When we arrived in Ukraine one month ago, we met World Racer alum, Clinton White, who led us back to Uzhgorod where he has been a missionary for 6 years. During the train ride to Uzhgorod, Clinton shared with us some of the history of Ukraine. He told of the Holodomor that Stalin imposed on Ukranians in 1932-33, which was essentially genocide by starvation. He prevented agriculture, killed livestock, and exported everything else so millions of Ukrainians starved to death.
Ukraine has been known as the breadbasket of Europe because of its rare fertile black soil, so much so that Germany stripped tons of the soil and shipped it back to Germany during the WWII. Clinton made the point that during the Holodomor, Ukraine was filled with all this fertile soil, world renown fertile soil, and people were dying because they were not allowed to plant and what they did plant was taken away.
As Clinton was saying this, the Lord gave me a picture, a vision per se, of Ukraine. Ukraine with its spiritually fertile soil, starving for Jesus Christ, being sprinkled with ‘seeds.’ These seeds were being planted, scattered around by hand and soon the ground exploding with growth, spreading all around. It was as if the Lord was saying ‘I have a country full of ‘fertile soil,’ I am now planting seeds all over.’ The people’s soul, their heart was the fertile soil and the seeds were the true knowledge of Jesus Christ.
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” Isaiah 43:18-19
Almost as soon as we arrived to Uzhgorod, we began to see this. One of the first translators I talked to came to truly know Jesus by translating the gospel for some missionaries a few years ago. The Lord has not only lit a fire in her for His glory, but He has given her a vision for her University degree this last month while we were there.
Soon after, we entered a Roma (gypsy) village where we were truly touched by the Lord. (read Megan Parham’s blog for more BEAUTY from this village http://www.meganparham.theworldrace.org). The Lord has planted seeds and they are erupting all over this village beginning with an ANNOINTED couple, the pastor and his wife who followed the Lords call to plant a church 7 years ago, followed by some first fruits of their labor; these first fruits will continue to plant seeds in that community and around the world as pastors and missionaries.
From there, we met about 20-30 youth from about 3 churches pastored by a man named Pastor Viscilli. These youth were leading their own worship service with music, teaching, and again just radiating the Holy Spirit.
Soon after we meet two more translators whose heart the Lord has captured. Where are they off to? To make disciples of all nations!!
And then to two other Roma villages where the Lord has captured the hearts of men to become pastors of churches in these villages. One of these men has been persecuted, beaten for his faith, yet he stands firm. His church is just one of two in a village of 4,000.
The Lord is moving across the nations, and especially in Ukraine. It is becoming a sending nation for missionaries. Because of the seeds planted in this fertile soil, people are coming to know, understand, and follow the Lord. They are following His call to go to the ends of the earth to make disciples of all nations.
Please join me in praying for this beautiful nation, that the Lord would continue to raise up people passionate about sharing the love of Jesus to their village, town, city, and to the nations.
“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” MARK 4:3-8
Praying over the 4 boys who were first graduates of the discipleship program
A couple of the pastors, one from a Roma village, the other from in Uzhgorod. Amazing men.
a couple of our amazing translators
Miss you already Beautiful Ukraine!!!
