I'm not sure exactly who started the rumor that the
Mennonite Heritage Tour was going to set sail again through the Ukraine after the last trip 10 years ago, but I made sure to sign up once determining the rumor was true! I knew this would be a
once in a lifetime opportunity for those of us who had ancestors living in the Ukraine roughly 100 years ago, then emigrating to North and South America to escape the horrors of the
Bolshevik Revolution and subsequent atrocities.
I love the way the tour was organized in that close to 200 people (mostly from Mennonite background) occupied a cruise liner for 12 days traveling from the city of Odessa up the
Dnieper River to the final destination of Kiev. As we cruised the river, we experienced changing water levels with the help of several lock systems and stopped at numerous ports where we hopped on buses destined to villages where our ancestors lived at one time.
Mennonite Heritage Tour group on the Dnieper Princess
I learned a lot on this trip, some things
expected while other things
unexpected. Visiting the villages of my ancestors and learning more about the events/conditions that took place was definitely expected and fulfilled at so many levels and for that I am extremely grateful. The lack of discussion regarding WHY my ancestors had resilience through these trying times was not expected and missed terribly.
From most of the readings I accessed over the years on this exodus of the Mennonites from the Ukraine, including my Grandfather's book that was published, it is evident that many (obviously not all) closely depended on the Lord God for sustenance and direction through this intense period in their lives via their personal faith in Him.
On this trip 100 years later, however, I learned that "faith" has come to take on a new meaning for so many people -- if they are even thinking about it -- where they think of it more as an academic definition of community, purpose and theological difference. I encourage those who have adopted a new definition to not forget that "faith", as defined in the New Testament, is a personal journey and trust in God alone. All the rest of the discussion is secondary and academic in my opinion.
Overall, the trip was simply fantastic! What other venture includes onboard lectures, a Ukrainian-Mennonite menu, singing songs common to our ancestors, touring itineraries and facilities to this level of excellence? I feel blessed to have shared this experience with relatives on both sides of my family, visiting villages where parents of my mother and parents of my father lived. After listening to 50 years worth of stories from relatives and friends who lived in the Ukraine, it often felt surreal to stand on the same ground where these stories took place!
(from l-r) Doni, Susan, Jamie, John, Rita and Louise
Cousins Nancy and David
