I am Nadia Novakovska (born in 1974) and I live in Ukraine. I lived in the city until I was 19, then I moved to the countryside where I learned a life completely different from the life in the city: quiet, independent and free, as if I were in my own "state".
I have two children: son Pavel and daughter Vera. The age difference between them was one year and eight months, which was a blessing because they grew up together. Children's gender differences did not negatively affect their interests and they could combine playing with dolls and cars.
The Lord helped me in raising my children through the Word of God and the writings of Ellen G. White. I studied deeply and constantly wrote in my notebook Bible verses and quotes from EGW on the topic of education. Reference books at that time were "The Adventist home", "Country Living", and "Child Guidance" by Ellen White, which helped me make fewer mistakes in raising my children (although, unfortunately, there were still mistakes). I was 20 years old when I gave birth to my first child Pavel and secondly, I myself was a “baby” in the faith at that time, because I had just received baptism in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Therefore, my prayer to the Lord at that time was like this: "My Father, I am grateful to You that You found me in this world! Please, educate me and give me Your wisdom to raise my son Pavel so that he glorifies Your Name on earth, and be worthy of eternity". I put into practice all the theory that I learned and this is very important to achieve a good result. I also understood and realized that the more information I learned, the more responsibility was placed on me: "(…) For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." (Luke 12:48).
My children are adults now and I see the fruits of education and the beneficial influence of living in the countryside.
We live in the south of Ukraine, in the Kherson region, where there are a very fertile black soil and favorable climatic conditions for agriculture: a lot of sun, moderate rains and warm winters.

Therefore, the taste qualities of the grown products are very different from those grown in the west of Ukraine, where it is colder and it rains very often. In one season, we can grow three crops on the same piece of land. For example, in early February, we plant onions and early cabbage in open ground. We sow seedlings of early cabbage in December in a heated greenhouse. After we harvest, we plant late potatoes and harvest in November. Three crops can be planted and grown: early cabbage, then early potatoes, then radishes. While one part of the land brings a crop, the second part of the land rests and regenerates. For a whole season (from early spring to late autumn) we dig weeds into the soil on this piece of land with a tractor and do not plant anything. For example, we did not plant one part of the land three years, and this year, wheat was sown there. Such beautiful wheat has grown like a feast for the eyes, because the land has rested and there is no need to fertilize such land.
We also have a greenhouse and small greenhouse business, where we grow strawberries, grapes, beets, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, radishes, garlic, and onions. Therefore, we can eat fresh vegetables and berries all year round. We have water for irrigation in the yard (an artesian water well, up to 70 meters deep.) but we also found a way to collect rainwater for watering strawberries. This is important because the technology of growing strawberries has its own characteristics, and the roots of strawberries are so tender that it is necessary to measure the pH of the water, so as not to lose the crop. Each crop has its own characteristics, so knowledge and practice will bring success to those who approach this issue with love and diligence.
We also grow watermelons and melons, and they are very tasty and sweet in our area. Growing these crops requires crop exchange too: so one year we sow wheat, the next year we plant watermelons. And thus, there is no need to fertilize the land. In our region, in the south of Ukraine, there is a lot of sun, so all vegetables, fruits, berries can be dried, and vitamins are preserved. It is very tasty and good for the health of the family.
Of course, we also do a variety of food conservation, which contributes greatly to economizing the family budget. We also have beehives with bees (from 5 to 12 beehives), so we have our own honey and other bee products.
My son Pavel started beekeeping at the age of 16, and, even from the first season, he pumped 36 liters of honey from one hive with a honey extractor. We all love to watch the work and life of bees, because a person has a lot to learn from these wonderful creatures. As it is written in the Bible: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6).
We always knew that times will come when nothing can be bought or sold. Therefore, we sought to learn how to live independently as soon as possible (especially from the state). And now, I can safely say that with God's help we can live without electricity, gas, and other utilities that you have to pay for. The earth will feed us, we will not freeze in winter, there is also water. We have learned how to work the land by hand, if there is such a need in the future. We have a hand mill where we thresh our home grown wheat and I baked homemade bread from whole grain flour (either unleavened or sourdough, which I also make myself.) This bread is very tasty, healthy, and has an indescribable aroma.
We had our own house, a well with artesian water for drinking and irrigation, our own garden (a variety of fruit trees, nuts, berry bushes). There is a lot of land where we grew vegetables, berries, melons, cereals, legumes, etc. From the age of five, children had their own garden plots (meter by meter), where they planted a couple of bushes of tomatoes, potatoes, beans, etc. with their own hands. I taught them to grow from seeds, fight weeds, water and wait for the harvest; if everything is done diligently and with love, then the result will not be long in coming.
Ellen White wrote a wonderful quote about how gardening can teach children about spiritual things:
“Lessons From Seed Sowing—The parable of the sower and the seed conveys a deep spiritual lesson. The seed represents the principles sown in the heart, and its growth the development of character. Make the teaching on this point practical. The children can prepare the soil and sow the seed; and as they work, the parent or teacher can explain to them the garden of the heart, with the good or bad seed sown there; and that as the garden must be prepared for the natural seed, so the heart must be prepared for the seed of truth. As the plant grows, the correspondence between the natural and the spiritual sowing can be continued.” (Ellen G. White, Child Guidance, pg. 56.4).
What happiness and joy it was for the children when we went to their garden together, they harvested and I cooked food from these vegetables! This joy on their faces is impossible to convey even in the most poetic words. This is a must see! And from year to year, the children became more professional and responsible, and I rejoiced with them in their success. Theory and practice helped the children to be responsible and skilfully grow food. This will come in handy for the future.
When instilling love for gardening from an early age, it will bear fruit both spiritual and physical. Biblical examples, the parables of Christ, and even the Garden of Eden, all show that people are happier and more blessed when they live not in the city, but in the countryside, in the midst of the nature of God.
Another important moment in the life of my children is the environment of the animals that we had in the house. We have always multiple: dogs (one of which my then ten-year-old daughter fed from a bottle with milk when a newborn puppy, whose mother died during childbirth), cats, parrots, aquarium fish, pigeons of various breeds, hamsters, goats, cows and also a guinea pig, a turtle and a rabbit.

The children learned to take care of them, feed them, keep them clean and take full responsibility. Hedgehogs, ants, various insects always ran around our garden and many birds too (some nested in our garden and in the yard). There were many cases when wild animals and birds came to us for help. These are unforgettable moments of joy and pleasure when children help and save lives. All this helped children in the development of such valuable qualities of character as: love, mercy, sympathy, compassion, help to those who are weaker.
Another very important point: my children were educated at home, as they say, on their mother's lap. The biblical examples of the upbringing and education of Jesus Christ and John the Baptist were my prime example. I am the happiest mother in the world and for all this I am grateful only to God! Our Heavenly Father taught me to believe, love, trust, listen and obey Him. I also tried to teach children, and I was always for them not only a mother, but the most faithful and devoted friend. And this is a huge blessing for the loving heart of a mother, to which my beloved children respond.
May the Lord bless all the brothers and sisters and give them the wisdom to choose the right place to live and raise their children. With God, everything is possible and He will open the way to a place where spirituality and strong faith will only grow.

Nadia Novakovska is an experienced farmer from the Kherson oblast in Ukraine. She loves to read and enjoys talking to people about religious topics, also for evangelistic purposes.
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