Babusha

[I just returned from a fantastic mission trip to Jamaica. Some posts about that are coming soon. There's too much material to share in one blog post, so once I figure out how I'd like to organize them I'll post a couple. Today, I'm posting about more recent history.]

My grandmother on my mom's side passed away this week, while I was in Jamaica. After returning to the States on Friday night, I departed with my family early yesterday morning to attend her funeral in Indiana. We had a beautiful service at the funeral home, a procession to the gravesite, and a graveside service. Afterwards, we all ate lunch together and enjoyed an evening of fellowship and memories. I got to see plenty of family, including all of my cousins on my mom's side, some of whom I have not had the joy of seeing for quite a while. All in all it was a great time to spend with family honoring my grandmother and enjoying each other.

My grandmother was always "Babusha" (Ukranian for "grandma") to Silas and myself. Maria was born in Brazil and moved to Argentina at 16, where she met my grandfather Peter Slobodian, from whom I received my middle name. Together they were powerful warriors for the faith, blessed by a fruitful worldwide ministry including church planting, radio ministry into the Soviet Union, and the founding of Baptist International Evangelistic Ministries (BIEM), currently continuing its work under the direction of mom's brother Sam, our host yesterday. A much more in-depth telling of their life and ministry can be found in the book "Giving God the Glory," my grandfather's posthumous biography.

Since my grandfather Peter (or "Dedushio") passed away 9 years ago, Babusha had been living with my aunt Ann (mom's sister) and uncle Rick in Gladstone, Missouri. We have been richly blessed with many opportunities to go and see them since then; we got to see plenty of grandma before she left us. She was very loving and generous, the very embodiment of motherly and grandmotherly affection.

I am very sorry to have seen her go, but I am overjoyed that she is now receiving the rich reward that such a "good and faithful servant" has been promised. I will always love Maria and Peter very much, I am incredibly blessed to call them my grandparents, and I am beyond proud of the rich heritage they have given me.


I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-8