So, our time in Ukraine has come to an end. As far as the first month on the World Race goes, I really couldn’t have asked for anything more! I knew that it would be a hard month for me personally, understanding the weight of leaving everything I know and love for a whole year. And, while it was a very difficult month personally, it was an absolutely wonderful month of ministry. Our ministry contacts, Forest and Darcy, were the best ministry contacts I could have imagined. What a way to start out a year of ministry- watching a couple who has truly dedicated their live to loving children in one of the most spiritually dark places in the world. I cannot say enough about the work that Forest and Darcy do and the patience and endurance that they carry it out with. They are a truly anointed couple, and our team is so grateful to have worked with them in our first month on the field!
In view of our time in Ukrainian coming to a close, I wanted to write just a quick recap of our time there. I feel like a lot happened in just the few weeks that we were there, so I will just give a quick overview of our three week ministry there.
During our first week at “Camp Dream” in Ukraine, we worked side by side with a Russian speaking team from Fresno, CA. They had camp activities planned for the children, and we simply helped in whatever way we could. That week was a good transition into camp life- we were able to get to know the children and learn the way the camp worked, while the Fresno team essentially led the way as far as camp activities go. It was also very helpful to have them around as translators!
After the team from Fresno left, another team of three ladies from Fairfield, CA came to work at the camp. They had prepared some “VBS” style activities for the children, and we spent the week with them teaching bible lessons, playing games, doing crafts, and organizing “evening programs” that included worship and speaking. We had a team of translators come to help us out, since none of us spoke Russian. The translators were absolutely wonderful, and spent just as much time pouring out love on the children as we did. We were so thankful to have such a wonderful team there with us!
The kids at Camp Dream were absolutely wonderful to work with, and very hard to leave. The majority of the kids at the camp were from a nearby orphanage, although a few of the kids there have families, but were chosen by the government to be pulled out of their families for the summer for various reasons (alcoholism, etc.). Despite the rough upbrining that most of these kids have experienced, they were very open and receptive to building relationships with us and receiving love. They opened their hearts up, and we formed friendships with them quickly.
Volva, one of my favorite campers at Camp Dream 🙂
It is hard to think of the futures that (statistically) await kids in their situation. In Ukraine, one in ten male orphans will commit suicide before age eighteen. Seventy percent of male orphans will end up incarcerated at some point. Almost two thirds of the female orphans will either be trafficked or voluntarily enter prostitution. It breaks my heart to think of these statistics being the future of the kids I fell in love with at Camp Dream. I believe that, even if these statistics are historically true, they don’t determine the future. Please pray for each child I met at Camp Dream, that they would know the plans the God has for them. Plans to prosper and not to harm them, plans to give them a hope and a future.
So, there is a quick recap of our time in Ukraine. One country down…now on to Bucharest, Romania!
