Coming back to Ufa has been an interesting endeavor for me. Part of me feels as if I have come back home after a 6 month vacation and then the other part of me feels as if I couldn’t be any farther away from home. You see, when a burden is put on your heart for a certain group of people it only feels natural to be around them. Getting the chance to revisit with people that I had spent four months getting to know and pouring my life into was such a joy. On the other hand, having to face the stresses of everyday life like getting around on public transportation, paying different bills, grocery shopping, and others that would normally not be a problem for me in my home country, only reminds me that this is not America. The system is different than I am used to. The language is not my native language. The worldview here is different than where I grew up. These factors are all reminders of the fact that I am a foreigner!

            Being a foreigner, however, is not a bad thing. Yes, it can be stressful at times, but I feel that it is something that can be used to help me connect with people here and really build strong relationships with them. Here’s an example from the past week in which being a foreigner can be used for good. I had the opportunity to go down to a youth camp and spend a night there helping out and just talking with some kids. During their evening session they asked the kids what they enjoyed most about the day. One of the responses was that the Americans came. They were just excited about simply having the presence of Americans on the campsite. I was asked to share my life story with the some of the kids that night. You see, God can take something that may at times be frustrating for us and use it for the good of His kingdom. I have learned to embrace my foreignness for this short time and look for opportunities to use it for good, knowing that one day I will be in a place in which I will no longer be a foreigner, but rather a child in the presence of my Father. 

Kelly W.