Ukraine
We finished ministry in
our first of eleven countries, Ukraine.
We served at a Christian camp and did mostly manual labor. The camp hosted 3 different “youth groups”
with kids ranging from 10 to 16. These
camps were full of diversity as about half the kids were believers and many
were poor and from different areas in Ukraine.
The first week of camp was slow as the group did not embrace us and we
did not receive many opportunities to share about Jesus. The second week however was much different. The second camp had a leader named Dennis who
spoke great English and encouraged us to share our faith with the
children. At least 3 children we know of
came to faith in Christ at this camp and the leaders said more believed on the
last day. The group as a whole was an
amazing ministry and we were truly blessed to work with them. The last camp was much the same as the first
with few opportunities, but at each group we were able to share our testimonies
with all the kids. But most of our days
consisted of doing manual labor to better the camp.
One thing that happened
in the last week I wanted to mention.
One of our translators is a missionary to the Muslim people of this
area. There are many Muslims in Ukraine
(go figure). Well Dennis, Tom and I went
to a mosque the last day we were in Ukraine.
It was the last call for prayer for the day at 9 pm and there were about
30 men who were coming to the mosque to pray.
Dennis started the conversation by saying we were tourists from America
and wanted to learn about their faith.
They talked about their faith for a little while then I was able to
share the gospel with them. Around 10
men decided to skip their prayer time with a false god and listen to the story
of the God of the universe. I cannot
fully explain what I said, I spoke intelligible and understandable words but I
truly knew the Holy Spirit was speaking through men. And Dennis said he did not understand
everything I said but he said he knew exactly what he needed to say when he
interpreted into Russian for the people to hear. God was truly at work and after sharing the
gospel the 10 men standing around were in silence, they thanked me for sharing
the story and invited Dennis back to speak with them again. Dennis praised God loudly as we were walking
away saying “Jesus is Lord” God did a
great work on our last night in Ukraine.
I decided to compile a
summary of what we did and facts about Ukraine to wrap up the month.
What we did
-Slept in and built cabins made from 2/4s, tarps,
and staples.
-Bought a truckload of wood for $1.50, unloaded it
at the camp and used it throughout the month.
-Swam/bathed in the river.
-White water rafted on an air mattress down the
river.
-Climbed 2 different mountains 2 times a piece.
-We swam in the Black Sea and jumped off a pier at the Black Sea.
-Swung off a rope swing into the lake
-Celebrated the 4th of July by eating
pizza and French fries.
-Played volleyball, soccer, ping pong and built a
basketball goal to play basketball in.
-Herded goats and played with dogs.
-Saw the bridge at the camp collapse and built
another bridge the next day.
-Floored a bedroom at the camp with stones and
rocks.
-Leveled many things with a pick axe and shovel.
-Shared our faith with many children, adults, and a
few Muslims.
-Grew closer as a team.
-Saw a few children come to faith in Christ.
Facts about Ukraine
(Disclaimer:
these are observations of our experience in Ukraine, this may not be true of the
country as a whole but is true of our experience)
-It is a beautiful land full of green fields,
mountains, and water.
-People are very cold they do not smile or talk to
strangers.
-Christians stand out as they are much more joyful
than others.
-All people speak Russian and Ukrainian and not many
people speak English.
-Ukrainians eat soup and bread at every meal.
-They also drink a lot of coffee and tea and eat a
lot of cookies.
-The currency is grievna and the exchange rate is 8
gr to $1, because of this stuff is cheap in Ukraine.
-Many businesses take advantage of outsiders as they
will charge tourists a steeper price than locals for food/products. We had to act Ukrainian many times.
-The Orthodox Church is very strong in Ukraine, but
the evangelical Christian church is very vibrant and growing.
-Ukrainians smoke like chimneys.
-Ukrainians have very strong work ethics.
-Ukrainian Christians do not smoke, drink, gamble or
play with playing cards as they want to be set apart from the culture.
