July 8, 2026

Welcome to Day 8!. If you have read every blog post, I really salute you, and I say a big thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for being my cheerleader. I know the writing challenge itself was for me, but what if there’s no one to read it? So I say thank you again.  For today’s post, I seriously considered posting an old blog because I was tired, but I pushed through and picked up my laptop, even though my body was exhausted. The goal was to challenge myself to write, and I finally willed myself to do it. Today’s post is going to be a short one, but I hope it still drives home the lesson. And I was sifting through what to write about; I settled on this one. Some of the stories I have shared have centered around my journey since 2019-ish. As I ponder it, I can say it was probably because these were the years I faced the challenges that left a mark. This may also be because they are more recent, and my brain remembers them better. Especially under the pressure of a writing challenge. You have to dig deep to bring something out daily. Back to my title. You remember somewhere in the previous post where God said Germany was my destination after the war. While the destination was clear, the how-to wasn’t clear, and now I get how Abraham must have felt when God said, go to a land I will show you 😂. Faith is something, isn’t it? Anyways, I carried my bag to Germany; I had found a temporary place to stay. My mum had found someone who knew someone, and they were willing to host me. But it’s one thing to have a place to stay; it’s another to be permitted to stay. Unless you’re from a visa-free country, you need a valid visa or permit to enter. But due to the war, the EU had opened its borders and granted Ukraine a protection permit, which you get once you go to your country of choice within the EU. Not all countries were friendly to non-Ukrainians, and one had to choose where to go. Germany was like, “Come in, and then you apply for your permit.” It was supposed to be that simple, but like, you can already tell where this is going. I got to Germany, went to immigration, got an appointment, and voilà, the person who was my case officer said no. Why no? There was no ground to say no. Based on EU and German law, I more than qualified for the permit. I was just unfortunate, or I thought at that point to meet a not-so-kind man who didn’t fancy Africans. I think that’s a kind way of describing who he is.  That “no” threw me into disarray, and I’m like, God, you were the one that said, “Come to Germany o.” I honestly didn’t want to, especially when some of my friends went to Germany as soon as they got out of Ukraine. In my defense, I didn’t know anyone, and I didn’t want to suffer. So why would someone be refusing me? And then I started praying.  But beyond that, I was stressed and burnt out; my family was stressed for me. One moment, I was in Ukraine; the next, I was in Hungary, and now I’m in Germany. Who did I offend? The surprising thing was that while I was waiting for my initial appointment, I had gotten the same permit I was looking for in Germany in another EU country. In fact, it was a very easy application. Everything was done online, and I got it very quickly. But I remembered feeling very guilty when it came. Because if I truly said I trust God, why am I seeking a second option? Is that faith? But a friend encouraged me just to get it and have it as a backup. The backup started looking promising when I received that no, even after the appeal. Germany had given us until the end of August to get our permits, or we would need to leave. It became a case of God: What should I do? Here, on one hand, I could go to another country, but on the other hand, going on my own was not something I wanted to venture into without God’s approval. My journey with God had marked me so much in the conviction that where God sends you is where His provisions are. I had seen it happen in my life that even though I was burnt and beaten down, I was still willing to try. One of those days, I was sharing my woes with a beloved big sis. I was talking about this other country, but I also clearly heard God say, “Germany.” And she goes on to say, Did God say it’s Germany now, or for a different time? And if God is saying it’s Germany, are you sure you’re knocking on the right door? God might be saying “Germany,” but not where you are. I’m not quoting her verbatim, but it was something in this line.  With this new revelation, I went back to God in prayer, asking for His guidance and also just settling it that I would go where He wants me to go. Before I knew it, I was given 2 weeks’ notice to leave where I was staying. Where am I supposed to go 😂? My mum again found someone who knew someone, and off I went again to a different state. I was only there for 2 weeks because the state government said they were only taking new registrations, and because I was already registered in the previous state I was coming from, they couldn’t allow me to stay. At that point, I was completely worn out. I didn’t want to do anything again.  My sister had already connected me to her friend from uni