March 12, 2025 • 38 mins
In Part 2 of the Mission and Miracles series, Peggy Griffith sits down with Cassie from Montana, who shares her family’s experiences in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. After an emergency evacuation to Hungary, Cassie discusses the challenges of returning to the U.S., dealing with guilt, and finding a community in Milwaukee. The family eventually moved to Montana, continuing their mission work and training young missionaries. Cassie recounts a deeply emotional return to Ukraine with her children, providing hope to their friends and healing for her family. Through trust in God’s guidance, Cassie and her family navigate their mission, highlighting themes of faith, resilience, and divine provision.
To learn more about YWAM (Youth With a Mission), visit https://www.ywammontana.org/donate
To hear Cassie's sermon that was referenced in this episode, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/live/yNv7Ny6X4mk?si=KFGSwt0vSPVXmAMg
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Peggy Griffith (00:05):
hello, and welcome back to Next Door
Gospel.
I'm Peggy Griffith, and todaywe're sitting down with our
friend, Cassie, who joins usfrom the great state of Montana.
In our last episode, Cassieshared her family's life of
mission work, and that calledthem to live and serve in
Ukraine for three years.
Cassie shared the daring journeythat she and her family
(00:25):
experienced evacuating Ukraineon the day that the Russian
invasion began.
So welcome back, Cassie.
cassandraspeck (00:34):
Thanks.
It's so good to be back.
Peggy Griffith (00:35):
Hey, last time, your family had just made it
into Hungary with your smallamount of belongings.
You were on the heels of bombsand sirens and you were
navigating your way towardsBudapest and your car was
running on fumes and the HolySpirit.
cassandraspeck (00:52):
Yes, that's correct.
Peggy Griffith (00:54):
So how long did you stay in Budapest and when
did you know it was time to comeback to the U.
S.?
cassandraspeck (00:59):
Yeah.
So on our way out, we didn'treally have contact with anyone
because cell service was thefirst thing to go down as
Ukraine was being bombed fromevery direction.
And so when we crossed intoHungary, we had so many
messages, so many well wishes,so many prayers, and we had The
(01:21):
morning the war started beforethe cell phones went down, we
had arranged to stay at afriend's house in Budapest.
And so, we had the directions,we made it to their house, and
then once we got there, we werelike, okay, we're gonna sleep,
and then we will deal with thistomorrow.
So when we woke up the next day,we checked in with our families,
(01:42):
we checked in with friends inUkraine, and That day our
families were like you just needto come home and I don't think
we were ready yet.
The shock of what we had justgone through, what we had just
experienced, what we were seeingon the news.
It's like when trauma or crisishits, you just need as much
(02:03):
information as you can get totry and rationalize what you
experienced.
And so we were there for.
Three days.
And at the request of churcheswho were supporting us and also
Garrett's parents we made thedecision that this war isn't
going to be over anytime soon.
And so let's go back to thestates where we're around
(02:26):
family, we'll have support,we'll have access to people who
can help us process better thanliving with this other family in
this small one room apartment ina country where we don't speak
the language.
We don't know how to get gas.
We don't know where to go to getgroceries.
And so, uh, church that wepartner with bought us plane
tickets home.
(02:47):
So we got back to America onMarch 1st.
Peggy Griffith (02:52):
Wow.
What incredible faith during allof that uncertainty.
When you came back to the U.
S., you got plane tickets home.
Where did you land?
cassandraspeck (03:02):
So we landed in Chicago, Illinois.
My husband is from Rockford, sojust south of the Wisconsin
border.
And, we stayed with his sisterand brother in law.
And their three kids.
And we were there for threeweeks, and then we left to go to
(03:22):
Ohio.
We were in Ohio for a week whereour ministry leaders in Ukraine
were.
We just needed someone whounderstood because when we got
back, and I'm so grateful thatwe were so loved and so cared
for, but I couldn't hear onemore person say, I'm so glad
you're back.
I'm so glad you're safe becausethere wasn't the comprehension
(03:45):
of the implications of that.
Like, yes, absolutely.
I am glad that we are safe.
I am glad that my kids are safe,but it didn't feel safe because
it.
Feels like we just abandonedwhat God had called us to The
shame that I felt in leavingthis country.
When things got hard and it feltlike that's when we should have
stayed.
(04:05):
And one of the beautiful thingsthat came out of our time back
in Ukraine, just to jump ahead alittle.
Was having those hardconversations with friends and
them saying, Cassie, you had togo.
If you had stayed here with thekids, we wouldn't have been able
to do the humanitarian aid.
We wouldn't have been able to goto the front lines because we
love you and your family.
And the kids would have beenwhat we were all worried about.
(04:27):
So because you guys left, thenwe were able to do what God was
asking us to do.
And after two and a half yearsof kind of carrying that guilt
and that shame, there was suchsweet reprieve.
And kindness of the Lord ofLord, you knew that's just not
the narrative I was tellingmyself for the last two and a
half years.
(04:48):
So we did a week of traumadebriefing out in Montana.
And then we were back inIllinois for three weeks before
we ended up moving to Milwaukee.
Peggy Griffith (05:01):
just listening to that, I'm, I'm fighting back
tears of what you carried, theburden you carried on your
shoulders for two and a halfyears.
I can't even begin to comprehendhow that had to felt because
your heart was there, your heartwas home and here you are like,
okay, I'm home, but yet I'm nothome.
(05:24):
And there were just a lot ofchallenges that you faced.
And, so you landed in Wauwatosa.
And so for our listeners who aremaking the connection from my
previous podcast episode, that'show I met Cassie.
So yeah, she and her familystarted attending the first
congregational church ofWauwatosa So tell me a little
(05:47):
bit about some of the initialimmediate challenges that you
faced when you got to the Statesand landed in the Milwaukee
area.
cassandraspeck (05:56):
So in our line of work, the missions, cross
cultural, expat, however youcommunicate, living cross
culturally, you have yourpassport country, which is your
home nation, and then you havehome.
And so, Leaving home and comingback to our passport country
when we weren't expecting to washeart wrenching in many ways,
(06:19):
and then to end up in a citythat I had never been to before,
because we had been out of thecountry for three years, we had
no rental history in the UnitedStates that would count within a
three year time frame.
And our landlady in Ukraine onlyspoke Russian.
And so that, that wasn't a validresource that people would
(06:41):
trust.
And because we're missionaries,we're low income.
And so no one would rent to us.
We tried, I think I filled outlike 25 to 30 rental
applications and no one wouldrent to us, even with
references.
And so, my brother and sister inlaw had gone to university of
Wisconsin, PhDs and the housethat they had lived in, they
(07:05):
were going to put on the marketand they graciously offered us
to rent it for a year.
And so our missions organizationin Ukraine also gave us a year
to make a decision, whetherwe're going to come back to
Ukraine or whatever that is.
And so the timelines lined up,we had June 1st to June 1st to
(07:26):
hear and discern from the Lordwhat our next steps were.
So we moved to Wisconsin incomplete faith that this was
what God had for us.
And we didn't really know muchelse.
So we moved at the end of Juneand Garrett had gotten a message
from a friend of a friend thatthere was a school who had
(07:48):
openings for Bible teachers.
And so he went and applied andthree days later he had an
interview and three days afterthat he was hired.
And it's like, okay, like Godhas opened the door for us.
And so we had gone to two orthree churches.
And I just, I was so exhaustedby our life that I was like, I
(08:09):
can't go to another church.
Like I just need to be outside.
So on our fourth Sunday inWisconsin, we went to Lake
Michigan and we just sat and Icried and I wept and I was like,
Lord, why?
What are we doing here?
We don't know anyone in theentire city.
Why are we here?
And I just felt like the Lordasked me to trust him and invite
(08:31):
me into this year of exile andThat's exactly what it felt like
and so We're driving back and wego through Tosa and we drive by
this church and I was likeGarrett I think that church said
First congregational andcongregational church is what
our two babies are.
(08:52):
Levi and Nora were dedicated in,in Boston during seminary.
It's where I fell in love withliturgy and I understood the
importance of the people whohave come before us.
So we drove around the block andwe came back and I was like,
next Sunday we are going tochurch here and we never went to
another church our whole year wewere, first Congo Tosa every
(09:14):
Sunday.
So just the kindness of the Lordon the same day of speaking this
invitation to exile.
There was also this invitation.
To community and this invitationto belong for however long we
would be there.
And we felt that way from thefirst day we walked in.
And so it was a really easyplace to fall into and to belong
and.
(09:35):
To just be a part of a communitythat we could love as much as
loved us.
And so it was really sweet.
And then the year of exile beganGarrett got a job at aug prep
10, 10 recommend.
Everyone should go there.
I, we still talk about it, likewe brag to everyone about
Augprep and how every schoolshould look like Augprep, like
(09:57):
Augprep's biggest fans.
Um, and so he started workingthere and I was at home with our
three kids in a city where Ididn't know anyone.
I get a phone call from a friendfrom seminary and he goes,
Cassie.
I have someone you need to meet.
She's basically my mom.
Here's her number.
And I was like, why not?
I don't know anybody.
(10:18):
So I text her and within days,she is sitting on my front stoop
on North 85th street and showsup with toys for my kids and
just.
The biggest amount of empathy inspace for me to be sad that I
have ever experienced at thatpoint.
Her name is Sharon and she livesin Oak Creek.
(10:40):
And to this day, I think she washandpicked by the Lord to walk
me through that season of grief.
People talk about angels beingsent, like, I cannot imagine
having come out of that seasonlooking like Jesus without her.
And so we met and we talkedabout books and we went on
(11:00):
adventures together and her twingrandsons are the same age as my
oldest son, so we just wouldtake the kids places and we go
on adventures.
That gave me hope that ourfriendship, that relationship
gave me something to lookforward to in the midst of the
really hard days, because whileGarrett was transitioning to
life in America and this job heloved at Augprep, inside our
(11:23):
house, We were still in Ukraine.
I was writing grants.
I was sending thank you notes topeople around the world.
We had people in Iraq andAfghanistan donating to YWAM
Ukraine to help build homes.
The weight of Ukraine was in ourhouse and I didn't really leave
(11:46):
it except to come to church onSundays but I was also still
running our Bible program onlinebecause when the war started, we
asked our students, saying, youguys, This is a big deal.
We can cancel and we can startthis up again.
And we had two students sendback.
We have to keep going.
We need this.
(12:06):
And so we did for a year and ahalf on Mondays and Thursdays
for six months of the year, Ishowed up and we taught the rest
of the books of the Bible tofinish the Bible.
So in December of 2022, I am in.
Tijuana, Mexico with YWAM Kievleadership.
And we're talking about how tobuild better homes in Ukraine.
(12:29):
And I do the very last class ofaqueduct we needed to record on
ecclesiology, which is the studyof the church.
And it just felt like the mostfitting completion to this
vision that God had given usthat I would be doing it in
Mexico.
With my YWAM Kiev leadershipteam talking about how we still
(12:49):
serve Ukraine and it was justthe sweetness of the Lord.
And all of that continued frommy dining room in Tosa.
So it was a really exhausting,emotionally heavy year.
And then pastor Julie asked meto preach on Mother's Day of
2023.
And.
(13:11):
I think people were probablyexpecting Oh, a mom's going to
preach.
Like, here's this nice, happy,no, no, not me.
I preach from Jeremiah 29, whichis the invitation to exile.
And the invitation at the end ofchapter 29, verses like 4
through 8, the ending invitationis to seek the peace of the
(13:34):
city.
And I felt like that was what Iwas doing that year in exile.
I was seeking the piece of thecity for Tosa and Milwaukee and
trying to grasp God's heart forcities in America because it was
the last place I wanted to be.
And I think that's whatsustained us that year in
Milwaukee was that invitation tobe in exile and to do it well.
Peggy Griffith (13:58):
I remember that sermon and I shared it with
other people.
So for the listeners who arelistening, I will.
Look that up because there's alink to it on our website.
I will look that up and I'll putthat in the footnotes.
If anybody wants to listen tothe message that you gave that
day, because it was, it washeart wrenching.
(14:18):
I felt your pain.
and the agony that you wentthrough, I know how blessed we
as a church were to have you andyour family with us, you know,
all the while, though, that'sreally not where you wanted to
be.
Your heart was somewhere else,but yet you're trying to find
your footing and you're tryingto get your head wrapped around
this and why I'm here
cassandraspeck (14:38):
Where better to go than to the house of the
Lord.
Like where else?
Where else was I going to go?
Peggy Griffith (14:44):
Yeah,
cassandraspeck (14:44):
That was it.
And that sermon came off theheels of Tesha doing a grief
seminar on Holy Saturday ofEaster that year.
And I walk in, and I am by farthe youngest person in the room.
Most people are there as aresponse to a diagnosis or to a
loss of a spouse.
(15:05):
And I felt like a fool walkingin and saying, here's my grief
of my dreams were crushed and Ifled a war.
Like it just felt soinsignificant, but Jesus met me
in such powerful ways on thatSaturday that I still refer back
to it.
And she started that grief timewith lighting a candle.
(15:25):
And she said, no matter how wefeel, no matter what happens,
like this is the Lord'spresence.
We can always remember.
I now keep a white candle on mykitchen table year round, and we
light it before every meal.
And my kids know that when thelight, the white candle is lit,
(15:46):
that we are acknowledging thatJesus is with us in the midst of
whatever is happening because ofhow tangibly The Lord met me
that day.
It gave me perspective lookingback, but it also gave me the
hope I needed to keep movingforward as a family in missions.
That day profoundly changed meand profoundly invited me into a
(16:11):
deeper knowing and a deeperexperience of who Jesus is, and
that he's not far off, he's notstill on the cross, he's not
just at the right hand of theFather, but he is with me at my
kitchen table.
He was with me at my kitchentable on North 85th street.
He is here and it is real and heis real.
And no matter the cost.
(16:32):
My life is worth it because hegave his for mine.
That's the gospel.
Peggy Griffith (16:37):
I was getting ready to say, can I just drop
the mic right now, becausethat's what next door gospel is
all about.
And you just completely embodiedit.
And, listening so intently towhat you've been saying, and my
brain is going, you know, thisis the first week, in the season
of lent And we are talkingabout, Jesus being driven into
(16:59):
the wilderness.
And I always like to think thatthat time spent in the
wilderness, Jesus was coming toterms with who and whose he was
preparing, planting seeds,whatever, however you want to,
to say it, but I'm listening toyour story and I'm just making
(17:22):
all these parallels in my mindand, my goosebumps are just
really going, but you justembodied what that is about.
cassandraspeck (17:31):
There's been a lot happening even in the news
with Ukraine and I was talkingto a friend a couple weeks ago
and he's like, you know, I wenton this midnight walk and I just
listened to the book of Job aswe're talking and I'm just
listening to him talking aboutJob, I said, you know, Daniel, I
think the invitation tosuffering well is if our
response isn't gratitude, thenwe're not taking advantage of
(17:54):
the suffering we're beingoffered.
And he was like, that's reallyprofound.
And I said, it is, I'm going towrite that down.
And I've been thinking about itfor weeks of if our response to
suffering isn't gratitude, we'renot suffering correctly.
In, we celebrate Lent at ourhouse and my kids color a road
(18:15):
to the cross every year and,I've just been thinking about
that and sitting with that andmeditating on Jesus gratitude on
his road to suffering and hisinvitation to community and to
neighbor and to teach truth nomatter the cost and I think
(18:36):
those are all proper responses.
I think those are all properdefinitions of gratitude in that
invitation to suffering.
Peggy Griffith (18:47):
folks if y'all aren't crying right now.
Um, wow.
I just have not heard thisdiscussed in a more beautiful
way Cassie.
Thank you.
I mean, that takes a lot toshare what you've gone through,
and I, I thank you so much forthat.
(19:08):
Wow.
And you were called back toMontana.
cassandraspeck (19:14):
We were.
Peggy Griffith (19:16):
Yeah!
cassandraspeck (19:18):
So when we left Montana in 2016, I kid you not,
I rolled the windows down and Ilooked out in Eastern Montana,
which is like rolling hills.
And in July it's probablyburning.
And I was like, I will never,never live West of the
Mississippi again.
My mouth.
(19:38):
is shaped perfectly to fit myfoot into it.
And so I make the decision to weare a family in missions and I
am a list person so I have allof these huge poster boards on
our kitchen cabinets.
And I'm writing out our familymission statement.
I'm writing out the geographicallocations we've been invited to
(20:00):
come and, our family values.
And so I pray about our missionstatement first and felt like
the Lord say, yes, you are stilla family in missions.
You are still a family called tobring hope and restoration to
all people through the teachingof God's word.
And I said, okay, good.
And I felt like he said, nowthat you have a family, now that
we have these three beautifulchildren, I want you to do
(20:23):
family values.
Okay.
So I go to Levi and Nora, whoare five and three at this
point.
And I say, what are words thatyou hear mommy and daddy say a
lot?
What are the ways we want peopleto see Jesus in our home?
And the two words that they saidwere hospitality and kindness.
(20:43):
And I said, you're exactlyright.
Those are things that we say.
Those are things that we value.
And then.
Because being Bible teachers,having the training that we do,
it is imperative to us thatwe're not just ending Bible
poverty, but Bible illiteracy.
And so our third family value istruth.
(21:05):
So we are a family who is calledto bring hope and restoration to
all people through the teachingsof God's word.
And when people encounter ourfamily, the way they should be
encountering the kingdom of Godis through hospitality,
kindness, and truth.
So we got that nailed down.
And then comes, where are wegoing to go?
Because Garrett could havestayed in Milwaukee working at
(21:26):
Augprep for the rest of hislife.
And I would have Oh, we meltedinto a puddle because I'm a
nation's girl, I want to beoverseas.
So we had like nine or 10locations and Garrett's like, I
don't want to go crossculturally again.
And I was like, Belfast,Northern Ireland's on this list
and they speak English.
And he was like, I don't want tobe that far from home.
(21:48):
And so we cross everything off.
It leaves us with nowhere.
So I messaged a couple of myfriends and I was like, Hey,
we're praying about where is Godasking us to go?
I would love for you to pray.
And my dear, dear friend, Hannahwho is chosen family.
I cannot imagine the last 15years of my life without this
(22:09):
woman of God in it.
And she sends me a text and shegoes, Cassie, I know you like a
challenge.
So hear me out.
And I was like, Oh no.
She goes.
As I was praying, I felt likethe Lord say, He still has
things for you in Montana.
And I didn't even respondbecause I knew she was right.
Like, you know when you have,just that gut, the spirit, the
conviction,
Peggy Griffith (22:29):
nudge.
cassandraspeck (22:30):
The nudge, the knowing, I was like, no, we're
going back to Montana.
Like I knew it.
So this is the end of December.
So I applied, we applied thatweek.
Within a month, we knew we weremoving back to Montana.
And so Garrett let the schoolknow, like, Hey, my contract is
up June 9th.
I'm not going to renew myteaching contract.
(22:51):
And June 10th, he went back toAug prep, like begrudgingly
turning in everything because wealso were hoping to send our
kids there.
And then we packed up a U Hauland cleaned out the house that
we were living in Tosa.
And.
we moved back to Montana July2nd, 2023, exactly seven years
(23:12):
to the date that we left.
Never ever expecting to be back.
And
Peggy Griffith (23:19):
nothing biblical about that now, is
cassandraspeck (23:21):
Nothing at all.
Nothing at all.
Seven years to the day we movedback.
With three kids.
Peggy Griffith (23:30):
That is Somehow, that is so perfect.
cassandraspeck (23:34):
It's the Lord.
Peggy Griffith (23:35):
It is so perfect.
Ah, well, I understand that yourjourney took you recently back
to Ukraine this year.
Tell me more about thatexperience and maybe how you saw
things differently this time.
cassandraspeck (23:47):
Yeah.
last year we staffed a ninemonth Bible school called the
School of Biblical Studies.
So, as that's going, we arerecognizing that this particular
group of students is calledmissionally.
they are Predominantly 19 to 23year olds.
Keep in mind.
We're like these aremissionaries.
We have to get them overseas.
So we started working with aprogram called Titus Project.
(24:09):
Titus Project takes the Schoolof Biblical Studies graduates
and teaches them how to take theinductive method and teach it
cross culturally.
So in the fall we had we had 16participants from all over and
we sent five teams to places toclose nations.
Then we sent a team to Taiwan,Ukraine, and the Dominican
(24:31):
Republic.
So we sent five teams, 16 Bibleteachers where they're teaching
six to 12 hours a week so wewere not going to ask our team
and our staff to do something weweren't willing to do.
So in April of last year, weknew we were moving into that
outreach portion.
And I said, Garrett, I think theLord's asking us to go back to
Ukraine full well, expecting himto be like, not a chance.
(24:55):
And he said, yeah, I'm good withthat.
And I was like, really?
I thought I was going to have tofight for this.
So we had time to prepare ourfamilies.
And then we travel 41 hours toUkraine with our seven year old,
our five year old, and our threeyear old.
We fly to Krakow, Poland.
We take a train to the border ofUkraine.
(25:15):
We switch trains at the borderof Ukraine and train into the
village we were staying in.
for the next two months andThere is beauty beyond
comprehension of what our timein Ukraine was like.
We were working with pastors andlay leaders in churches that we
have been training for fiveyears and getting to see their
(25:37):
churches flourish and see themas pastors and communicators of
the gospel flourishing.
We happen to be there at thesame time as our YWAM Kiev staff
retreat and also the YWAMUkraine national.
retreat.
So I got to see every singlefriend.
I got to come alongside andencourage nearly every single
(25:58):
YWAM missionary in the countryof Ukraine, and the Lord brought
them to us.
And so It was just the sweetesttime.
It was so good to be back.
And I think also those harderconversations I was talking
about previously were had, butalso just to remind our friends,
like, Hey, we see you no matterwhat the news says, no matter
(26:19):
what you're reading online, likeyou are not forgotten.
And that they needed to bereminded of hope.
And on multiple occasions, I hadfriends say, you know, people
come back, they'll come stay fora few weeks.
It's typically the husband.
Sometimes the wives come, but noone bring their kids.
They said, you bringing yourkids is reminding us that our
(26:40):
kids will come home, that thiswar won't always go on and
people will come back.
And that was just so humbling.
Like what felt like a huge risk.
We are still alive and he didbring us back.
But I don't ever want people tothink that we are somehow
superior because we went into awar zone with our family.
I need people to know that I wasterrified.
(27:02):
And on those first two weeks ofair raid sirens every day that I
cried myself to sleep and Ipanic texted friends, the air
raid sirens are going off again.
Can you please pray?
Peggy Griffith (27:12):
You weren't throwing caution to the wind in
doing this, and saying, Oh, I'mgoing to be somehow protect
magically protected.
That's not how this works.
cassandraspeck (27:21):
it's not.
Peggy Griffith (27:22):
And, God knew what you needed.
And I think, especially with theburden that you've carried for
two and a half years, this was afull circle moment that you
really needed.
cassandraspeck (27:34):
Yeah, it was beautiful.
And I think even for my kids, itwas really important.
Logan was born there.
He is Ukrainian by birth.
He has an American passport, butwe had to apply for his
citizenship.
He is Ukrainian by birth.
We moved there when Nora was 10weeks old.
We moved there a few weeksbefore Levi turned two.
It was the only world they knew.
(27:56):
And so one of our firstSaturdays fall in Ukraine is
stunning.
And we walked into the townsquare to get coffee and to get
some street food.
And there's a traditional folkUkrainian band playing in the
town square that's raising moneyfor the front lines.
And when I tell you I watched mydaughter come alive before my
(28:16):
eyes, she has this hot pinkcoat.
And I am so grateful, I had theforesight to take a video.
But I hear the music and I takemy phone out and I take this
video of Nora.
And she, it was like watchinglike someone actually be raised
to life.
She is dancing and she issinging.
And ever since coming back, eventhough she was so young, like
(28:39):
She never really came back, likethe fullness of who she is, and
she is funny, and she is feisty,and she is full of life.
But that has really beenhindered.
She's had a bit of socialanxiety.
Just, you know when you knowyour kid isn't being their full
self.
And that day, on the square, I'mlike, oh my goodness, she's
(29:00):
back.
Like,
Peggy Griffith (29:01):
let it loose.
cassandraspeck (29:03):
And, and even to the point that when we got back
to Montana two months later, shewas saying hello to people, she
was calling people by name, andone of the guys was like, I
didn't even know she knew myname, and I said, I didn't know
she knew your name.
So that carried over, and it waslike Jesus met her in a way too,
and so if we have time, there'sthis really powerful story I'd
(29:24):
love to share.
Peggy Griffith (29:25):
Absolutely.
cassandraspeck (29:26):
Um, we're sitting, we're six weeks into
our eight week outreach andwe're sitting in this worship
time.
And, the instructions were thatwe're praying and worshiping and
interceding in Ukrainian.
And the instructions were.
This is an invitation to reflecton who you've seen God be this
last month.
And so people are writing on theboard in English and Russian and
(29:49):
Ukrainian, all these things.
So I go up and I write up Exodus14, 14, which is a verse I will
never not come back to.
The Lord will fight for you.
You need only to remain silentand it, I clung to that while we
were in Ukraine.
I've actually clung to that forthe entire time I've been in
missions.
But I get back to where I'msitting and Nora goes, what did
(30:09):
you write?
And so I told her and she goes,well, can I write something?
And I was like, yeah, of course.
Nor is five, like a young five.
She doesn't read.
She can write, but she, you'relike telling her everything.
And we get up to the whiteboard.
And I said, the question is, whohave you seen Jesus be this last
month?
And It took me months aftergetting back to not weep when I
(30:31):
shared this story.
But my five year old daughterlooks me dead in the eye and
says that Jesus loves me and I'msafe.
And I cried for the next threehours because if we had not been
obedient to that invitation tothe Lord, would my five year old
know that Jesus loves her andthat he is keeping her safe?
(30:52):
And.
Recognizing in that moment thatJesus meets us where we are.
Whether we're five in a war torncountry, or we're thirty eight,
wondering if we can even hearGod speak at all, He loves us so
much that He's going to meet usexactly where we are, and that's
what she needed.
(31:13):
And every time I tell thatstory, God's like, You may be
38, but you're still that fiveyear old girl, and I love you,
and you're safe.
And it just, I think I willnever forget that moment between
her and I and the Lord for therest of my life of again, this
other just small, impactful, butlife changing moment where Jesus
(31:37):
met us where we were, and I gotto do it with my five year old
daughter.
Peggy Griffith (31:42):
What a healing journey amidst everything that
went on.
I know, I think while you werethere, another attack took place
and that was very, yeah, thatwas so very scary.
And, among all of that, yourfamily healed in such a way that
you're able to move forward.
(32:03):
And I'm sensing a confidence.
In you, a new confidence that,that is just remarkable.
And what does the future looklike for your family?
cassandraspeck (32:14):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Peggy Griffith (32:16):
Ah,
cassandraspeck (32:16):
Um, when we were in Ukraine, one of our dearest
friends, Yulia, has become thebase leader.
She's one of the co directors atour campus in Kyiv.
And I was sitting with her and Iwas just lamenting like, Julia,
this is how I feel.
This is how I felt.
And she goes, Cassie, years ago,YWAM Kiev got a word that Kiev
would be a missionary sendingbase.
(32:38):
And that's how we look at this.
It may not feel that way, but wesent you back to America because
they need Jesus too.
And I was like, Oh, thatkindness blows me away of, okay.
So that felt releasing of.
I can still love Ukraine andit's not betraying Ukraine to
(32:58):
train young Americans to gocross culturally.
And one of the initialinvitations I felt when we made
the decision to come back toMontana of this is going to cost
you, but if I ask you to stayand you say yes means more
people going, will you still sayyes?
It's like, yeah, Lord,absolutely.
And that's exactly what we'reseeing.
We are seeing a multiplicationof young 20 somethings being
(33:22):
trained and sent to the nationsto teach the gospel.
And it is powerful when youngpeople grasp who Jesus is and
can't do anything with it exceptgo tell other people.
And so that is our future.
Our future is Raising tinydisciples in our home and
teaching them to go love theirneighbor across the street and
(33:45):
to go love their neighbor acrossnational lines.
Uh, the way I currently seeingthat play out is we've recently
moved to the YWAM base.
Our kids have never lived aroundother kids who speak English.
And so here there are about 27kids that live in this
neighborhood and last Saturday,17 of them were in my driveway
because my seven year old put ona community bike race.
(34:09):
And so I watch him set up allthe cones and everything.
And then I watched my five yearold and another little girl
across the street go to everysingle door of the 27 houses in
this neighborhood inviting.
Every house who has kids out tocome play.
I'm in the kitchen doing dishes.
I'm looking out the front windowand I see Nora dragging a five
pound bag of carrots.
(34:30):
And I'm like, Nora, what are youdoing?
And she's like, well, people arehere.
Like, I have to give themsnacks.
And I was like, well, familyvalues hospitality.
Like, thank you for doing it.
Sent her outside with a fivepound bag of carrots.
And then I go into the garagelater and realize our 36 cans of
Costco seltzer water that werethere were gone.
Are also all gone because shehas fed and watered every kid in
(34:53):
the neighborhood.
And I'm like, if that's not thegospel, then I don't know what
is.
And also I need to be morestrategic with how I buy snacks
this summer because my kids aregoing to feed everyone.
So that's what we're doing.
Peggy Griffith (35:06):
is the best story I have heard in such a
long time.
cassandraspeck (35:10):
Oh, they cracked me up.
Peggy Griffith (35:12):
I can see her.
I can see her doing that
cassandraspeck (35:15):
feeding the neighborhood mom because that's
what we do.
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
No,
Peggy Griffith (35:20):
and, and it, and it's a matter of fact too.
Like what, why do you even needto ask me what I'm doing?
cassandraspeck (35:26):
I was the foolish person for asking the
question because obviously thisis what we're doing.
So
Peggy Griffith (35:31):
Oh, that's amazing.
cassandraspeck (35:34):
That's what we're doing.
We are about to start anothertraining in April.
We're sending a team to Phuketin Thailand to work with
churches in the south becausechurches in southern Thailand
need support.
They need help and we can dothat.
So we're sending a team of threeteachers and then in the fall we
will run again.
As it stands, we are looking tohave between 25 and 30 new Bible
(35:58):
teachers being trained, and itlooks as if we will be sending
Bible teachers to everycontinent except Antarctica this
fall.
Peggy Griffith (36:07):
That is powerful.
cassandraspeck (36:08):
It's amazing.
I, I am so blown away and bywhat the Lord is doing.
Yeah.
Peggy Griffith (36:13):
And the world needs to hear this good news
that it's happening and it'shappening now.
And that is just such abeautiful testimony of God's
provision through your and yourfamily's experience.
God truly made a way for you.
And I hope that for people whoare listening to this podcast,
(36:35):
your story encourages everyoneme and you, me included to
trust, just trust God,regardless of what is happening.
God's presence is working foryour good, even when it's hard
to see in the midst.
Um, that is just.
(36:56):
Amazing.
And may God continue to makethat way for you and your family
and everything that you do.
cassandraspeck (37:02):
Amen.
Peggy Griffith (37:03):
Amen.
cassandraspeck (37:04):
Yeah.
Thanks Peggy.
Peggy Griffith (37:06):
for our listeners, I am putting a link,
to the YWAM and Titus Projectwebsite in the show notes.
I'm going to also put a link toCassie's sermon that she
delivered at First Church Tosa,a couple of years ago, in case
anybody wants to, listen tothat, but also to learn more
about the work that Cassie andher family Does, and if you feel
(37:27):
called to donate, there will bea link to do that as well.
So thank you everyone so muchfor listening today.
Click that subscribe button soyou can continue to listen to
incredible stories of Providenceand resilience like this.
And if you or someone you knowwould like to share a story on
the show, please send me anemail at nextdoorgospel at
(37:48):
gmail.
com.
And until then.
May the Lord bless you and keepyou.
May the Lord make his face toshine upon you and be gracious
to you.
The Lord turn his face towardsyou and give you peace.
Amen.
hello, and welcome back to Next Door
Gospel.
I'm Peggy Griffith, and todaywe're sitting down with our
friend, Cassie, who joins usfrom the great state of Montana.
In our last episode, Cassieshared her family's life of
mission work, and that calledthem to live and serve in
Ukraine for three years.
Cassie shared the daring journeythat she and her family
(00:25):
experienced evacuating Ukraineon the day that the Russian
invasion began.
So welcome back, Cassie.
cassandraspeck (00:34):
Thanks.
It's so good to be back.
Peggy Griffith (00:35):
Hey, last time, your family had just made it
into Hungary with your smallamount of belongings.
You were on the heels of bombsand sirens and you were
navigating your way towardsBudapest and your car was
running on fumes and the HolySpirit.
cassandraspeck (00:52):
Yes, that's correct.
Peggy Griffith (00:54):
So how long did you stay in Budapest and when
did you know it was time to comeback to the U.
S.?
cassandraspeck (00:59):
Yeah.
So on our way out, we didn'treally have contact with anyone
because cell service was thefirst thing to go down as
Ukraine was being bombed fromevery direction.
And so when we crossed intoHungary, we had so many
messages, so many well wishes,so many prayers, and we had The
(01:21):
morning the war started beforethe cell phones went down, we
had arranged to stay at afriend's house in Budapest.
And so, we had the directions,we made it to their house, and
then once we got there, we werelike, okay, we're gonna sleep,
and then we will deal with thistomorrow.
So when we woke up the next day,we checked in with our families,
(01:42):
we checked in with friends inUkraine, and That day our
families were like you just needto come home and I don't think
we were ready yet.
The shock of what we had justgone through, what we had just
experienced, what we were seeingon the news.
It's like when trauma or crisishits, you just need as much
(02:03):
information as you can get totry and rationalize what you
experienced.
And so we were there for.
Three days.
And at the request of churcheswho were supporting us and also
Garrett's parents we made thedecision that this war isn't
going to be over anytime soon.
And so let's go back to thestates where we're around
(02:26):
family, we'll have support,we'll have access to people who
can help us process better thanliving with this other family in
this small one room apartment ina country where we don't speak
the language.
We don't know how to get gas.
We don't know where to go to getgroceries.
And so, uh, church that wepartner with bought us plane
tickets home.
(02:47):
So we got back to America onMarch 1st.
Peggy Griffith (02:52):
Wow.
What incredible faith during allof that uncertainty.
When you came back to the U.
S., you got plane tickets home.
Where did you land?
cassandraspeck (03:02):
So we landed in Chicago, Illinois.
My husband is from Rockford, sojust south of the Wisconsin
border.
And, we stayed with his sisterand brother in law.
And their three kids.
And we were there for threeweeks, and then we left to go to
(03:22):
Ohio.
We were in Ohio for a week whereour ministry leaders in Ukraine
were.
We just needed someone whounderstood because when we got
back, and I'm so grateful thatwe were so loved and so cared
for, but I couldn't hear onemore person say, I'm so glad
you're back.
I'm so glad you're safe becausethere wasn't the comprehension
(03:45):
of the implications of that.
Like, yes, absolutely.
I am glad that we are safe.
I am glad that my kids are safe,but it didn't feel safe because
it.
Feels like we just abandonedwhat God had called us to The
shame that I felt in leavingthis country.
When things got hard and it feltlike that's when we should have
stayed.
(04:05):
And one of the beautiful thingsthat came out of our time back
in Ukraine, just to jump ahead alittle.
Was having those hardconversations with friends and
them saying, Cassie, you had togo.
If you had stayed here with thekids, we wouldn't have been able
to do the humanitarian aid.
We wouldn't have been able to goto the front lines because we
love you and your family.
And the kids would have beenwhat we were all worried about.
(04:27):
So because you guys left, thenwe were able to do what God was
asking us to do.
And after two and a half yearsof kind of carrying that guilt
and that shame, there was suchsweet reprieve.
And kindness of the Lord ofLord, you knew that's just not
the narrative I was tellingmyself for the last two and a
half years.
(04:48):
So we did a week of traumadebriefing out in Montana.
And then we were back inIllinois for three weeks before
we ended up moving to Milwaukee.
Peggy Griffith (05:01):
just listening to that, I'm, I'm fighting back
tears of what you carried, theburden you carried on your
shoulders for two and a halfyears.
I can't even begin to comprehendhow that had to felt because
your heart was there, your heartwas home and here you are like,
okay, I'm home, but yet I'm nothome.
(05:24):
And there were just a lot ofchallenges that you faced.
And, so you landed in Wauwatosa.
And so for our listeners who aremaking the connection from my
previous podcast episode, that'show I met Cassie.
So yeah, she and her familystarted attending the first
congregational church ofWauwatosa So tell me a little
(05:47):
bit about some of the initialimmediate challenges that you
faced when you got to the Statesand landed in the Milwaukee
area.
cassandraspeck (05:56):
So in our line of work, the missions, cross
cultural, expat, however youcommunicate, living cross
culturally, you have yourpassport country, which is your
home nation, and then you havehome.
And so, Leaving home and comingback to our passport country
when we weren't expecting to washeart wrenching in many ways,
(06:19):
and then to end up in a citythat I had never been to before,
because we had been out of thecountry for three years, we had
no rental history in the UnitedStates that would count within a
three year time frame.
And our landlady in Ukraine onlyspoke Russian.
And so that, that wasn't a validresource that people would
(06:41):
trust.
And because we're missionaries,we're low income.
And so no one would rent to us.
We tried, I think I filled outlike 25 to 30 rental
applications and no one wouldrent to us, even with
references.
And so, my brother and sister inlaw had gone to university of
Wisconsin, PhDs and the housethat they had lived in, they
(07:05):
were going to put on the marketand they graciously offered us
to rent it for a year.
And so our missions organizationin Ukraine also gave us a year
to make a decision, whetherwe're going to come back to
Ukraine or whatever that is.
And so the timelines lined up,we had June 1st to June 1st to
(07:26):
hear and discern from the Lordwhat our next steps were.
So we moved to Wisconsin incomplete faith that this was
what God had for us.
And we didn't really know muchelse.
So we moved at the end of Juneand Garrett had gotten a message
from a friend of a friend thatthere was a school who had
(07:48):
openings for Bible teachers.
And so he went and applied andthree days later he had an
interview and three days afterthat he was hired.
And it's like, okay, like Godhas opened the door for us.
And so we had gone to two orthree churches.
And I just, I was so exhaustedby our life that I was like, I
(08:09):
can't go to another church.
Like I just need to be outside.
So on our fourth Sunday inWisconsin, we went to Lake
Michigan and we just sat and Icried and I wept and I was like,
Lord, why?
What are we doing here?
We don't know anyone in theentire city.
Why are we here?
And I just felt like the Lordasked me to trust him and invite
(08:31):
me into this year of exile andThat's exactly what it felt like
and so We're driving back and wego through Tosa and we drive by
this church and I was likeGarrett I think that church said
First congregational andcongregational church is what
our two babies are.
(08:52):
Levi and Nora were dedicated in,in Boston during seminary.
It's where I fell in love withliturgy and I understood the
importance of the people whohave come before us.
So we drove around the block andwe came back and I was like,
next Sunday we are going tochurch here and we never went to
another church our whole year wewere, first Congo Tosa every
(09:14):
Sunday.
So just the kindness of the Lordon the same day of speaking this
invitation to exile.
There was also this invitation.
To community and this invitationto belong for however long we
would be there.
And we felt that way from thefirst day we walked in.
And so it was a really easyplace to fall into and to belong
and.
(09:35):
To just be a part of a communitythat we could love as much as
loved us.
And so it was really sweet.
And then the year of exile beganGarrett got a job at aug prep
10, 10 recommend.
Everyone should go there.
I, we still talk about it, likewe brag to everyone about
Augprep and how every schoolshould look like Augprep, like
(09:57):
Augprep's biggest fans.
Um, and so he started workingthere and I was at home with our
three kids in a city where Ididn't know anyone.
I get a phone call from a friendfrom seminary and he goes,
Cassie.
I have someone you need to meet.
She's basically my mom.
Here's her number.
And I was like, why not?
I don't know anybody.
(10:18):
So I text her and within days,she is sitting on my front stoop
on North 85th street and showsup with toys for my kids and
just.
The biggest amount of empathy inspace for me to be sad that I
have ever experienced at thatpoint.
Her name is Sharon and she livesin Oak Creek.
(10:40):
And to this day, I think she washandpicked by the Lord to walk
me through that season of grief.
People talk about angels beingsent, like, I cannot imagine
having come out of that seasonlooking like Jesus without her.
And so we met and we talkedabout books and we went on
(11:00):
adventures together and her twingrandsons are the same age as my
oldest son, so we just wouldtake the kids places and we go
on adventures.
That gave me hope that ourfriendship, that relationship
gave me something to lookforward to in the midst of the
really hard days, because whileGarrett was transitioning to
life in America and this job heloved at Augprep, inside our
(11:23):
house, We were still in Ukraine.
I was writing grants.
I was sending thank you notes topeople around the world.
We had people in Iraq andAfghanistan donating to YWAM
Ukraine to help build homes.
The weight of Ukraine was in ourhouse and I didn't really leave
(11:46):
it except to come to church onSundays but I was also still
running our Bible program onlinebecause when the war started, we
asked our students, saying, youguys, This is a big deal.
We can cancel and we can startthis up again.
And we had two students sendback.
We have to keep going.
We need this.
(12:06):
And so we did for a year and ahalf on Mondays and Thursdays
for six months of the year, Ishowed up and we taught the rest
of the books of the Bible tofinish the Bible.
So in December of 2022, I am in.
Tijuana, Mexico with YWAM Kievleadership.
And we're talking about how tobuild better homes in Ukraine.
(12:29):
And I do the very last class ofaqueduct we needed to record on
ecclesiology, which is the studyof the church.
And it just felt like the mostfitting completion to this
vision that God had given usthat I would be doing it in
Mexico.
With my YWAM Kiev leadershipteam talking about how we still
(12:49):
serve Ukraine and it was justthe sweetness of the Lord.
And all of that continued frommy dining room in Tosa.
So it was a really exhausting,emotionally heavy year.
And then pastor Julie asked meto preach on Mother's Day of
2023.
And.
(13:11):
I think people were probablyexpecting Oh, a mom's going to
preach.
Like, here's this nice, happy,no, no, not me.
I preach from Jeremiah 29, whichis the invitation to exile.
And the invitation at the end ofchapter 29, verses like 4
through 8, the ending invitationis to seek the peace of the
(13:34):
city.
And I felt like that was what Iwas doing that year in exile.
I was seeking the piece of thecity for Tosa and Milwaukee and
trying to grasp God's heart forcities in America because it was
the last place I wanted to be.
And I think that's whatsustained us that year in
Milwaukee was that invitation tobe in exile and to do it well.
Peggy Griffith (13:58):
I remember that sermon and I shared it with
other people.
So for the listeners who arelistening, I will.
Look that up because there's alink to it on our website.
I will look that up and I'll putthat in the footnotes.
If anybody wants to listen tothe message that you gave that
day, because it was, it washeart wrenching.
(14:18):
I felt your pain.
and the agony that you wentthrough, I know how blessed we
as a church were to have you andyour family with us, you know,
all the while, though, that'sreally not where you wanted to
be.
Your heart was somewhere else,but yet you're trying to find
your footing and you're tryingto get your head wrapped around
this and why I'm here
cassandraspeck (14:38):
Where better to go than to the house of the
Lord.
Like where else?
Where else was I going to go?
Peggy Griffith (14:44):
Yeah,
cassandraspeck (14:44):
That was it.
And that sermon came off theheels of Tesha doing a grief
seminar on Holy Saturday ofEaster that year.
And I walk in, and I am by farthe youngest person in the room.
Most people are there as aresponse to a diagnosis or to a
loss of a spouse.
(15:05):
And I felt like a fool walkingin and saying, here's my grief
of my dreams were crushed and Ifled a war.
Like it just felt soinsignificant, but Jesus met me
in such powerful ways on thatSaturday that I still refer back
to it.
And she started that grief timewith lighting a candle.
(15:25):
And she said, no matter how wefeel, no matter what happens,
like this is the Lord'spresence.
We can always remember.
I now keep a white candle on mykitchen table year round, and we
light it before every meal.
And my kids know that when thelight, the white candle is lit,
(15:46):
that we are acknowledging thatJesus is with us in the midst of
whatever is happening because ofhow tangibly The Lord met me
that day.
It gave me perspective lookingback, but it also gave me the
hope I needed to keep movingforward as a family in missions.
That day profoundly changed meand profoundly invited me into a
(16:11):
deeper knowing and a deeperexperience of who Jesus is, and
that he's not far off, he's notstill on the cross, he's not
just at the right hand of theFather, but he is with me at my
kitchen table.
He was with me at my kitchentable on North 85th street.
He is here and it is real and heis real.
And no matter the cost.
(16:32):
My life is worth it because hegave his for mine.
That's the gospel.
Peggy Griffith (16:37):
I was getting ready to say, can I just drop
the mic right now, becausethat's what next door gospel is
all about.
And you just completely embodiedit.
And, listening so intently towhat you've been saying, and my
brain is going, you know, thisis the first week, in the season
of lent And we are talkingabout, Jesus being driven into
(16:59):
the wilderness.
And I always like to think thatthat time spent in the
wilderness, Jesus was coming toterms with who and whose he was
preparing, planting seeds,whatever, however you want to,
to say it, but I'm listening toyour story and I'm just making
(17:22):
all these parallels in my mindand, my goosebumps are just
really going, but you justembodied what that is about.
cassandraspeck (17:31):
There's been a lot happening even in the news
with Ukraine and I was talkingto a friend a couple weeks ago
and he's like, you know, I wenton this midnight walk and I just
listened to the book of Job aswe're talking and I'm just
listening to him talking aboutJob, I said, you know, Daniel, I
think the invitation tosuffering well is if our
response isn't gratitude, thenwe're not taking advantage of
(17:54):
the suffering we're beingoffered.
And he was like, that's reallyprofound.
And I said, it is, I'm going towrite that down.
And I've been thinking about itfor weeks of if our response to
suffering isn't gratitude, we'renot suffering correctly.
In, we celebrate Lent at ourhouse and my kids color a road
(18:15):
to the cross every year and,I've just been thinking about
that and sitting with that andmeditating on Jesus gratitude on
his road to suffering and hisinvitation to community and to
neighbor and to teach truth nomatter the cost and I think
(18:36):
those are all proper responses.
I think those are all properdefinitions of gratitude in that
invitation to suffering.
Peggy Griffith (18:47):
folks if y'all aren't crying right now.
Um, wow.
I just have not heard thisdiscussed in a more beautiful
way Cassie.
Thank you.
I mean, that takes a lot toshare what you've gone through,
and I, I thank you so much forthat.
(19:08):
Wow.
And you were called back toMontana.
cassandraspeck (19:14):
We were.
Peggy Griffith (19:16):
Yeah!
cassandraspeck (19:18):
So when we left Montana in 2016, I kid you not,
I rolled the windows down and Ilooked out in Eastern Montana,
which is like rolling hills.
And in July it's probablyburning.
And I was like, I will never,never live West of the
Mississippi again.
My mouth.
(19:38):
is shaped perfectly to fit myfoot into it.
And so I make the decision to weare a family in missions and I
am a list person so I have allof these huge poster boards on
our kitchen cabinets.
And I'm writing out our familymission statement.
I'm writing out the geographicallocations we've been invited to
(20:00):
come and, our family values.
And so I pray about our missionstatement first and felt like
the Lord say, yes, you are stilla family in missions.
You are still a family called tobring hope and restoration to
all people through the teachingof God's word.
And I said, okay, good.
And I felt like he said, nowthat you have a family, now that
we have these three beautifulchildren, I want you to do
(20:23):
family values.
Okay.
So I go to Levi and Nora, whoare five and three at this
point.
And I say, what are words thatyou hear mommy and daddy say a
lot?
What are the ways we want peopleto see Jesus in our home?
And the two words that they saidwere hospitality and kindness.
(20:43):
And I said, you're exactlyright.
Those are things that we say.
Those are things that we value.
And then.
Because being Bible teachers,having the training that we do,
it is imperative to us thatwe're not just ending Bible
poverty, but Bible illiteracy.
And so our third family value istruth.
(21:05):
So we are a family who is calledto bring hope and restoration to
all people through the teachingsof God's word.
And when people encounter ourfamily, the way they should be
encountering the kingdom of Godis through hospitality,
kindness, and truth.
So we got that nailed down.
And then comes, where are wegoing to go?
Because Garrett could havestayed in Milwaukee working at
(21:26):
Augprep for the rest of hislife.
And I would have Oh, we meltedinto a puddle because I'm a
nation's girl, I want to beoverseas.
So we had like nine or 10locations and Garrett's like, I
don't want to go crossculturally again.
And I was like, Belfast,Northern Ireland's on this list
and they speak English.
And he was like, I don't want tobe that far from home.
(21:48):
And so we cross everything off.
It leaves us with nowhere.
So I messaged a couple of myfriends and I was like, Hey,
we're praying about where is Godasking us to go?
I would love for you to pray.
And my dear, dear friend, Hannahwho is chosen family.
I cannot imagine the last 15years of my life without this
(22:09):
woman of God in it.
And she sends me a text and shegoes, Cassie, I know you like a
challenge.
So hear me out.
And I was like, Oh no.
She goes.
As I was praying, I felt likethe Lord say, He still has
things for you in Montana.
And I didn't even respondbecause I knew she was right.
Like, you know when you have,just that gut, the spirit, the
conviction,
Peggy Griffith (22:29):
nudge.
cassandraspeck (22:30):
The nudge, the knowing, I was like, no, we're
going back to Montana.
Like I knew it.
So this is the end of December.
So I applied, we applied thatweek.
Within a month, we knew we weremoving back to Montana.
And so Garrett let the schoolknow, like, Hey, my contract is
up June 9th.
I'm not going to renew myteaching contract.
(22:51):
And June 10th, he went back toAug prep, like begrudgingly
turning in everything because wealso were hoping to send our
kids there.
And then we packed up a U Hauland cleaned out the house that
we were living in Tosa.
And.
we moved back to Montana July2nd, 2023, exactly seven years
(23:12):
to the date that we left.
Never ever expecting to be back.
And
Peggy Griffith (23:19):
nothing biblical about that now, is
cassandraspeck (23:21):
Nothing at all.
Nothing at all.
Seven years to the day we movedback.
With three kids.
Peggy Griffith (23:30):
That is Somehow, that is so perfect.
cassandraspeck (23:34):
It's the Lord.
Peggy Griffith (23:35):
It is so perfect.
Ah, well, I understand that yourjourney took you recently back
to Ukraine this year.
Tell me more about thatexperience and maybe how you saw
things differently this time.
cassandraspeck (23:47):
Yeah.
last year we staffed a ninemonth Bible school called the
School of Biblical Studies.
So, as that's going, we arerecognizing that this particular
group of students is calledmissionally.
they are Predominantly 19 to 23year olds.
Keep in mind.
We're like these aremissionaries.
We have to get them overseas.
So we started working with aprogram called Titus Project.
(24:09):
Titus Project takes the Schoolof Biblical Studies graduates
and teaches them how to take theinductive method and teach it
cross culturally.
So in the fall we had we had 16participants from all over and
we sent five teams to places toclose nations.
Then we sent a team to Taiwan,Ukraine, and the Dominican
(24:31):
Republic.
So we sent five teams, 16 Bibleteachers where they're teaching
six to 12 hours a week so wewere not going to ask our team
and our staff to do something weweren't willing to do.
So in April of last year, weknew we were moving into that
outreach portion.
And I said, Garrett, I think theLord's asking us to go back to
Ukraine full well, expecting himto be like, not a chance.
(24:55):
And he said, yeah, I'm good withthat.
And I was like, really?
I thought I was going to have tofight for this.
So we had time to prepare ourfamilies.
And then we travel 41 hours toUkraine with our seven year old,
our five year old, and our threeyear old.
We fly to Krakow, Poland.
We take a train to the border ofUkraine.
(25:15):
We switch trains at the borderof Ukraine and train into the
village we were staying in.
for the next two months andThere is beauty beyond
comprehension of what our timein Ukraine was like.
We were working with pastors andlay leaders in churches that we
have been training for fiveyears and getting to see their
(25:37):
churches flourish and see themas pastors and communicators of
the gospel flourishing.
We happen to be there at thesame time as our YWAM Kiev staff
retreat and also the YWAMUkraine national.
retreat.
So I got to see every singlefriend.
I got to come alongside andencourage nearly every single
(25:58):
YWAM missionary in the countryof Ukraine, and the Lord brought
them to us.
And so It was just the sweetesttime.
It was so good to be back.
And I think also those harderconversations I was talking
about previously were had, butalso just to remind our friends,
like, Hey, we see you no matterwhat the news says, no matter
(26:19):
what you're reading online, likeyou are not forgotten.
And that they needed to bereminded of hope.
And on multiple occasions, I hadfriends say, you know, people
come back, they'll come stay fora few weeks.
It's typically the husband.
Sometimes the wives come, but noone bring their kids.
They said, you bringing yourkids is reminding us that our
(26:40):
kids will come home, that thiswar won't always go on and
people will come back.
And that was just so humbling.
Like what felt like a huge risk.
We are still alive and he didbring us back.
But I don't ever want people tothink that we are somehow
superior because we went into awar zone with our family.
I need people to know that I wasterrified.
(27:02):
And on those first two weeks ofair raid sirens every day that I
cried myself to sleep and Ipanic texted friends, the air
raid sirens are going off again.
Can you please pray?
Peggy Griffith (27:12):
You weren't throwing caution to the wind in
doing this, and saying, Oh, I'mgoing to be somehow protect
magically protected.
That's not how this works.
cassandraspeck (27:21):
it's not.
Peggy Griffith (27:22):
And, God knew what you needed.
And I think, especially with theburden that you've carried for
two and a half years, this was afull circle moment that you
really needed.
cassandraspeck (27:34):
Yeah, it was beautiful.
And I think even for my kids, itwas really important.
Logan was born there.
He is Ukrainian by birth.
He has an American passport, butwe had to apply for his
citizenship.
He is Ukrainian by birth.
We moved there when Nora was 10weeks old.
We moved there a few weeksbefore Levi turned two.
It was the only world they knew.
(27:56):
And so one of our firstSaturdays fall in Ukraine is
stunning.
And we walked into the townsquare to get coffee and to get
some street food.
And there's a traditional folkUkrainian band playing in the
town square that's raising moneyfor the front lines.
And when I tell you I watched mydaughter come alive before my
(28:16):
eyes, she has this hot pinkcoat.
And I am so grateful, I had theforesight to take a video.
But I hear the music and I takemy phone out and I take this
video of Nora.
And she, it was like watchinglike someone actually be raised
to life.
She is dancing and she issinging.
And ever since coming back, eventhough she was so young, like
(28:39):
She never really came back, likethe fullness of who she is, and
she is funny, and she is feisty,and she is full of life.
But that has really beenhindered.
She's had a bit of socialanxiety.
Just, you know when you knowyour kid isn't being their full
self.
And that day, on the square, I'mlike, oh my goodness, she's
(29:00):
back.
Like,
Peggy Griffith (29:01):
let it loose.
cassandraspeck (29:03):
And, and even to the point that when we got back
to Montana two months later, shewas saying hello to people, she
was calling people by name, andone of the guys was like, I
didn't even know she knew myname, and I said, I didn't know
she knew your name.
So that carried over, and it waslike Jesus met her in a way too,
and so if we have time, there'sthis really powerful story I'd
(29:24):
love to share.
Peggy Griffith (29:25):
Absolutely.
cassandraspeck (29:26):
Um, we're sitting, we're six weeks into
our eight week outreach andwe're sitting in this worship
time.
And, the instructions were thatwe're praying and worshiping and
interceding in Ukrainian.
And the instructions were.
This is an invitation to reflecton who you've seen God be this
last month.
And so people are writing on theboard in English and Russian and
(29:49):
Ukrainian, all these things.
So I go up and I write up Exodus14, 14, which is a verse I will
never not come back to.
The Lord will fight for you.
You need only to remain silentand it, I clung to that while we
were in Ukraine.
I've actually clung to that forthe entire time I've been in
missions.
But I get back to where I'msitting and Nora goes, what did
(30:09):
you write?
And so I told her and she goes,well, can I write something?
And I was like, yeah, of course.
Nor is five, like a young five.
She doesn't read.
She can write, but she, you'relike telling her everything.
And we get up to the whiteboard.
And I said, the question is, whohave you seen Jesus be this last
month?
And It took me months aftergetting back to not weep when I
(30:31):
shared this story.
But my five year old daughterlooks me dead in the eye and
says that Jesus loves me and I'msafe.
And I cried for the next threehours because if we had not been
obedient to that invitation tothe Lord, would my five year old
know that Jesus loves her andthat he is keeping her safe?
(30:52):
And.
Recognizing in that moment thatJesus meets us where we are.
Whether we're five in a war torncountry, or we're thirty eight,
wondering if we can even hearGod speak at all, He loves us so
much that He's going to meet usexactly where we are, and that's
what she needed.
(31:13):
And every time I tell thatstory, God's like, You may be
38, but you're still that fiveyear old girl, and I love you,
and you're safe.
And it just, I think I willnever forget that moment between
her and I and the Lord for therest of my life of again, this
other just small, impactful, butlife changing moment where Jesus
(31:37):
met us where we were, and I gotto do it with my five year old
daughter.
Peggy Griffith (31:42):
What a healing journey amidst everything that
went on.
I know, I think while you werethere, another attack took place
and that was very, yeah, thatwas so very scary.
And, among all of that, yourfamily healed in such a way that
you're able to move forward.
(32:03):
And I'm sensing a confidence.
In you, a new confidence that,that is just remarkable.
And what does the future looklike for your family?
cassandraspeck (32:14):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Peggy Griffith (32:16):
Ah,
cassandraspeck (32:16):
Um, when we were in Ukraine, one of our dearest
friends, Yulia, has become thebase leader.
She's one of the co directors atour campus in Kyiv.
And I was sitting with her and Iwas just lamenting like, Julia,
this is how I feel.
This is how I felt.
And she goes, Cassie, years ago,YWAM Kiev got a word that Kiev
would be a missionary sendingbase.
(32:38):
And that's how we look at this.
It may not feel that way, but wesent you back to America because
they need Jesus too.
And I was like, Oh, thatkindness blows me away of, okay.
So that felt releasing of.
I can still love Ukraine andit's not betraying Ukraine to
(32:58):
train young Americans to gocross culturally.
And one of the initialinvitations I felt when we made
the decision to come back toMontana of this is going to cost
you, but if I ask you to stayand you say yes means more
people going, will you still sayyes?
It's like, yeah, Lord,absolutely.
And that's exactly what we'reseeing.
We are seeing a multiplicationof young 20 somethings being
(33:22):
trained and sent to the nationsto teach the gospel.
And it is powerful when youngpeople grasp who Jesus is and
can't do anything with it exceptgo tell other people.
And so that is our future.
Our future is Raising tinydisciples in our home and
teaching them to go love theirneighbor across the street and
(33:45):
to go love their neighbor acrossnational lines.
Uh, the way I currently seeingthat play out is we've recently
moved to the YWAM base.
Our kids have never lived aroundother kids who speak English.
And so here there are about 27kids that live in this
neighborhood and last Saturday,17 of them were in my driveway
because my seven year old put ona community bike race.
(34:09):
And so I watch him set up allthe cones and everything.
And then I watched my five yearold and another little girl
across the street go to everysingle door of the 27 houses in
this neighborhood inviting.
Every house who has kids out tocome play.
I'm in the kitchen doing dishes.
I'm looking out the front windowand I see Nora dragging a five
pound bag of carrots.
(34:30):
And I'm like, Nora, what are youdoing?
And she's like, well, people arehere.
Like, I have to give themsnacks.
And I was like, well, familyvalues hospitality.
Like, thank you for doing it.
Sent her outside with a fivepound bag of carrots.
And then I go into the garagelater and realize our 36 cans of
Costco seltzer water that werethere were gone.
Are also all gone because shehas fed and watered every kid in
(34:53):
the neighborhood.
And I'm like, if that's not thegospel, then I don't know what
is.
And also I need to be morestrategic with how I buy snacks
this summer because my kids aregoing to feed everyone.
So that's what we're doing.
Peggy Griffith (35:06):
is the best story I have heard in such a
long time.
cassandraspeck (35:10):
Oh, they cracked me up.
Peggy Griffith (35:12):
I can see her.
I can see her doing that
cassandraspeck (35:15):
feeding the neighborhood mom because that's
what we do.
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
No,
Peggy Griffith (35:20):
and, and it, and it's a matter of fact too.
Like what, why do you even needto ask me what I'm doing?
cassandraspeck (35:26):
I was the foolish person for asking the
question because obviously thisis what we're doing.
So
Peggy Griffith (35:31):
Oh, that's amazing.
cassandraspeck (35:34):
That's what we're doing.
We are about to start anothertraining in April.
We're sending a team to Phuketin Thailand to work with
churches in the south becausechurches in southern Thailand
need support.
They need help and we can dothat.
So we're sending a team of threeteachers and then in the fall we
will run again.
As it stands, we are looking tohave between 25 and 30 new Bible
(35:58):
teachers being trained, and itlooks as if we will be sending
Bible teachers to everycontinent except Antarctica this
fall.
Peggy Griffith (36:07):
That is powerful.
cassandraspeck (36:08):
It's amazing.
I, I am so blown away and bywhat the Lord is doing.
Yeah.
Peggy Griffith (36:13):
And the world needs to hear this good news
that it's happening and it'shappening now.
And that is just such abeautiful testimony of God's
provision through your and yourfamily's experience.
God truly made a way for you.
And I hope that for people whoare listening to this podcast,
(36:35):
your story encourages everyoneme and you, me included to
trust, just trust God,regardless of what is happening.
God's presence is working foryour good, even when it's hard
to see in the midst.
Um, that is just.
(36:56):
Amazing.
And may God continue to makethat way for you and your family
and everything that you do.
cassandraspeck (37:02):
Amen.
Peggy Griffith (37:03):
Amen.
cassandraspeck (37:04):
Yeah.
Thanks Peggy.
Peggy Griffith (37:06):
for our listeners, I am putting a link,
to the YWAM and Titus Projectwebsite in the show notes.
I'm going to also put a link toCassie's sermon that she
delivered at First Church Tosa,a couple of years ago, in case
anybody wants to, listen tothat, but also to learn more
about the work that Cassie andher family Does, and if you feel
(37:27):
called to donate, there will bea link to do that as well.
So thank you everyone so muchfor listening today.
Click that subscribe button soyou can continue to listen to
incredible stories of Providenceand resilience like this.
And if you or someone you knowwould like to share a story on
the show, please send me anemail at nextdoorgospel at
(37:48):
gmail.
com.
And until then.
May the Lord bless you and keepyou.
May the Lord make his face toshine upon you and be gracious
to you.
The Lord turn his face towardsyou and give you peace.
Amen.
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