Father,
I don't have the words to express the gratitude in my heart for the month we have spent here in Ukraine. Thank You for the incredible accommodations you blessed us with, Lord, from our apartment and its amenities to an easily navigated metro to our wonderfully organized and caring contacts at CCX, and all things in between. I'm so grateful to You, Jesus, for all the time we spent with the students and for the friendships we were able to develop with them. I ask that You would provide the means for us to continue the friendships we built and that by Your grace we may see them again one day, on this side of life or the next.
Jesus, my prayer right now is simply this: that You would wreck Kiev for Your name's sake and that Your Holy Spirit would start a radial revolution in the hearts of the people in this city. I pray that the idols and the objects of identity and happiness here-relationships, physical appearance, academics, intelligence, alcohol and drugs, and whatever else-God, I pray that they would realize it, that the people of Kiev and all of Ukraine would see that these things, these temporary, momentary fixes of satisfaction fade away quickly and that You, Lord Jesus, are the only permanent solution to our dissatisfaction and discontentment. There is an innate longing in our souls, hearts, and spirits for You, Lord, a longing that is insatiable by anything but Your Spirit; so I pray that You would fall upon this city like the cloud over the Tent and that You would meet the people in Kiev as You met Moses face to face.
Thank You, Lord, for Dasha, for Hanna, for Zhenya, Dennis, Allona, Illya, and Natasha, for Iulia, Katya, Genta, Lena, Erfan, Sasha, and all the other students and staff that You allowed us the privilege of meeting and getting to know this month. Thank You for their kindness, hospitality, enthusiasm, and genuine interest in us and in our lives, for how well they loved us and for how well you loved us through them. Bless our friends, Lord, and protect them.
Holy Spirit, I pray that You worked this month in each of their lives somehow, some way, through our being here in Kiev, even if it was merely planting a seed that others will water and that You will one day grow. I pray that You have sparked thoughts in their minds, that they will ask questions and search for a truth of which they can be sure. In that, Jesus, I pray that they are led to You, for You are the way, the truth, and the life.
Ultimately, Lord God, I pray that we have been tools used for Your Kingdom, that although we come before You with empty hands unable and unworthy of doing anything on our own, that the light of Your name at the universities and throughout Kiev would shine just a little bit brighter through us following You here. Thank You so much, my good, faithful, and loving God for all You did this month, the seen and the unseen. I praise You, Lord, for working in ways that are above our ways, and thank You for the peace that comes from simply trusting in You.
More than anything, I thank You, Jesus, that You died for me, for the students, for the staff, and for all people in Kiev and beyond, and that You rose again three days later to make a way to the Father for us. This life belongs to You, dedicated to spread Your name and Your glory for all of my days. I love You, Lord!
Amen
It's been real, Kiev. I love you and I'll miss you SO much, but hopefully we'll meet again one day!
