This week has been a difficult one with the passing of one of the greatest ‘uncles’ I knew. He was the one with the bright shining smile and the positivity that just radiated from all sides of him. He was a spiritual leader for many and an example for all. I didn’t think that his death would happen this quickly especially since I just came back from Kazakhstan where I had spent almost three weeks with him in our team. When people ask me what I remember about him all I think about is how much he wanted to share about Jesus. He burned for Jesus. All his talk was about heaven and how amazing it would all be there. He was waiting for that amazing day when he would be in heaven and it happened… For some, it happened too quickly while for God it was perfect.

I have for a long time dwelt on the thought of the legacy left to us by the generations that passed before us. It’s not a coincidence that we were born in the family we have, with the parents we have, with the grandparents we have. Somehow all the generations before us led to us. For every single person to exist on earth God planned our forefathers to live before us. To me that is unbelievable. If anything went differently in history I may not have been here on earth today.

Back in May, I wrote a journal entry about the Legacy of my Family. I was reflecting on how God has led my family in the past years and where that has brought me to today. Throughout my twenty-six years of life, God has let me experience many missionary trips. Some call me a missionary yet it seems like such a big word when you compare it to the missionary ministry of Paul. Yet, somehow God still uses me to spread the gospel. But, how did this come to be?

In my reflection, I realized that at least three family members have helped me on my life journey. The first is my grandfather. He became a Christian in his twenties after coming home from World War II. His faith was always so real. He always found a moment to testify to people. In Ukraine, he would stop his car just to pick up people who needed a ride. He would tell them the gospel and hand out gospel tracks. This example must have influenced my father.

My father and my mother are the other two people who have influenced me in my walk of life. My father in Ukraine was a missionary as well. He can’t speak in public yet he has a gift with vehicles. He would take trips all over Ukraine with World of Life Ukraine driving their theater department as they set shows up in different cities and shared the gospel. He was an instrument used by God with the talent that he had with cars.

My mother played a role in this because she always encouraged toward service. She would let my father go on these trips even though it meant staying back with the children. Later on, after becoming a Surgical Technician in America, my mom traveled to Guatemala with a medical group to perform surgeries for those who needed it. She is also a missionary.

So, how does all of this apply to me? I am their only daughter. Technically they should have sheltered me and kept me next to them at all times. Yet… they always encourage me to go. My first missionary trip was when I was fifteen. My brother took me to Mexico with him. At that time he had gone around five times. In 2016 my parents let me go to Kazakhstan and Ukraine to help with kids camps. Then in 2017-2018, I went to Argentina to bible school. In 2019 Ukraine with kids camps then more Mexico trips. 2022, 2023 summer, and 2023 winter more kids camps but in Poland.

My parents didn’t go on these trips with me yet they told me to go. My grandpa prayed for me. Without their prayers, their encouragements, and their passion to serve God I would not be where I am today. What grace God has shown to my grandparents, my parents, and me. I could have been anywhere yet God placed me in my family and I praise God for His love and mercy towards me. I don’t deserve this mercy and grace yet He loves me so much that even the generations before me were a part of His plan. His plan led me to where I am today and who I am today.

So, if you haven’t thought about the generations that have passed before you, think about it today. What mercies and miracles has God done in the life of your family for so many generations that you are where you are today and who you are today?