1 Peter 3:15-16. “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to
give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that
you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience,
so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be
ashamed of their slander.”
Manistry
was terrific– I couldn’t have asked
for a better months. Being with 11 other guys that love Jesus, doing life,
worshipping, late night conversations, cheesecake, and NO CARRYING ANYONE
ELSE’S LUGGAGE was amazing. However, little did I realize that God
saved the best for last.
Our
contacts, Andrew and his wife Jenny, helped us organize a boy’s retreat the
last weekend we would be in the Ukraine (April 26-28). On Friday afternoon
after school, fifteen boys showed up at the property. These boys were aged
11-18. Five had criminal juvenile backgrounds, a main reason was shoplifting.
All of these boys came from parents who were alcoholics and had almost
completely neglected them. The boys had no idea what or who should be a father
figure.
On
Friday and Saturday, we organized a small program for them with both fun
activities and serious talks. We were able to play soccer, navigate through
obstacle courses, and put in hours of time at the billiards and table tennis
courts. My boy Richard was able to explicitly share his testimony, which the
boys could really relate to and definitely kept them listening as they came
into this weekend thinking that Americans couldn’t have that similar of lives
as they did!
Every
single one of these boys smoked cigarettes, and they sure smoked a lot. The
first night, one of them had the nerve to open a 40 can of beer in the cabin
that Jon was sleeping in. Jon and Richard quickly heard the smashing sound of
the beer being opened and acted like police shining flashlights and emptying
the beer in front of them out into the ground.
Although
discussing Jesus and sharing stories was very difficult and very limited due to
the language barrier was limited, we had a blast with these boys. It was
incredible to hear prior to them coming about the way they lived, the way they
were growing up (basically without parents), and the lack of hope that they had
about their outcome of life.
I
can’t imagine living in a one room house with one bed, concrete floor, stove in
the middle of the house, and sharing it with five other siblings and my
parents.
I
can’t imagine coming home from school to find my parents in a drunken haze,
swimming in their own vomit, selling their house necessities to buy more
alcohol.
I
can’t imagine a 20 year old renting out his sister, men paying by the hour to
use her body, just to have money to support his already strong alcohol habit.
I
can’t imagine having no hope for my life, expecting to live in a village, never
going more than a 5 mile radius from my home, just as my parents, grandparents,
and great-grandparents have done.
I
HONESTLY CAN’T IMAGINE!
We
left for the airport that Sunday morning on a bittersweet note. We had just had
an amazing two days with these boys; pouring into them, loving them, and
encouraging them. Hours late we were in the air, waving to the Ukrainian
landscape. I know us twelve guys will always remember these fifteen boys and
the time we were allowed to spend with them.
Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths
straight.”
