I don’t know where I begin.

The family from Ukraine arrived in the middle of December.  I wish I could tell you their entire story.  I really do.  But they are a private family, and their story is theirs to tell, not mine.

But here’s what I can tell you.  I love them with all of my heart.  I love all four of them.  They lived here for a while and now they’re working and have moved out into their own place.  But, our bond with them is forever.  We text daily, see each other often, and we share life together.  We love them as if they were our blood.  

I always thought I would be helping them.  But, God is showing me the bigger picture once again. He gave me new family and blessed me to the hilt with the most precious people.  It shouldn’t work out this way, I know.  We don’t even fully speak the same language (thank you, Google Translate).  But, God doesn’t follow the rules.  He doesn’t live by logic.  

Following Him on this adventure is one of the best things I’ve ever done.  It has been a blast and some of the biggest joys of my life have involved getting this family here and settled.  Now they are a part of our everyday life, and we are part of theirs.  Getting to see our country through their eyes has been such a fascinating journey for me.  We are blessed here in America, friends.  

I don’t know how He does it.  He worked out every little challenging detail for them to arrive here safely and begin a new life.  He absolutely showed off throughout this entire process, and He delighted me to no end.  

I see Him so differently now.  I don’t know why, but He’s even more personal to me than before.  He partnered with me on this.  He cleared every obstacle for me.  He assimilated an army of friends and neighbors to help.  He used me, but He did all of the hard work.

Picking them up in the airport was surreal.

Having Christmas with them brought me to tears.

Now, His miracles continue, day after day.

And after all of this, I’ve realized something.  I am miserable without generosity.  I am built to help other people.  It brings my soul and my spirit so much joy.  I want to continue to live my life this way.  I have no desire to continue along the selfish path I used to live.

I want to be generous with my time, with my complements, as well as my money.  I want to embark on new adventures with God.  He is the biggest blast!  

And this time, I want to take you with me.  I want to write about it.  In fact, God has told me to write about it.  So, I’ve been spending some time just thinking about my life, and what that means for me.  I suppose in many ways, nothing changes.  I still have my same job.  I have my same obligations.  There’s no overwhelming changes.  

But, what if instead of focusing on the job as a means to get ahead, I look at it as a money-making tool enabling me to lead a more generous life?  What if I changed my outlook on my life completely?

Being a part of this story has changed me forever.  I’m hooked now on God’s adventures and what He might have planned for me next.