eclair)
Our baby is due May 20, 2020; pretty close to the end of the school year with a last day of May 27. Last Thanksgiving, we had only been dating a few weeks. This Thanksgiving we are expecting our first child! The Lord is absolutely incredible and we have an endless stream of things to be thankful for! We know you undoubtedly have a host of questions, so let us try to answer a few at the beginning.
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Today, you may have wondered if you were going to have a snow day tomorrow.
You want to know what those of us in Ukraine spent our day wondering about? Over the weekend, Russia fired upon, rammed, and captured three Ukrainian vessels in the Sea of Azov (off the Black Sea), injuring 3 and capturing 20+ sailors. After the President convened an emergency military council, the day was filled with rumors of formal declarations of war and whether or not nationwide martial law would be implemented. Today the parliament of Ukraine (Rada) convened for an emergency session at 4pm our time and for 5+ hours debated the measures to be voted on. In the end, a revised measure was passed with 276 votes (only 226 were needed) to enact martial law in the provinces bordering Russia for 30 days. Speculation blustered as much as your midwest snow did. Rumors of election motivated conspiracies abounded as well as the most grim pictures of potential issues for expats. Many talked of potential evacuation; go all the way back to the US or to a neighboring county, by which route, how soon should you leave, etc. Other spoke of provisions and hunkering down. Texts and emails flew back and forth as we all waited with nervous patience. Family and close prayer supporters were immediately notified. The school emergency call tree was published. Prayers were uttered between classes or in brief moments of inactivity. Eyes were cast down and shoulders shrugged with “I don’t know.” I myself began planning ahead. What would martial law look like? How would it impact communication with home? What’s the best way to ensure my girlfriend gets out of Ukraine as well, if needed? How much can I get out of the bank while there is still time? Should I be concerned that the Ukrainian government now has my fingerprints as a result of the TRP process? Before I knew it, the afternoon was gone. My energies and resources spent on empty speculation and fruitless hand wringing. All the while, at the far reaches of my mind, a verse I read Sunday morning before returning to Kyiv from a weekend trip to Lviv, was poking through – trying to get my attention and redirect my faith on its proper object. Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. – Psalm 20:7 That same morning, I read Deuteronomy 20 where the Lord encouraged His people to not fear armies bigger than they, or horses and chariots mightier than their own. He says explicitly: “You are not to be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” Then some dear friends reminded me of the very Psalm which I appears at the top of this site: Psalm 139. “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to You; the night is bright as the day; for darkness is as light with You.” In providence, the Lord reminded me of these words this afternoon. It immediately reoriented my outlook and calmed the rising fears. My thoughts grew clear, my confidence in the Lord’s provision grew sure, and my soul thanked the Lord for his abiding goodness and care. There is much that still remains to be clarified and it is unknown if we will be in this same position 32 days from now. Time will tell if there is more to the story than meets the eye and whether or not this is part of a larger drama concerning the presidential election in March. Whatever the case may be in the days to come, I will keep Psalms 20 and 139 close to my memory. As I pray for your safety in the midst of a blizzard, pray for Ukraine. |