By Hayley Beckett on 8th November 2022
We all felt moved to prayer when we heard the first stories coming out of Ukraine after the Russian invasion. My husband Derek and I were glued to the news, hardly believing that this was happening in 2022. The people we saw fleeing their country looked very much like us or our adult children leaving homes and towns similar to ours in Dereham.
In March Dereham Baptist Church had a week of prayer where we sign up for hour-long slots and go to The Sanctuary, a beautifully decorated dedicated prayer room.
I had an hour on Tuesday that week, and prayed fervently for Ukraine. I started to get the feeling that we should open our home to a Ukrainian family but when I discussed it with Derek later that day we came to conclusion that as very private people, not particularly given to hospitality and having got very used to our time together since the children had left home many years before, that was not something we would consider.
On Friday Derek and I had a shared slot in the prayer room and God spoke to both of us independently so that when we left the room we KNEW that we were to open our home and although nervous, were filled with joy at the prospect!
The next stage was also miraculous as we pushed some doors in finding someone to sponsor. I was adamant that as we have no grandchildren, our home was much more suited to an older couple or single woman. God had other ideas though, and Derek had a dream in which God said it was to be a woman and young child!
I had an email through my work as church Office Administrator which put us in touch with someone who was sponsoring a lady and her two children who were at that time sharing a hotel room in Moldova with Natalia & her 6 year old son, Vlad. Natalia was looking for a sponsor and we started to communicate through Whatapp and started the visa process.
The process was emotional for all of us as it took over 5 weeks but eventually they arrived at Stansted Airport where we met them on 8th May 2022.
Now they feel like family; our Father God has sent us the perfect people for us to share our home and lives and every day we thank Him for the blessing they are to us. Our grown up children and spouses love them too and we share many laughs together with Vlad who is such an endearing little boy. The highlight yesterday was that he wanted to say grace at the meal table and said “Thank you Jesus! Amen!”
Their English has gone from being non existent to talking in sentences and we are using the translation app less and less. Vlad is popular at school with the other children and teachers and Natalia has got her DBS check through so that she can volunteer at the school from September and eventually be employed as a teaching assistant and maybe in time use her Ukrainian teaching qualifications to become an Infant school teacher in Dereham.
So if anyone is considering hosting, I can highly recommend it. It isn’t always easy but it is very rewarding – and knowing that we are in God’s will is very humbling as we know that this is not of us, but of Him.
We are grateful to Julie Mann for writing this article and also for Natalia who has given her permission for the story to be shared.
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