May 3, 2010
This week has been a true blessing. My (Helen’s) very dear friend Olga from childhood whom I have not seen in 16 years came to visit us. It’s amazing how one doesn’t know what God has in store for us. Her journey on American soil started off rocky and difficult, but because of her strong faith, she is now a happy and content individual. Olga and I grew up in Zvenigorodka, a small town where we visited each other daily and loved to play together. I remember her going to weekly private lessons for English and Spanish, not knowing that in 16 years we will end up under the same roof, speaking no other but English, laughing and reminiscing about our childhood years. Her journey started off in Brooklyn after which she went to Florida, followed by Missouri and ending in Oklahoma, where she met her husband JD. I must admit I was very nervous about our meeting, not knowing whether we grew too much apart where we would not have much to talk about or whether we would pick up where we left off and we picked up right where we left off. We had a chance to show them Sacramento and go to an European market where we found a huge selection of Slavic food and made it into a nice lunch that we later shared together. We also had a chance to take them to my parent’s house where she got a chance to re-connect with them and Oleg, that was a very fun time for all of us. The biggest highlight for me was sharing the same faith and being able to talk about Christ, which I never thought I would with her. God is definitely full of surprises, I praise Him for that.
