UKRAINE June 17th-Jul 6th 1998
ALONG
THE DNIPER RIVER IN SOUTHEAST UKRAINE
It is an
exciting privilege to lead ACTS Ministry Trips. But their effectiveness
is very closely related to the intensity of prayer support that surrounds
them. Upon her return from the Ukraine, Yvonne sent out a quick note of
thanks to those who had sustained the team in prayer. For one friend that
prompted a host of additional questions. Let's listen in as Yvonne answers
her e-mail.
RF: Yvonne, you and the team were all in our prayers during your trip.
It is such a blessing to hear of the answered prayers.
YP: Thanks for the e-mail, and for praying for us and the trip.
RF: How did Neal do while you were gone? I know how much he misses you,
whether he wants to admit it or not.
YP: Oh, he admits it. The way he handled it this time was to work about
18 hours a day, forgetting to eat and sleep enough!
RF: I want to hear more about your trip--what was the place like?
YP: Well, we heard of a 1998 study done by the U.N. It said Dniperdzerzhinsk
is the most toxic city in the world! Partly because of the plutonium waste
buried in the ground. And because of the factories.
RF: Visiting so many new churches must have been exciting. How great it
is to hear how God is moving in that area.
YP: Isn't it incredible? Four churches in four and one-half years! People
being saved every week--not through programs or evangelistic outreaches,
but through people sharing with their friends and families. Seventy-two
people were baptized in the Dniper River while we were there! The people
are on fire and care for each other in very practical ways. Let me have
Kelly share her perspective with you.
KELLY: On visiting Dniperdzerzhinsk, I felt privileged to join with a
body of believers in ministering to their own people. Often short-term
mission trips are like sending in the "Americans to the rescue!"And the
nationals watch them do their thing! Well, this trip we watched God do
a wonderful work in and through His Body. We brought along some ideas
for a Vacation Bible School, and they took the ball and ran with it. Eight
to ten ladies from the Left and Right Bank Fellowships joined us at the
children's home, loving and caring for the children. Taking the supplies
and putting together the lessons, organizing songs and assembling crafts--it
was wonderful to be a part of it all. We left feeling confident that they
can and will put on future Vacation Bible Schools.
My time with the women's fellowship was very encouraging. The majority
of the women are single moms. Most without jobs or any financial support.
They have time though to help each other out, visiting the sick and the
children's homes and basically trusting God for their future, which practically
speaking is very bleak. Regardless, they love their country, their people
and their God and will wait on Him.
RF: I would have loved to have talked with the doctor in the hospital
you gave medicine to. When medical necessities are so sparse, prayer becomes
more real. That's when doctors and nurses remember to depend on the Creator
instead of the Creator's medicine.
YP: If they are Christians, yes. The head doctor we visited is a "baby"
Christian. I wish you had been there. It is hard to communicate how little
they have. The doctors even bring soap from home, as there isn't enough
money for cleaning supplies, let alone medicine!
RF: Were there as many long bus and train rides as the trip in Asia?
YP: Just the ten-hour train from Kiev to get there (and when we returned).
We had many bus or tram rides a day. To go anywhere required a ride, but
just short ones.
RF: How about walking--did you have to walk as much?
YP: Nowhere near as much as we did in Asia; but a lot more than in the
U.S. Probably not more than two or three miles any one day.
RF: Did the team work together well?
YP: Wonderfully--not a tense moment! For Nick, this was his first cross-cultural
trip. Here are some of his thoughts:
NICK: One way God protected us was in the area of interpersonal relationships.
Often this is the area that breaks the effectiveness of a missions team.
While many teams have friction (a reaction to the culture stress), we
did not have a moment of tension between us.
YP: Listen to some more of Nick's perspective:
NICK: Dan and Pat Shaw, the missionaries, captured our hearts, as did
the nationals with whom we stayed. I will always remember the zeal Dan
had for the people of his churches. Larry joined us from his church in
Minsk to relieve Dan of his major speaking for the two weeks.
I got to work with the youth. Lena, also from Minsk, organized two week-long
Vacation Bible Schools (VBS). The kids were so open and excited to learn
about Jesus, sing songs, listen to the stories, play games and do crafts.
For the second VBS, I got to organize dramas portraying David and Goliath
and the prodigal son.
The majority of my time was spent with the 16-24 age group, talking about
life in Ukraine, their relationships with Jesus and their future plans.
I led several youth Bible studies, focusing on following the lead of the
Holy Spirit and trusting in God's provision. I also taught them some dramas
which they performed in front of the church.
We also had some quality fellowship at the beach! Some true saints in
America donated a volleyball, soccer ball and frisbees. I cannot tell
you how much the church appreciates all of the donations--not only the
games and toys, but the keyboard, guitar, medicine, food supplements and
much more.
It was the quality time together that probably made the most impact on
me. I was amazed to see the hope that the Christians had even in a country
where the future looks so bleak. They put their hope in Jesus. I stopped
to ponder, "Where do I put my hope?" In church this Sunday, I realized
I want two things the Ukrainians have: Their fervor to learn about God
and their desire to see their friends and family saved.
RF: What was the most life-changing incident that happened to you?
YP: Hmm! I think at my age and with my life's experiences, instead of
"life-changing," it would probably be a life-strengthening. No one thing--but
how God worked everything together so smoothly--from travel connections
to the complexity of the five team members and the translators and Dan
and Pat working together. It all flowed. So I was very much aware it was
God's hand.
RF: I'm sure many lessons were learned. Don't stop with just one incident.
YP: My beliefs about us Christians needing more awareness of the needs
of people in the rest of the world also were deepened. It is almost unbelievable
how the people have to live. They might work two or six months without
getting paid, but they go to work every day in hopes that they will get
paid some day. If they quit and find another job, they don't get paid
for the first six months. It is "pay" enough to have the privilege of
having a job. "How do they make it?" you ask. They raise as much food
as they possibly can in their tiny gardens during the summer, then can
it and live off it the rest of the year.
RF: I am so blessed to have been part of this ministry by praying. but
after the trip is over, I often wonder what else I could do? When you
write about the needs of the world, it sometimes overwhelms me. I don't
know where to start.
YP: One person can make a difference. For example: Every time you go to
a fast food place, "deprive" yourself of one thing--like getting water
instead of a soda. Put the $1 difference in a container in the car. If
you do that just once a week, it adds up to $52 in a year. If ten people
agreed to do that, it would be $520. If a church of 200 people did it,
it would be $10,400! And who would even miss it?
Let me read you an excerpt from an e-mail Pat sent me last week:
"When we called the Detsky Dom (the orphanage for the neurologically handicapped
that we visited), they said they were feeding the children flour and water
fried in oil as that was all they had. Even though Dan and Ura were sick,
they went down to the Reenock (open market) immediately for food and will
be bringing more potatoes the beginning of next week. The government quit
supplying them with anything, even milk and bread. Sixty kids there only
get what we supply. Though we also help feed two other orphanages, we
will be able to meet their basic needs until we get the money for August.
(This is money a person from the U.S. has been donating for the past three
years to help feed these orphans). We had also been helping widows, but
the church said they will help them on their own now. The church backed
up its words with great offerings the last two weeks. We still have not
turned anyone away who has come for help and really needed it. It is encouraging
to see the church reaching out on its own.
"Dan also went to the Internaut in Poltava. It's a boarding school for
orphans and kids who are abandoned or taken away from their parents for
abuse. It has 300 kids. They need everything, including medicine. We know
we aren't geared up for that big a project, but we will put out the word.
God knows. I really pity Ukraine when God's judgment falls. They have
put the orphans as the last priority, instead of the first."
YP: I didn't share that to further overwhelm you! But that is an example
of why I feel so strongly about increasing awareness and helping people
see even small ways to get involved in blessing others. Of course, it
is as Jesus' Name and love and the Gospel are shared with the food and
medicine that it is Christian service. Otherwise, it is but humanitarian.
RF: I'm praying about going with you on some missions trip in the future.
YP: Great! I'm always looking for good people to be on teams to needy
places. We hope to have a team go back to Asia within the next year. Also,
we are planning to form a team to go to North Vietnam to visit a worker
there.
RF: Well, this trip is over. Are there ongoing prayer requests for Dan
and Pat?
YP: The spiritual warfare they face is a daily battle. Your prayer would
be greatly appreciated. To give you an idea of the level of attack: They
have constant health problems--probably for several reasons: The extreme
polution; lack of nutritious food; the heavy responsibility for four plus
churches, several orphanages and raising up national leadership. Their
car is also a continual source of problems. While we were there, it broke
down twice. Then last week, a car in front threw up a rock that caught
the undercarriage of Dan's car putting a hole in the hydraulic brake system
and in the exhaust system. One of the Ukrainians on the worship team experienced
a demonic apparition getting in bed with her. She rebuked it in Jesus'
Name, and it disappeared immediately. A young Christian man starting a
business was murdered for not "cooperating" with the mafia! This is spiritual
warfare at its hottest!
Your daily prayers would be appreciated. Just intercession for their protection
and wisdom because they never know the angle of the enemy's next attack!
There is a seriousness as we become more aware of the needs of Christians
around the world. That is not to say that the trip was all "heavy!" In
fact, it was very enjoyable. The people are great! We had fun together--even
a "Fourth of July" beach party! Praise God for His blessings. Thanks again
for your prayer and friendship.
In Jesus' Love,
Yvonne |
