The first blog of several, documenting our time in Pyrvamisk, Ukraine this past week. Each day looked vastly different, so to begin let’s start from Monday …
Our first morning we loaded up the big red van with enough clothes and such for a week, which in all honesty is way less clothes than I would take for a weekend back home. We stopped by the store and grabbed some snack-age and we were off! We expected to be going straight to a school for a presentation, but God had bigger plans. We drove about an hour and a half on roads littered with potholes until we finally arrived at a cemetery that we drove through to reach our final destination … A rehabilitation center for men who were recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. The day after Easter back home, which holds a lot of meaning for me, especially with us visiting this center. When we arrived we were told that we would do some light work around the property and then fellowship with the guys after eating lunch. Well, Alex, one of the older rehabilitants said they had already done all the work before we got there so we didn’t have to … we came here to serve and yet we were served and served some more. It was a dreary day but we did a tour of the property, looking at the small house, nothing fancy, but it’s warm. Here in Ukraine, thousands of people died this past winter because of alcohol abuse, many got drunk and laid down in the snow or in the cold and just didn’t wake back up. This place is a place of warmth, family, and most importantly, Bible teaching and discipleship. Many of the men that go through this program that lasts a minimum of nine months, and longer for the more committed guys and more serious problems, come out with not only an understanding of who Jesus is, but they become Christians. Many even go on to be baptized. We met so many amazing men at this center from the age of 22 to 60+ … they are housing about five or six gentlemen currently, and on this day we just got to hear some of their stories. You don’t just wake up and decide, “Hey, I’m going to be an alcoholic.� These are real people with real families that most of them have lost due to their addictions, but these men are so special and they taught me so much about God’s grace, and the way He can save people from even the darkest of pits. We got to see these men a few more times throughout the week because as part of the program they attend the local Baptist church that we worked with, and one of our friends even attended our English club.
(Us with the guys and some of the volunteers from the church)
… stay tuned for “Hey Now … I’m a Rockstar …” (aka Tuesday in Pyrvamisk)
