I’m still amazed how different each month is, it’s almost as if I’ve lived five different lives in the short time span of five months. This month my life in the Ukraine involves many different types of ministry.
We are working with a missionary couple and their family who run an eye glass clinic that goes into poor villages and towns and hosts free eye screenings at local churches and then give glasses away to people who would not normally be able to afford them. At these eye glass clinics our role is to interact with the people coming to have their eyes checked. We play guitar and sing worship songs, we hand out Bibles, and share our testimonies and about what God has been doing in our lives on the World Race. The people that attend these eye glass clinics are mostly women ranging from middle-aged to grandmas –or babushkas as they are called here. Other days we go into schools where they’ve never met Americans before and we interact with the students who are learning English. One day we went to a rehabilitation center for people struggle with drug and alcohol addictions and we heard the testimony of 2 of the men who had gone through the program and are now following Jesus. Also, a few members of our team have visited a special needs orphanage where over 200 orphans live.
A testimony at a recent eye glass clinic:
At a recent eye clinic{ which I wasn’t actually at –I was at an English book club which I will explain in a little bit} one of my teammates shared his testimony and also about the healings that he has seen God do while on the world race. After he finished speaking an older woman rushed up to him and asked for prayer for her right eye which she explained had terrible cataracts that made it nearly impossible to see. A few of my teammates gathered around her and prayed that God would restore her eye and make it new and with all faith they believed that God had healed her. That next morning in a church service she got up in front of the congregation crying and testifying that during the middle of the night she felt something strange happening in her eye and when she awoke that morning she could see clearly just as in the days of her youth.
The other day a few us and our contact Bruce went to a school to meet with a Peace Corps volunteer and a Ukrainian English teacher about volunteering for their English Summer Camp happening next week. After the meeting we went to a café to have tea and coffee –which is customary here in the Ukraine. During the conversation the Peace Corps Volunteer Kristen, a girl about my age, invited me to attend an English club that members of the Peace Corps put on every Saturday and about 20-25 Ukrainians attend. Seeing it as a ministry opportunity to get to know Kristen more I quickly took her up on the invitation.
That Saturday, my teammates Jo Linda, Naomi, and I along with our contact’s son Michael arrived at the English Club only to find out that Kristen wasn’t able to attend because she wasn’t feeling well. We decided to stay anyways and we helped facilitate the discussion in small groups amongst the Ukrainians.
After the meeting ended everyone walked down the street to a café where I got the opportunity to talk more boldly about what I was doing here in the Ukraine to two of the girls that were in my discussion group. The three of us hit it off right away and talked about a variety of things, however, they mostly wanted to know about the World Race. I told them about the various ministries that I’ve worked with and about the awesome things that God did through those ministries. I’ve come to realize that the World Race is a great ministry tool because people always want to hear about what I’m doing, but there’s no way to tell them about what I’m doing unless I tell them about what God is doing! After talking for over 2 hours we swapped contact information and made a plan to hang out later this week.
I’ve come to realize that over these past 5 months that God has given me a passion for my generation –a passion to see my generation come to know the saving and transforming power of Jesus Christ –and as I have been learning more and more myself, a passion to see my generation live and walk in the full Kingdom authority that has been given to them.
Heal the sick…
Raise the dead…
Cast out demons…
Preach the good news…
Open the eyes of the blind…
Proclaim freedom to the captives…
These are things we read about in the book of Acts, and often times we only end up reading about them –but the book of Acts wasn’t meant to only be read –it was meant to be lived.
Something that our Contact Tony from Honduras would always say and stress was “Don’t miss the opportunity.” That phrase has continually been on the forefront of my mind and has been a driving force for me these past five months. People everywhere need Jesus –people in the United States, people in Africa, people in the Ukraine… you don’t have to go far to find someone who doesn’t know Jesus. There are opportunities everyday to share with someone the hope that you have in Him, to demonstrate the love that He has shown you, and to pursue people the way that He pursued you. So speak and live the word of God boldly, because living inside of you lies the keys to someone else’s freedom.
As Paul says: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…”
I have a little over a month to raise the final $2,800 that I need to be FULLY FUNDED (praise God!). My next deadline happens when I will be in Tanzania, Africa on July 1st. If you feel led to give, click the support me financially tab below my profile picture! Thank you so much those of you who have supported me financially already and help made this trip possible!
Talking with the teacher from the school where we will be doing the English camp.
Kristen the Peace Corps member on the right.
At the Rehabilitation center
Singing a worship song for a small church
At the school
A few of my teammates got the opportunity to visit a special needs orphanage.
The eye glass clinics
A member of the church we were doing the eye glass clinic at was sharing with these people about Jesus.
Singing worship songs and learning "Hosanna" by Hillsong in Russian.
