I had a wonderful trip to Ukraine. Thanks very much for your support and prayers. Dave Huck and Scott Erdahl were travel and ministry partners, and that made it great too.
My back, which is sometimes tight on long trips, felt great. And the weather was wonderful. Ukraine is a great place; God seems to be working in a special way there. I think I’m learning bit by bit to watch for the areas God is already at work, and to join Him (as opposed to trying to “make things happen on my own”). Anyway, the Bible School and Seminary in Zaporozhye continues to move ahead. We commissioned a team of young people to travel to Kazakhstan, where several of these same people had previously been arrested!
I taught a class of 5 men and 3 women on the book of Galatians. They seemed appreciative. I taught three sessions a day for 9 days, and we had time for questions and comments. My interpreter was fluent, and I never had to worry whether the true sense was getting through. Once it was sort of funny, because I felt that one of the young women was misunderstanding a crucial point. I quizzed her on it right there. She sat near the front. As I zoomed in, a friend next to her whispered an answer to get her off the hook. It was just like back in junior high. I wanted to chuckle at the thought of it, but I pressed through and made sure she answered for herself and got the clarification necessary.
On the fourth day I tried to navigate the public transportation after classes and find my way back to the apartment without help. I thought – I think I can do this. But I got off one stop too soon. Whoops. All the apartment buildings tend to look the same. The weather was beautiful, so here was this American strolling down one long block after another, doing his best to look as if he was just enjoying a walk. Finally something familiar came into view – the long park across from our apartment. But it seemed like I was on a different end of it than what I was used to seeing. So I quickened my pace and walked toward the other end. Halfway down I recognized a statue and saw how to put the puzzle into place. I crossed the park and reversed my direction for a few yards. Presto, I was home.
O well. The big adventure was the joy of meeting brothers and sisters on the other side of the world who know and love Jesus Christ. What a privilege to share the Bread of Life with them. Scott was faithful traversing the city, connecting with men on mentoring relationships he had begun the year before. He would often drag in late at night, tired. But the next day he was ready for more. Dave was construction man. The school’s twin building, right next to where I taught, received accelerated wiring with his help – a beautiful 5 story solid concrete structure. (see picture above.)
The city straddles the Dnieper River, and a large hydroelectric dam churns out power for the region, which even (unfortunately) Hitler made use of when he took over when the Nazis occupied. A large statue of Lenin stands in a park near the river. A museum nearby displayed for us the wars and conflicts the region has endured. Church services draw more older women than men. The communists kept the men working in the factories. Living conditions are improving physically in Ukraine, but there is great need to spread the gospel to a new generation.
As we drove to the airport to leave, the wind kicked up a lot of air pollution. My heart went out to those who must live there. They are pretty monolithic ethnically, and they have a pride in their region and language. Yet they imitate the West, as do so many cultures, and unless they hear the gospel, which of course, didn’t originate with us, they will imitate us with all the mixture of values we have here! Let’s encourage one another to stay close to God, be doers of the Word and not hearers only…and keep supporting missions as the Holy Spirit directs.
By the way, did you see the Wall Street Journal Friday, July 2? A column with a title something like “Houses of Worship” regularly appears. The writer said, “Some churches are really into doing missions these days by offering a helping hand and not being too preachy…but the church needs to remember to do both. To bring God’s Word and offer that helping hand” [my paraphrase of his comment]. Sometimes we get good reminders even through a “secular” rag.
My back, which is sometimes tight on long trips, felt great. And the weather was wonderful. Ukraine is a great place; God seems to be working in a special way there. I think I’m learning bit by bit to watch for the areas God is already at work, and to join Him (as opposed to trying to “make things happen on my own”). Anyway, the Bible School and Seminary in Zaporozhye continues to move ahead. We commissioned a team of young people to travel to Kazakhstan, where several of these same people had previously been arrested!
I taught a class of 5 men and 3 women on the book of Galatians. They seemed appreciative. I taught three sessions a day for 9 days, and we had time for questions and comments. My interpreter was fluent, and I never had to worry whether the true sense was getting through. Once it was sort of funny, because I felt that one of the young women was misunderstanding a crucial point. I quizzed her on it right there. She sat near the front. As I zoomed in, a friend next to her whispered an answer to get her off the hook. It was just like back in junior high. I wanted to chuckle at the thought of it, but I pressed through and made sure she answered for herself and got the clarification necessary.
On the fourth day I tried to navigate the public transportation after classes and find my way back to the apartment without help. I thought – I think I can do this. But I got off one stop too soon. Whoops. All the apartment buildings tend to look the same. The weather was beautiful, so here was this American strolling down one long block after another, doing his best to look as if he was just enjoying a walk. Finally something familiar came into view – the long park across from our apartment. But it seemed like I was on a different end of it than what I was used to seeing. So I quickened my pace and walked toward the other end. Halfway down I recognized a statue and saw how to put the puzzle into place. I crossed the park and reversed my direction for a few yards. Presto, I was home.
O well. The big adventure was the joy of meeting brothers and sisters on the other side of the world who know and love Jesus Christ. What a privilege to share the Bread of Life with them. Scott was faithful traversing the city, connecting with men on mentoring relationships he had begun the year before. He would often drag in late at night, tired. But the next day he was ready for more. Dave was construction man. The school’s twin building, right next to where I taught, received accelerated wiring with his help – a beautiful 5 story solid concrete structure. (see picture above.)
The city straddles the Dnieper River, and a large hydroelectric dam churns out power for the region, which even (unfortunately) Hitler made use of when he took over when the Nazis occupied. A large statue of Lenin stands in a park near the river. A museum nearby displayed for us the wars and conflicts the region has endured. Church services draw more older women than men. The communists kept the men working in the factories. Living conditions are improving physically in Ukraine, but there is great need to spread the gospel to a new generation.
As we drove to the airport to leave, the wind kicked up a lot of air pollution. My heart went out to those who must live there. They are pretty monolithic ethnically, and they have a pride in their region and language. Yet they imitate the West, as do so many cultures, and unless they hear the gospel, which of course, didn’t originate with us, they will imitate us with all the mixture of values we have here! Let’s encourage one another to stay close to God, be doers of the Word and not hearers only…and keep supporting missions as the Holy Spirit directs.
By the way, did you see the Wall Street Journal Friday, July 2? A column with a title something like “Houses of Worship” regularly appears. The writer said, “Some churches are really into doing missions these days by offering a helping hand and not being too preachy…but the church needs to remember to do both. To bring God’s Word and offer that helping hand” [my paraphrase of his comment]. Sometimes we get good reminders even through a “secular” rag.
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