Week one in Ukraine was far beyond anything I could have possibly imagined. As we tried adamantly to stay warm, the Lord provided us with a variety of opportunities to share His love within the community and villages outside of Lugansk.
This week I saw the Lord in my teammates, squad mates and the members of the F-Squad team we are working with as they served our contacts and served one another. I saw the Lord’s heart for orphans as a small group of us spent time each afternoon playing soccer and card games with the orphan boys from the orphanage on the other side of the camp.
I saw the Lord in Carly on Sunday as she shared the Lord’s love with a young girl named Luda who came to church. I watched as this young woman’s heart was opened to the possibility of developing a deeper understanding of who the Lord is while Carly told her who Jesus was to her, and what she learned as she spent time in the Word every day. I watched as walls Luda’s heart came down and she saw that she could trust in Carly to share more with her about the Lord. I pray that this is the first of many exchanges that I witness between Luda and Carly.
I saw the Lord in my brother Aaron this week as he made it a point to serve me as well as many others here at camp by taking our dishes and washing them after meals. The Lord shines through him daily as he serves us in this way and as he shares his heart for the Lord with us in conversation. Aaron and a number of other men on the race continue to change my view of the modern day man. With their pure, Christian hearts, I am learning more and more what it means to have a brother in Christ!
My sisters here continue to minister to me as well. My newest sister in Christ, Helen has given me a better understanding of what it means to lay down your life for the Lord. Helen is one of the interpreters here at the camp and she has an amazing life story. Even more amazing than her story is her heart for the Lord. She has endured a great deal of hardship in her personal life, including criticism and mockery of her faith from members of her own family and yet she still chooses to run after God and do work to advance His Kingdom. I have been praying that the Lord will give me words of encouragement to speak into Helen’s life and that He will continue to set up “appointments” for me to meet with Helen and learn from the life she lives for the Lord.
These are just a few of the many people the Lord has used to show me His heart and love pouring out of the people that surround me each and every day. I pray that you to are seeing the Lord in your friends, family and even strangers in your daily lives. He is alive and working in so many of us-if we just open our eyes, we can see Him.
“God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glories of Christ are for you Gentiles too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing His glory.” Colossians 1:25-27
Isn’t He BEAUTIFUL?!
