A Grace Klein Community lady spent a portion of her childhood in a Ukrainian orphanage before being adopted by an American family. She always kept close with her Ukrainian family and was asked by the director to host one of her grown orphanage sisters in the United States. Of course she said YES and community friends shared, even a bed, to prepare for Ann’s arrival.
Ann Pasechnyk arrived in May 2018 and spent a month with the Grace Klein family. With broken English and unfamiliarity with America, she could have been nervous or withdrawn, but instead she exhibited so much quiet courage. Her host works during the day and so Ann would come to the Grace Klein Community office to spend her days serving.
She gave countless hours to our community, sorting food, stacking shelves, organizing the Give and Take Room, cleaning donated computers, organizing cabinets, receiving bread, bundling diapers, packing the team for Zambia – contributing any way she could to the needs of the people of Birmingham and around the world. Many people never met Ann, but in her time in Birmingham, she served thousands of people in Jesus’ name.
“For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” – Isaiah 30:15
She embodies a quietness and trust that is her strength. She trusted us (the GKC family) as strangers who became family. She rode in our cars, ate meals with us, worshipped with us around a campfire, rode our bikes, listened to our chatter, explored with us. She lived with us and her trust in God to trust in us demonstrated her strength. Many people are not comfortable in quiet or in trust so they do not experience God’s strength through such gentle and courageous surrender. She was confidently quiet, often she could not understand what anyone was saying, but she kept smiling and trusted our love for her.
The time went fast with Ann and we miss having her around. We miss her big smiles and her curious eyes. We miss her giggles, the way she would run and jump off the pier into the lake with reckless abandon, the firm “no” she would give when she was too tired to do anything else, her ability to spot living creatures in the trees and running through the leaves, the way she delighted in new experiences and how she never got in a hurry. We hope she will come back soon for more flower gives, truck unloads, prayer nights and randomness. God used her quietness and trust to not only give her strength, but to encourage us and make us better.
The Grace Klein Community has the opportunity to welcome friends from all over the world, to share life together, to learn from one another and to be constantly reminded that love knows every language. God be with Ann and use her life for Your glory wherever she may go!